NFL.COM AT COWBOYS MINI CAMP

[gambit187]

DAYUM sure looks like Parcells does not know what he is doing.



Inside the Cowboys minicamp

By Gil Brandt
NFL.com Senior Analyst


DALLAS (May 4, 2004) -- Rested and relaxed after several busy months preparing for the draft, I decided to take a jaunt to see the Dallas Cowboys' rookies in action as they participated in their first minicamp at Valley Ranch. This was Bill Parcells' second minicamp as the head coach of the Cowboys, and as you might imagine, it was a very organized, no-nonsense type of practice.


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The weather was inclement and it forced the Cowboys to go inside to their brand-new indoor facility that is the Taj Majal of practice facilities. The Cowboys took the FieldTurf that they used in training camp in San Antonio, shipped it to their camp, and put it into this bubble right outside of their offices. This is a really, really nice place to watch the players practice, and it provides a great place for the players to work out. And, it always ensures that practice will be held, rain or shine. You know, you never think you need something like that until you make use of it. I was inside it for the first time last weekend, and I was blown away.

Speaking of being blown away, the rookies were shocked by the pace of practice. There wasn't any standing around or talking on the sidelines. There's no "take a break" or "slow down." From the minute they left the locker room to when they hit the indoor facility, everything went from 0 to 100 miles per hour.

The players on hand worked out in "shells," or helmets and shorts with no pads. This is typical of most camps -- teams don't want their players getting hurt in May.

Practice started with individual practice drills, followed by stretching. From there, the Cowboys went into team drills, where players split up into their positional groups. On one end of the field, there were pass-rush and pass-protection drills, and in the middle there were seven-on-seven passing drills. Everything went off like clockwork -- Parcells had everything scheduled down to the second, and he's a walk-around type of coach. He wouldn't say a word but he wouldn't miss a thing.

And everything is taped. As soon as practice ended, the players ate lunch and the coaches looked over the morning practice film to see what took place. Talk about instant replay!

Minicamp highlights
As you know, all of the NFL's rookies are taking part in minicamp. This is their first chance to prove to their coaches that they were worth the pick. Dallas was no exception.

Dallas' second-round pick, running back Julius Jones, not only looked good running the ball but caught the ball very well. On one play, he ran to his left and made an outstanding catch that surely lured Parcells' eyes. Jones probably left camp with the coaches feeling that he was a better receiver than they initially believed.


Drew Henson looked good at Dallas' first minicamp.
Dallas' other high-profile rookie is Drew Henson; even though he was drafted last year and traded to Dallas before this year's draft, he is still considered a rookie. Henson really looked good -- he had more mobility than originally expected. One time, he rolled right and made a really great throw along the sidelines. One more note: Henson wore No. 11, the same number Phil Simms wore with the Giants and Drew Bledsoe wore with the Patriots. Bill Parcells coached both of those famous passers. When the media asked him about it, Parcells didn't make note of it and was surprised ... or at least acted surprised.

Other rookies also left an impression on the Cowboys. Bruce Thornton, a fourth-round pick from Georgia, made a good interception thanks to a great break on the ball during practice. And during the pass-rush drills, offensive linemen Stephen Peterman (LSU) and Jacob Rogers (USC) were larger than life as they lined up on the right side of the line. They were both tight ends in high school, so you know that they're athletic big guys.

Parting shots
After practice was over, the media gathered to talk to the rookies and get their impressions of coach Parcells. However, the majority of the media focused on Henson since this was really their first chance to talk to him. Jones also received a lot of attention, but all the rookies got face time. One of the sentiments that Parcells echoed as they left on Sunday was for the rookies to return to camp in the best shape of their lives, and better than the shape they were in at minicamp. That might give them an idea of what Parcells' expectations are for training camp.

It was also nice to see all of the Cowboys' scouts there. They did so much work during the season and the combine, and now they see the fruits of their labor on the field in their team colors. Everybody felt they had a good draft, and that includes Henson, whom the team acquired for a third-round pick.

And in case you were wondering, Parcells did not designate a water boy like he did with Terence Newman last year. Not yet, anyway.

Bonus note
Who says being undrafted is a bad thing? Of the unpicked free-agent rookies from the draft, 28 of them signed a contract with a team that includes a five-figure signing bonus (at least $10,000).

[Brandon777]

DAYUM sure looks like Parcells does not know what he is doing.



