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In 'most intense' practice yet, Dez Bryant wasn't happy that Morris Claiborne knocked him down
By Babe Laufenberg
Babe Laufenberg, Dallas Cowboys radio color analyst and former NFL quarterback, answered question in a live chat recently. Here are some highlights:
Question: Dez [Bryant] has been just outstanding so far. Is he all the way back?
Laufenberg: Dez, like all players, needs to work on his craft. I can't say he is all the way back until he puts a string of games together during the regular season. As Jason Garrett said, "he needs batting practice" - meaning he needs to take a whole bunch of practice reps. He is a big receiver, so route running does not come easily for him. But I told Dak Prescott there were about 230 WRs who played this past weekend - only about 5 could make the two catches that Dez made for him.
Question: Did you see the play in camp Tuesday where [Morris] Claiborne ended up taking out Dez's legs? Do you know if he intentionally went low?
Laufenberg: I did see the play and it was just a matter of Claiborne going to the ground - nothing intentional. Dez did take offense, and it was admittedly scary to see Dez go down with a shot to his legs, but I am sure now that he has seen the tape, he will agree there was no intent on Claiborne's part.
Question: Tuesday's practice got really intense between Dez and the DBs. Is that too much intensity or just the way things get sometimes?
Laufenberg: It was probably the most heated practice of camp, but in a good way. I just think the competition level was very high. I think Jason Garrett will tell you it may have been one of the team's best practices. No minor skirmish broke out into fights, so all good.
Question: How much of [Tony] Romo should we expect to see Friday, and what should we be looking for when it comes to his snaps?
Laufenberg: I am sure we won't see much of him, and if Tyron Smith misses the game, I wouldn't play him at all. Here is a stat you can read into what you like - when Romo was limited in off-season work the last two years, he threw a combined 5 interceptions in the two openers. This from a guy who had the highest passer rating in NFL history in openers. In 2014, Romo threw three first-half interceptions against the 49ers, then threw 6 for the rest of the season. So no matter how long you've done it, playing QB is not like riding a bicycle.
Question: Having seen a glimpse of [Dak] Prescott's promise, would you be comfortable with him as Romo's backup?
Laufenberg: We have a long way to go before I could use the word "comfortable." The thing I see with Dak Prescott is that he is a mature guy. He has the right blend of confidence and humility - he desperately wants to get better. He has cleared every hurdle to this point. That said, the hurdles get much higher to jump over when the regular season begins. Let's get 3 more preseason games under his belt and I will have a more informed opinion. But to this point, I think he has exceeded any expectations the Cowboys had for him.
Question: With Dak Prescott's impressive showing, is Kellen Moore's spot on this team in jeopardy?
Laufenberg: I don't think one impressive performance by Dak Prescott (and it was very impressive) significantly alters the QB landscape. I have even heard, "The Cowboys have found their starter after Romo." Huh? As Jason Garrett said on Tuesday regarding Dak's performance, "oftentimes people get ahead of themselves." Kellen Moore will get healthy, and hopefully, be right back in the competition when camp opens next year. Ah, but I am getting ahead of myself....
Question: Do you agree with the talk about the window closing on Tony Romo and therefore the Cowboys needing to build a "win now" team?
Laufenberg: I agree with the best GM in football, John Elway. "I am building a team to win now and from now on." Just what window are we talking about? This is a team that has won two playoff games on Romo's watch. Don't get me wrong - if all 22 players on your team played like Tony Romo, you would be winning Super Bowls. But please refer to the Bob Dylan lyric from the song, "My Back Pages"- "They deceived us into thinking, we had something to protect." The Cowboys must not let themselves be deceived.
Question: Not sure how much of it we'll see, but is Ndamukong Suh vs. [Travis Frederick-[Zack] Martin-[La'el]Collins the match-up to watch Friday?
Laufenberg: Yes!!! We saw some of it last year, but it is the one time that you want to not follow the ball and just watch them go at it. I don't know if there is a better guard in football than Zack Martin. Everything you want in a player and a person. Shudder every time I think about the possibility of drafting Johnny Manziel instead of Martin.
Question: Who in today's NFL would be the scariest player to see charging at you for a sack?
Laufenberg: Today? At my age? All of them! And that would include most equipment guys and all ball boys. Gosh, JJ Watt does not look like a man I would want to get hit by, and I guess Ndamukong Suh might be at the top of the list for what he might do after he sacks you (see, "Aaron Rodgers Ankle"). The size and speed of today's players makes for a frightening physics equation hitting a stationary target.
Question: Is the loss of TE James Hanna to injury bigger than some fans may realize?
Laufenberg: You never want to lose any player, and Hanna certainly brings versatility, but you are subtracting 9 receptions and zero TDs from last year's offense.
Question: How in any scenario is Cliff Harris not in the Hall of Fame? Can't even take the ... process seriously anymore.
Laufenberg: Let me first issue the caveat that the Hall Of Fame voters take their jobs very seriously. I know a good many of them and they know the importance and enormity of their obligation. Cliff Harris certainly gets my vote, but in fairness, every team has a Cliff Harris, a guy they wonder why they have not been selected. The shame was that- without going into a lengthy dissertation on the process-Cliff was nearly voted in, Got as close as any person not in the HOF.
