OXNARD, Calif. — It was an off day from padded practice for the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, but the team still hit the field in jerseys for a mock game walk-through practice that allowed for some final preparations before the Los Angeles Rams arrive for a joint practice on Thursday.
After practice, the assistant coaches were made available for the media at the official halfway point of training camp in Oxnard with specific position groups, players and storylines taking centerstage around the buzz of the team.
Here are the highlights from those conversations.
Trey Lance's Development
While the battle to be the backup to Dak Prescott officially began for Trey Lance when the team arrived in California two weeks ago, his big opportunity will come when the preseason gets underway on Sunday.
For quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien, when he was asked about the biggest thing Lance needs to improve on, he pointed to the process as a whole. When one domino comes down, it allows the entire picture to slow down, in Tolzien's eyes.
"I wouldn't say it's one thing specifically," Tolzien said. "With him, it's just being process-based and keep trying to stack the good days. He's still a baby in the system, love where he's at and he will keep building on those details."
Last offseason, the emphasis in the position room was what Mike McCarthy's system asked the quarterbacks to do in the footwork department. With Lance now going through his first full offseason in Dallas, that has been a big emphasis for his development.
"Thankfully, he's super coachable and I've always appreciated that," he said. "He takes it and wants to do it right. The footwork is a big part of what we're trying to accomplish."
Zgonina on Mazi Smith
First-year defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina has made some noise on social media during training camp for his tough, in-your-face style of coaching that has seen second-year defensive tackle Mazi Smith and others feel the wrath on the field in Oxnard a few times.
For Zgonina, he has seen Smith respond to the coaching style well early on and has already seen improvements.
"He's got no choice," Zgonina said. "I say that jokingly, he's doing fine. Yes, my approach is different than a lot of other people, but I think he's drawn to it. He's accepted it and he's doing what I'm asking. He has no problems with me and I have no problems with him."
"He's doing good. He's learning a new style. We're a little bit different than they were last year. He's learning, trying new things and we're trying to get the right fit for him. We gotta get his conditioning going because he didn't get it going last spring coming off the injury, but he's in a good spot. He just has to get better every day, that's why we're at training camp."
Kneeland's Work Ethic
The Cowboys' second-round pick, defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland, has drawn praise from teammates and coaches early on for his work ethic, intention and effort at training camp as he enters his rookie season.
For assistant defensive line coach Greg Ellis – who has spent most of his time with the defensive ends, specifically with Kneeland, in Oxnard – it's been refreshing to see Kneeland work to take the NFL step, even on their off days.
"On our off day, Marshawn calls me and asks to meet to look at some film," Ellis said. "I was talking to my wife, and I told her I had to get off to meet with one of the guys to look at some film. When you have a guy that's as talented as he is, but understands that it takes more than what you did in college to be able to be successful – I was glad to see that."
Micah the Chess Piece
In Micah Parsons' third season, former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and his coaching staff opened up more roles for their dynamic pass rusher that saw him be utilized in various roles such as an over-the-center pass-rusher and a decoy that would fall back into coverage at times.
Those same ideas and concepts have translated over to Mike Zimmer's system, but this time with even more intention towards what all Parsons can do for his defensive unit, according to defensive run game coordinator Paul Guenther.
"We're going to utilize his abilities to what puts him in the best position, our team in the best position," Guenther said. "Sometimes it's going to be good for him, sometimes it's going to be good for the guy next to him, he's just gotta understand the role. Really what we're trying to do is get him to understand the whole defense, not just one spot."
In a sense, Guenther sees Parsons' versatility as a movable piece that can disrupt in Zimmer's system in multiple ways. With a deeper understanding of the system as time goes on, Parsons will eventually reach that point on his own.
"I always tell him knowledge is power, and you know everything that we're doing and this is why we're doing this, we may be sending you here or over here," he said. "With a guy like that, you have to move him around a little bit to utilize his assets."
LBs Under Zimmer
Early on in training camp, the offensive players and coaches have spoken a lot about the disguise work that Mike Zimmer's defense has thrown at them pre-snap – allowing for more deception post-snap that could prove fruitful in the regular season.
In addition, the linebacker position has become a lot more important, not only with added personnel to the room but also within the scheme. Linebackers coach Scott McCurley spoke to that point on Wednesday in saying his group is getting into the backfield more than they were before.
"For one, we're pressuring right now," he said. "We're coming forward a lot more than we did in the past with the linebacker position. Any time you get a couple reps where you're coming forward and getting after the quarterback, you gotta love that. We've gotta keep doing our part. This system breeds productive linebackers."
