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Assassin
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Courtesy of DC.com;

Taco, Gathers, Woods & Andy Jones Among Players To Watch In HOF Game
Thursday, August 03, 2017 11:00 AM CDT
By DallasCowboys.com Report

CANTON, Ohio Finally, game day is upon us again.
Sure, it's just the preseason opener the first of five preseason exhibitions the Cowboys have to play this year. But on a weekend when team owner/general manager Jerry Jones is being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the atmosphere promises to be a special one.
With a lengthy preseason still in front of them, the Cowboys aren't likely to give their starters too much playing time at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Thursday night. Instead, it figures to be a youth movement, as the Cowboys' coaching staff gets its first look at this year's rookies and depth players in a game environment.
As is customary, the full staff of DallasCowboys.com have chosen two players each one on offense, one on defense to watch as the Cowboys square off against the Cardinals.

Rob Phillips
RB Rod Smith: Smith has been one of the best stories of camp so far. He's back at tailback, his natural position, and he's running with explosion and authority in these training camp practices. He's had a cup of coffee on the active roster before, but his versatility as a special teams player makes him an intriguing candidate to win a backup spot behind Ezekiel Elliott. If the former Buckeye gets a few carries tonight, he'll look to make the most of them.
DE Taco Charlton: The Cowboys' first-round pick has actually played in Canton before as a high-school junior growing up in Ohio. He'll have a lot more eyes on him tonight. The last few days of training camp have been better than the first. He seems to have improved his technique and his balance, and he's winning more in the pass rush. A strong showing in a homecoming of sorts could really boost his confidence entering the second half of camp.
David Helman
FB Keith Smith: I'll take the other Smith currently working in the Cowboys' backfield. It's remarkable to remember that this guy spent his first preseason as a linebacker, then made the switch to fullback with no guarantees that it'd work out. Almost two years later, I consider him a lock to make this team and with good reason. He's surprisingly natural as a receiver, and I think the coaching staff trusts him to take some work as a runner, as well. Ezekiel Elliott and Darren McFadden are unlikely to play in this game at all, and I wonder if Alfred Morris will get much work, either. I'm not going to be surprised if Keith Smith winds up as the second-leading rusher behind Rod Smith in this game.
S Xavier Woods: The rookie safety hasn't flashed much at training camp but it's not as though he's had a ton of opportunity. Woods is stuck behind a lot of experienced players, so he's currently running with the third-team at the tail end of practice. Tonight, he'll hopefully get much more playing time than that. I'm hoping Woods will get to play most of, if not the entire second half. Working against the Cardinals' reserves, hopefully we'll get to see some of those playmaking instincts that excited the Cowboys enough to trade up in the draft to get him.

Nick Eatman
TE Rico Gathers: This is probably the easiest one to watch because I'll have plenty of other Cowboys fans right along with me trying to check him out. Some days he looks like a young prospect who might have a chance to become something great. Other days he looks like he hasn't played football since he was 13 before last year. So this game will be interesting to see how far he's come in one full year. We know Jason Witten won't play this game and I wouldn't expect Geoff Swaim and/or James Hanna to get a ton of reps either, considering they missed all summer with injuries. Gathers will get his chances in this game. I think we need to be just as focused on his blocking as his pass-catching. If he doesn't catch the ball, it's an incomplete pass. If he misses a block, it could be worse.
S Kavon Frazier He seems like somewhat of a forgotten guy at safety. I don't think the coaches have forgotten him at all, but with Jeff Heath taking over as the starter and the Cowboys drafting Xavier Woods and signing Robert Blanton in free agency, Frazier has slid under the radar. Sometimes, that's a good thing. He looks like he's bulked up considerably in the offseason. He was already a good tackler in space. I think it'll be important to see his range and movement and how well he reacts in the passing game. It certainly wouldn't hurt for him to make a few standout plays on special teams.

Bryan Broaddus
WR Andy Jones: He has the experience of what it takes to potentially make this 53-man roster, and he is a better receiver today as opposed to this time last season. You can see it in the way that he now executes his routes but, more importantly, how he finishes. He has made several head turning plays in camp to this point that no question have caught the eye of the scouts and coaches. The question for him, is can he carry that into the preseason games, where he failed to do so last year? He needs to convince all of these eyes that he's too valuable of a player to put on the street.
DE Lenny Jones: This young pass rusher has been a pleasant surprise at a position where there are clearly more questions than answers. With suspensions looming to David Irving and Damontre' Moore, he's trying to play himself on the roster not just for 2-to-4 weeks but maybe something more permanent. Where Jones has shown up the most during these practices has been as a pass rusher. His ability to win off the edge is what has gotten him noticed. He's one of the few players at the position that has the explosive first step along with the ability to use pass rush moves along the way. There are several young defensive ends that are struggling with that concept now. This a staff that has never been afraid to take a chance on an unknown guy in the rotation if he shows promise. Lenny Jones is working to be that guy.
Assassin
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crap. this is not the start I was hoping for. Cards drive the field, 7-0
BaylorProud77
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Taco is not looking good. But how about our Rico!!!!!!! Touchdown
Assassin
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BaylorProud77 said:

Taco is not looking good. But how about our Rico!!!!!!! Touchdown
Theres another thread started for the Preseason game I didnt se
Assassin
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Alfred Morris rushed seven times for 42 yards in the Cowboys' Hall-of-Fame game win over the Cardinals.

