Dallas Cowboys end Oxnard training camp with positive vibes

Jason Garrett wouldn’t bite on a question whether he would take the Dallas Cowboys’ 2014 season in which they went 12-4 in 2016.

Instead, Garrett pivoted and talked about getting his team ready for the preseason game against the Miami Dolphins on Friday at AT&T Stadium.

“We’ve had a good camp,” Garrett said. “[Wednesday’s] morning practice was a good one, we’ll have a walk-through this afternoon and go try to play our best football on Friday night.”

The Cowboys officially broke camp after a light walk-through Thursday morning, and had positive vibes following the final padded practice Wednesday.

Garrett acknowledged he had a “very positive feeling” about this year’s team given how the three weeks of training camp had gone. This is a team that has Super Bowl expectations even though they’re coming off a 4-12 campaign in 2015.

Garrett has liked the approach he has seen from the players. Quarterback Tony Romo is throwing the ball well and rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has shown promise as a potential backup.

Rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott has been slowed by a hamstring injury, but the team remains high on his upside.

Defensively, the group has produced a handful of turnovers throughout camp, although the pass rush remains a work-in-progress.

All in all, Garrett is optimistic about the Cowboys’ chances.

“I have a very positive feeling about the approach that we’re taking, the mindset our team has, the mentality they have,” Garrett said. “As a coach, that’s all you can ask for. That’s going to give you the best chance to have success.”

The leaders of the team agreed.

Romo feels the team has gotten better throughout camp, and he and receiver Dez Bryant have knocked off the rust and are back on the same page.

Tight end Jason Witten raved about the team’s work ethic and knows that the team isn’t as far away as the 4-12 record might suggest. Yes, injuries played a role in the forgettable season as did not being able to win close games in the fourth quarter.

“Twelve of those 16 games were one score in the fourth and you lose nine of them,” Witten said. “We have to execute better. The only way to do it is to play out these situations, compete.

“Everybody is working together. Nobody feels like they have to do it themselves. That’s a good formula. Now it has to carry over.”

Defensively, the top goals remain to improve the pass rush and increase the takeaways. It’s too early to tell how much the pass rush has improved as that unit has been plagued by injuries, but the takeaways have shown up.

The Cowboys had two interceptions in the preseason opener against the Rams last Saturday, and have been prying the ball loose and making plays on the ball in the secondary throughout camp.

“Our guys got the feel what we want out of our defense,” defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford said. “A lot more takeaways. Our board was filled up this year where it wasn’t so much filled last year. Running to the ball. Being the defense we want to be. Tough, fast and hard hitting.”

The real test comes in the regular season, which starts Sept. 11 against the New York Giants. Nobody is ready to make any bold predictions, but there had been a sense of confidence throughout Cowboys camp that this team believes it can be among the best in the league.

As Witten put it, “I think we laid a great foundation, I really do. We’re just trying to get better. That approach has been really good. Now we just have to carry it over. That is coach Garrett’s message – we’ve got to take that next step. It’s got to carry over for the next few weeks when we get back into the season.”

This story was originally published August 18, 2016 at 7:18 AM with the headline "Dallas Cowboys end Oxnard training camp with positive vibes."