sago1
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Saw this on DC.com and thought you'd all enjoy, particularly those concerned about our failure to draft a WR this year -- not saying this year in TC that we definitely have 1 player (and maybe 2 not counting Stanbuch) on the team already, but still let's see what rest of TC & preseason games bring. Both Hurd & Austin made the team as undrafted rookie WRs last year but this year both need to continue to show improvement. At this point Hurd seems to be attracting some attention already & Cowboys also still like Austin. See blow:
Following the Hurd
Brad Sham - Email
DallasCowboys.com Columnist
July 26, 2007 6:29 PMChange Font SizeAAAA
SAN ANTONIO - Fella wanted to know the other day, "Anything the Cowboys didn't do in the off-season you wished they had?"
"Wouldn't have minded," I answered, "if they'd added an explosive receiver. They'll need some depth there pretty soon."
But maybe they already have it.
When analyzing the 'Boys' prospects for 2007, the conversation almost always begins and ends with the quarterback. Even the owner says it publicly. "We need quality quarterback play," Jerry Jones told Tuesday's camp-opening press conference, nor is it the first time he's said it.
"I'm a Tony Romo fan," linebacker Bradie James told reporters Wednesday. "If he plays well, we win."
And as true as that is, the Cowboys are one wide receiver injury away from A Great Public Hue and Cry about why they didn't add a receiver this year.
On paper, things look great. In 2006, Terry Glenn and Terrell Owens became the first Dallas tandem to clear 1,000 receiving yards since Drew Pearson and Tony Hill in 1979. To put in perspective how long ago that was, in 1979, Troy Aikman was in eighth grade. He's now been retired six years.
Not only that, but Owens is healthier and seems infinitely sunnier of disposition than at any time a year ago. And judging by the first two days of practice at the Alamodome, Glenn has revisited the fountain of youth. His explosion and precision seem better than ever. Wednesday he made an over-the-shoulder, toe-tipping, I-dotting catch that was in midseason form.
Not only THAT, but Patrick Crayton has never had more value around the league. Crayton finished '05 with a bum ankle and sprained it again in the first '06 preseason game. But he finished strong, he's in great health and the coaches love his value as the third receiver. The Cowboys' personnel bosses report considerable interest in Crayton from other teams in the off-season.
So why worry about receiving depth?
Because Glenn turned 33 last week and Owens turns 34 in December, and if you don't have contingency plans when you have starters of that age, you're not managing very well. And because as much value as Crayton has as a third receiver, most scouts and personnel types believe his effectiveness would diminish if were an every-down receiver. Not that he can't do it; he just wouldn't be as good. And we haven't even gone into "What-happens-when Terrell-isn't-happy-all-the-time?" land.
So new receiving blood seems to be a good idea. And Sam Hurd wants you to rest easy, because he's on the case.
Hurd is one of a handful of players on the Cowboys' training camp roster who hail from San Antonio, and they are eating up "playing" at home in the Alamodome. When Hurd was introduced to the nearly 18,000 screaming fans at the team Welcome Party Tuesday night, the decibel level went up a noticeable notch. The NBA champion Spurs' Coyote mascot, onstage helping the Cowboys' Rowdy work the crowd, bowed prostrate at Hurd's feet. Turns out the least taken aback by all the attention is Sam Hurd.
Hurd was one of three rookie free agents to make the team a year ago, from Northern Illinois by way of Brackenridge High School here in SA. He didn't have much to say in his rookie camp. Fact is he was most noticeable for Owens taking him under wing. Hurd spent the cool camp days in Oxnard, Calif., following Owens around like a puppy. Even when T.O. was wearing a bicycle jersey instead of a practice shirt, he stayed after every practice with Hurd working on receiving technique drills for a good 30 minutes. Other than that, Hurd was pleasant with a ready grin but seemed a little shy.
That demeanor carried over into the regular season, even after being named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his October fumble recovery on a kickoff that set up a win over Carolina.
Thursday, after the Cowboys' morning practice, Hurd stayed and ran routes for since-released quarterback Matt Baker for a half-hour. Asked if that session was for the benefit of himself or Baker, Hurd said, "Both."