Inside the Cowboys minicamp

By Gil Brandt
NFL.com Senior Analyst


DALLAS (May 4, 2004) -- Rested and relaxed after several busy months preparing for the draft, I decided to take a jaunt to see the Dallas Cowboys' rookies in action as they participated in their first minicamp at Valley Ranch. This was Bill Parcells' second minicamp as the head coach of the Cowboys, and as you might imagine, it was a very organized, no-nonsense type of practice.


NFL Network

NFL Network

Analysis, opinions, features and more!
The weather was inclement and it forced the Cowboys to go inside to their brand-new indoor facility that is the Taj Majal of practice facilities. The Cowboys took the FieldTurf that they used in training camp in San Antonio, shipped it to their camp, and put it into this bubble right outside of their offices. This is a really, really nice place to watch the players practice, and it provides a great place for the players to work out. And, it always ensures that practice will be held, rain or shine. You know, you never think you need something like that until you make use of it. I was inside it for the first time last weekend, and I was blown away.

Speaking of being blown away, the rookies were shocked by the pace of practice. There wasn't any standing around or talking on the sidelines. There's no "take a break" or "slow down." From the minute they left the locker room to when they hit the indoor facility, everything went from 0 to 100 miles per hour.

The players on hand worked out in "shells," or helmets and shorts with no pads. This is typical of most camps -- teams don't want their players getting hurt in May.

Practice started with individual practice drills, followed by stretching. From there, the Cowboys went into team drills, where players split up into their positional groups. On one end of the field, there were pass-rush and pass-protection drills, and in the middle there were seven-on-seven passing drills. Everything went off like clockwork -- Parcells had everything scheduled down to the second, and he's a walk-around type of coach. He wouldn't say a word but he wouldn't miss a thing.

And everything is taped. As soon as practice ended, the players ate lunch and the coaches looked over the morning practice film to see what took place. Talk about instant replay!

Minicamp highlights
As you know, all of the NFL's rookies are taking part in minicamp. This is their first chance to prove to their coaches that they were worth the pick. Dallas was no exception.

Dallas' second-round pick, running back Julius Jones, not only looked good running the ball but caught the ball very well. On one play, he ran to his left and made an outstanding catch that surely lured Parcells' eyes. Jones probably left camp with the coaches feeling that he was a better receiver than they initially believed.


Drew Henson looked good at Dallas' first minicamp.
Dallas' other high-profile rookie is Drew Henson; even though he was drafted last year and traded to Dallas before this year's draft, he is still considered a rookie. Henson really looked good -- he had more mobility than originally expected. One time, he rolled right and made a really great throw along the sidelines. One more note: Henson wore No. 11, the same number Phil Simms wore with the Giants and Drew Bledsoe wore with the Patriots. Bill Parcells coached both of those famous passers. When the media asked him about it, Parcells didn't make note of it and was surprised ... or at least acted surprised.

Other rookies also left an impression on the Cowboys. Bruce Thornton, a fourth-round pick from Georgia, made a good interception thanks to a great break on the ball during practice. And during the pass-rush drills, offensive linemen Stephen Peterman (LSU) and Jacob Rogers (USC) were larger than life as they lined up on the right side of the line. They were both tight ends in high school, so you know that they're athletic big guys.

Parting shots
After practice was over, the media gathered to talk to the rookies and get their impressions of coach Parcells. However, the majority of the media focused on Henson since this was really their first chance to talk to him. Jones also received a lot of attention, but all the rookies got face time. One of the sentiments that Parcells echoed as they left on Sunday was for the rookies to return to camp in the best shape of their lives, and better than the shape they were in at minicamp. That might give them an idea of what Parcells' expectations are for training camp.

It was also nice to see all of the Cowboys' scouts there. They did so much work during the season and the combine, and now they see the fruits of their labor on the field in their team colors. Everybody felt they had a good draft, and that includes Henson, whom the team acquired for a third-round pick.

And in case you were wondering, Parcells did not designate a water boy like he did with Terence Newman last year. Not yet, anyway.

Bonus note
Who says being undrafted is a bad thing? Of the unpicked free-agent rookies from the draft, 28 of them signed a contract with a team that includes a five-figure signing bonus (at least $10,000).

Who cares. I didn't read anything that scared me.

[redskinz4ever]

GAMBIT--IT'S MINI CAMP!!!!!WHO CARES???ONLY YOU I GUESS.REDSKINZ4EVER!!!!

[gambit187]

Yo look if you spendskins can get happy about your crappy mini-camp that got dogged out by the Washingtimes then I can be excited about my teams mini-camp. You cannt steal my joy....LOL

[BossHog]

Bill Parcells:

"It's nice in shorts. You can't tell much,"

Assistant head coach Sean payton:

"There is a lot of wait and see until he gets on the field."

