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OVERSHADOWED NO LONGER
With strong special teams play in particular, undrafted free agent Danny McCray has been impressive this preseason.
by Rowan Kavner
http://www.dallascowboysstar.com/article-details&nid=3630&vid=3631&uid=35812
Some talented college players sit behind NFL-caliber talent with little opportunity to blossom until late in their amateur careers.
Former LSU safety Danny McCray had to do that as a freshman in 2006 behind safety LaRon Landry, who would eventually get drafted by the Washington Commanders in the first round. McCray waited again in 2007 playing behind Craig Steltz, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears.
It didn't get any easier the next year. Another safety, future San Francisco 49er Curtis Taylor, started the majority of 2008 for the Tigers. Finally, in McCray's senior season of 2009, it was Chad Jones who headlined the free safety spot for LSU.
Lost in the shadows, playing behind All-America talents, the versatile McCray saw action occasionally at strong safety and nickel back his senior year, but he was never able to grasp a firm starting position throughout his collegiate career. Still, McCray managed 196 tackles in four seasons.
After starting only 13 of his 52 games for the Tigers, his college days ended in a 19-17 loss to Penn State in the Capital One Bowl. Then came draft day, and his name wasn't announced. Things looked grim.
But as McCray watched safety after safety get drafted, he spent season after season perfecting his work on special teams. And as he ran down the field at Tiger Stadium, McCray had indeed gotten noticed.
Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis looked at tape from players across the country. The Southeastern Conference in particular never goes unnoticed. DeCamillis was watching Jones, the former Tigers safety who would eventually be selected by the New York Giants in the 2010 NFL Draft.
But another guy kept grabbing his attention. DeCamillis couldn't keep his eyes off No. 44. He didn't know who the player was; he wasn't on any draft lists that DeCamillis was aware of, but he was in on nearly every special teams play. He didn't know it then, but it wouldn't be the last DeCamillis would see of LSU's No. 44.
"He showed up on a lot of the special teams," DeCamillis says. "He was making a lot of plays. At that time, I had about 150 guys I was looking at. When Mitch LaPoint, he's one of our scouts, came up and said, 'We've got Danny McCray from LSU.' I said, 'Really?' He said, 'Yeah, he was No. 44.' I said, 'No kidding?'"
McCray came to the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, one of the many rookie hopefuls whose chances of actually playing at the professional level were slim, and he knew that. But throughout his life, through struggles such as this, his family has always been by his side.
McCray lost his father when he was eight years old. Since then, he has served as the man of the household and a father figure to his two sisters. He says hearing from his sisters has kept him rolling through the grind of training camp.
"The big thing that I take from my father passing when I was younger is I got to watch my mother work hard to do what she had to do to get done for us," McCray says. "When I took over that role, I could pretty much take the criticisms. The coaching is not hard for me to take because I've been hearing it forever. I know it's a struggle to get where you want to go. I know you've got to work hard. There are going to be obstacles you need to overcome, and when you get there it's a great feeling."
McCray didn't know what his chances were of making it to the professional level as he watched the LSU defensive starters take the field every game. But his family held him together and kept him focused and strong, removing any of his doubts. They kept him churning.
"They kept my hopes high," McCray says. "They let me know that coming to the NFL would be a new step, that they would erase what you did in college and give you another chance. I just kept that in mind the whole time I was there. When I got here I tried to put all that behind me and turn into a new player."
He took his family's words to heart. Since arriving in Dallas, McCray has been impossible to overlook. In the Hall of Fame Game, he recorded an interception against the Bengals as a safety. At San Diego, McCray posted three special teams tackles, recovered a fumble and drew a block in the back on a punt for a Chargers' penalty, pinning San Diego inside its 10-yard line.
"That might have been my best special teams game in my whole football career," McCray says. "I don't know what happened. The ball was just everywhere, and I just seemed to be right there where it was."
Playing special teams at LSU was a blessing in disguise for McCray, who learned how to maneuver on punts and kickoffs. He says he learned the proper technique to get through defenders to reach a returner.
For many rookie free agents, prowess on special teams is the key to a roster spot. Players who aren't likely to start immediately must be able to contribute in multiple facets of the game.
Needless to say, DeCamillis has been impressed with McCray.
"He's a heck of a player," DeCamillis says. "We're excited to have him. He's got a build that's hard to block. He's a guy that's hard to knock off his feet. He's got good balance in his running, and he can run straight ahead real fast. He's shown that he's got some toughness to him. He's willing to put his face on people."
The oft mild-mannered McCray was jubilant after the Chargers game, but he still wasn't jumping around the locker room. He says that's not his style, his modesty almost as impressive as his ability to take down punt returners. He'd rather go about his business than boast.