And that was the last on display of the shy Sam Hurd. If the Cowboys need a quality young receiver, and if confidence is a quality a good receiver has, Sam may be the man.
Does Hurd feel more comfortable in his second year as a pro, more like he belongs? "I have more confidence and more knowledge, of course," he says, firing the words rapid-fire but not at all nervous. "But I knew I fit in. I was never worried about whether I could make it. I know I have heart and courage and all I needed was to be put on the field. My goals are to be a starter and then be as great a player as I can be."
Not even shaken a little, Sam, when no one drafted you last year? "No. People just didn't see me at Northern Illinois. I know I'm a great receiver."
Well, not yet. "Great" is one of those words we throw around way too easily. You have to have more than five career catches and at least one should be for a touchdown before you get into the "great" category. But if you don't see yourself as being great, you probably won't make it.
The new members of the Cowboys' offensive coaching staff, ones not exposed to Hurd in his rookie year, like what they see. New coordinator Jason Garrett said after mini-camps he thought Hurd could play. Between practices Thursday, new receivers coach Ray Sherman concurred.
"He has ability," observed Sherman, who knows a little about this as he enters his 20th NFL coaching season. Sherman has coordinated two teams' offenses. Listening to him is a worthwhile exercise.
"Sam knows he has some things to work on," Sherman said. "But he has good ability and he's smart. He's an excellent special teams player, which is important. He just needs to fine tune some things, which takes reps. Doing it against air is one thing, but you must transfer that to a defender being on you."
But his practiced eye sees Hurd as being able to contribute if one of his veterans were nicked up during the year? "Oh, sure," Sherman nods. "Sam is going to be a good player."
Sam is certainly thinking along those lines. Asked about Owens and Glenn at their age, Hurd insists, "Age doesn't matter. Not when you have their ability and their knowledge." So you'll be ready when their time comes? "I'm not waiting for that. I just have to plan on taking one of their jobs." For the record, Sherman is equally high on the Cowboys' other second year college free agent receiver, Miles Austin. Last seen returning a kickoff for a touchdown in the playoff game in Seattle in January, Austin had farther to advance as a receiver, coming from little Monmouth (N.J.) College. But Sherman says he sees improvement in Austin not just from last year to this, "but from our last OTA to this camp." But he didn't get as big a cheer Tuesday night. For a few weeks at least, Sam Hurd is home, and he's planning on making the most of it.
Following the Hurd
DallasCowboys.com Columnist
July 26, 2007 6:29 PMChange Font SizeAAAA
SAN ANTONIO - Fella wanted to know the other day, "Anything the Cowboys didn't do in the off-season you wished they had?"
"Wouldn't have minded," I answered, "if they'd added an explosive receiver. They'll need some depth there pretty soon."
But maybe they already have it.
When analyzing the 'Boys' prospects for 2007, the conversation almost always begins and ends with the quarterback. Even the owner says it publicly. "We need quality quarterback play," Jerry Jones told Tuesday's camp-opening press conference, nor is it the first time he's said it.
"I'm a Tony Romo fan," linebacker Bradie James told reporters Wednesday. "If he plays well, we win."
And as true as that is, the Cowboys are one wide receiver injury away from A Great Public Hue and Cry about why they didn't add a receiver this year.
On paper, things look great. In 2006, Terry Glenn and Terrell Owens became the first Dallas tandem to clear 1,000 receiving yards since Drew Pearson and Tony Hill in 1979. To put in perspective how long ago that was, in 1979, Troy Aikman was in eighth grade. He's now been retired six years.
Not only that, but Owens is healthier and seems infinitely sunnier of disposition than at any time a year ago. And judging by the first two days of practice at the Alamodome, Glenn has revisited the fountain of youth. His explosion and precision seem better than ever. Wednesday he made an over-the-shoulder, toe-tipping, I-dotting catch that was in midseason form.
Not only THAT, but Patrick Crayton has never had more value around the league. Crayton finished '05 with a bum ankle and sprained it again in the first '06 preseason game. But he finished strong, he's in great health and the coaches love his value as the third receiver. The Cowboys' personnel bosses report considerable interest in Crayton from other teams in the off-season.
So why worry about receiving depth?
