Angus
Active Member
- Messages
- 5,097
- Reaction score
- 20
More Knee-jerk Reactions From San Antonio
August 6, 2007 3:37 PM
One of the great things about working in the national media is that you're empowered to make wide-sweeping judgments based on two training camp practices. And since I filled up two Marriott notepads with information from Cowboys training camp, I thought you might be interested in some of my observations that didn't show up here.
* There is a pretty spirited kicking battle going on between Martin Gramatica and rookie Nick Folk out of Arizona. As of Saturday evening, Folk had only missed one field goal the entire camp. I'm told Gramatica had one awful day, but other than that, he's had a strong camp. Knowing the Cowboys might look at Folk as a kickoff specialist, Gramatica dedicated himself to adding strength this offseason. The tiny man hoisted 225 pounds on the bench like it was nothing and squatted 400 pounds. Folk was inconsistent at times in college, but he's always had a powerful leg. At this rate, the Cowboys will have a difficult time cutting him.
* Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is no stranger to hyperbole, so you should take it with a grain a salt when he mentions right guard Leonard Davis and future Hall of Famer Larry Allen in the same sentence. That said, the freakishly large Davis has been engulfing defenders in the running game. I've heard some members of the organization talk about moving him to left tackle in the future, but that would be foolish. He simply doesn't do well in space, and he'll be most effective inside. Of the two tackles the Cowboys just drafted, Doug Free has performed a little better than James Marten over the past few practices. Free is the superior pass-blocker, but Marten seems to have the advantage as a run-blocker. The good news for the Cowboys is that Tony Sparano has quietly become one of the top offensive line coaches in the league, and he's also proven to be an effective play-caller.
* Perhaps Wade Phillips' No. 1 credential is the fact that he collects a lot of sacks. His Chargers defense led the league with 61 sacks last season, which is even more impressive when you consider the Cowboys haven't had a 40-sack season since 1994. Last season, teams could simply focus on stopping linebacker DeMarcus Ware once Greg Ellis ruptured his Achilles' tendon. Parcells didn't believe in zone blitzes, but Phillips believes in bringing pressure from all over the field. In this defense, Ware will get to focus on rushing the passer. He told me he felt like he'd been "unleashed" under the new regime. Defensive ends Jason Hatcher, Jay Ratliff, Chris Canty and Marcus Spears have all had strong camps, and Phillips feels like he has a lot more depth on the defensive line than he had in San Diego. Canty, a former fourth-round draft pick, may be the most improved player on the team. He's been a disruptive force during camp, and he appears to have surpassed Spears, a former first-round draft pick.
* The Greg Ellis drama has continued throughout camp. He's complained about his contract and role on the team the past two seasons, which has sullied his good name. The funny thing is that even while complaining that the Cowboys took Anthony Spencer as his replacement, he's spent a lot of time tutoring the rookie linebacker. He's such a good person that he can't help himself. That said, he's come across as whiner in this situation. He spent last week hinting at retirement before a call from Darren Woodson helped change his mind. In a strange announcement the other day, Ellis said he wanted children to know that he wasn't greedy, and that he didn't want more money from the Cowboys. His worst mistake was publicly questioning what type of effort he could put forth under his current contract situation. It made him look really bad even though most of us didn't believe what he was saying.
* If you're looking for a sleeper, former Packers third-round draft choice Joey Thomas has had a nice camp. He played in 15 games his rookie season in 2004, but was released by the club in 2005. He didn't play anywhere last season, but he's making a lot of plays in this camp. I also overheard a friend in the scouting department raving about seventh-round draft pick Courtney Brown, who has tremendous speed at cornerback to go along with good size (6-1, 203). He's definitely someone to watch. And obviously, signing former Baylor defensive end Khari Long to play linebacker (6-4, 257) was the shrewdest move of training camp. For some reason, Cowboys personnel chief Jeff Ireland is always tapped into the talent pipeline coming out of Waco. And don't sleep on Cory Procter, who offers the Cowboys great depth at both guard spots and center.
http://myespn.go.com/profile/hashmarks
August 6, 2007 3:37 PM
One of the great things about working in the national media is that you're empowered to make wide-sweeping judgments based on two training camp practices. And since I filled up two Marriott notepads with information from Cowboys training camp, I thought you might be interested in some of my observations that didn't show up here.