"I used to get a lot of hassle about that in college," McCray says. "I used to have teammates say, 'Man, when you make a play, why don't you celebrate?' I never did when I was in middle school, high school, and I never did in college. It was something I wasn't accustomed to doing. Maybe one day I'll try it, but right now I'm just trying to make plays."
It's possible that if McCray had gotten more starting time at safety while with LSU, he would have never played special teams. Maybe DeCamillis would have never seen him. But now he's here, and he's willing to play any position to make the Cowboys roster.
"I'm trying to make the team any way I can," McCray says. "That's the goal. If it's at safety, if it's at special teams, I'll be the punter, kicker, it doesn't matter."
His flexibility will play a significant role if he lands a spot on the 53-man roster. Secondary and safeties coach Brett Maxie says McCray has shown ability at both free and strong safety. He's now being used in nickel and dime packages as well because Maxie and secondary coach Dave Campo want to find a place on the field for the gifted special teams asset.
Maxie says the strides McCray has made since joining the Cowboys are remarkable. He attributes part of that to McCray's intelligence. The Houston, Texas native maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school, and intellect off the field can translate to play on the field.
"He's a very bright kid," Maxie says. "He's not going to make the same mistake twice. He's very conscientious. He's extraordinary in the meeting rooms as far as paying attention to little details. He's a very studious kid. It's important to him. His safety play has been really, really good. We actually had him play both positions in the San Diego game, and he had production at both spots."
He may not have known it at the time, but McCray's experience moving around the gridiron at LSU has given him an edge against the rookie free agents who played only one position throughout high school and college.
"The more you can do, the more opportunities you're going to get to play, and the more value you have," Maxie says. "When it comes down to dressing down the 45 on Sunday, you want guys that can do more than just one thing."
McCray was anxious when he first came to the Cowboys. He didn't know what to expect. It's hard to imagine what the speed of the game is like, especially after not establishing a solid position in college. But he realized he could play in the league during the Hall of Fame Game. The first Cowboys' punt in that contest resulted in a fair catch, but McCray was the first one there.
"To do well at the start wasn't expected," McCray says. "I figured I would play fairly decent, but I didn't expect to have success in the first game when I got out there. I was nervous. You wonder what's going to happen, how fast they're going to be, if they hit harder. But once I got here, it was like, 'I can do this,' and I've been doing it for the last three games now."
Whether or not he ends up making the final 53-man roster, McCray is no longer being overshadowed.
With strong special teams play in particular, undrafted free agent Danny McCray has been impressive this preseason.
by Rowan Kavner
http://www.dallascowboysstar.com/article-details&nid=3630&vid=3631&uid=35812
Some talented college players sit behind NFL-caliber talent with little opportunity to blossom until late in their amateur careers.
Former LSU safety Danny McCray had to do that as a freshman in 2006 behind safety LaRon Landry, who would eventually get drafted by the Washington Commanders in the first round. McCray waited again in 2007 playing behind Craig Steltz, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears.
It didn't get any easier the next year. Another safety, future San Francisco 49er Curtis Taylor, started the majority of 2008 for the Tigers. Finally, in McCray's senior season of 2009, it was Chad Jones who headlined the free safety spot for LSU.
Lost in the shadows, playing behind All-America talents, the versatile McCray saw action occasionally at strong safety and nickel back his senior year, but he was never able to grasp a firm starting position throughout his collegiate career. Still, McCray managed 196 tackles in four seasons.
After starting only 13 of his 52 games for the Tigers, his college days ended in a 19-17 loss to Penn State in the Capital One Bowl. Then came draft day, and his name wasn't announced. Things looked grim.
But as McCray watched safety after safety get drafted, he spent season after season perfecting his work on special teams. And as he ran down the field at Tiger Stadium, McCray had indeed gotten noticed.
Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis looked at tape from players across the country. The Southeastern Conference in particular never goes unnoticed. DeCamillis was watching Jones, the former Tigers safety who would eventually be selected by the New York Giants in the 2010 NFL Draft.
But another guy kept grabbing his attention. DeCamillis couldn't keep his eyes off No. 44. He didn't know who the player was; he wasn't on any draft lists that DeCamillis was aware of, but he was in on nearly every special teams play. He didn't know it then, but it wouldn't be the last DeCamillis would see of LSU's No. 44.
"He showed up on a lot of the special teams," DeCamillis says. "He was making a lot of plays. At that time, I had about 150 guys I was looking at. When Mitch LaPoint, he's one of our scouts, came up and said, 'We've got Danny McCray from LSU.' I said, 'Really?' He said, 'Yeah, he was No. 44.' I said, 'No kidding?'"
McCray came to the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, one of the many rookie hopefuls whose chances of actually playing at the professional level were slim, and he knew that. But throughout his life, through struggles such as this, his family has always been by his side.
