Cowboys News: Oxnard experience sucked for some, defense “jump” candidates
It’s exciting when a young player shows he’s ready to become a superstar in just his second year. But when your team has three of them on one side of the ball, it means the unit is about to explode onto the scene as an elite group. The Cowboys have three different defenders ready to make the famed second-year leap in 2023.
Also in this edition of News and Notes, more commentary on the rumble that rocked Wednesday’s practice: team leaders say it was a good thing… but why are practice fights allowed and even encouraged??? We’ve got an inside look at how Zack Martin stayed primed and ready during his three-week holdout, a glimpse at how Dallas is at the forefront of the latest defensive philosophy, a rundown of which Cowboys are among the league leaders in merch sold, and how America’s Team rubbed their Oxnard neighbors the wrong way by possibly overstepping their bounds (and very nearly the property lines).
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Making the leap candidates from each NFC team for 2023 NFL season :: NFL.com
Dorance Armstong and Dante Fowler are set to become free agents after this season; DeMarcus Lawrence is entering his 10th year. Good thing Sam Williams is poised to not only take a bigger role within the Cowboys defense this season but run with it for a while. He was efficient as a rookie, but he could become an absolute beast with more reps and polish.
NFL second-year breakout players: Kenny Pickett and other 2022 draft picks ready to shine :: The Athletic
Damone Clark and DaRon Bland are also on the verge of becoming household names this year. Clark could make a huge impact at linebacker by playing at 100 miles an hour at all times, while Bland’s fearlessness playing slot cornerback earned him the team lead with five interceptions… in fewer than 500 coverage snaps.
Dak Prescott: Cowboys camp scuffles prove team is 'nobody's little brother' in 2023 :: The Mothership
That Wednesday fight crossed a line, says Prescott, but it does put the team’s intensity out there, front and center, in a new way. “For me, to see the passion,” Prescott said. “It’s a testament to what we’ve all put into this thing — what the offense has put in and the confidence that has grown, and the defense and who they believe that they are. … It’s exciting knowing that’s where we are, in that last practice, that’s what you get. I can’t say, in my eight years, that we’ve had that.”
Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy doesn’t mind fighting. Just don’t throw punches at practice :: Dallas Morning News
The coach said he had no problem with the skirmishes during Wednesday’s final padded practice in Oxnard, but he didn’t like that punches were thrown. “I’m all for the fighting,” McCarthy said, “but as long as you don’t cross the line. Really the message to the team is you just can’t throw punches. We all understand the rules of the game. To throw a punch, you’re out of the game.”
NFL continues to look the other way on practice fights :: ProFootballTalk
Mike Florio dives into the blatant double standard when it comes fights between players during practices. If it had happened during a game with players from another team, there would be fines and possible suspensions. But during a practice? The league does nothing. And teams are left to discipline their players, except most don’t.
Can the Dallas Cowboys keep 5-5 Deuce Vaughn and 5-7 KaVontae Turpin on final roster? :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Players who stand 5-foot-7 or under are quite uncommon in the pros, but the Cowboys might just have two of them on the roster this season. Maybe even on the field together. “When you’re on the field with those two guys, for me, it is get it to their hands as fast as I can,” Prescott said of Vaughn and Turpin. “And realize when they have a mismatch on the field that’s a benefit for them and put them in space that a lot of guys aren’t going to be able to tackle them in space. That’s a great package that we have and we’ll continue to build off that.”
PFN Exclusive: Duke Manyweather on Zack Martin’s training during holdout — ‘You make exceptions for special players’ :: Pro Football Network
Martin and Manyweather had a concrete plan for how to handle training during his holdout, with a focus on making sure the eight-time Pro Bowler could keep his work capacity up so he could step right into playing, whenever that time came. But they had to take things day by day, since neither knew how long Martin’s camp holdout would last. They worked on techniques involving rotation and anti-rotation of the core, hip stability, and how Martin set, and they even dusted off some older training techniques that Martin hadn’t used in years.
How Malik Hooker explains the Cowboys’ defensive evolution :: D Magazine
The Cowboys are at the forefront of a new defensive movement by using a 3-2-6 personnel package more frequently than any other team in the league. That helps explain why Hooker was inked to a new three-year contract a year before he was set to hit free agency and why Donovan Wilson got a new three-year contract as well. Savvy teams are now opting to have multiple safeties who can do it all, including running different many coverages out of a formation that looks the same every time.
3 Cowboys in top 10 for officially licensed player merchandise :: Law Nation Sports
3 #Cowboys 🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/9TNmOmPxDZ
— Law Nation Sports (@LawsNation) August 17, 2023
Class of 2023 Enshrinees to receive Pro Football Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence :: Pro Football Hall of Fame
Cowboys fans attending Nov. 30’s Thursday night home game versus Seattle will get to see new Hall of Famers DeMarcus Ware and Chuck Howley honored in a special ring ceremony. The personalized Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence is set in 14K gold with a total diamond weight of 1.75 carats. A likeness of the enshrinee’s bronzed bust appears on one side, with their unique Hall of Fame number engraved inside.
Cowboys leave Oxnard with neighbors still fuming over VIP tent dispute :: Dallas Morning News
The homes that back up to the practice fields in Oxnard have long been a prime piece of real estate for Cowboys fans who want to watch the team go through the training camp paces literally in their backyard. But a multilevel tent and scaffolding erected by the team this year blocked residents’ one-of-a-kind views and put spectators and workers literally inches from their privately owned properties. The bad blood remains, even after camp has closed. “They have really showed poor faith in being good neighbors,” said one homeowner. “I hope that next year they come out with a different approach.” The team has admitted it was a mistake to not communicate their plans to residents.
