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Ogletree Won't Let Coaches Forget About Him
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
SAN ANTONIO - Kevin Ogletree watched from the sidelines the first four games of the 2009 season. He finally cracked the active roster against Kansas City, after the game sharing a prediction or a guarantee, or both.
"No more inactives for me," he said. And he was right.
After a waiting period to start his rookie year, coaches green-lighted Ogletree's career because of the hard work and promise he showed during training camp in San Antonio as an undrafted free agent from Virginia. Practice in and practice out he impressed, showing speed, hands, and most of all the game never seemed too big for him.
He was just what every offense wants, a promising young receiver plucked from obscurity - the Cowboys didn't even have to spend a draft pick on him. Make way for Kevin Ogletree.
Well, since then things have gotten more complicated for every Cowboys receiver not named Miles Austin, whose sudden rise makes him a sure starter, a guy who's being counted on for Pro Bowl production once again. First-round pick Dez Bryant is forcing the issue, and it appears he's going to get his share of the playing time. Whatever happened to that Kevin Ogletree, last year's version of Bryant?
"I'm still a rising young guy," Ogletree said. "I'm someone trying to learn as much as I can and get better every day. … Just trying to get better and be consistent. I know I can make every play there is, it's just doing it every day, knowing my assignments, knowing the game and the playbook like it's supposed to be known, like the veteran guys know it."
Ogletree is a year farther along in that progression, but he had to be in pretty good shape mentally to start out. The more reps he gets, though, the more time he's around the coaches, Ogletree says it will only continue to make him better.
"I feel like I'm more in-tune with it," he said. "I have more confidence in knowing the offense. That helps."
A lot of undrafted players struggle so much with the heightened level of competition that they're relegated to prospect status, someone who needs a year or two of practice squad seasoning before they'll be ready for the big time. Ogletree made his presence felt instantly, but he did continue to improve.
His seven catches and two touchdowns in the preseason earned him a spot on the team, but it didn't get him to the active roster. With Felix Jones out against Kansas City in Week 5, Ogletree was called up to return kickoffs. As he predicted, he was never inactive for a game the rest of the season, posting his first catch against Seattle on Nov. 1, and two more at Philadelphia a week later. All three were bubble screens, quick throws to the outside that he broke for around a 20-yard gain, including two important first downs against the Eagles.
"He showed up," fellow receiver Patrick Crayton said.
The Ogletree Screen went nowhere the next week in a loss at Green Bay, and he was held without a catch for a month. With the offense needing a jolt in December, Ogletree reemerged as a complementary deep threat to Austin, stretching secondaries and opening things up underneath. He had four catches in the final three games, including a beautiful toe-dragger along the sideline in the upset win at New Orleans.
Whether it was an exhibition or the game that decided the division title, Ogletree's promise was well known. How smoothly he converts that promise to production will determine how he overcomes the addition of Bryant to remain a useful piece in the offense.
"The thing is it's just how he handles it," receivers coach Ray Sherman said. "That's the most important thing. He's just got to make sure that he focuses each and every time he's out here. That's the most important thing, especially with a young guy. This is his second year, so he's got to bear down and get tuned in and locked in. That's what I'm looking for in him.
"He's got to show that he belongs. Just because you made it last year, you've got to work that much harder to maintain and be here this year. You can't go in and just show up and think it's going to happen."
The Cowboys will keep six receivers if they can, but the roster picture could shake out in a way to make that difficult. A preseason injury or a series of them could force the team to go long at another position. Only Austin, Williams and Bryant are truly guaranteed to make the roster. Even more competitive will be the 45-man activation list on game day. Crayton has the track record. Sam Hurd has the special teams prowess.
Ogletree's got to continue working to carve out his own niche.
"You've just got to be one of the good ones," Ogletree said. "When your job is on the line and you've got to perform, ultimately that's what you came here for, to compete, to be around the best, to play against the best. That's why I'm here and that's what going on. On a lot of NFL teams you're not going to have as many good guys as we've got. I think depth-wise we're as good as anyone, and we come to work every day."
