Smoaky's Daily Blog While At Cowboys Camp

[KFDM COOP]

Friday, July 28th, Oxnard-California

6:26am-Never fails, everyone I know, knows I'm in California, but they always forget about the 2-hour difference in time...argh!

6:45am-My head is still on central time, plus I can't get back to sleep...time to get to camp and hug Coach Parcells.

9:05am-After an incredible breakfast at the Ventura Beach Marriott (ham and egg omelet with pepper jack cheese), Jamie and I arrive at the Hayes RV Luxury Suite...otherwise known as the place where everyone in camp wishes they could be.

9:15am-Cowboys staff member asks when we'll start cooking the food...now I know why everyone was excited to see us.

9:30am-Jamie Lent, Mike Laroux, and I check in for credentials. Cowboys PR stud Brett Daniels tells me that T.O. might be the only one "off-limits" for interviews this summer.

10:15am-Jamie Lent discover "ants" infiltrating our kitchen sink in the RV...apparently tasting Mike Laroux's loaf of bread.

11:00am-Bill Parcells Press Conference about to begin, I can't control myself!!!

Did I hear Jerry Jones say he "hopes" the Cowboys make the post-season?

You sign T.O., Vanderjagt, extend Parcells contract, and you "hope" to make the playoffs?

The ultimate Cowboys optimist has been muzzled?

17 of the 44 questions during today's press conference were about Terrell Owens...none of them were something we haven't already heard before...

2:07pm-Sports Talk begins...

Jennifer Floyd-Engel tells me she wants to be in California, but won't be here until August 5th...we'll miss her.

ESPN's John Clayton says covering Cowboys Training Camp is always a circus...

Most open-line callers appear happy with the Rangers trading for Carlos Lee...most defend Jerry Jones for "toning down his Cowboys predictions."

5:00pm-Sports Talk ends...seemed like another good show. We start having player interviews on Monday.

5:15pm-First T.O. sighting around our RV and Smoker...talking with a couple of teammates...

Smoaky's Camp Goal---get T.O. to the smoker, and eventually an interview inside the Hayes RV Luxury Suite.

5:45pm-Dinner time...time for some Buffalo Wings, and beating Jamie Lent and my son Craig in Putt-Putt.

8:05pm-Jamie had steak quesadillas, Craig ordered a healthy chicken salad, and I gobbled down a cajun chicken sandwich. We ate at Cronie's Bar & Grill...always good food, nice atmosphere, but terrible service and it was hot as heck.

Sunday, July 30th...Cowboys lose a tight end, one practice today...

10:00am-I'm in a rut for breakfast, third straight day of ham and cheese omelet, although I added some veggies (mushrooms, green peppers, and onions) today. Tomorrow--no doubt, I'm ordering waffles with lots of syrup and butter.

11:30am-Bill Parcells Press Conference Notes

*Tight end Brett Pierce has been lost for the season after reinjuring his ACL.

*Defensive end Marcus Spears is having surgery today on his torn meniscus, should be back within 2-3 weeks.

*Offensive tackle Flozell Adams will practice today, apparently ran 86 50-yard dashes on Saturday, although I would think "dashes" might be exaggerated.

*Parcells said his short conversation with defensive end Greg Ellis was nothing more than talking technique, and Parcells says he and Ellis have a very good relationship and the ability to separate the business side of the game from the on-field side of the game.

*Parcells singled out cornerback Terrance Newman as perhaps the most dedicated and player with the most commitment of anyone on the team for his off-season workout regimen. Parcells also added offensive tackle Rob Pettiti probably improved the most of any one player during the off-season...but said the second-year pro must take that improvement from the weight room onto the field.

*Parcells said he's asked Newman to take any punt return duties "more seriously", and that he will be used as a spot return man at times...although the Cowboys are hoping Skylar Green gets most of those returns.

*Parcells called tight end Jason Whitten "The Big Easy", in reference to Whitten riding the big wave (contract extension)...and says Whitten has a high ceiling, but not quite ready to include him in the same breath as Ben Coates and Mark Bavaro.

*When asked which side of the ball is easier to rebuild through the draft...

I think the defense for me personally, because there's wider array of people that I can look at and say this guy fits here specifically, and the key position on offense is at quarterback, and there are just very few of those options available to you on a yearly basis. And some of the one's that appear to be the cream of the crop for that year, have of those aren't any good at the end of the day."

1:03pm-Jamie Lent and I are on our way to Walmart to shop for football cards.

2:00pm-Fairly uneventful practice, intermixed with some special teams work for the first time.

Linebacker Kevin Burnett and offensive tackle Marc Colombo were involved in a little cat-fight during the team scrimmage portion of practice.

Burnett tried to land a punch, but the 6-8, 320-pound Colombo didn't seem fazed. I originally thought Greg Ellis was involved, but as usual he was a peace-keeper.

Cowboys will have an intra-squad scrimmage next Saturday, and of course that's when coaches can see even more on tape, with younger players and bubble players under fire.

7:00pm-Jamie Lent, Craig Smoak, and I went to Andria's for some great seafood, but the line out the front door scared us off. The line suggests great food that's worth waiting for, but we didn't have time to wait.