* There is a pretty spirited kicking battle going on between Martin Gramatica and rookie Nick Folk out of Arizona. As of Saturday evening, Folk had only missed one field goal the entire camp. I'm told Gramatica had one awful day, but other than that, he's had a strong camp. Knowing the Cowboys might look at Folk as a kickoff specialist, Gramatica dedicated himself to adding strength this offseason. The tiny man hoisted 225 pounds on the bench like it was nothing and squatted 400 pounds. Folk was inconsistent at times in college, but he's always had a powerful leg. At this rate, the Cowboys will have a difficult time cutting him.
* Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is no stranger to hyperbole, so you should take it with a grain a salt when he mentions right guard Leonard Davis and future Hall of Famer Larry Allen in the same sentence. That said, the freakishly large Davis has been engulfing defenders in the running game. I've heard some members of the organization talk about moving him to left tackle in the future, but that would be foolish. He simply doesn't do well in space, and he'll be most effective inside. Of the two tackles the Cowboys just drafted, Doug Free has performed a little better than James Marten over the past few practices. Free is the superior pass-blocker, but Marten seems to have the advantage as a run-blocker. The good news for the Cowboys is that Tony Sparano has quietly become one of the top offensive line coaches in the league, and he's also proven to be an effective play-caller.
* Perhaps Wade Phillips' No. 1 credential is the fact that he collects a lot of sacks. His Chargers defense led the league with 61 sacks last season, which is even more impressive when you consider the Cowboys haven't had a 40-sack season since 1994. Last season, teams could simply focus on stopping linebacker DeMarcus Ware once Greg Ellis ruptured his Achilles' tendon. Parcells didn't believe in zone blitzes, but Phillips believes in bringing pressure from all over the field. In this defense, Ware will get to focus on rushing the passer. He told me he felt like he'd been "unleashed" under the new regime. Defensive ends Jason Hatcher, Jay Ratliff, Chris Canty and Marcus Spears have all had strong camps, and Phillips feels like he has a lot more depth on the defensive line than he had in San Diego. Canty, a former fourth-round draft pick, may be the most improved player on the team. He's been a disruptive force during camp, and he appears to have surpassed Spears, a former first-round draft pick.
* The Greg Ellis drama has continued throughout camp. He's complained about his contract and role on the team the past two seasons, which has sullied his good name. The funny thing is that even while complaining that the Cowboys took Anthony Spencer as his replacement, he's spent a lot of time tutoring the rookie linebacker. He's such a good person that he can't help himself. That said, he's come across as whiner in this situation. He spent last week hinting at retirement before a call from Darren Woodson helped change his mind. In a strange announcement the other day, Ellis said he wanted children to know that he wasn't greedy, and that he didn't want more money from the Cowboys. His worst mistake was publicly questioning what type of effort he could put forth under his current contract situation. It made him look really bad even though most of us didn't believe what he was saying.
* If you're looking for a sleeper, former Packers third-round draft choice Joey Thomas has had a nice camp. He played in 15 games his rookie season in 2004, but was released by the club in 2005. He didn't play anywhere last season, but he's making a lot of plays in this camp. I also overheard a friend in the scouting department raving about seventh-round draft pick Courtney Brown, who has tremendous speed at cornerback to go along with good size (6-1, 203). He's definitely someone to watch. And obviously, signing former Baylor defensive end Khari Long to play linebacker (6-4, 257) was the shrewdest move of training camp. For some reason, Cowboys personnel chief Jeff Ireland is always tapped into the talent pipeline coming out of Waco. And don't sleep on Cory Procter, who offers the Cowboys great depth at both guard spots and center.
http://myespn.go.com/profile/hashmarks
