OXNARD, Calif. – One of the bigger storylines of the offseason involved a simple quote from one Joseph Randle, whose "meat left on the bone" comment became national news.
As the Cowboys kicked off training camp Thursday here in Oxnard, Randle seems like he's making an effort not provide those kinds of statements again.
When talking to reporters Thursday after the first walk-through, where he took first-team reps, Randle harped on the opportunity in front of him, and reiterated staying focused on the task at hand.
The task, of course, is to win the starting job, which seems like it's his job to lose after Darren McFadden started out on PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) with another hamstring injury.
Even with Jerry Jones' personal endorsement on Wednesday, stating that Randle has the lead to be the No. 1 back, the third-year pro tried to shrug it off.
"I haven't heard them," Randle said of those comments. "I don't focus on the news too much. I'm just trying to focus on my job. I'm going to approach every day and work the hardest that I can. I can't worry about the outcome. I just go out and focus on each day and the grind. I'm trying to get better at every little thing to take my game to the next level."
And that was the premise behind Randle's comment this summer, saying despite DeMarco Murray's record-breaking season of 1,845 yards last year, there is plenty of "meat left on the bone" to improve in 2015. Murray responded with "hopefully, he can eat some of that meat this year" when asked about it after an Eagles' minicamp practice.
But after a few conversations from head coach Jason Garrett about toning down his comments, Randle has arrived at camp with a tight-lipped mentality.
When asked how many rushing yards he planned on getting in 2015, Randle smiled and ended the interview. But before that, when asked about where his focus is heading into camp, the running back had a quick response.
"I'm going to focus on the details of getting better each day," Randle said. "I'm taking it one day at a time. Day One."
And as of Day One, Randle is the starting running back for the Dallas Cowboys. Now, it's up to him to make sure that doesn't change.