[KFDM COOP]

Saturday, July 29th...Practice Begins, Spears Injured, T.O. "and" Family Visit KTBB's Hayes RV Luxury Suite...

8:00am-I rarely eat breakfast while at home, I'm an early riser, my wife Cindy is a night-owl...so any breakfast I get is usually on the go.

But when I travel, I eat a big breakfast, usually at the hotel, and the options are great, eggs and omelets, waffles, pancakes, sausage, bacon, hash-browns, and much more.

Today: Ham & Cheese Omelet, Sausage and Bacon, large glass of orange juice, and my favorite..."Diet Coke".

8:30am-ESPN's John Clayton met us at the Hayes RV Luxury Suite this morning, he's hosting his show back in Seattle from our facilities, and will also host his show with Sean Salisbury in our "Luxury Suite". Clayton was a guest on my show on Friday, and he definitely knows his stuff. It's been interesting watching him work the phones about rookie contracts, reminds me of "me" working the phones with high school coaches and trying to find out the latest recruiting news.

8:45am-Clayton and I walk out to Cowboys practice together...I told him the atmosphere this morning reminded me of the Cowboys first-ever camp appearance in Austin, pretty electric. The crowd appears to be a little rambunctious.

T.O. was the last person out of the clubhouse, and the crowd went nuts. Later on, T.O. said he's always one of the last players out of the clubhouse.

9:05am-Offensive tackle Flozell Adams isn't in pads, he failed the conditioning test, but no one seems alarmed. Larry Allen failed this drill basically every year. Adams actually looks in great shape if you ask me, but who I am to talk about anyone being in shape? Adams is working out on the side with strength coach Joe Juraszek

10:20am-T.O. catches touchdown pass from Tony Romo...crowd starts chanting "T.O., T.O., T.O."...

10:40am-My favorite part of any practice, goal-line drill, the offense gets the ball at the one-yard line and both sides completely maul each other. Best hit of the day, (besides anything involving Roy Williams), Kevin Burnett drills fullback Lousaka Polite, but Polite somehow scores anyway. The intensity brought some expletives from both sides, but it also brought a huge smile to the face of safety Roy Williams.

11:00am-Usually, players from different positions are avaialble after morning or afternoon practice...and it's usually whoever gets there first gets the best position.

However, Cowboys P.R. man Brett Daniels set everyone up nicely with a small podium and Jamie Lent and I were right smack in the middle of the circus. T.O. answered several questions, mostly about today's practice, but Gary Myers tried plugging away with some questions about the Eagles and Donovan McNabb...to no avail.

T.O. said he enjoyed the atmosphere at this camp, and now knows more than ever why the Cowboys are "America's Team"...even though he didn't grow up wanting to be a Cowboy.

11:30am-Oops, it's time for Bill Parcells' daily press conference...be right back...again, not much to say...but defensive end Marcus Spears twisted his knee, will have an M.R.I. on his right knee, it's apparently a cartilage injury, which shouldn't take much time to heal and rehab. Spears missed three weeks of training camp a year ago with a knee injury, but was ready for opening day.

12:09pm-Our shipment of Sadler's Smoekhouse BBQ brisket from Henderson has arrived! This was great news to the KTBB "entourage", but even better news for the massive media horde, and especially the Cowboys p.r. department, players, and training staff.

Now, we're on alert for our expected shipment of the John Soules Fajita Meat from Tyler...

Training Camp has been good so far, but we "take it up a notch" with the late-afternoon cookouts, and media arguments about the NFL, College Football, and anything else for that matter.

3:00pm-Double Great News! The John Soules Foods fajita meat arrived this afternoon, it's time to cookout.

7:00pm-Afternoon practice ends, and after 2-3 hours of cooking fajita meat, brisket, and the 'Bama beans, several media members show up to eat free food...which has been a training camp tradition since our first year in Wichita Falls.

Surprise guests tonight, besides Bradi James and Keith Davis, are Terrell Owens and Hollywood movie star Sanaa Latham (who you may know from movies such as Love and Basketball), and T.O.'s immediate family, his publicist, and others.

We didn't wrap everything up until 10:00pm tonight, Mac Engel, Steve Dennis, Dale Hansen, Jim Reeves, Mickey Spagnola, Mike Doocy, Clarence Hill, Jacque Taylor, Sean Hamilton, Joe Trahan, Larry Rodriguez, and several media friends hung around discussing everything important in sports and life.

I honestly don't think we ever solve anything, but there are always some great arguments.

I always enjoy feeding the Cowboys training staff, equipment staff, team doctor's, public relations department, and several interns.

They usually don't wrap things up until well after practice, and so I've always left something for them...they really seem to enjoy and appreciate the hospitality.

We'll cook again perhaps on Wednesday or Thursday...

My son Craig and I are heading to the lobby to relax for an hour or two...

Nice to know there's only an afternoon practice on Sunday, but Bill Parcells' press conference will start at 11:30am...sharp.

We're expecting Cowboys running back Julius Jones to stop by and record an interview for Monday's show.

