Dallas Cowboys are beating the heat with ice pops
Day 1 of the Dallas Cowboys’ first training camp ever held at team headquarters looked much like any other practice — except perhaps with the addition of ice pops.
Among the changes brought on by the NFL’s attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus, teams were prohibited from holding their annual training camps away from team headquarters. In the case of the Cowboys, and new head coach Mike McCarthy, that meant his team’s first practice at The Star on Friday coincided with a mid-summer heat wave.
The team set up big white cooling tents between the practice fields, and inside had plenty of Gatorade, cold towels, water and popsicles available for players, who were wearing helmets and shoulders pads, as the mercury rose.
“Practicing in Texas presents a different challenge for us, and just getting used to the heat,” said Joe Looney, an offensive lineman. “I think it’s an amazing technique that we can go in there, grab a popsicle, cool down and then head back out to practice and hit it real hard.”
The popsicles have been a big hit, certainly with Looney.
“I’m a blue raspberry kind of guy,” he said. “We’re doing one-on-ones and people are asking me, ‘Hey, Looney, why is your tongue blue?’ I say, ‘Because I’ve been crushing those popsicles in the tent.’”
McCarthy is winning over the team’s core players, who had grown accustomed to attending training camp practices in Oxnard, California, where the average high temperature in August is around 75 degrees.
“One thing I really respect about Coach McCarthy is how he takes care of our bodies,” said defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. “His message is really when we touch the practice field, we go hard, and he’s going to take care of our bodies.”
By the time practice ended it was above 90 degrees, and it exceeded 100 in the afternoon. Over the weekend, temperatures across the region are expected to flirt with 100 degrees.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning to be in effect until 7 p.m. Saturday. People are being advised to drink plenty of fluids, not leave their young children and pets unattended in motor vehicles, and try to avoid the outdoors during the hottest periods of the day, typically from late morning to mid-afternoon.
Take it from guys like Looney.
“The whole premise of it is to take down your core temperature,” said the 6-foot-3, 315-pound Looney in praising the use of the cooling tents at Cowboys practice. “I’m a big guy with a bunch of hair so I need it. I’ve been in there dumping water on my head, and I think it’s wonderful.
