Clarence Hill: Dallas Cowboys insights and Jerry Jones offers a warning to the NFC East
Here are some insights from Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill on the first week of training camp:
1. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones refuses to make promises of a Super Bowl. But there is no question he feels good about the team the Cowboys will put on the field in 2023, one that is decidedly better on paper than that what franchise ended the season with. He wouldn’t say if this was their best opportunity to get to the Super Bowl but he did offer a warning to the Philadelphia Eagles and the other teams in the NFC East.
“I will say that Philadelphia, and if you will the Giants and Washington team, they need to be on their game because we are,” Jones said. “We’re going to be on our game. And we will be improved over last year. I don’t want dismiss how accomplished Philadelphia is, the year they had last year and where they’re starting this year. I don’t want to dismiss that. And the Giants definitely have a chance to be better. And Washington could be really energized. So I don’t need to handicap it relative to where we’ll end up. Just us, we are better.”
2. Mike McCarthy’s transition from walk around head coach to play caller continues to be focal point of training camp. McCarthy is re-energized, enthused and too busy for small talk.
“He’s the busiest man in California,” Jerry Jones said. “He absolutely does not have time. He can be Mike for a second as far as personable, but he’s got so much on his mind and so much to think about and I think obviously I can see him motivated by that. But he doesn’t have time to remember your name out here. He’s focused and engaged. Not that he hasn’t been. He just had a different role and had the time to move around more. But you can see the additional emphasis from head coach to where just you can sense that we’re on top of it.”
3. Real football started for the Cowboys on Monday with the first of 10 padded practices of training camp. McCarthy wants them to be physical and intense but he doesn’t want any fighting. A player will be kicked out of a drill for fighting. But he wants them to be passionate and play right up to the line.
“We’ve got to talk about it. It’s part of the emotional discipline,” McCarthy said. “If you do throw a punch, you’re out of the period because if you throw a punch in a game, they throw you out of the game. That’s all part of the training. There’s nothing smart about throwing a punch on the football field. Obviously, the way it’s officiated you can’t have it in your training. But we‘re gonna push the envelope. We want play style to be the same on both sides of the ball, so with that comes a super competitive environment and we gotta be emotionally disciplined in those spots when it gets to be too fun. We want our guys to feel — when it gets to Sunday and the regular season starts — that Sundays are easy. You establish that with the way you practice.”
4. Dak Prescott was intercepted by Malik Hooker on a bad pass on a deep ball to Brandin Cooks to spoil an otherwise sizzling day. Prescott completed his first 10 passes of team drills and finished 13 of 16. He connected with Cooks on a long touchdown pass and had several crossing routes to CeeDee Lamb. He also tossed a deep ball to Michael Gallup, who hauled it in over Stephon Gilmore.
Jerry Jones was especially excited about the crossing routes.
Several receivers flashed in practice with strong days including KaVontae Turpin, Simi Fehoko, Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks.
“You could actually visually tell some of the difference in how we’re catching and throwing the ball relative to run after catch,” Jerry Jones said. “You see them, I thought distinctly, more hitting the ball in stride on the crossing routes.”
5. The offensive line got the best of the defensive in the run game in the 9-on-7 drills. Left guard Tyler Smith looked really strong walling off the likes of Mazi Smith and Johnathan Hankins.
Don’t let that distract from the fact that Micah Parsons was a terror vs. the run and the pass. He destroyed Tyron Smith for a tackle for loss and had multiple sacks, including one or two against Smith. Defensive DeMarcus Lawrence and Dante Fowler also picked up would-be sacks on the quarterback.
“I was real impressed with Micah, that rep he took against Tyron Smith and showed his strength,” Jerry Jones said. “That was one that made you blink.”
6. Defensive end Sam Williams left practice early with an apparent shoulder injury. He joined defensive end Dorance Armstrong on the sideline working with the trainers. Cornerback Trevon Diggs did some individual drills but was not involved in the team work as he continues to rehab a bruised toe.
7. The kicking competition officially got under way on Monday with Tristan Vizcaino and Brandon Aubrey being put under the spotlight of the “Mojo” moment. Both were a perfect 3-for-3 from 38, 44 and 48 yards.
This story was originally published July 31, 2023 at 8:19 PM.
