OXNARD, Calif. -- The lines continue to set the tone at this training camp, and it's been quite a sight to see.
The second scuffle of camp broke out during the Cowboys' Saturday practice – once again during pass rush drills, to no one's surprise.
Things went a bit further this time, as Travis Frederick and Antwaun Woods threw some punches at each other following a particularly contentious rep, which saw both players wind up on the ground.
"It's just O-line vs. D-line. We hit each other every day," Woods said. "I'm pretty sure we're just tired of hitting each other. It's camp. That's supposed to happen."
That's a completely valid point, but the intensity on this one picked up a bit from last week's scuffle. Zack Martin joined the action in a move reminiscent of pro wrestling when he jumped into the fray after charging in from a distance.
"I got some air, I think," Martin said.
Jokes aside, it can be quite a scary scene when 30 different 300-pound men start scrapping with each other. But in the heat of an intense training camp, Martin said that type of edge is important to work through.
"It's just competitive people going at it and eventually something may break out," he said. "But we've had great competition so far. Our D-Line and O-Line are really pushing each other. It's been a tough camp against those guys, but it's what we need."
Frederick agreed. Talking about the fight after practice, he said altercations are bound to be a byproduct of such a focused effort at maintaining intensity.
"I think that's a good thing for our team, as long as everything stays within reason," Frederick said. "You want to keep it right at that line of anger but composure, as well."
In the aftermath of practice, it didn't seem like there was much lingering anger.
For his part, Martin said he relishes the opportunity to work on his skills in one of the most challenging settings of practice – even if it may occasionally boil over into something more.
"That drill puts us in probably the hardest situation you can have as an offensive lineman," he said. "I actually really like the drill, because it doesn't really get much harder than going one-on-one with no help, no guys setting with you. It's really an important drill for us to get better in our pass protection."
Wide Left
For the first time in camp, Dan Bailey missed at least one kick for a second-straight practice.
The veteran kicker saw two attempts sail wide left, including a 33-yarder. He also missed two tries in Thursday's practice.
Before Thursday, Bailey had missed only one attempt in the first six practices.
Goal Line Stand
Saturday saw the Cowboys go through their much-anticipated goal line drills, when the first-team offense and defense went through eight total reps of live action, complete with real tackling.
In a spirited affair, the defense actually got the better of the offense, as they held them out of the end zone on five of eight attempts. To be fair, Ezekiel Elliott sat out of the first-team reps, allowing Bo Scarbrough to take over for him. Scarbrough scored on his first carry. Dak Prescott threw away a pass on the second snap, and Scarbrough was stuffed short of the goal line on the third and fourth efforts.
The second-team saw Cooper Rush throw a touchdown pass to Jamize Olawale, before Jordan Chunn was stuffed on a couple of occasions.
As has become customary, the Cowboys' coaches were just as invested as their players, with secondary coach Kris Richard and running backs coach Gary Brown jawing at each other throughout the period.
Injuries & Absences
Sean Lee was in pads doing conditioning work with associate athletic trainer Britt Brown but again did not take part in drills. Lee is not injured, but the Cowboys are being deliberate about his camp workload leading into the regular season.
The Cowboys held out wide receivers Deonte Thompson (Achilles tightness) and Noah Brown (hamstring) again.
Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie did not take part in team drills near the end of practice.
Roster Move
The Cowboys signed running back Trey Williams back to the 90-man camp roster and waived offensive tackle Bryce Johnson.
