C
Cr122
Guest
Lengthy training camp, preseason games produce one thing: injuries
Posted Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010
By Randy Galloway
rgalloway@ star-telegram.com
OXNARD, Calif. -- Everyone agrees, but so far, no one has done anything about it. Yes, NFL training camps are way too long and anything more than two exhibition games is wasting sweat and time.
Obviously, however, things have changed dramatically since Daryl (Moose) Johnston uttered his classic ode to the '90s concerning those August days in Austin:
"I come to camp in the best shape of my life. Six weeks later, I'm totally beaten up, and in the worst shape of my life, so it takes the first month of the regular season to get back into top condition."
In other words, the intensity of regular season games was actually a relief from Jimmy Johnson practice sessions.
That brutality doesn't happen anymore, but...
"I'll tell you what gets you now, it's the monotony," Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said Tuesday. (While a rookie backup quarterback candidate, Red J had one year of the Jimster's St. Edward's University death march in 1993.)
As of Tuesday, the Cowboys completed practice session No. 30 at three different sites from Texas to California, and already have played two exhibition games, the last one four days after the first one, and it not being impressive in several areas. Plus, the regular-season opener is still 3 1/2 weeks away.
"You throw the travel conditions in there with everything else, and that's good," added Garrett. "You fight through a little adversity, and in the end it's going to make everyone better."
It's just a personal opinion, and also confirmed by several Cowboys coaches over the years, but having observed training camps from Thousand Oaks, to Austin, to Oxnard about six different times, and, of course, San Antonio, only one thing matters in August:
Who got hurt, and how long will they be out?
"Overall, I agree with that," said Jerry Jones, who quickly added, "but if we'd had a touchdown in the red zone against the Bengals or the Raiders, then you guys [the media] wouldn't have anything to write about or talk about right now."
Jerry was joking. And he wasn't joking.
Because the Cowboys were not a good red-zone touchdown team last season, because the Cowboys have had red-zone failures in two meaningless games in August, well, what'd you expect the media focus to be?
Again, even as a prime minister of overreaction, the view from here is aimed only at Sept. 12, a Sunday night in Washington. If red-zone issues return in regular-season games, then let's all panic.
Otherwise, who got hurt, and how long will they be out?
For now, however, consider this message to the media from quarterback Tony Romo on Monday:
"I think you guys will really enjoy our red-zone stuff. We have some good things we've added. But you won't see it until the regular season."
I immediately took that quote to Garrett, who, as usual, deadpanned his way right through his answer:
"I'm not going to get caught up in that. We just need to play better. We just need to practice better."
(Jason was a bit perturbed when it was mentioned I was going to talk to his friend, Babe Laufenberg, about working with Garrett on giving more colorful quotes.)
Garrett, of course, is the target when there is offensive failure, because every Cowboys fan, and every member of the media, is a natural-born NFL play caller. But to Jason's credit, he's never an excuse-maker when there's a disaster and never a chest-thumper when things go well.
He did make one concession Tuesday to what's been seen on offense thus far, and it kind of blends in with Romo's optimism about new red-zone packages.
"We've been a bit vanilla so far," said Garrett.
A dramatic injury shortage has wrecked the tight end depth, and with some issues in the offensive line, now compounded by the Marc Colombo injury, and all that means nothing will change, vanilla-wise, for the exhibition contest in San Diego on Saturday night.
"When it comes to our offense right now, I don't judge things as a whole," said Romo, who really meant that no one should, but didn't say it. "Right now, everything we are doing is about the little individual things that will contribute to the whole once we get started.
"When you are working on as much new stuff as we are, you will have bad days and bad practices. That's part of it. In a perfect world, you guys [the media] shouldn't even be seeing some of the things we are doing out here, like with the Razorback. But... "
True confession. Watching practice, I hadn't noticed anything really new with the Razorback, but that's just me.
It's training camp. It's the exhibition season. Who got hurt, and how long will he be out?
Otherwise, bring on Sept. 12.
Randy Galloway can be
heard weekdays 3-6 p.m. on Galloway and Co. on ESPN/103.3 FM.