Ogletree Won't Let Coaches Forget About Him
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
SAN ANTONIO - Kevin Ogletree watched from the sidelines the first four games of the 2009 season. He finally cracked the active roster against Kansas City, after the game sharing a prediction or a guarantee, or both.
"No more inactives for me," he said. And he was right.
After a waiting period to start his rookie year, coaches green-lighted Ogletree's career because of the hard work and promise he showed during training camp in San Antonio as an undrafted free agent from Virginia. Practice in and practice out he impressed, showing speed, hands, and most of all the game never seemed too big for him.
He was just what every offense wants, a promising young receiver plucked from obscurity - the Cowboys didn't even have to spend a draft pick on him. Make way for Kevin Ogletree.
Well, since then things have gotten more complicated for every Cowboys receiver not named Miles Austin, whose sudden rise makes him a sure starter, a guy who's being counted on for Pro Bowl production once again. First-round pick Dez Bryant is forcing the issue, and it appears he's going to get his share of the playing time. Whatever happened to that Kevin Ogletree, last year's version of Bryant?
"I'm still a rising young guy," Ogletree said. "I'm someone trying to learn as much as I can and get better every day. … Just trying to get better and be consistent. I know I can make every play there is, it's just doing it every day, knowing my assignments, knowing the game and the playbook like it's supposed to be known, like the veteran guys know it."
Ogletree is a year farther along in that progression, but he had to be in pretty good shape mentally to start out. The more reps he gets, though, the more time he's around the coaches, Ogletree says it will only continue to make him better.
"I feel like I'm more in-tune with it," he said. "I have more confidence in knowing the offense. That helps."
A lot of undrafted players struggle so much with the heightened level of competition that they're relegated to prospect status, someone who needs a year or two of practice squad seasoning before they'll be ready for the big time. Ogletree made his presence felt instantly, but he did continue to improve.
His seven catches and two touchdowns in the preseason earned him a spot on the team, but it didn't get him to the active roster. With Felix Jones out against Kansas City in Week 5, Ogletree was called up to return kickoffs. As he predicted, he was never inactive for a game the rest of the season, posting his first catch against Seattle on Nov. 1, and two more at Philadelphia a week later. All three were bubble screens, quick throws to the outside that he broke for around a 20-yard gain, including two important first downs against the Eagles.
"He showed up," fellow receiver Patrick Crayton said.
The Ogletree Screen went nowhere the next week in a loss at Green Bay, and he was held without a catch for a month. With the offense needing a jolt in December, Ogletree reemerged as a complementary deep threat to Austin, stretching secondaries and opening things up underneath. He had four catches in the final three games, including a beautiful toe-dragger along the sideline in the upset win at New Orleans.
Whether it was an exhibition or the game that decided the division title, Ogletree's promise was well known. How smoothly he converts that promise to production will determine how he overcomes the addition of Bryant to remain a useful piece in the offense.
"The thing is it's just how he handles it," receivers coach Ray Sherman said. "That's the most important thing. He's just got to make sure that he focuses each and every time he's out here. That's the most important thing, especially with a young guy. This is his second year, so he's got to bear down and get tuned in and locked in. That's what I'm looking for in him.
"He's got to show that he belongs. Just because you made it last year, you've got to work that much harder to maintain and be here this year. You can't go in and just show up and think it's going to happen."
The Cowboys will keep six receivers if they can, but the roster picture could shake out in a way to make that difficult. A preseason injury or a series of them could force the team to go long at another position. Only Austin, Williams and Bryant are truly guaranteed to make the roster. Even more competitive will be the 45-man activation list on game day. Crayton has the track record. Sam Hurd has the special teams prowess.
Ogletree's got to continue working to carve out his own niche.
"You've just got to be one of the good ones," Ogletree said. "When your job is on the line and you've got to perform, ultimately that's what you came here for, to compete, to be around the best, to play against the best. That's why I'm here and that's what going on. On a lot of NFL teams you're not going to have as many good guys as we've got. I think depth-wise we're as good as anyone, and we come to work every day."