NFL.COM AT COWBOYS MINI CAMP
Posted: Tue May 04, 2004 10:04 pm
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).
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).
