Cowboys not planning camp practices with Rams after fightfest

Coach Jason Garrett said the Dallas Cowboys have had no discussions about having joint practices with the Los Angeles Rams during training camp this year.

It’s a fair question since the two practiced together last year and now will hold training camp practices near each other _ with the Cowboys in Oxnard, Calif., as usual and the Rams in their first official season in Los Angeles after moving from St. Louis. The Rams will train at UC Irvine.

The Cowboys tentatively plan to report to training camp in Oxnard on July 28 with their first practice set for July 29. The first preseason game is usually 15 days after the start of camp and they are expected to open at the Rams on Aug. 13.

The Cowboys will break camp Aug. 19. then resume training camp at The Star in Frisco, site of their new headquarters and training facilities.

“I think when you put the training camp schedule together you always look for opportunities if it works for you and another team to get together,” Garrett said. “Some times it simply doesn't work.

“We have done those practices for a long time and we have had a lot of success with them where things haven’t escalated into fights. It’s just been a really good competitive environment that has been beneficial for both teams. We haven't made any commitments with them. We will look at the training camp schedule and see if that works for them or another team.”

The Rams shouldn’t be sitting by the phone waiting for the Cowboys to call, not after last year’s experience when the second day of practice had to be called off because of continuous brawls.

The Cowboys like a competitive environment and intense atmosphere. But they don’t believe it should impede the priority objective of getting work done.

In that sense, the Rams didn’t share the same values and philosophy as the Cowboys.

The Cowboys plan to do joint practices in the future, just not with the Rams under their current leadership.

“When you go against another team, it naturally escalates in a positive way,” Garrett said. “You see where you stack up a little bit and get a chance to work against a different scheme, work against different personnel. I think all that stuff is very beneficial.

“But you have to have a similar approach as an organization. We want to get the same thing out of this. We are not interested in fighting. We are interested in making these couple of days we are together productive. If we can find a team that we have shared valued with, it can be a productive time for your team.”

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Cowboys not planning camp practices with Rams after fightfest."