[KFDM COOP]

Monday, July 31st...two practices today...Julius Jones to appear on Sports Talk...

7:45am-I held up my personal promise to have something besides an omelet for breakfast. I had a large waffle with lots of butter and syrup...delicious. My waiter was a little baffled by my daily reuqest of a "Diet Coke" with such a nice breakfast. Hey, I need by caffeine fix like the next guy.

9:05pm-Cowboys practice notes

*Safety Pat Watkins got the veteran defensive players jacked-up after his interception of a wobbly Tony Romo pass during the morning practice.

*Cornerback Anthony Henry made a nice break on Drew Bledsoe's long pass intended for Terrell Owens, and broke it up.

*This is the time of camp when there are 1-2 scuffles per practice...and wide received J.R. Tolver may regret his pushing and shoving with safety Roy Williams. He might live to regret it the next time he runs across the middle whether a pass is thrown his way or not. Anyone ever heard of the phrase "earholed"?

*Did I truly just witness DE/LB Greg Ellis in zone coverage against Terrell Owens in the flat? Wow, Ellis smiled and said something funny to T.O. after Bledsoe's pass was incomplete...Cowboys wide receivers coach Todd Haley asked Owens to shave off his route a little shorter next time for timing purposes.

*Cowboys coaching staff isn't in any panic mode, but unless I'm wrong, I've seen high-priced kicker Mike Vanderjagt has missed three short field goals in two days. I know, I know...it's just practice...but the Parcells Heat-Burn-A-Meter is rising.

You know, there's a lot of discussion on whether T.O.'s first eruption might be with Parcells or Bledsoe, but it might end up being with the vocal Haley, who isn't afraid to pop off himself.

11:30am-Bill Parcells press conference notes coming up next...

*Parcells mentioned this is the toughest time for any NFL player, veteran or rookie, due to no games for another two weeks, and nothing but the monotony of practice.

*Parcells says he will play backup quarterback Tony Romo "a lot", adding that he just didn't think Romo was ready during the previous years, and actually saying had he played him too much in the past, it couldn't ended Romo's career.

*Singled out the play of rookie safety Pat Watkins (Florida State), saying he's never seen a safety as tall as Watkins (6'5").

FYI---We have a really nice show for Sports Talk today:

4:15pm-T.R. Sullivan, mlb.com

4:30pm-Jennifer Floyd-Engel

5:07pm-Josh McQuistion-Soonerscoop.com

5:30pm-Cowboys running back Julius Jones

11:51am-Just wrapped-up an interview with Cowboys first-round pick and linebacker, Bobby Carpenter. What a nice kid...well-grounded, and said he'll always remember the Texas-Ohio State game, even though his Buckeyes were beaten.

1:09pm-Jamie ate his leftover Calzone for lunch, Craig and I had beef and chicken tacos. Oh boy!!!

2:05pm-Sad note for me, former Tyler Jr. College basketball player Byron Parker was released today by the Cowboys. Cowboys also released linebacker J.J. Horne, and wide receiver Ahman Merritt. Meanwhile, the Cowboys signed kicker Tyler Frederickson to a one-year contract.

4:45pm-My producer here in California, Jamie Lent just accomplished the unthinkable, and dropped an open bag of Oreo cookies on the floor of the Hayes RV Luxury Suite. His job is currently in jeopardy.

4:58pm-Jamie Lent is now taking a nap in the back room of the Hayes RV Luxury Suite. I guess watching Cowboys practice and covering the Parcells press conference has completely worn him out.

5:07pm-Afternoon practice was very uneventful...rookie Pat Watkins did intercept another pass. Lots of special teams work, boring, but important, Seems like the good old cooler temperatures have returned to Oxnard, which the players like...so do I.

8:09pm-Dinner time in Ventura...Jamie Lent stayed with his cheeseburger and fries diet, so Mickey Spagnola, Craig, and I went to Ventura Beach, and found an old "hole-in-the-wall" Fish & Chips restaurant, nothing fancy, but good food.

10:30pm-I'm still stuck on central time, time for some zzz's...man am I getting old or what?

[KFDM COOP]

Tuesday, August 1st...one practice, Bobby Carpenter to appear on Sports Talk later today...Cowboys not interested in a Lincoln to help drive their offensive line...

11:28am-Not much to report, other than the Cowboys bringing in veteran offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy for a possible workout...

We'll know more after the Bill Parcells press conference, which is about to start.

11:30am-Bill Parcells Press Conference Notes:

*Cowboys will give veteran offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy a tryout. Kennedy, who has been retired is expected in camp today. Parcells added that despite some reports, he had no interest in signing Adam Meadows

*Cowboys signed defensive lineman Jason Davis.

*Safety Jason Beriault suffered a concussion, is out for now...

*Parcells, while discussing wide receiver Jamaica Rector, said he's been impressed with him so far in camp, and even compared Rector to former Washington receiver Gary Clark (who Parcells admitted gave "me" fits while he was in New York with the Giants"). Parcells also said Rector could even be used as a cornerback "in a pinch".