By Babe Laufenberg
Babe Laufenberg, Dallas Cowboys radio color analyst and former NFL quarterback, answered question in a live chat recently. Here are some highlights:
Question: Dez [Bryant] has been just outstanding so far. Is he all the way back?
Laufenberg: Dez, like all players, needs to work on his craft. I can't say he is all the way back until he puts a string of games together during the regular season. As Jason Garrett said, "he needs batting practice" - meaning he needs to take a whole bunch of practice reps. He is a big receiver, so route running does not come easily for him. But I told Dak Prescott there were about 230 WRs who played this past weekend - only about 5 could make the two catches that Dez made for him.
Question: Did you see the play in camp Tuesday where [Morris] Claiborne ended up taking out Dez's legs? Do you know if he intentionally went low?
Laufenberg: I did see the play and it was just a matter of Claiborne going to the ground - nothing intentional. Dez did take offense, and it was admittedly scary to see Dez go down with a shot to his legs, but I am sure now that he has seen the tape, he will agree there was no intent on Claiborne's part.
Question: Tuesday's practice got really intense between Dez and the DBs. Is that too much intensity or just the way things get sometimes?
Laufenberg: It was probably the most heated practice of camp, but in a good way. I just think the competition level was very high. I think Jason Garrett will tell you it may have been one of the team's best practices. No minor skirmish broke out into fights, so all good.
Question: How much of [Tony] Romo should we expect to see Friday, and what should we be looking for when it comes to his snaps?
Laufenberg: I am sure we won't see much of him, and if Tyron Smith misses the game, I wouldn't play him at all. Here is a stat you can read into what you like - when Romo was limited in off-season work the last two years, he threw a combined 5 interceptions in the two openers. This from a guy who had the highest passer rating in NFL history in openers. In 2014, Romo threw three first-half interceptions against the 49ers, then threw 6 for the rest of the season. So no matter how long you've done it, playing QB is not like riding a bicycle.
Question: Having seen a glimpse of [Dak] Prescott's promise, would you be comfortable with him as Romo's backup?
Laufenberg: We have a long way to go before I could use the word "comfortable." The thing I see with Dak Prescott is that he is a mature guy. He has the right blend of confidence and humility - he desperately wants to get better. He has cleared every hurdle to this point. That said, the hurdles get much higher to jump over when the regular season begins. Let's get 3 more preseason games under his belt and I will have a more informed opinion. But to this point, I think he has exceeded any expectations the Cowboys had for him.
Question: With Dak Prescott's impressive showing, is Kellen Moore's spot on this team in jeopardy?
Laufenberg: I don't think one impressive performance by Dak Prescott (and it was very impressive) significantly alters the QB landscape. I have even heard, "The Cowboys have found their starter after Romo." Huh? As Jason Garrett said on Tuesday regarding Dak's performance, "oftentimes people get ahead of themselves." Kellen Moore will get healthy, and hopefully, be right back in the competition when camp opens next year. Ah, but I am getting ahead of myself....
Question: Do you agree with the talk about the window closing on Tony Romo and therefore the Cowboys needing to build a "win now" team?
Laufenberg: I agree with the best GM in football, John Elway. "I am building a team to win now and from now on." Just what window are we talking about? This is a team that has won two playoff games on Romo's watch. Don't get me wrong - if all 22 players on your team played like Tony Romo, you would be winning Super Bowls. But please refer to the Bob Dylan lyric from the song, "My Back Pages"- "They deceived us into thinking, we had something to protect." The Cowboys must not let themselves be deceived.
Question: Not sure how much of it we'll see, but is Ndamukong Suh vs. [Travis Frederick-[Zack] Martin-[La'el]Collins the match-up to watch Friday?
Laufenberg: Yes!!! We saw some of it last year, but it is the one time that you want to not follow the ball and just watch them go at it. I don't know if there is a better guard in football than Zack Martin. Everything you want in a player and a person. Shudder every time I think about the possibility of drafting Johnny Manziel instead of Martin.
Question: Who in today's NFL would be the scariest player to see charging at you for a sack?
Laufenberg: Today? At my age? All of them! And that would include most equipment guys and all ball boys. Gosh, JJ Watt does not look like a man I would want to get hit by, and I guess Ndamukong Suh might be at the top of the list for what he might do after he sacks you (see, "Aaron Rodgers Ankle"). The size and speed of today's players makes for a frightening physics equation hitting a stationary target.
Question: Is the loss of TE James Hanna to injury bigger than some fans may realize?
Laufenberg: You never want to lose any player, and Hanna certainly brings versatility, but you are subtracting 9 receptions and zero TDs from last year's offense.
Question: How in any scenario is Cliff Harris not in the Hall of Fame? Can't even take the ... process seriously anymore.
Laufenberg: Let me first issue the caveat that the Hall Of Fame voters take their jobs very seriously. I know a good many of them and they know the importance and enormity of their obligation. Cliff Harris certainly gets my vote, but in fairness, every team has a Cliff Harris, a guy they wonder why they have not been selected. The shame was that- without going into a lengthy dissertation on the process-Cliff was nearly voted in, Got as close as any person not in the HOF.
