Cowboys’ Jason Garrett: No decision on Tony Romo for preseason opener
and are already scrambling to find bodies for the defensive line. One of their new bodies looks good in fourth-year veteran defensive end George Selvie . At 6’4” and 270 pounds, Selvie has the classic build of a true 4-3 defensive end. What he does not have is a strong resume at the pro level. He was a seventh-round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2010, and Dallas becomes the fifth team that he has played for. This doesn’t make Cowboys fans jump too high with expectations, but the devil is in the details. Selvie had a modest rookie season with the Rams while playing in all 16 games and picking up 1.5 sacksnothing to write home about but far from invisible. He also amassed 21 tackles during that freshman campaign.
Cowboys rookie S Wilcox trying to leave impression
His most important preseason game is the fourth one this year – Aug. 24 against Cincinnati. But Romo just signed the richest contract in franchise history – six years, $108 million with $55 million guaranteed, or $3 million more than Super Bowl winner Joe Flacco got from Baltimore. And Romo didn’t take a real snap the entire offseason after having a cyst removed from his back. Thus the varying questions for Garrett on what he hopes to get out of the preseason and how many games are ideal for the starters. “The balance is to get your team ready, your starters ready, evaluate your young guys – that’s a really important thing so you cut your team down the right way. And obviously avoiding injuries is an important part of the preseason.” Health isn’t an issue for Romo, who didn’t talk to reporters while leaving the field after Saturday’s early practice. Garrett has acknowledged that Romo “wasn’t quite himself” when training camp opened a week ago, but said the quarterback has progressed well. “You know, he hasn’t been in this environment in a little while,” Garrett said recently.
If Cowboys improve, Jerry might admit mistake
Are they on the way to success with this combination, or have we over-estimated the abilities of this trio? I think we’ll know for sure after this season. Brandon Carr was brought in during free agency before the 2012 season. At that point, he was considered the best free agent corner on the market, along with Cortland Finnegan. The Cowboys paid big for him, a five-year deal worth $50.1 million. Morris Claiborne was picked 6th overall in 2012 draft. He had high expectations placed on him; he was the player the Cowboys decided was the best defensive player in that draft. Many others agreed. But, cornerbacks in their rookie season tend to struggle. Orlando Scandrick was drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 draft and has settled in nicely as the Cowboys nickel back who has filled in as a starter when injuries occur. How did this trio do in 2012?
Cowboys 2013: How Good Will Conerback Trio Carr, Claiborne & Scandrick Be?
“Wilcox tackles way too much in practice,” Check My Site Garrett says. “And you kind of coach both sides of it: ‘Hey, keep doing that, but don’t do that.’ You know what I’m saying?” Wilcox says he isn’t overcompensating because he comes from the Football Championship Subdivision, a level below the top tier of college football. He’s not anxious and eager over the fact that he started twice as many games on offense (26) as he did at safety (13) with Georgia Southern. He’s just playing and practicing the way he was taught by coaches and his father, James Wilcox Sr., who starred at the same high school in Cairo, Ga., three decades earlier. “I don’t understand half-percent, 90 percent,” said Wilcox, a third-round pick by the Cowboys. “All I know is 100 percent. That’s the way I was taught. That’s the way I play the game.” But he doesn’t want the “dumb player” label, either. Garrett jumped on him for too much tackling the first practice of camp. “After that, that’s all it took,” Wilcox said.
Dallas coach Jason Garrett has diagnosed the rookie from Georgia Southern with Bill Bates syndrome, remembering how his former teammate would apologize for putting players on the ground in non-tackling situations and then pick them up and do it the next play. Its a tricky balance for coaches, particularly with a small school player who has just a year of college experience at safety and is trying to leave an impression. Wilcox tackles way too much in practice, Garrett says. And you kind of coach both sides of it: Hey, keep doing that, but dont do that. You know what Im saying? Wilcox says he isnt overcompensating because he comes from the Football Championship Subdivision, a level below the top tier of college football. Hes not anxious and eager over the fact that he started twice as many games on offense (26) as he did at safety (13) with Georgia Southern. Hes just playing and practicing the way he was taught by coaches and his father, James Wilcox Sr., who starred at the same high school in Cairo, Ga., three decades earlier. I dont understand half-percent, 90 percent, said Wilcox, a third-round pick by the Cowboys. All I know is 100 percent. Thats the way I was taught. Thats the way I play the game. But he doesnt want the dumb player label, either.
Cowboys rookie S Wilcox trying to leave hard-hitting impression on coaches in training camp
The answer is, if it works and we break out of this 8-8 cycle on a positive basis, then I will wish that wed have done it a couple of years earlier, Jones said. Jones realized after consecutive 8-8 seasons in Garretts first two full years as a head coach that his long-held belief that a head coach should have play-calling duties needed to be reconsidered. Suddenly, Jones decided that employing a walkaround head coach wasnt such a bad idea. Jimmy Johnson, the most successful Cowboys head coach in Jones tenure, tried convincing Jones and Garrett into delegating play-calling duties after Garretts promotion. However, Jones valued former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs opinion over Johnsons. I felt that when he did become the head coach, the head coach being the coordinator on one side of the ball or the other [was best for the team], Jones said. And Ive said that, and I got that really as much as anybody from Joe Gibbs. But weve got a game today that has expanded the scope of things to concentrate on. Its just more than it was in years past, and well benefit from that [change]. So, in hindsight, was Jones wrong? Not really, because he knew that part of it, Jones said. Thats the most comfortable he was in his shoes.
Meryl Yourish 