*Parcells, when asked about Flozell Adams demeanor, compared him to the personality of a St. Bernard...and that he's always been so much bigger than everyone else, he's rarely been challenged, especially at the high school and even college level. Parcells said he's glad to have Adams on the field, and the knee is stable.

(From our blog comments) "What one question would you like me to ask Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells during his daily press conference on Tuesday?"

Rick Lippitz, "I'm not a big sports nut, but I grew up in New Jersey and have great respect for Bill Parcells. I would like to know how he thinks his pass protection will be this season."

Parcells..."it's too early to discuss how productive our offensive line will be this season, we've only had a handful of practices...but I like the guys I have, they seem to be very intelligent and they grasp things quickly. I don't have to remind them of things 17-times before the get it. We have a couple of young kids I like a lot (he specifically mentioned Pat McQuistan and Cory Proctor )...but we have a long way to go before knowing our strengths."

1:15pm-Cowboys wide receiver Terry Glenn skipped our scheduled interview, oh well...we'll have DeMarcus Ware instead...not a bad trade-off, huh?

2:00pm-KTBB's Jamie Lent reports Lincoln Kennedy is "not" on the field with the Cowboys, and apparently the Cowboys are not interested in the former NFL lineman.

3:20pm-KTBB's Jamie Lent reports kicker Mike Vanderjagt has missed three of his four field goal attempts this afternoon. He made 24-yarder, but missed from 39-yards, 41-yards, and 44-yards out. Meanwhile, unheralded Shaun Suisham was two-for-two.

5:15pm-We're all headed for Malibu to eat some real seafood...talk to you later.

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Wednesday, August 2nd...Williams signs extension, Vanderjagt misses practice with illness, and two practices today...

7:30am-Busy day ahead, cookout for some of the players who drop by the Hayes RV Luxury Suite, the media, and members of the training-medical-equipment staff, and whoever else.

9:05am-Practice---

*Where's kicker Mike Vanderjagt, who is not at practice this morning? He's apparently caught the flu bug...rumors were running rampant that Vanderjagt was sick of his training camp field goal percentage.

*Cowboys kickers went about their business, and promptly missed six-of-eight field goal attempts.

*I thought I saw receivers coach Todd Haley and running backs coach Anthony Lynn motioning to Bill Parcells asking where Vanderjagt was...Parcells responded with a motion as if Vanderjagt was sick...Haley and Lynn seemed very skeptical.

*Cowboys announced signing pro bowl safety Roy Williams to a contract extension through 2010.

11:00am-WFAA's super-producer Sean Hamilton just ran by our smoker asking if I'd heard about OU dismissing quarterback Rhett Bomar from the team...

Maybe it's me, but Bomar has been nothing but trouble for OU since his arrival from Grand Prairie.

11:30am-Sorry, but not many updates today, I'm preparing dinner for everyone, while trying to prepare for my show.

2:00pm-Sports Talk...we'll have Cowboys offensive lineman Kyle Kosier, college football writer Phil Steele (he had OU as his pre-season number one), ouch.

3:15pm-Engineer Mike Laroux is taking over the smoker...checking on the John Soules Foods fajita meat, the Sadler's Smokehouse BBQ brisket, the 'Bama Grape Jelly Beans, and our "attempt" at Jambalaya.

[Critter]

Awesome keep'em coming...

[KFDM COOP]

Thursday, August 3rd...T.O. not practicing today, sore hamstring...

10:14am-My buddy Tim Thompson and I are waiting on Jamie Lent to head to the Parcells press conference. Tim's sipping on some "bad" coffee...and I honestly think I'm about the only person in radio that doesn't drink coffee. I'm also probably the only person in radio that drinks 15-20 Diet Coke's per day.

FYI--as I mentioned last night, we had an absolute great time at the Hayes RV Luxury Suite cookout...players, media, and many others dropped by...and instead of me telling you about it...here are others who are talking about it.

http://cowboys.beloblog.com/

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news.cfm?editorialAuthor=1&id=D16021AF-F4E2-BADC-87AD20D5AEA8DED8

11:30am-Bill Parcells press conference

*Parcells discusses concerns about the offensive line, basically across the board.

*Parcells singles out Andre Gurode and "very talented", but at his position (center), he must not allow any distractions during a game.

2:05pm-Jamie Lent reports from Cowboys practice that Terrell Owens is not practicing today, sore hamstring.

Offensive lineman Stephen Peterman (ankle), and safety Jason Beurialt (concussion) aren't practicing either.

Today's workout includes officials for the first time since camp opened last week.

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Friday, August 4th...My father's birthday, and two practices...

Today is my father's birthday, and for anyone who has ever known me, my father is my hero for everything he represents...class, integrity, professionalism, and for being the ultimate role model. Happy Birthday Dad!!!

There will be two practices today...scrimmage tomorrow...

We have a nice lineup for today's show inside the Hayes RV Luxury Suite at Cowboys Camp, including Cowboys cornerback Terrence Newman, Mickey Spagnola from Canton, Ohio, Geoff Ketchum from orangebloods.com, Jeff Tarpley from the aggiewebsider.com, and Jennifer Floyd-Engel of the Fort Worth Star Telegram. We also have a recorded interview with wide receiver Terry Glenn in the can for next week, and we get Jason Whitten this weekend.

