Insider Cowboys Notes: Cooper’s feet, Garrett’s intolerance, Armstrong beats Smith
As a Cowboys beatwriter since 1997, I have observed my share of training camp practices and battles. And by the same token, I have witnessed my share of receivers do their thing in practice, including Michael Irvin, Joey Galloway, Terry Glenn, Keyshawn Johnson, Terrell Owens and Dez Bryant.
All had certain traits that took your breath away and did things that elicited “oohs and aahs” in practice on a daily basis.
Add Amari Cooper to the list for his ability to run routes and separate. His feet are amazing. His ability to get in and out of cuts and breaks without losing speed is simply astonishing, making anyone trying to covering him in one-on-one drills a victim waiting to get embarrassed.
It’s going to be interesting to watch how the Cowboys use Cooper with Kellen Moore now calling the plays as the offensive coordinator. The offense is the same in terms of plays and terminology but there will be more motion and more bunch sets. Cooper will be used all over the formation and put on the move so defenders can’t key on him in one spot.
Stay tuned.
OTHER DALLAS COWBOYS CAMP OBSERVATIONS:
JASON GARRETT NOT TAKING ANY NONSENSE
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett showed zero tolerance in the morning walk through. Rookie defensive tackle Trysten Hill was replaced in the lineup after an offsides penalty, as was veteran right tackle La’el Collins after a false start. Garrett said there are no excuses for a lack of concentration at this point in camp.
MOST PHYSICAL PRACTICE YET
Practice was pretty intense and physical on Thursday afternoon. Pads were popping and it was the running backs who delivered the biggest hits. Darius Jackson beat linebacker Jaylon Smith to the edge and met cornerback Chido Awuzie with a nasty stiff arm when he turned the corner, tossing him off his feet. The defense didn’t like it when rookie running back Mike Weber trucked cornerback Chris Westry. Safety Jeff Heath got in his face and the two sides started chirping, prompting Garrett to call everyone together and calm things down.
KRIS RICHARD IS ALWAYS TEACHING, COACHING, SCREAMING
Secondary coach Kris Richard is always teaching, coaching and screaming. He got on cornerback Donovan Olumba for getting beat by Reggie Davis in 1-on-1. He made him line up and do it again. Olumba followed with nice coverage on Jalen Guyton. Olumba competed well the rest of the day. He got beat on a deep ball touchdown by Devin Smith but that was a great catch against tight coverage.
ANOTHER IFFY PERFORMANCE FOR DAK
Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 14 of 19 passes in team and 7-on-7 drills. He was 6 for 11 in team drills alone. It was a spotty performance for a second straight day. His two nicest plays were a toss to Randall Cobb on the move out of a bunch set and a downfield throw to tight end Jason Witten on a deep out. It was a perfect throw and catch right before the sideline against tight coverage from linebacker Joe Thomas.
DORANCE ARMSTRONG BEATS TYRON SMITH
The biggest shock of the day came during one-on-one pass rush drills when defensive end Dorance Armstrong got the best of Pro Bowl tackle Tyron Smith. Armstrong started with outside power then used a spin move back inside to get the quarterback. Don’t know if I have ever seen a healthy Smith get beat that quick. It was another example of the strides Armstrong is making in his second year.
This story was originally published August 2, 2019 at 11:47 AM.