Morris played deep into the second quarter, something that's essentially unheard of for a sixth-year veteran. It's the latest sign Morris is on the outs of the Cowboys' 53-man roster. Morris has been running behind RB/FB "Rod Smith" of late
Assassin
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Wonder what the "other issues, not domestic violence" that the broadcast team mentioned last night that could get Zeke suspended?
==========

NBC's Michele Tafoya reports Ezekiel Elliott had a late-June hearing with commissioner Roger Goodell.
Per Tafoya, Goodell, league investigators and a "four-person independent panel" met with the back. Goodell's involvement, or lack thereof, had previously been unclear. It remains uncertain when the league will finally make a decision in the year-old saga, but Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones expects news in the next two weeks.


Source: Profootballtalk on NBCSports.com
Aug 3 - 9:39 PM
Franko
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If it's not domestic violence, it has to be pot, right? I doubt he would be suspended for honking that girl's boob, the two car accidents or punching the DJ (because there is no evidence that he did it). The texts with his GF where he says he's sweating stuff out in a sauna preparing for a drug test makes me think this is a substance issue.
Assassin
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Franko said:

If it's not domestic violence, it has to be pot, right? I doubt he would be suspended for honking that girl's boob, the two car accidents or punching the DJ (because there is no evidence that he did it). The texts with his GF where he says he's sweating stuff out in a sauna preparing for a drug test makes me think this is a substance issue.
That whole spiel last night made me wonder. MJ? Performance enhancing? Another incident we haven't heard of?

And you're right on the boob jab. Not the smartest thing to do when cameras are everywhere.

Zeke is immature with millions of dollars coming in. Part of his charm is his immaturity and impulsive actions which are not always bad. Jumping into the Salvation Army was such. That act added hundreds of thousands of dollars into the SA bank accounts.
Franko
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Yeah, I don't think he is a bad kid. He's certainly immature, but mostly I think he is sort of a goofy rebel. Not an "eff the man" rebel, but a "I'm going to be me, deal with it" rebel. He'll figure out that is not a good way to conduct himself.
Assassin
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Franko said:

Yeah, I don't think he is a bad kid. He's certainly immature, but mostly I think he is sort of a goofy rebel. Not an "eff the man" rebel, but a "I'm going to be me, deal with it" rebel. He'll figure out that is not a good way to conduct himself.
If he can find the middle place where he can keep that part of immature charm in a good way, that would be ideal.
Franko
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Bob Sturm's write up in the DMN about Rico:

One key to being a proper media guy is to remain cynical in the face of fan's optimism about every player that shows a flash of ability or starts to get some chatter around the facility with regards to his position in the organization and the depth charts. I do think, though, given his moments last night, I should begin to adjust my position on Rico Gathers a bit. You should forgive a guy for thinking that we have seen some "basketball guys" play tight end who may have not played college football. We have also seen some guys who did not play high school football. But, have we ever seen anyone skip high school AND college football and then do something in the NFL? Antonio Gates is used as the template for Rico Gathers and he was an exceptional high school football player before skipping college. Jimmy Graham at least played a little bit in college. But, Gathers did not play since 8th grade when he was 13 years old. The idea that he would then turn and become a NFL regular seems extremely far-fetched.

Yet, watching him last night would simply verify some of the flashes at camp and the chatter from insiders. When he caught that wonderful TD throw from Kellen Moore by out-sizing and out-powering the poor DB trying to deal with him, it became obvious that I need to drop some cynicism on his future and hop on the wagon that indicates they may have something here. Further, I don't see his blocking as a massive issue, although when we talk about matchup problem TE's in this league, blocking is often such a low priority anyway. Gathers may have a chance to be that joker tight end which is really an issue in the red zone where you need a LB on him so he doesn't just win on size, but a DB on him because he runs past your bigger defenders. In other words, in adding Gathers and Ryan Switzer, it sure looks like the Cowboys are going to be an even more difficult team to match-up with when they choose to spread out the defense and isolate the weak links. Am I sure Gathers can make the team? No. Because the number crunch is a real thing. But, now, he has graduated in my mind from a "long-shot project" to a guy who is in range of the 53. With another showing or two like that and they will need to make room and strongly consider carrying 4 tight ends again. I am not close to suggesting he is able to replace Jason Witten yet (I have heard some of you throw that around), but he is now properly on the radar for the 2017 team photo. He was very, very impressive in many regards last night.
Assassin
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Franko said:

