Camp Observations: Meet 'The Ball Hawks' From Inside The Star
FRISCO - Sunday here inside The Star in Frisco was a day for ball hawks. Our expansive on-field Day 2 Dallas Cowboys Camp Observations ...
MEET THE BALL HAWKS: These Cowboys coaches, new to the scene, have certainly talked the talk when it comes to takeaways, long a weakness under the previous administration.
And again in Sunday's second camp practice in shells, their defensive backs walked the walk.
"That's the expectation every day," said Chidobe Awuzie, who recorded an interception on Sunday. "Donovan Wilson got one yesterday, AB (Anthony Brown) got one earlier (Sunday) and then I got one. ...
"We're getting to the ball; that's always good."
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But not always easy to do. Sometimes, it's hustle and good fortune; Brown's pick came on an under-thrown Andy Dalton pass that Michael Gallup bobbled. A near-pick came when Trevon Diggs smoothy covered deep and made a play on a Dak Prescott on which the rookie aggressively attacked the ball as if he was the intended target.
Cornerback Darryl Worley and linebacker Jaylon Smith on Sunday did what defensive end Aldon Smith did on Friday's Day 1: They got their hands on the football, too.and the trend is easy to spot. And given Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix' resume, the new starting safety is probably going to get his turn, too.
"I like to take the ball away,'' Clinton-Dix said. "I've been in the league seven years, never missed a snap, never missed a game."
And rarely missed a chance for a takeaway, something that Dallas (with a league-low seven picks last year) cannot claim ... and for one weekend, anyway, is in the midst of fixing.
FASHION STATEMENT: On Friday, Dallas revealed its QBs in red "don't-hit-me'' jerseys. On Sunday? McCarthy broke another Cowboys tradition with names on the backs of practice jerseys.
READ MORE: Cowboys Camp Uniform Changes
One tradition remains in place: The rookies don't yet have stars on their helmets.
'FAMILY DAY'?: I asked McCarthy a question about evaluating players with no preseason games, and only the "Blue-White Scrimmage'' in which to do it. As CowboysSI.com was first to report, that event is scheduled for Sunday, August 30 at AT&T Stadium.
READ MORE: Exclusive: Cowboys Plan Blue-White Scrimmage For Aug. 30
But in McCarthy's answer, he referred to an upcoming "Family Day Scrimmage.''
That sounds like a Wisconsin thing.
GRIFFEN OFFICIAL: Second-year defensive end Jalen Jelks was released Sunday in anticipation of the arrival of Everson Griffen. Jelks, a seventh-round pick in 2019, spent last season on injured reserve.
READ MORE: Cowboys Make Roster Move For Griffen
Griffen is, I'm told, in town and taking his COVID-19 tests and could be on the field as early as Tuesday.
And the excitement is measurable.
"He was always the primary focus for us,'' said McCarthy of his Green Bay days coaching against Griffen's Vikings. "Relentless player. He brings it every down."
He brings it to The Star ... reportedly wearing No. 96. ... soon.
NO POE YET: Meanwhile, I asked McCarthy about defensive tackle Dontari Poe (quad) and whether he's about tocome off Cowboys PUP.
Not yet, the coach said, 'But he looks good. I feel good about the progress he is making.''
With Poe sidelined, Gerald McCoy and Tyrone Crawford are lining up inside as first-teamers. And DeMarcus Lawrence and Aldon Smith continue to roam outside, tough to block, playing both ends, and even rushing the passer from a stand-up position.
CHALLENGED AT TACKLE: In addition to Aldon Smith creating really, really good looks for the guy who has to block him, Tyron Smith, La'el Collins continues to be sidelined (not an injury, really - conditioning.)
READ MORE: Who Stood Out & What's Up With La'el?
Backup tackles Cam Irving and Brandon Knight are also not working. So names like "Wyatt Miller'' and "Terence Steele'' are getting pracice time.
If the Cowboys need to add a body, it's likely a tackle. Though a damn sturdy guard in Ron Leary (who worked out for Cleveland this week) is still out there ...
MORE QBs: The Cowboys have another guy in the QB room: Seneca Wallace, who played for McCarthy's Packers in 2013 and is now an assistant of George Teague's at John Paul II High School, is on the staff for camp.
FIGHT!: OK. It was more like a minor mix-it-up as Cowboys D-lineman Trysten Hill skirmished with an O-lineman or two. It seems Connor Williams was the main foe, and it's been suggested that Hill's retaliation was all about being blocked really well.
But a little bit of "fight'' can't hurt.
DECEPTION!: "It's about the pre-(snap) disguised looks," Awuzie said of the difference between this year's defense and 2019's. "Last year, everybody knew (what) we were running ... That's not to say that was bad – we had great players.
"But now we're trying to be a little bit more multiple, with our pre-(snap) disguised looks."
WIT TO JAR: Tight end Blake Jarwin refers to himself as one of "the little guys.'' The explanation for that? Stay tuned.
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For now? Know that he's not buying the criticism directed at Cowboys icon Jason Witten, now in Las Vegas.
“Not having Jason Witten in the room is definitely a big change for me,'' Jarwin said. "I’ve learned so much from the guy. I know there have been rumors that maybe he wasn’t the best teammate, I couldn’t disagree more.”
COWBOYS MISCELLANEOUS: Linebacker Jaylon Smith, playing the WILL, joins MIKE Leighton Vander Esch in looking especially rangy ... That Tony Pollard electricity still exists, and using a little bit of him alongside Ezekiel Elliott might make sense. ... Rookie CeeDee Lamb remains your punt returner of record, and as this team intends on being an 11-Personnel team, he's a starter, too ... The NFL has mandated that Monday is the first day teams can wear pads. That's coming, but tackling may be later in the week. .... Zack Martin says the pace of these practices is cranked up. "The tempo of practice has been picked up a ton,'' he said - a notable thing because former coach Jason Garrett's camp workouts always got similar praise.
THE FINAL WORD: ""Great guy. Great athlete. Great Player. Excited for his future. He's very smart, very talented and he wants to learn. He's going to play a huge role in our success immediate and in the future. I couldn't be happier with that (use of the No. 17 draft) pick." - Dak on CeeDee Lamb.
