Rob Phillips knows what I am talking about.
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Rob Phillips - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
September 2, 2009 5:56 PM
IRVING, Texas - Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips and special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis have the same issue regarding their rookie class.
Phillips, who doubles as the defensive coordinator, needs depth for his unit. Four draft picks (linebackers Brandon Williams, Jason Williams, Mike Hamlin and Stephen Hodge) have injuries that vary in severity.
DeCamillis was counting on the same four as core contributors for his units this season. Possibly without all four at least for Friday's preseason finale at Minnesota, he must improvise as the Sept. 13 opener at Tampa Bay approaches.
"There's going to be a lot of shuffling for us," DeCamillis said "We're going to have to make some adjustments and some guys are going to have to fill some roles that we're needing to fill for that first game."
The Cowboys expected their rookie quartet - part of a 12-man overall class - to help on special teams while they got more comfortable in Phillips' 3-4 defense (only Hamlin is playing his college position). But Brandon Williams (torn ACL) will miss the season; Jason Williams (high ankle sprain) will miss four-to-six weeks; Hamlin (arm fracture) will miss six weeks; and Phillips is admittedly "really concerned" that Hodge's surgically-repaired knee continues to limit him in practice.
The Cowboys are in a transition period on their coverage teams. Only two of their top five leaders in tackles - Deon Anderson (13) and Orlando Scandrick (12) - are back. This year, Anderson is rehabbing from arthroscopic knee surgery and Scandrick is competing for a starting job at cornerback.
But such turnover is nothing new to DeCamillis, who successfully coached four other NFL units before Phillips hired him in the off-season to improve the Cowboys' previously-inconsistent kicking game.
"There's just so many changes year to year that your system has to be such that everybody understands it," DeCamillis said. "And I think to this point, enough guys have gotten reps that it's going to help us for the game coming up against Tampa."
Help is on the way. Anderson is tentatively scheduled to begin practicing next week and presumably should be ready for the opener. Injured cornerback Alan Ball (concussion), another core player, could be ready as well. And safety Pat Watkins, who led the Cowboys in special teams tackles two years ago, has returned from an injury-plagued 2008 season and has positioned himself for a roster spot.
The Cowboys signed another potential contributor Wednesday. Second-year outside linebacker Curtis Johnson won't play Friday because of a hamstring injury, but Phillips said he was an effective special-teamer for Indianapolis last year. The Cowboys seemingly have plans for him on the 53-man roster, considering he was claimed off waivers despite having an injury that will prevent him from playing this week.
"He played well on special teams also. That's another factor in picking him up," Phillips said. "He played core positions and positions where you had to be able to run and be physical. He showed some of those things."
DeCamillis also has a wild card in his "shuffled" special teams deck. Rookie kicker David Buehler is expected to make the team as a kickoff specialist, but the Cowboys also have experimented with him on the punt coverage and return units.
Buehler has primarily kicked off in the last two preseason games, but he also had two special teams tackles in the Aug. 13 loss to Oakland, including one following a kickoff that he unintentionally "veered left."
"It's definitely a different ball game getting in the league and trying to play special teams against the big boys," said Buehler, who was strictly a kicker his last two years at USC. "It was definitely a transition from junior college to SC, special-teams wise. Not playing it for two years and getting back into it and trying to knock off the rust, it's difficult physically and mentally."
But DeCamillis said Buehler's size (6-2, 228) and athleticism could help in coverage. He wasn't sure if the Cowboys would try him there again Friday night, though it's possible in a game dedicated to the reserves.
"I think they (the other players) have got a respect for him other than he's a guy that kicks field goals for us," DeCamillis said.
Despite the injuries, DeCamillis saw marked improvement from the first two preseason games to last Saturday against San Francisco. Terence Newman ripped off a 43-yard punt return, Mat McBriar landed three punts inside the 20-yard line and Buehler's deep kickoffs helped make the 49ers' average starting field position their own 17.
"I wouldn't say (I'm) happy, but I would say that I was expecting what's happened," DeCamillis said of the team's inconsistencies in the first two games, albeit playing with a lot of inexperienced guys. "You take a little flak about some of the things that's happened - penalties and all those things - but what we're trying to do is make sure these things happen now in the preseason, but they don't happen in the regular season.
"I know not everybody's glad, but I'm glad it happened because I think you can learn from those situations."
http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/ne...66F4A67B7F0908
Seriously, I do believe that McGee will be retained, I just don't agree with it.