Bob Sturm's write up in the DMN about Rico:

One key to being a proper media guy is to remain cynical in the face of fan's optimism about every player that shows a flash of ability or starts to get some chatter around the facility with regards to his position in the organization and the depth charts. I do think, though, given his moments last night, I should begin to adjust my position on Rico Gathers a bit. You should forgive a guy for thinking that we have seen some "basketball guys" play tight end who may have not played college football. We have also seen some guys who did not play high school football. But, have we ever seen anyone skip high school AND college football and then do something in the NFL? Antonio Gates is used as the template for Rico Gathers and he was an exceptional high school football player before skipping college. Jimmy Graham at least played a little bit in college. But, Gathers did not play since 8th grade when he was 13 years old. The idea that he would then turn and become a NFL regular seems extremely far-fetched.

Yet, watching him last night would simply verify some of the flashes at camp and the chatter from insiders. When he caught that wonderful TD throw from Kellen Moore by out-sizing and out-powering the poor DB trying to deal with him, it became obvious that I need to drop some cynicism on his future and hop on the wagon that indicates they may have something here. Further, I don't see his blocking as a massive issue, although when we talk about matchup problem TE's in this league, blocking is often such a low priority anyway. Gathers may have a chance to be that joker tight end which is really an issue in the red zone where you need a LB on him so he doesn't just win on size, but a DB on him because he runs past your bigger defenders. In other words, in adding Gathers and Ryan Switzer, it sure looks like the Cowboys are going to be an even more difficult team to match-up with when they choose to spread out the defense and isolate the weak links. Am I sure Gathers can make the team? No. Because the number crunch is a real thing. But, now, he has graduated in my mind from a "long-shot project" to a guy who is in range of the 53. With another showing or two like that and they will need to make room and strongly consider carrying 4 tight ends again. I am not close to suggesting he is able to replace Jason Witten yet (I have heard some of you throw that around), but he is now properly on the radar for the 2017 team photo. He was very, very impressive in many regards last night.
Hadnt read that yet, wow! And I usually love what Bob has to say.

Dont know that he sum up what 95% of all sportswriters thought when the Cowboys took him. 'The potential is there but its too far a jump'...

Franko
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Bob is usually pretty stubborn about sticking to his initial opinion about things. So the fact that he is coming around on Rico is pretty significant.
Brandwin
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Assassin said:

Dan Daniels @dan_themandan
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Replying to @RealJamesWoods
FYI, Dallas Cowboys' Jerry Jones told his players "You will stand for the National Anthem, or your ass will be off this team."
7:45 PM - 27 Jul 2017
Is that the fake quote that was going around last year on Facebook that Jerry Jones never said?
Assassin
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thanks. This is what he did say

Jones didn't actually deliver a fiery pre-game speech, he did say after the game that he was proud of his team for standing during the national anthem and disappointed in the players on other teams who didn't:
Quote:

"I got to give a big pat on the back to our entire team, our coaching staff, our entire organization," Jones said. "We strongly, strongly support the flag. In every way, we support it's almost ridiculous to be saying it the people that for generations and generations have given it all up so we can get out here and show off in front of millions of people on television. We respect that so much. That's the real business.
"The forum of the NFL and the forum on television is a very significant thing. I'm for it being used in every way we can to support the great, great contributors in our society and that's people that have supported America, the flag, and there's no reason not to go all out right there. For anybody to use parts of that visibility to do otherwise is really disappointing."
trumpetbear
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This makes the place feel more like home.
Assassin
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Cooper Rush looked really good. A couple of his passes were darts. Thought his arm was more Kellen Moore-like.

Moore was okay. But he will never be confused with Payton Manning. Throws some of the softest passes I've seen.

Wish we had seen McKown last night to find out what kind of shape he is in.

Not sure that we have our backup QB on the roster right now.
Assassin
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trumpetbear said:

This makes the place feel more like home.
Anything I can do to assist in the transition.
Assassin
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Garrett said the early word is that CB Anthony Brown's hamstring injury isn't serious.
Assassin
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Another view of the Rico catch

Franko
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Assassin
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Franko said:


I know the NFL didnt want to mess with the Hall of Fame stuff. Wondering if Jerry already knows the answer to Zeke
Assassin
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Yikes!

