Lee’s return, improved defense highlight Cowboys’ scrimmage
The highlight of the Dallas Cowboys’ scrimmage on Sunday was the improved play of the defense in goal-line work after being embarrassed in a similar drill on Saturday.
Credit some tongue-lashing from the defensive coaches in the film room, but also also credit the return of linebacker Sean Lee, who competed in all of the contact drills for the first time.
Lee missed all of last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and the Cowboys have been cautious in bringing him back. He was allowed to do 7-on-7 drills early last week, then got some 11-on-11 team work later in the week.
But he was held out of the live contact goal-line work Saturday when the offense scored on four straight attempts against the first-team defense. That changed Sunday when the defense got a couple of stops and competed a lot better.
The offense scored on a disputed 1-yard run from running back Joseph Randle, who fumbled after diving over the goal line.
“I thought the whole red-zone drive today was better than yesterday,” Lee said. “We came out and competed, but we have a lot of room to improve. We have to compete with that intensity every single day. You want to be with your guys, especially with a live goal-line drill. That’s really when you get to define your defense. It’s a toughness drill. It wasn’t fun not being in it. I think today we responded a little bit better. We have a lot of ways left to go.”
Executive vice president Stephen Jones certainly noticed the difference in Lee’s presence.
“He brings intensity,” Jones said. “Everybody’s effort level goes up. It’s a big-time difference when he is out there. Things change. He is a playmaker. It was good to see him out there.”
Bryant sidelined
Although he is listed as day-to-day, receiver Dez Bryant remains sidelined indefinitely with a hamstring injury.
He told WFAA-TV that he will sit out Thursday’s preseason opener against the San Diego Chargers.
He was unlikely to play much anyway as the starters rarely play more than a series. And with him already being injured, the Cowboys were going to err on the side of caution.
Stephen Jones said the Cowboys aren’t going to rush Bryant back and sees this as an opportunity to get him into football shape after missing the off-season and minicamp in a contract dispute.
“He missed such a significant part of the off-season,” Jones said. “It was obviously a concern whether it was verbalized by the organization that we were going to have to manage that situation.
“This will let [athletic trainer Britt Brown] and our strength and conditioning staff work with him and get him into an even better place. Dez is never going to be out of shape. But there is a difference between being in great shape and ready to play games.”
Jones missed HOF
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn’t attend the Hall of Fame induction ceremony of defensive end Charles Haley because of flying limitations due to recent hip replacement surgery and concern over clotting.
Jones is required to be at a special NFL owners meeting on Tuesday and didn’t want to risk back-to-back flights, Stephen Jones said.
“He can fly but they want it to be few and far between,” Stephen Jones said. “Unfortunately he has to be at an NFL meeting, and then you put back-to-back flights. It’s difficult.”
‘Deep Blue’
The Cowboys will launch their Deep Blue documentary series on Thursday before their first preseason game against the San Diego Chargers on KTVT/Channel 11.
The series is set to air before each of the Cowboys’ four preseason games.
The episodes include The Jason Witten Story, The Jim Garrett Story (Aug. 24), and the two-part feature on Quincy Carter and Tony Romo (Aug. 29 and Sept. 3).
This story was originally published August 9, 2015 at 10:17 PM with the headline "Lee’s return, improved defense highlight Cowboys’ scrimmage."