McCray lost his father when he was eight years old. Since then, he has served as the man of the household and a father figure to his two sisters. He says hearing from his sisters has kept him rolling through the grind of training camp.
"The big thing that I take from my father passing when I was younger is I got to watch my mother work hard to do what she had to do to get done for us," McCray says. "When I took over that role, I could pretty much take the criticisms. The coaching is not hard for me to take because I've been hearing it forever. I know it's a struggle to get where you want to go. I know you've got to work hard. There are going to be obstacles you need to overcome, and when you get there it's a great feeling."
McCray didn't know what his chances were of making it to the professional level as he watched the LSU defensive starters take the field every game. But his family held him together and kept him focused and strong, removing any of his doubts. They kept him churning.
"They kept my hopes high," McCray says. "They let me know that coming to the NFL would be a new step, that they would erase what you did in college and give you another chance. I just kept that in mind the whole time I was there. When I got here I tried to put all that behind me and turn into a new player."
He took his family's words to heart. Since arriving in Dallas, McCray has been impossible to overlook. In the Hall of Fame Game, he recorded an interception against the Bengals as a safety. At San Diego, McCray posted three special teams tackles, recovered a fumble and drew a block in the back on a punt for a Chargers' penalty, pinning San Diego inside its 10-yard line.
"That might have been my best special teams game in my whole football career," McCray says. "I don't know what happened. The ball was just everywhere, and I just seemed to be right there where it was."
Playing special teams at LSU was a blessing in disguise for McCray, who learned how to maneuver on punts and kickoffs. He says he learned the proper technique to get through defenders to reach a returner.
For many rookie free agents, prowess on special teams is the key to a roster spot. Players who aren't likely to start immediately must be able to contribute in multiple facets of the game.
Needless to say, DeCamillis has been impressed with McCray.
"He's a heck of a player," DeCamillis says. "We're excited to have him. He's got a build that's hard to block. He's a guy that's hard to knock off his feet. He's got good balance in his running, and he can run straight ahead real fast. He's shown that he's got some toughness to him. He's willing to put his face on people."
The oft mild-mannered McCray was jubilant after the Chargers game, but he still wasn't jumping around the locker room. He says that's not his style, his modesty almost as impressive as his ability to take down punt returners. He'd rather go about his business than boast.
"I used to get a lot of hassle about that in college," McCray says. "I used to have teammates say, 'Man, when you make a play, why don't you celebrate?' I never did when I was in middle school, high school, and I never did in college. It was something I wasn't accustomed to doing. Maybe one day I'll try it, but right now I'm just trying to make plays."
It's possible that if McCray had gotten more starting time at safety while with LSU, he would have never played special teams. Maybe DeCamillis would have never seen him. But now he's here, and he's willing to play any position to make the Cowboys roster.
"I'm trying to make the team any way I can," McCray says. "That's the goal. If it's at safety, if it's at special teams, I'll be the punter, kicker, it doesn't matter."
His flexibility will play a significant role if he lands a spot on the 53-man roster. Secondary and safeties coach Brett Maxie says McCray has shown ability at both free and strong safety. He's now being used in nickel and dime packages as well because Maxie and secondary coach Dave Campo want to find a place on the field for the gifted special teams asset.
Maxie says the strides McCray has made since joining the Cowboys are remarkable. He attributes part of that to McCray's intelligence. The Houston, Texas native maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school, and intellect off the field can translate to play on the field.
"He's a very bright kid," Maxie says. "He's not going to make the same mistake twice. He's very conscientious. He's extraordinary in the meeting rooms as far as paying attention to little details. He's a very studious kid. It's important to him. His safety play has been really, really good. We actually had him play both positions in the San Diego game, and he had production at both spots."
He may not have known it at the time, but McCray's experience moving around the gridiron at LSU has given him an edge against the rookie free agents who played only one position throughout high school and college.
"The more you can do, the more opportunities you're going to get to play, and the more value you have," Maxie says. "When it comes down to dressing down the 45 on Sunday, you want guys that can do more than just one thing."
McCray was anxious when he first came to the Cowboys. He didn't know what to expect. It's hard to imagine what the speed of the game is like, especially after not establishing a solid position in college. But he realized he could play in the league during the Hall of Fame Game. The first Cowboys' punt in that contest resulted in a fair catch, but McCray was the first one there.
"To do well at the start wasn't expected," McCray says. "I figured I would play fairly decent, but I didn't expect to have success in the first game when I got out there. I was nervous. You wonder what's going to happen, how fast they're going to be, if they hit harder. But once I got here, it was like, 'I can do this,' and I've been doing it for the last three games now."
Whether or not he ends up making the final 53-man roster, McCray is no longer being overshadowed.
