Jerry Jones talks scrimmage, rookies that are most impressing, Dak Prescott’s play

A teary and emotional Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told his team at the start of training camp that he could be anywhere in the world but preferred to here with them.

Jones put his words into action over the weekend when he attended the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction of Gil Brandt, serving as his presenter on Saturday night, then flew overnight to be back at camp for Sunday’s Blue-White scrimmage.

“This is where my heart is,” Jones said. “I’m living a dream and to get to be with that group. They’re at a life-changing time in their lives, opening up training camp, living a dream, but fixing to go through almost hell over the next weeks ahead to go through a football training camp.

“And this is a highly sensitive time to be around men that are trying to make one of these roster spots in the NFL. You can’t get that in my life, any place else. So that’s where, you’re right I could be anywhere, but I want to be right there with them in front of them and somehow experiencing that. Now, that isn’t me out there in that pass rush drill that’s getting the hell knocked out of him. That’s not me out there, but I sure like to be here.”

Jones said there was nothing to update on contract talks with quarterback Dak Prescott, receiver Amari Cooper and holdout running back Ezekiel Elliott, who is Cabo San Lucas and has now missed 10 days of practice.

But Jones expressed confidence that deals will get done with all three of them.

“You just know like so many things it’ll happen. It’ll happen,” Jones said. “There is literally no concern on my part at all about any time frame. That’ll happen. The results are too good for them and too good for the Cowboys. Think about it a minute; the results are too good for them and too good for the Cowboys. That always happens when it’s good for both (sides).”

None of the deals are close and Jones had no idea about the contract extension signed between Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on Thursday and what impact it might have on talks with Prescott.

But he did say that Prescott compared favorably to Brady in a lot of areas, especially their roads to the NFL, considering that Prescott was a fourth-round pick and Brady was a sixth-rounder.

“Just that it is the best example of what you can do with a quarterback that has leadership and skills and work ethic, and Brady is all of that,” Jones said. “And without saying something Dak doesn’t want me to say, Dak enjoys many of those same kinds of skills and they came from about the same place in the race... from the back of the pack, and so that’s what interests me about here he is two years later, if only. If only that could happen.”

For the record, Prescott declined to talk about his contract negotiations, but he did say he talked regularly with Elliott since the start of camp. He misses him and supports him but says it’s part of the business.

“I’ve talked to him. We’ve communicated,” Prescott said. “Obviously we miss the player that he is. But I know that he’s getting better. I know that he’s working on his game. He’s in shape. He’s going to make sure that he comes back and when he’s back on this team he’s a better player than before camp or before the spring. He’s a good friend. Obviously want him out here, but that’s business.”

Prescott got a lot of work in the scrimmage, completing 21 of 32 passes with touchdowns to tight end Jason Witten and running back Darius Jackson. He threw one interception to safety Xavier Woods. It was Prescott’s third interception of camp.

Prescott drove the team for a potential game-winning field goal in a two-minute situation but kicker Brett Maher shanked a 32-yard attempt.

“I’ve definitely gotten better,” Prescott said when asked to asses his camp. “I’ve had a couple of turnovers but it’s simply trying throws. I wanted to make throws, try them, the whole risk vs. reward. I’m getting better. At the end of the day, that’s what I’m trying to do. I’ve had some good days, some better days and not so good days but that’s part of it. This defense is good. They’re going to do that. They’re going to frustrate me, they’re going to frustrate a bunch of quarterbacks that we play throughout the season. It’s just part of it.”

Jones is also pleased with what he has seen from Prescott so far and the way offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is incorporating new wrinkles in the offense to take advantage of his movement skills.

“He is taking what we worked in minicamp, taking on what we worked on back in the study sessions and taken them right to the practice field, executing on them,” Jones said. “I am rewarded by the fact that he is throwing a lot of long balls. They came into camp with the idea in mind that he would do a lot of go-routes. He is doing a lot of go-routes. He has got the guys. They worked on that all day long.

“I like what Dak is doing. I really like some of the stuff we are working on with your tight ends, the unique reads with some run-pass options you got with Dak. I think all that is different. We are definitely doing some different stuff.”

Other players who caught Jones’ eye during the first part of camp and Sunday’s scrimmage were rookie running back Tony Pollard, rookie defensive end Joe Jackson and safety Xavier Woods.

Jackson had the hit the day with a hard tackle on running back Jordan Chunn.

“I was pretty impressed with Jackson that Miami defensive end,’ Jones said. “He obviously made the eye-opening tackle. But more importantly, he was known for this, how to chase the ball, pursue the ball. How he would just never quit on a play. This is the first time we have had the live action and I am telling you, he was really impressive. He was all over the field. He was aggressive. He was in on the first two or three tackles. I thought he had a good day.”

On Pollard Jones said: “I thought Pollard really showed the ability to plant quick, plant his feet and his quick feet. He is obviously a smooth athlete. You saw the flexibility. He was in there with most of our passing game, the first team. They had him in there to really let him get all the reps that he possibly can. If he continues to get better and better and better, I think you are going to see a guy who plays early for the Cowboys.”

Woods had his third interception of training camp. His development and progress is notable because of all the talk and interest the Cowboys showed in trying to upgrade at safety in the off-season through the draft and free agency.

“Xavier is such a prospect,” Jones said. “When we were talking safeties (before the) draft, when we were talking safeties, I’d run into him and he said, ‘Why are you so worried about safety? Got me back there. Why is everybody worried about a safety? I can do it’.”

Is he backing it up?

“Yeah, he is,” Jones said.

This story was originally published August 5, 2019 at 5:00 AM.