***Send me any question you'd like me to ask Bill Parcells today...

11:32pm-Practice just ended, Terrell Owens didn't practice again today with the sore hamstring, rode the bicycle, and did some stretching exercises.

Biggest question now is whether T.O. will be involved during Saturday's scrimmage.

The field was also wet this morning from some early rain and mist...and that might've also a precaution.

Cowboys kicker Mike Vander-(shank)-jagt missed another short field wide-right...not much on the kick, and Vanderjagt reacted with disgust, so you can imagine how Parcells reacted. Vanderjagt did make his next attempt.

After practice, a reporter for Dallas Cowboys television finished up an interview with Aaron Glenn, and then said "thanks Marcus." Glenn then told the reporter "she" probably should delete the interview since he wasn't Marcus (Coleman).

11:51pm-Bill Parcells press conference summary coming soon...

*"I'm trying to do a lot of teamwork now during these last few days, and it's kind of ardous, and it's not going that well right now. We just gotta keep going forward and pushing on it and I've been on a 2-1 (practice) schedule, and I might switch that and go 2-2, and I might just go back to 2-a-days for awhile, I'm not sure, but I know I've got to make some progress here."

*In reference to Saturday's scrimmage, "Just pretty much what I've been trying to do on a small-time basis daily here...you saw me, I did about 30-plays this morning (if you were up in time to watch this morning's practice), and we'll probably do a little more of that this afternoon and then try to build up to it tomorrow. I don't know how many plays we'll run, but we'll run I'd say about 90, maybe."

Cowboys have a second workout today from 5pm-7pm (Pacific Coast).

1:36pm-Tyler's Tim Thompson, a huge Cowboys fan, and a great friend of mine is now taking a nap on the couch inside the Hayes RV Luxury Suite. Thompson, a noted night-owl (as is my son, Craig), consistently amazes me how he can get up after a "hard night", and not miss a beat. I think everything finally caught up with him today, he's out cold.

5:08pm-Just wrapped up a good show, I hope everyone enjoyed it. Guests included cornerback Terence Newman, Jennifer Floyd-Engel, Geoff Ketchum, Jeff Tarpley, and Mickey Spagnola. Great questions from the audience too.

6:45pm-Afternoon practice just ended, Troup's Keylon Kincade had a really nice run this afternoon. Wide receiver Sam Hurd made a tremendous catch near the sideline, almost parallel to the ground.

What's funny to me...is how crisp the offense is this afternoon, after not producing much at all throughout the first week of camp. Wonder if Parcells' "talking about adding more 2-a-days next week" helped the offense focus a little more?

I'm looking forward to watching what younger players step during tomorrow's scrimmage.

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Saturday, August 5th...Cowboys scrimmage and time to do the laundry...

9:05am-We're picking up another Tylerite today, Nic Gregory...who arrives around noon today in Burbank. I really enjoy watching a Cowboy fan get an up-close and personal view of what we do at training camp...I think Nic will have a great time.

11:15am-Who said covering Cowboys camp was fun and glamorous? I'm about to wash a week's worth of clothes between now and their scrimmage at 2:00pm.

11:45am-My buddy Tim Thompson reports "another Eagle (Nic Gregory) has landed at Burbank airport.

11:53am-I enjoy watching the various inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but I think they need to cut back some of the highlights and overviews, and get on with the ceremonies.

12:15pm-Wide receiver Terrell Owens will have an MRI on his sore hamstring, and will not be involved in today's scrimmage. Bill Parcells insists he's not worried about the lost time in practice, not yet.

12:24pm-Bill Parcells discussed his plans for today's scrimmage and what he'd like to see or needs to see. When asked if the coaches also go through the grind of training camp, Parcells responded, "No, not really...this is what we do. I'm a like a trained-pig, I go from the office to the locker room to the practice field to here, to the cafeteria, to my room, and then just keep doing that over-and-over-and-over again."

Parcells also thinks "juggling" the final few spots on the 53-man roster will be more difficult this season than the previous three, because he has a little more depth at key positions than before.

Interesting stat of the day, Parcells mentioned cornerback Terence Newman didn't allow a single touchdown pass last season. He said Newman was tremendous in man-to-man, but that stat might be a little deceiving considering the Cowboys use a lot of zone defense.

Parcells also said he didn't have any specific plan on starting Tony Romo during any pre-season games, but he does plan on playing him "a lot".

When asked if the offense making more plays on Friday afternoon would change his mind about giong straight 2-a-days next week, he said "we'll go through today's scrimmage, and we'll see where we are after that."

Parcells specifically mentioned strength and conditioning coach Joe Jurazcek today, saying..."he's won my respect, he (Juraczek) doesn't tell the players what they always want to hear, and he takes it personally when a player isn't in good condition". Parcells added, "I probably talk with Joe more than any coach on staff...he knows each player and their behavorial patterns, and has a good sense of who has guts, and who doesn't."