He meant in pads, with real bullets flying. Because the same things we saw in Hutchinson during these mini-camp practices you see in Henson, even though he's been away from the game.

And Last year's Drew Henson...

So far this off-season, the Cowboys have brought in Drew Henson at quarterback. There is talk about adding a veteran such as Vinny Testaverde and both Parcells and Jerry Jones have said Quincy Carter is expected to remain as the starter.

So it would be easy to forget about Chad Hutchinson, who has been sent over to NFL Europe this summer, starting for the Rhein Fire. This weekend, Hutchinson and the Fire lost to the Scottish Claymores, 13-12 on a last-minute score. Hutchinson completed 18-of-28 passes for 175 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. But he was sacked five times in the loss.

Oh I dunno... if the Pukes bring in another QB, I'd say they found it pretty easy to forget about Hutch...

Redskin fans... mail in the season... Henson's lighting it up and looks just as good as Hutchinson did last year at mini-camp.

[Texas Hog]

doesn't sound much like last years mini-camps where the team did a lot of standing around in SA....I guess Bill and Jerry are serious this year....we should be afraid...very afraid. Henson for the Hall!

[gambit187]

doesn't sound much like last years mini-camps where the team did a lot of standing around in SA....I guess Bill and Jerry are serious this year....we should be afraid...very afraid. Henson for the Hall!

Man just think 10-6 and stomping the skins in there own house......and they werent even serious. Whoa you guys better watch out now......cause NOW THERE SERIOUS.

[Texas Hog]

as I said we should be very afraid of the big bad cowgirls and their fat daddy, tuna

[Justice Hog]

Like I give two cents about a Cowboys mini-camp. What a waste of space.

[skinsfaninroanoke]

I know I am shaking in my friggin boots

[General Failure]

Like I give two cents about a Cowboys mini-camp. What a waste of space.

You must care about it on some level if you took the time to open the thread, read it (or at least read a word or two as you skimmed straight to the bottom) and comment on it.

[Justice Hog]

General Failure wittingly wrote:

You must care about it on some level if you took the time to open the thread, read it (or at least read a word or two as you skimmed straight to the bottom) and comment on it.

Darn you General Failure! Darn you, I say! (That's about as "G" as I can get.)

Actually, if you must know, I was hoping the thread would've said.....NFL.COM goes to Cowboys mini-camp and sees what a disgrace the team is....or how bad they look...or something along those lines.

[tx_skins_fan]

NFL.com may be impressed, but the Dallas media has been talking all week about Julius Jones being nothing but an overrated 3rd down back. Nobody in Dallas is excited about the Cowboys at all. The national media just likes to kiss the tuna's big butt. Let them overhype the Cowboys so we can listen to them talk about how disappointing they are all season.

[gambit187]

NFL.com may be impressed, but the Dallas media has been talking all week about Julius Jones being nothing but an overrated 3rd down back. Nobody in Dallas is excited about the Cowboys at all. The national media just likes to kiss the tuna's big butt. Let them overhype the Cowboys so we can listen to them talk about how disappointing they are all season.

Is that the same Dallas Media that said Hambrick could carry Emmitts load and that Hutch was way better then QC......

[BossHog]

Is that the same Dallas Media that said Hambrick could carry Emmitts load and that Hutch was way better then QC......

Well there are a lot of media outlets that have Hambrick on the trading block...

The possibility of trading running back Troy Hambrick still remains. The coaching staff would like a back that is a little younger and more versatile as Julius Jones’ backup.

http://www.delrionewsherald.com/report.lasso?wcd=6457

Troy Hambrick. The Cowboys felt comfortable drafting Julius Jones in the second round, clouding Hambrick's future. Dallas put Hambrick on the trading block, often the first step toward being cut by coach Bill Parcells. Hambrick would be a good one-year fit for Arizona, but that is predicated on getting out of Dallas before mid-August.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football ... rity_x.htm

Parcells won't say yet what role he plans for Jones. But the Cowboys have indicated the desire to trade Troy Hambrick, the leading rusher last season with 972 yards.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php? ... 04c3_jones


Sounds like a lot of bet hedging to me... if the Cowboys are saying:

Jones can do it.
Hambrick can do it.

Who are they trying to convince... us? Or themselves?

[gambit187]

No i am talking about last year.

And besides we dont need to convince anyone espcially not "the we have a plan to spend lots of money on big names and go backwards skins"