Assassin
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Franko said:

Bob is usually pretty stubborn about sticking to his initial opinion about things. So the fact that he is coming around on Rico is pretty significant.
Gathers last scored a touchdown in his eighth grade championship game. Four of them. In the first half.
BaylorProud77
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Franko said:

Yeah, I don't think he is a bad kid. He's certainly immature, but mostly I think he is sort of a goofy rebel. Not an "eff the man" rebel, but a "I'm going to be me, deal with it" rebel. He'll figure out that is not a good way to conduct himself.
Maybe Dez can help out. lolol
Assassin
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BaylorProud77 said:

Franko said:

Yeah, I don't think he is a bad kid. He's certainly immature, but mostly I think he is sort of a goofy rebel. Not an "eff the man" rebel, but a "I'm going to be me, deal with it" rebel. He'll figure out that is not a good way to conduct himself.
Maybe Dez can help out. lolol
You never know about these guys. Micheal Irvin was pretty much a jerk during his Cowboy years off the field. But he's matured and actually has turned into a mentor for several of them.

Of course you could also go the way of Joseph Randle...

Taking the road less traveled is harder in the beginning, but it really smooths out as time goes on
Assassin
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Assassin
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Assassin
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Matt Miller's way too early 2018 mock draft. He has Dallas losing the Superbowl to the Pats and taking Ohio State DE Sam Hubbard

BaylorProud77
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Assassin said:

BaylorProud77 said:

Franko said:

Yeah, I don't think he is a bad kid. He's certainly immature, but mostly I think he is sort of a goofy rebel. Not an "eff the man" rebel, but a "I'm going to be me, deal with it" rebel. He'll figure out that is not a good way to conduct himself.
Maybe Dez can help out. lolol
You never know about these guys. Micheal Irvin was pretty much a jerk during his Cowboy years off the field. But he's matured and actually has turned into a mentor for several of them.

Of course you could also go the way of Joseph Randle...

Taking the road less traveled is harder in the beginning, but it really smooths out as time goes on
yes, I am really proud of Michael Irwin.
Assassin
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remainder of pre-season

Aug. 12 at Rams, 8 p.m., NFL Network
Aug. 19 Colts, 6 p.m., NFL Network
Aug. 26 Raiders, 7 p.m., KTVT
Aug. 31 at Texans, 7 p.m., KTVT

REGULAR SEASON
Sept. 10 Giants 7:30 p.m., NBC
Sept. 17 at Broncos 3:25 p.m., FOX
Sept. 25 (Monday) at Cardinals 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Oct. 1 Rams, noon, FOX
Oct. 8 Packers, 3:25 p.m., FOX
Oct. 15 BYE BYE BYE
Oct. 22 at 49ers, 3:05 p.m., FOX
Oct. 29 at Redskins, 3:25 p.m., FOX
Nov. 5 Chiefs, 3:25 p.m., CBS
Nov. 12 at Falcons, 3:25 p.m., FOX
Nov. 19 Eagles, 7:30 p.m., NBC
Nov. 23 (Thurs) Chargers , 3:30 p.m., CBS
Nov. 30 (Thurs) Redskins, 7:25 p.m., NBC
Dec. 10 at Giants, 3:25 p.m., FOX
Dec. 17 at Raiders, 7:30 p.m., NBC
Dec. 24 Seahawks, 3:25 p.m., FOX
Dec. 31 at Eagles, noon, FOX
BearForce
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BaylorProud77 said:

Franko said:

Yeah, I don't think he is a bad kid. He's certainly immature, but mostly I think he is sort of a goofy rebel. Not an "eff the man" rebel, but a "I'm going to be me, deal with it" rebel. He'll figure out that is not a good way to conduct himself.
Maybe Dez can help out. lolol


I would argue that today's Dez would be an ideal role model for him and could help.
Assassin
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BearForce said:

BaylorProud77 said:

Franko said:

Yeah, I don't think he is a bad kid. He's certainly immature, but mostly I think he is sort of a goofy rebel. Not an "eff the man" rebel, but a "I'm going to be me, deal with it" rebel. He'll figure out that is not a good way to conduct himself.
Maybe Dez can help out. lolol


I would argue that today's Dez would be an ideal role model for him and could help.
Dez is soooo much better in the last year or so. I would think that some of the folks that helped coach him in his private life would be on board.

BF, didnt Royce West or someone like that help Dez out?

West cross examined me on the stand once. Very, very sharp guy.
Assassin
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AFC East news

The Miami Dolphins and former Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler agreed to a one-year deal on Sunday, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter, the one-year deal is worth $10 million, plus up to $3 million in incentives, a source told Schefter.

Assassin
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NFC East stuff - Josh Doctson hurt again for the Skins. out for a bunch last year with Achilles, now hamstring. Those two things could haunt him all season again.
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