StarMag: A Minute With... Patrick Crayton

[Boyzmamacita]

A Minute With Patrick Crayton
by Ken Sins




Q. How do you approach the offseason and mini-camps? Do you just start from scratch?
A. You don't start from scratch. You build on what you've done before and add on and enhance. You make yourself better. Starting from scratch is if you're an expansion franchise. We're not that. We've been here, the Cowboys have been here, since 1960.

Q. What specifically are you working on this offseason?
A. My release is the big thing, getting out of the release a lot quicker, a lot easier. I'm working on different footwork.

Q. What do you learn from going against the corners on your team?
A. You can get a lot out of it. Each cornerback you face is different. Each one has his own style, his own stance, the way he plays a receiver. You learn how to deal with those differences.

Q. With all the OTAs and mini-camps, the offseason seems to drag on. Is it hard to stay focused on the practice field?
A. It gets monotonous because there's no game at the end of the week. So you really have to concentrate and focus on executing the best you can in order to make yourself and the team better.

Q. You open camp as the No. Two receiver. Are you comfortable in that spot?
A. Being out there all the time, it really makes you more comfortable. I've been here five years now. I've been able to move up. Nobody comes into the league saying, "I want to be a career special teamer or a career backup."

Dallas Cowboys Star Magazine, July, 2008

 

[MichaelWinicki]

He might be more comfortable as the #2 receiver... I'd be more comfortable with him as the #3 receiver.

 

[dallasfaninsf]

He might be more comfortable as the #2 receiver... I'd be more comfortable with him as the #3 receiver.

:signmast:

 

[iceberg]

He might be more comfortable as the #2 receiver... I'd be more comfortable with him as the #3 receiver.

i'd be more comfortable if they envoked "the parcells rule" on him and didn't let him talk to the press anymore.

patrick, if you can't say anything smart, shut up.

 

[Pick6TerenceNewman]

Hopefully, he can get over the drop that cost us a trip to the SuperBowl.

 

[Coakleys Dad]

I wonder why they didnt ask him if hes using that huge game changing drop to motivate him to concentrate better.

 

[Wood]

I thought Dallas was being outplayed before Crayton drop and after.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

i'd be more comfortable if they envoked "the parcells rule" on him and didn't let him talk to the press anymore.

patrick, if you can't say anything smart, shut up.

I take issue with your remarks. I looked at what he said and he said all the right things. Nothing outlandish like he is prone.
I think he needs credit when credit is due and this is one time he did not put his foot in his mouth.

Give Crayton a break and give Hurd more reps.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

He might be more comfortable as the #2 receiver... I'd be more comfortable with him as the #3 receiver.

 

[skinsscalper]

Hopefully, he can get over the drop that cost us a trip to the SuperBowl.

Hopefully the team can get over that horrid o-line performance that cost us a Super Bowl, or the defense that allowed easy touchdowns and cost us a Super Bowl, or inaccurate passes by Romo that cost us a Super Bowl, too.

I wonder why they didnt ask him if hes using that huge game changing drop to motivate him to concentrate better.

Actually he has been asked that question by the media. He's addressed it and says that it's a motivating factor. How many different ways and times do we need the question answered?

I thought Dallas was being outplayed before Crayton drop and after.

Please try not bring facts into the argument. It's an agenda killer and unappreciated by the agenda driven.

 

[TwentyOne]

Please try not bring facts into the argument. It's an agenda killer and unappreciated by the agenda driven.

first good post in this thread. thanks, i appreciate it!

 

[NextGenBoys]

Hopefully, he can get over the drop that cost us a trip to the SuperBowl.

Incase you didnt realize, we lost in the divisional playoff game, not the conference championship.

We would have played GB again at Dallas if we would have won

 

[Boyzmamacita]

I thought Dallas was being outplayed before Crayton drop and after.

We changed our offensive strategy in that game. We went from a team with quick-strike capability to a team with eat-the-clock mentality, circa Bill Parcells. It was the wrong time to make such a drastic change in philosophy. Oh well, I hope the Cowboys learned from it.

 

[Idgit]

I thought Dallas was being outplayed before Crayton drop and after.

Hey. This thread contained an interview from Patrick Crayton. That means it's a thread where we poop on him. Period. If you can't live with that, well, then we'll poop on him so more until you're convinced.

 

[Alexander]

We changed our offensive strategy in that game. We went from a team with quick-strike capability to a team with eat-the-clock mentality, circa Bill Parcells. It was the wrong time to make such a drastic change in philosophy. Oh well, I hope the Cowboys learned from it.

Incredible point.

Our entire tempo we spent a year perfecting we changed trying to be too tricky. The things we did that beat the Giants twice before were neglected, both offensively and defensively.

There is something to be said for the pace of a football game and playing a grind-it-out style in the first half definitely was a change of pace for the offensive line and the timing of our passing game. That played right into the Giants hands when they started blitzing non-stop in the second half.

 

[JonJon]

Incredible point.

Our entire tempo we spent a year perfecting we changed trying to be too tricky. The things we did that beat the Giants twice before were neglected, both offensively and defensively.

There is something to be said for the pace of a football game and playing a grind-it-out style in the first half definitely was a change of pace for the offensive line and the timing of our passing game. That played right into the Giants hands when they started blitzing non-stop in the second half.

That is exactly right. We tried to grind it out in the first half and that wore our O-Line out. Then in the second half when we tried attacking with the pass, it turned into a blitz-fest which favored the Giants and ultimately led to our demise. It was a bad coaching effort overall.

 

[utrunner07]

I take issue with your remarks. I looked at what he said and he said all the right things. Nothing outlandish like he is prone.
I think he needs credit when credit is due and this is one time he did not put his foot in his mouth.

Give Crayton a break and give Hurd more reps.

As a well known Patrick Q Crayton hatta, I must agree, he did not say anything stupid for once...well done.

Some men say great things, others just avoid saying stupid things.

 

[CF74]

Nothing like humility to bring you back to earth, he'll be fine. I expect him to play with a major chip on his shoulder with something to prove.:starspin

 

[MaineBoy]

people make valid points about the other problems we had with the Giants game, especially the poor coaching...

BUT BUT BUT...

even with the other problems we were in a position to win if Crayton could have shut his mouth long enough to not drop a pass Helen Keller could have caught for a first down (or possible touchdown), or NOT GIVEN UP on the pass route at the end of the game when he got behind his defender...



crayton is a number 3 receiver with a big mouth...oh lucky us.

 

[NextGenBoys]

Incredible point.

Our entire tempo we spent a year perfecting we changed trying to be too tricky. The things we did that beat the Giants twice before were neglected, both offensively and defensively.

There is something to be said for the pace of a football game and playing a grind-it-out style in the first half definitely was a change of pace for the offensive line and the timing of our passing game. That played right into the Giants hands when they started blitzing non-stop in the second half.

I dont think you can compare our other two wins of the Giants to our playoff loss. The Giants were a completely different team in the playoffs. They were hot.

I think our gameplan was smart. We negated their pass rush, and if we could have tackled or played any defense at all, we would have been up 14-0. Then we could have unleashed OUR pass rush on them. Instead we got into halftime tied.

In the 2nd half they make the adjustments to stop our run game, and once we are faced with longer down/distance, they tee off and unleash their pass rush on us. I do agree that our Oline was worn down, but the Giants simply got hot at the right time. It was a team loss, as every part of the team played poorly, but I think our gameplan of switching it up was a good idea- even if the end result wasnt very good.