Ghost stars of training camps past

Who are the ghost stars of training camps past? Players who were little known long shots to make the team that were praised as “having a great camp”, made some plays in pre-season games, then faded into history in either a year or two.

Here are just a few of the names of training camp heroes of the past whose star burned out quickly:
  • Bo Morgan, RB (1997-98)
  • Jeff Ogden, WR (1999)
  • Woody Dantzler, RB (2002)
  • Ross Tucker, G (2002)
  • Phillip Tanner, RB (2012-14)
  • Terrance Copper, WR (2004)
  • Losaka Polite, RB (2004)
  • Skyler Green, WR (2005)
  • Isiah Stanback, WR 2007)
  • Kevin Ogletree, WR (2009)
  • Lucky Whitehead, WR (2015)
  • Rico Gathers, TE (2016-17)
  • Lance Lenoir, WR (2017)
  • Jaquan Hardy, RB (2021)
  • Dennis Houston, WR (2022)
  • Ryan Flournoy, WR (2024)
All of these guys had “a great camp” and most if not all faded quickly into the roster history books. Whose name will eventually be added as one of the “Ghost stars of training camps past” this year? Who did I forget from the past?
Ummmmmmmm you forgot the greatest August Hall of Famer of all time...........Robert "Corvette" Levette RB early 80's
 
ToddZilla was his nickname, played more rb with us. Landry wanted him at TE but Todd was not having it. Quite the career with the Raiders though!
It took Landry waiving him for him to go to the Raiders who told him the same thing and this time he accepted. Really nothing we could have done about that one; he had to wake up and smell reality and it took him being cut to do that.
 
I can remember being excited by Leon Gonzalez in like 1985…ah, the days of being gullible and devouring Cowboys Weekly.
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Parcells loved Woody Dantzler. Ross Tucker went on to have a pretty long career and now media, Stanback also now has found himself a nice career and Olgletree had some big catches for us plus played a few more seasons in the NFL so making that NFL pension!
Stanback won a freaking Super Bowl...
 
Stanback won a freaking Super Bowl...
Come on now, are we going to start talking about on a team of 53 plus 10 practice squad players and the entire staff whether they're waterboy or not, get a ring..

when you say he won a freaking Super Bowl you mean the team he happened to be on and was lucky to be on that he didn't really contribute much to, and he ended up with a ring, got a Super Bowl....LOL
 
Haha.

Great post Bob.

When i started to read i thought "oh boy here we go. Bob wants to create a good mood. A post that proofs thoses posts we had in recent days about this guy or that one who will surprise everybody. And therefore we will be such a great team because we are so lucky and we have a great FO and blah blah....Bobs going to color everything rosy."

But this one is just the oposite. Good stuff that keeps things in perspective.

Thanks a lot Bob. We need more of that.
I agree bro. :thumbup: Robert comes up with some of the best content. And you know what? It takes work. He does some research.
 
Haha.

Great post Bob.

When i started to read i thought "oh boy here we go. Bob wants to create a good mood. A post that proofs thoses posts we had in recent days about this guy or that one who will surprise everybody. And therefore we will be such a great team because we are so lucky and we have a great FO and blah blah....Bobs going to color everything rosy."

But this one is just the oposite. Good stuff that keeps things in perspective.

Thanks a lot Bob. We need more of that.
I think it shows that UDFA is even more of a crapshoot than the draft. Sometimes you end up with a Tony Romo or Miles Austin or Terence Steele or even a Rico Dowdle. Most of the time you end up with players not good enough to make an NFL roster who shine against other players not good enough to make an NFL roster. The late-round picks usually also fall into that category. It's when the earlier-round picks do that it really hurts.
 
I remember Billy Davis from the mid to late 90’s. Dude looked like a HOFer in the preseason and then disappeared in the regular season.

Honorable mention: Stepfret Williams 96 or 97
 
Charles Toppert? I think is his name DE who everyone was High on.....first time I heard fast twitch haha....dont think he ever played...
 
Omg Lenoir was the guy who wouldn’t go away….he would’ve been first team all pro practice and preseason
 
Who are the ghost stars of training camps past? Players who were little known long shots to make the team that were praised as “having a great camp”, made some plays in pre-season games, then faded into history in either a year or two.

Here are just a few of the names of training camp heroes of the past whose star burned out quickly:
  • Bo Morgan, RB (1997-98)
  • Jeff Ogden, WR (1999)
  • Woody Dantzler, RB (2002)
  • Ross Tucker, G (2002)
  • Phillip Tanner, RB (2012-14)
  • Terrance Copper, WR (2004)
  • Losaka Polite, RB (2004)
  • Skyler Green, WR (2005)
  • Isiah Stanback, WR 2007)
  • Kevin Ogletree, WR (2009)
  • Lucky Whitehead, WR (2015)
  • Rico Gathers, TE (2016-17)
  • Lance Lenoir, WR (2017)
  • Jaquan Hardy, RB (2021)
  • Dennis Houston, WR (2022)
  • Ryan Flournoy, WR (2024)
All of these guys had “a great camp” and most if not all faded quickly into the roster history books. Whose name will eventually be added as one of the “Ghost stars of training camps past” this year? Who did I forget from the past?
Darryl Clack

Lincoln Coleman
 
Who are the ghost stars of training camps past? Players who were little known long shots to make the team that were praised as “having a great camp”, made some plays in pre-season games, then faded into history in either a year or two.

Here are just a few of the names of training camp heroes of the past whose star burned out quickly:
  • Bo Morgan, RB (1997-98)
  • Jeff Ogden, WR (1999)
  • Woody Dantzler, RB (2002)
  • Ross Tucker, G (2002)
  • Phillip Tanner, RB (2012-14)
  • Terrance Copper, WR (2004)
  • Losaka Polite, RB (2004)
  • Skyler Green, WR (2005)
  • Isiah Stanback, WR 2007)
  • Kevin Ogletree, WR (2009)
  • Lucky Whitehead, WR (2015)
  • Rico Gathers, TE (2016-17)
  • Lance Lenoir, WR (2017)
  • Jaquan Hardy, RB (2021)
  • Dennis Houston, WR (2022)
  • Ryan Flournoy, WR (2024)
All of these guys had “a great camp” and most if not all faded quickly into the roster history books. Whose name will eventually be added as one of the “Ghost stars of training camps past” this year? Who did I forget from the past?
Beau Morgan was a preseason sensation! I always drafted him for my preseason fantasy football league. If the Cowboys open a preseason HOF, Morgan should be inducted first.
 
One of Landrys few mistakes
Was it a mistake by Landry? I could swear that we wanted to convert him to a TE but he refused and got cut. Picked up briefly by the Giants and then ended up with the Raiders, where he finally agreed to play TE and ultimately turned into a great player at the position.
 
Was it a mistake by Landry? I could swear that we wanted to convert him to a TE but he refused and got cut. Picked up briefly by the Giants and then ended up with the Raiders, where he finally agreed to play TE and ultimately turned into a great player at the position.
Oh did not know that. Learned something today
 
Shaneil Jenkins. A DT we picked up during 2016 camp and had like four sacks in two preseason games.

He was hyped up for a short time. Then he was waived injured, forgotten here, and eventually ended up playing in Canada.
 
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