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Inconsistent special teams play in the preseason opener prompted Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett to have what he called “a come to Jesus meeting” with the team’s younger players Tuesday.
“Some of the veteran guys you would expect, showed up,” Garrett said during a news conference at training camp in Oxnard, Calif. “Some of the younger guys that we needed to show up, maybe didn’t show up quite as much.”
It was those younger players that Garrett focused on when he spoke to the team before its morning walkthrough. The Cowboys defeated Miami 24-20 on Sunday night in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
“They’ve got the uniform on, right?” Garrett said of the younger players. “(The game is on national TV and) everybody is watching. But there is a responsibility that comes with that. To play at that field, with a big Hall of Fame logo on the middle of the field, 100 yards from the busts…there is a standard that comes with it. I think they understand that maybe a little bit more than they did at 8 o’clock in the morning.”
One of the rookies Garrett would like to see more consistency from is third-round safety J.J. Wilcox.
“What you find out with certain players is that they can be inconsistent, they can be flash players, they show up, they make a great catch, they make a great hit,” Garrett said. “But we are going to watch you play after play after play to see how you perform.
Both on defense and in the kicking game. I think he would be a good example of inconsistent play. He needs to run. You can hit everybody all day long, but if you can’t get to the point to hit the guy, you are not going to be real good.
“He’s a conscientious kid. He can be a really good player. He just needs to keep working at it and understand what it takes at this level.”
Garrett said he pointed out to the younger players that “every play matters,” whether it be in practice or a game.”
“We had a good discussion the other night on why Larry Allen was a great football player,” Garrett said of the former Cowboys offensive lineman who was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday. “There are so many reasons why Larry Allen was a great football player.
He was big, strong, physical, nasty, explosive – you name it. He could run block, pass block the whole deal. What stood out to me about Larry Allen was pridefulness – everything mattered to him – pass rush drill mattered, inside run (drill) mattered. It mattered out here on this kind of a field in late July, and certainly every play in a game mattered to him. You need to play with that pridefulness if you want to be a great player. It’s play after play after play. Young players need to be reminded of that and veteran players need to be reminded of that.”
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“Some of the veteran guys you would expect, showed up,” Garrett said during a news conference at training camp in Oxnard, Calif. “Some of the younger guys that we needed to show up, maybe didn’t show up quite as much.”
It was those younger players that Garrett focused on when he spoke to the team before its morning walkthrough. The Cowboys defeated Miami 24-20 on Sunday night in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
“They’ve got the uniform on, right?” Garrett said of the younger players. “(The game is on national TV and) everybody is watching. But there is a responsibility that comes with that. To play at that field, with a big Hall of Fame logo on the middle of the field, 100 yards from the busts…there is a standard that comes with it. I think they understand that maybe a little bit more than they did at 8 o’clock in the morning.”
One of the rookies Garrett would like to see more consistency from is third-round safety J.J. Wilcox.
“What you find out with certain players is that they can be inconsistent, they can be flash players, they show up, they make a great catch, they make a great hit,” Garrett said. “But we are going to watch you play after play after play to see how you perform.
Both on defense and in the kicking game. I think he would be a good example of inconsistent play. He needs to run. You can hit everybody all day long, but if you can’t get to the point to hit the guy, you are not going to be real good.
“He’s a conscientious kid. He can be a really good player. He just needs to keep working at it and understand what it takes at this level.”
Garrett said he pointed out to the younger players that “every play matters,” whether it be in practice or a game.”
“We had a good discussion the other night on why Larry Allen was a great football player,” Garrett said of the former Cowboys offensive lineman who was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday. “There are so many reasons why Larry Allen was a great football player.
He was big, strong, physical, nasty, explosive – you name it. He could run block, pass block the whole deal. What stood out to me about Larry Allen was pridefulness – everything mattered to him – pass rush drill mattered, inside run (drill) mattered. It mattered out here on this kind of a field in late July, and certainly every play in a game mattered to him. You need to play with that pridefulness if you want to be a great player. It’s play after play after play. Young players need to be reminded of that and veteran players need to be reminded of that.”
Continue reading...