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Post-Dez drama: Are Cowboys draft classes cursed?
11:10 PM CDT on Friday, July 30, 2010
By GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
gfraley@dallasnews.com
Receiver Dez Bryant's ankle injury raised visions of another cursed draft class for the Cowboys.
A year ago, four draft picks incurred significant injuries either before or during training camp: offensive tackle Robert Brewster, safety Michael Hamlin and linebackers Stephen Hodge and Brandon Williams. Only Hamlin played during the regular season.
This year's first three draft choices are all dealing with physical problems that will hinder their development.
Bryant, a first-rounder, and inside linebacker Sean Lee, a second-rounder, have been injured. The Cowboys hope Lee can return to practice before concluding the Alamodome portion of camp.
Safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, a fourth-rounder, has not practiced while recovering from shoulder surgery and a pulled hamstring. Owusu-Ansah also was kept off the field for Organized Team Activities and minicamps.
"Last year, all our draft choices got banged up," coach Wade Phillips said. "I hope we're not going in that direction. ... You worry about injuries, coaching-wise, all the time. You don't like for them to miss."
DeCamillis' special recipe: The special teams portion of practice focused on the art of recovering onside kicks. David Buehler experimented with a variety of approaches to the kicks.
The Cowboys failed to recover their only onside kick last season. For special teams coach Joe DeCamillis, that amounts to a deep slump. From 2000 to '08, DeCamillis' special teams groups with Atlanta and Jacksonville recovered nine of 16 onside kicks.
Out of 64 onsides attempts league-wide last season, only 10 were recovered.
Briefly: Linebacker Steve Octavien missed practice because of a hip problem. Octavien missed a portion of Thursday's practice after incurring the injury. .... The schedule calls for consecutive two-practice days today and Sunday. If form holds, Phillips will give the veterans a break Sunday morning and devote that practice to special teams and inexperienced players. ... Linebacker Donovan Woods, released before the start of camp, signed with Buffalo.
11:10 PM CDT on Friday, July 30, 2010
By GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
gfraley@dallasnews.com
Receiver Dez Bryant's ankle injury raised visions of another cursed draft class for the Cowboys.
A year ago, four draft picks incurred significant injuries either before or during training camp: offensive tackle Robert Brewster, safety Michael Hamlin and linebackers Stephen Hodge and Brandon Williams. Only Hamlin played during the regular season.
This year's first three draft choices are all dealing with physical problems that will hinder their development.
Bryant, a first-rounder, and inside linebacker Sean Lee, a second-rounder, have been injured. The Cowboys hope Lee can return to practice before concluding the Alamodome portion of camp.
Safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, a fourth-rounder, has not practiced while recovering from shoulder surgery and a pulled hamstring. Owusu-Ansah also was kept off the field for Organized Team Activities and minicamps.
"Last year, all our draft choices got banged up," coach Wade Phillips said. "I hope we're not going in that direction. ... You worry about injuries, coaching-wise, all the time. You don't like for them to miss."
DeCamillis' special recipe: The special teams portion of practice focused on the art of recovering onside kicks. David Buehler experimented with a variety of approaches to the kicks.
The Cowboys failed to recover their only onside kick last season. For special teams coach Joe DeCamillis, that amounts to a deep slump. From 2000 to '08, DeCamillis' special teams groups with Atlanta and Jacksonville recovered nine of 16 onside kicks.
Out of 64 onsides attempts league-wide last season, only 10 were recovered.
Briefly: Linebacker Steve Octavien missed practice because of a hip problem. Octavien missed a portion of Thursday's practice after incurring the injury. .... The schedule calls for consecutive two-practice days today and Sunday. If form holds, Phillips will give the veterans a break Sunday morning and devote that practice to special teams and inexperienced players. ... Linebacker Donovan Woods, released before the start of camp, signed with Buffalo.