Because Glenn turned 33 last week and Owens turns 34 in December, and if you don't have contingency plans when you have starters of that age, you're not managing very well. And because as much value as Crayton has as a third receiver, most scouts and personnel types believe his effectiveness would diminish if were an every-down receiver. Not that he can't do it; he just wouldn't be as good. And we haven't even gone into "What-happens-when Terrell-isn't-happy-all-the-time?" land.
So new receiving blood seems to be a good idea. And Sam Hurd wants you to rest easy, because he's on the case.
Hurd is one of a handful of players on the Cowboys' training camp roster who hail from San Antonio, and they are eating up "playing" at home in the Alamodome. When Hurd was introduced to the nearly 18,000 screaming fans at the team Welcome Party Tuesday night, the decibel level went up a noticeable notch. The NBA champion Spurs' Coyote mascot, onstage helping the Cowboys' Rowdy work the crowd, bowed prostrate at Hurd's feet. Turns out the least taken aback by all the attention is Sam Hurd.
Hurd was one of three rookie free agents to make the team a year ago, from Northern Illinois by way of Brackenridge High School here in SA. He didn't have much to say in his rookie camp. Fact is he was most noticeable for Owens taking him under wing. Hurd spent the cool camp days in Oxnard, Calif., following Owens around like a puppy. Even when T.O. was wearing a bicycle jersey instead of a practice shirt, he stayed after every practice with Hurd working on receiving technique drills for a good 30 minutes. Other than that, Hurd was pleasant with a ready grin but seemed a little shy.
That demeanor carried over into the regular season, even after being named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his October fumble recovery on a kickoff that set up a win over Carolina.
Thursday, after the Cowboys' morning practice, Hurd stayed and ran routes for since-released quarterback Matt Baker for a half-hour. Asked if that session was for the benefit of himself or Baker, Hurd said, "Both."
And that was the last on display of the shy Sam Hurd. If the Cowboys need a quality young receiver, and if confidence is a quality a good receiver has, Sam may be the man.
Does Hurd feel more comfortable in his second year as a pro, more like he belongs? "I have more confidence and more knowledge, of course," he says, firing the words rapid-fire but not at all nervous. "But I knew I fit in. I was never worried about whether I could make it. I know I have heart and courage and all I needed was to be put on the field. My goals are to be a starter and then be as great a player as I can be."
Not even shaken a little, Sam, when no one drafted you last year? "No. People just didn't see me at Northern Illinois. I know I'm a great receiver."
Well, not yet. "Great" is one of those words we throw around way too easily. You have to have more than five career catches and at least one should be for a touchdown before you get into the "great" category. But if you don't see yourself as being great, you probably won't make it.
The new members of the Cowboys' offensive coaching staff, ones not exposed to Hurd in his rookie year, like what they see. New coordinator Jason Garrett said after mini-camps he thought Hurd could play. Between practices Thursday, new receivers coach Ray Sherman concurred.
"He has ability," observed Sherman, who knows a little about this as he enters his 20th NFL coaching season. Sherman has coordinated two teams' offenses. Listening to him is a worthwhile exercise.
"Sam knows he has some things to work on," Sherman said. "But he has good ability and he's smart. He's an excellent special teams player, which is important. He just needs to fine tune some things, which takes reps. Doing it against air is one thing, but you must transfer that to a defender being on you."
But his practiced eye sees Hurd as being able to contribute if one of his veterans were nicked up during the year? "Oh, sure," Sherman nods. "Sam is going to be a good player."
Sam is certainly thinking along those lines. Asked about Owens and Glenn at their age, Hurd insists, "Age doesn't matter. Not when you have their ability and their knowledge." So you'll be ready when their time comes? "I'm not waiting for that. I just have to plan on taking one of their jobs." For the record, Sherman is equally high on the Cowboys' other second year college free agent receiver, Miles Austin. Last seen returning a kickoff for a touchdown in the playoff game in Seattle in January, Austin had farther to advance as a receiver, coming from little Monmouth (N.J.) College. But Sherman says he sees improvement in Austin not just from last year to this, "but from our last OTA to this camp." But he didn't get as big a cheer Tuesday night. For a few weeks at least, Sam Hurd is home, and he's planning on making the most of it.