Parcells said rookie Skylar Green will have to make the team as a return man, and not as a wide receiver. He also mentioned he probably doesn't have much comfortability with his fourth-receiver, at least not yet.

3:40pm-Cowboys scrimmage has ended, I'll give you some personal insight first, and then more statistic-based information later.

Cowboys first-team offense appeared to really struggle...meanwhile Tony Romo and Drew Henson led their offensive units to touchdown drives.

Touchdowns were scored by:

*Lousaka Polite, short run

*Marion Barber, short run

*J.R. Tolver short touchdown pass from Tony Romo

*Skylar Green short touchdown pass from Drew Henson

Other highlights...

Rookie wide receiver Sam Hurd had a handful of catches, a couple of them were acrobatic. I'm sure we'll (media) all overreact to his performance since we (media) always do with a young wide receiver.

Jamie Lent, Tim Thompson, Nic Gregory, Craig Smoak, and I (along with basically dozens of other media members) sit along the chain-link fence that separates the fans from the field. I'm truly amazed at how vocal and demanding the fans were today, especially in their frustration with Drew Bledsoe. I'm also always impressed with how a great deal of the fan-base in attendance know their football...they made some nice comments throughout the scrimmage, including a couple of points I wasn't thinking about.

We sat near FWST's Mac Engel, the husband of "our" very-own Jennifer Floyd-Engel, and we were trying to figure out a nickname for the Cowboys first-team offense. Snap and Pray or Chuck and Duck were one of the favorites after Bledsoe was sacked five times early during the scrimmage.

One somewhat interesting stat, there were zero turnovers throughout the 90-play scrimmage...although Drew Henson should've been picked at least once.

Also, the hits of the day were Terence Newman blindsiding Terrance Copper, and safety Keith Davis blowing up running back Marion Barber, even though Barber was pulling up and was out of bounds.

4:00pm-Terrell Owens on hamstring, "It's sore, to the point that I feel that if I get on the field right now and I try and open up then it's going to make matters worse, so I think for me I've got to be really cautious, knowing myself I really want to try and push myself when I get back out there, but it's not going to do the team any good, it's not going to do myself any good if I get out there, and I know everybody wants to see me out there and practicing, but it's not going to do me any good to get out there and push it and then really go beyond the limit."

4:11pm-We're awaiting the arrival of pro bowl tight end Jason Witten, who will be joining us inside the Hayes RV Luxury Suite for an interview.

Next week on Sports Talk, we already know we'll have Witten, wide receiver Terry Glenn, quarterback Drew Bledsoe, running back Keylon Kincade (Troup), defensive tackle Jason Ferguson, and owner and general manager Jerry Jones.

4:15pm-I just realized, Monday is the start of practice for hundreds of high school football teams throughout Texas...those programs who had spring drills will have to wait another week (August 14th).

4:25pm-Tim Thompson, who hasn't done anything all day, is supposed to be checking on a couple of fine restaurants, although he told me his lone focus of concentration today has been wondering about how his best friend Scott Salvage is doing without his annual trip to training camp.

***Please let me know if you have a question for Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells for Monday's press conference.

Sunday is an off-day...talk to you later. We're headed to Malibu and the most beautiful view you can imagine off Highway 1 and the Pacific Coast...beach, big waves, and just an incredible view.

[KFDM COOP]

Sunday, August 6th...Day off at Cowboys Camp...

Today is an off day for everyone at camp...we'll blog-back-on sometime later in the day, and start back up again for sure tomorrow morning.

Two practices on Monday, 9am-11am and 5pm-7pm, Bill Parcells press conference at 11:30am (all these times are Pacific).

Sports Talk will have Jennifer Floyd-Engel, T.R. Sullivan from mlb.com, and Cowboys wide receiver Terry Glenn, and running back Keylon Kincade (Troup)...plus Tyler Jr. College head coach Jamie Critchlow.

Have a great day, we will.

[KFDM COOP]

Monday, August 7th...Cowboys make roster moves, and high school football workouts begin throughout Texas...

8:35am-Good luck to the thousands of high school football players who started workouts today. Those programs who went through spring drills won't start working out until next Monday.

9:12am-We have a busy day at the Hayes RV Luxury Suite here with the Cowboys in Oxnard, California.

We're throwing one of our big cookouts later today, even some (Roy Williams, Jason Ferguson, and Keith Davis) players asked me when "dinner time" was so they'd be ready after their second practice.

Cowboys were sneaky over the weekend, brought in veteran wide receiver Freddie Mitchell for a workout, he has not been signed.

Cowboys also released quarterback Jeff Mroz (Yale), and signed quarterback Matt Baker (North Carolina), who was released by the Houston Texans.

9:33am-Cowboys a little different this morning, wearing their throwback white helmets.

9:42am-Update from morning practice, wide receiver's Terry Glenn "and" Terrell Owens are not working out this morning.

10:53am-Morning practice summary...

It never fails that safety Roy Williams has to get his "contact fix" with someone early in practice. Today, it was rookie wide receiver Sam Hurd.

