OXNARD, Calif. –Running back Felix Jones is coming off a long shoulder rehab, and according to defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, safety Brodney Pool had his back tighten up on him.
But what was the excuse for wide receiver Andre Holmes to not pass Sunday's conditioning test, a series of 10 60-yard sprints?
To his credit, Holmes hasn't made one. However, head coach Jason Garrett has acknowledged there is a reason he isn't yet cleared to practice, and it isn't because he didn't put out the effort to get in shape this offseason.
"It's more like he might've been doing the wrong things," Garrett said. "Andre is a guy who's very conscientious, but to be candid with you, he was doing a lot more long distance running, and he wasn't ready to do what he needed to do. So, it's a good learning experience for him as a player, and he just needs to follow the prescribed running. If he had done that, he'd have done what the 87 other guys were able to do in the conditioning test."
The three players will continue to go through "remedial running," as Garrett is calling it, during practice, until the team decides to stage another conditioning test for them.
"We don't feel like it's a good idea to just send him out there every day to run the conditioning test and see if they make it," Garrett said. "We need to make sure they're getting ready to run the conditioning test, which in turn will help them be ready to practice football."