Randy Galloway, 817-390-7697
Posted Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010
By Randy Galloway
rgalloway@ star-telegram.com
OXNARD, Calif. -- Everyone agrees, but so far, no one has done anything about it. Yes, NFL training camps are way too long and anything more than two exhibition games is wasting sweat and time.
Obviously, however, things have changed dramatically since Daryl (Moose) Johnston uttered his classic ode to the '90s concerning those August days in Austin:
"I come to camp in the best shape of my life. Six weeks later, I'm totally beaten up, and in the worst shape of my life, so it takes the first month of the regular season to get back into top condition."
In other words, the intensity of regular season games was actually a relief from Jimmy Johnson practice sessions.
That brutality doesn't happen anymore, but...
"I'll tell you what gets you now, it's the monotony," Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said Tuesday. (While a rookie backup quarterback candidate, Red J had one year of the Jimster's St. Edward's University death march in 1993.)
As of Tuesday, the Cowboys completed practice session No. 30 at three different sites from Texas to California, and already have played two exhibition games, the last one four days after the first one, and it not being impressive in several areas. Plus, the regular-season opener is still 3 1/2 weeks away.
"You throw the travel conditions in there with everything else, and that's good," added Garrett. "You fight through a little adversity, and in the end it's going to make everyone better."
It's just a personal opinion, and also confirmed by several Cowboys coaches over the years, but having observed training camps from Thousand Oaks, to Austin, to Oxnard about six different times, and, of course, San Antonio, only one thing matters in August:
Who got hurt, and how long will they be out?
"Overall, I agree with that," said Jerry Jones, who quickly added, "but if we'd had a touchdown in the red zone against the Bengals or the Raiders, then you guys [the media] wouldn't have anything to write about or talk about right now."
Jerry was joking. And he wasn't joking.
Because the Cowboys were not a good red-zone touchdown team last season, because the Cowboys have had red-zone failures in two meaningless games in August, well, what'd you expect the media focus to be?
Again, even as a prime minister of overreaction, the view from here is aimed only at Sept. 12, a Sunday night in Washington. If red-zone issues return in regular-season games, then let's all panic.
Otherwise, who got hurt, and how long will they be out?
For now, however, consider this message to the media from quarterback Tony Romo on Monday:
"I think you guys will really enjoy our red-zone stuff. We have some good things we've added. But you won't see it until the regular season."
I immediately took that quote to Garrett, who, as usual, deadpanned his way right through his answer:
"I'm not going to get caught up in that. We just need to play better. We just need to practice better."
(Jason was a bit perturbed when it was mentioned I was going to talk to his friend, Babe Laufenberg, about working with Garrett on giving more colorful quotes.)
Garrett, of course, is the target when there is offensive failure, because every Cowboys fan, and every member of the media, is a natural-born NFL play caller. But to Jason's credit, he's never an excuse-maker when there's a disaster and never a chest-thumper when things go well.
He did make one concession Tuesday to what's been seen on offense thus far, and it kind of blends in with Romo's optimism about new red-zone packages.
"We've been a bit vanilla so far," said Garrett.
A dramatic injury shortage has wrecked the tight end depth, and with some issues in the offensive line, now compounded by the Marc Colombo injury, and all that means nothing will change, vanilla-wise, for the exhibition contest in San Diego on Saturday night.
"When it comes to our offense right now, I don't judge things as a whole," said Romo, who really meant that no one should, but didn't say it. "Right now, everything we are doing is about the little individual things that will contribute to the whole once we get started.
"When you are working on as much new stuff as we are, you will have bad days and bad practices. That's part of it. In a perfect world, you guys [the media] shouldn't even be seeing some of the things we are doing out here, like with the Razorback. But... "
True confession. Watching practice, I hadn't noticed anything really new with the Razorback, but that's just me.
It's training camp. It's the exhibition season. Who got hurt, and how long will he be out?
Otherwise, bring on Sept. 12.
Randy Galloway can be
heard weekdays 3-6 p.m. on Galloway and Co. on ESPN/103.3 FM.
Randy Galloway, 817-390-7697