Speaking of Hurd, he's the latest "training camp-phenom" at wide receiver, he'll still most likely have to make this team through his special teams play. He's definitely impressive, but the bottom line is Owens and Glenn are unquestioned starters, Crayton has tremendous experience from the two previous seasons...and Hurd has an uphill battle. You can tell Parcells likes him, because he's always talking to him. He may end up being a sleeper.

Near media injury, both involving writers from the Dallas Morning News...Calvin Watkins was nearly trampled against the chain-link fence by wide receiver J.R. Tolver after a catch during 7-on-7 drills. And Matt Mosley suffered burns when Watkins, who was obviously somewhat jittery after previous play...knocked a cup of coffee on Mosley's new fleece-top...Mosley quickly asked me if coffee stains were permanent.

Parcells appeared to be more vocal than ever this morning, probably because he missed yelling at his players with the off-day on Sunday, also knowing there's a pre-season game coming up this Saturday.

11:30am-Bill Parcells press conference coming soon...

*Pleased with young players during the scrimmage, including wide receiver Sam Hurd.

*Parcells said he hasn't spoken directly to Terrell Owens about his sore hamstring, but his trainers are telling him T.O. can't practice. When asked if he's handling this injury differently than other players who've been injured, Parcells said he's not.

*Parcells also mentioned running back Marion Barber, who had a good scrimmage, will have a major role in the Cowboys offense.

*When asked about Greg Ellis making plays at outside linebacker during the scrimmage, Parcells said if Ellis can play on the outside, first-round pick Bobby Carpenter will be an inside linebacker...but he didn't want to specifically get into the numbers game because that would be talking about possible cuts in the future.

1:45pm-We're officially smoking out the entire camp with hickory, mesquite, and whatever else bringing the taste of Texas to Oxnard.

Tim Thompson is working up some spare-ribs, we have most everything ready for the 'Bama beans/chili, and we're heating up the John Soules Foods fajita meat, Sadler's Smokehouse BBQ brisket, and a ton of Earl Campbell's Sausage.

[KFDM COOP]

Tuesday, August 8th...one practice, and more to come...Parcells spars with the media...

11:30am-Bill Parcells Press Conference

We saw several sides of Bill Parcells today during his daily press conference.

Grumpy, stern, condescending, philosophical, and then loveable.

Parcells knew it was obvious the media (me included) wanted to know more about T.O.'s plans on bringing in his own trainers, etc...

After short-crisp answers, Parcells finally relented, "I'm just trying to get the best players on this team that I can, and as I told you the other day, I'm trying to integrate the player (T.O.) into the system, and right now we can't really proceed the way we'd like to proceed, but when we can then I will try and do it that way. In the meantime, I'm getting a sense that most of the media is just waiting for something to be controversial in that regard. And I'm here to tell you, it's not going to happen from me, so you need to get that in your head, okay? So don't use those words that have ambigous meanings, like "clouded", which is that kind of word, and expect me to respond to it, because I won't."

When asked if Drew Bledsoe would start or play this weekend against Seattle, Parcells said "I don't know", but said he's sat his starting quarterback in a pre-season opener before.

When asked if Tony Romo would start, Parcells said he didn't know that either, but "that's a possibility."

And Parcells also specifically said, "you guys (media) don't need to make a big deal out of this...this isn't today's big story."

Well, I checked various websites, and "Romo May Start" was everywhere...wow, we (media) sure know how to listen to the coach.

12:45pm-Interview with kicker Mike Vanderjagt went well...good guy, and we'll air the interview tomorrow during sports talk. When asked who has the worst stigma for being a little goofy, relief pitchers of placekickers, Vanderjegt said, "I don't know about relief pitchers, but I think we both get a bad rap on that deal."

2:00pm-Practice

2:05pm-Sports Talk, and today's guests include Jason Witten, Kilgore College head coach Jimmy Rieves, and both Mickey Spagnola and Jennifer Floyd-(troublemaker)-Engel.

5:07pm-Just interviewed former Troup running back Keylon Kincade for tomorrow's show. We wanted him live for today's show, but practice ran a little long, and he had to lift weights.

8:34pm-Craig Smoak, Nic Gregory, and I just returned from a good sports bar, "Cronies", with several television sets, flat-screen's and big screen's...we watched the Rangers build a 4-0 lead in thr 3rd-inning, only to hear upon our arrival at the Ventura Beach Marriott, the game was tied at 4-4 because Kevin Millwood couldn't hold the lead.

8:45pm-Craig Smoak hid our cooler, and both Nic Gregory and I are a little thirsty right now, but Craig is a little pre-occupied with shaving whatever that is off his face that's been growing since our arrival on July 27th.

There goes my razor.

[KFDM COOP]

Wednesday, August 9th, two practices, technical gremlins invade sports talk...

*Please post any question you'd like asked to Bill Parcells during today's press conference.

9:00am-Practice

*Offense did very well during today's short-yardage drill, even drew praise from a grumpy-and-vocal Bill Parcells.

*DB's completely dominated the running back's during a pass protection drill, all running back's struggled, prompting some sarcastic comments from free safety Keith Davis.

*NFL Films is at practice this morning...they have their own riser, some sound equipment that would make anyone jealous.

