(Editor's Note: At the end of each day here at training camp in Oxnard, the staff writers will each provide their own personal observation, ranging anywhere from a particular player who is standing out, a position that needs an upgrade, or even their own personal experiences regarding the daily rigors of camp.)
Rob Phillips: Jameill Showers has been praised for his poise in the pocket, but he's got plenty of arm strength, too. With seemingly very little effort he hit wide receiver Devin Street in stride for about a 50-yard catch on the left sideline – the most impressive completion of practice that wasn't Dez Bryant's remarkable one-handed catch. Showers delivered the deep pass one play after an incompletion, which shows he can have a short memory and move on to the next play, good or bad.
David Helman:The Cowboys' coaches aren't going to tell me anything definitively, but I hope there were absences in practice on Thursday because they plan on sitting some starters. Sean Lee didn't do anything competitive and Barry Church also sat out portions of practice. Tyrone Crawford and Terrell McClain also saw some limited reps. I can't tell for sure if that means anything, because Tony Romo and Dez Bryant did a full workload. But I certainly hope the coaches aren't planning on giving these guys a ton of work on Saturday night. The first preseason game is sloppy and disjointed – it's a total mess of inexperienced players fighting for a roster spot. I don't see any reasons why the starters need to do much, if anything at all. I'd certainly sit Romo, and I hope they try to limit the reps of the rest of the starters as much as possible.[embeddedad0]
Nick Eatman:The guy who keeps making plays this camp is tight end Geoff Swaim, who is certainly taking advantage of extra reps. Whether it's because Hanna hasn't practiced because of a back injury, Escobar taking some limited reps as he returns from an injury and Witten getting occasional vet days, Swaim has been out there every day. On Thursday, he showed more than just some playmaking ability. During a receiver bubble screen, Swaim lined up in the slot and blocked his man to the inside. But receiver Chris Brown cut the ball back inside into the play. Swaim, the second-year vet, barked over the Brown. "Keep it outside. It's an outside play!" Not only did Swaim show some nice blocking ability, but he's obviously gaining a good grasp of the offense, at least enough to keep these rookies in check.
Bryan Broaddus: During the compete portion of practice, Jason Garrett called Chaz Green out for a 1-on-1 battle with Mike McAdoo in front of the entire team. McAdoo is the type of player that has given these offensive tackles issues due to his quickness and ability to adjust his rush on the move. The bottom line has been McAdoo makes it difficult for you to get your hands on him. What was different for Green today as opposed to others was that he was able to get his hands on McAdoo. His footwork put him in a position where he wasn't off balance and lunging to make the block. Once Green was able to make that contact with McAdoo, his strength took over and he was able to keep McAdoo was capturing the corner on him.