*Cowboys signed tight end Eric Jensen, who was on the Super Bowl Champion Steelers practice squad in 2005.

11:15am-I taped a one-on-one interview with Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe that will air on Thursday's show. I thought Bledsoe was great, hope you'll enjoy the interview.

11:30am-Bill Parcells press conference

*Not much said today, still hasn't made decision on whether Romo starts against Seattle...but once again reiterated Romo would get a bunch of snaps.

*Discussed how valuable it is to have two solid running backs with similar, yet different strengths (Julius Jones and Marion Barber), and also mentioned he wants to get Tyson Thompson several snaps with the number-one offensive line. Not sure if that's good news for Troup's Keylon Kincade who has enjoyed a solid camp.

1:57pm-Our ISDN line, which makes our audio crystal-clear no matter where we are has gone down...not sure what's up, and our engineer, Mike Laroux is working on it. This is tough to deal with since we're only 5-10 minutes away from air-time.

2:05pm-On-Site producer Jamie Lent informs Randy Thomas, producing back in Tyler, that we'll use the old-fashioned "Telfax Machine"...which will limit what audio (interviews) we'll be able to send back to Tyler. This is very disappointing since we have Keylon Kincade scheduled, along with Mike Vanderjagt. Let's just see what happens.

4:00pm-Just finished a hectic show (techinical issues), but we did get it on the air...production director Garth Maier called during the show and said everything sounded "fine in East Texas", probably sounded like we were on a regular phone line and not ISDN, which we were.

I credit Mike Laroux, Randy Thomas, and Jamie Lent for somehow getting us on the air in the first palce.

5:00pm-Practice

*Looks like the team is working on some plays for their pre-season opener against Seattle...not a gameplan or anything, but some semblance of plays.

*Terrell Owens is doing more-and-more conditioning work with strength and conditioning coach Joe Jurazcek...

*Jerry Jones was back at practice after spending the past few days in Canton, Ohio (Hall of Fame), and New York (naming Roger Goodell NFL commissioner).

7:45pm-Several minutes after the regular practice ended, Terrell Owens spends time with rookie receiver Sam Hurd (this is a daily deal), and quarterback Matt Baker. Owens appears to be running routes with ease...

After catching several passes and running various routes, T.O. speaks to the media...admits he knows about the speculation in the media about his injury and how serious it is...says he won't let that pressure force him back on the field too early. He took several questions, answered all of them, and from everything I heard...there was nothing for anyone to read between the lines...at least in my opinion.

8:30pm-Jamie Lent, Nic Gregory, Craig Smoak, and I are headed for our annual "KTBB Putt-Putt Training Camp Championship".

Jamie Lent has won this title once before, and "I think" I'm the defending champion. I actually hate putt-putt, and you'll find out why in a moment.

9:15pm-Craig Smoak dominates early-and-often and hammers the field by 6-strokes to win his first-ever and coveted "KTBB Putt-Putt Training Camp Championship".

C-Smoak fires a 51, easily blowing away the runner-up Lent (57), I'm humiliated with a 60, and Gregory, showing his nerves with his first appearance in this event, ends up with a 63.

This is a tough way for Nic to leave training camp...he departs for home tomorrow afternoon.

I do think Nic's had an incredible and memorable trip...attending practice, the Parcells press conference's, hanging with the media horde, and having the chance to meet his favorite Cowboy player, Roy Williams. He was also in the Hayes RV Luxury Suite today when Drew Bledsoe dropped by...

Jamie, Craig, Mike Laroux, and I have another day of training camp...then it's pack-it-up and head home on Friday.

That's it for tonight, at least until I find a way to circumvent the putt-putt scores.

[KFDM COOP]

Thursday, August 10th...last day of camp for us...and our ISDN line is up and ready to go!

11:00am-Sad moment in camp, my son Craig's best friend, Nic Gregory is on his way to Burbank Airport for his return to Tyler. I can't speak for Nic, but I have a feeling this has been a wonderful experience for him. We put him to work, and he responded when needed. Nic did have one criticism of my daily prep-work...telling me, "Mr. Smoak, you sure do spend a lot of time monitoring the UT websites, and not enough time on those Aggie websites (Nic's an A&M fan)."

11:30am-Bill Parcells press conference

12:15pm-Jerry Jones held an impromptu press conference today, discussed most of the same issues we've heard throughout camp...talked about his excitement over Tony Romo...and when asked if he knew T.O. enough to know for sure he's telling the truth about his hamstring...Jerry responded, by saying he's confident in everything T.O. is telling the team...and has no reservations about the injury.

2:00pm-Practice

2:07pm-Sports Talk...scheduled guests (depending on ISDN line):

*Cowboys owner and general manager, Jerry Jones

*Cowboys QB Drew Bledsoe

*Cowboys kicker Mike Vanderjagt

*Cowboys RB Keylon Kincade

We'll also interview Tyler Lee wide receiver Jacob Amie on his decision to play college football in the Big XII, Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne...plus open-line discussion on the Big XII, high school football, and the Rangers hammer the A's...but is it too little, too late?