OXNARD, Calif. – Continuing with the tape from Sunday afternoon's practice, I wanted to highlight two old faces – and one new one fans will be interested to hear about.
- Orlando Scandrick continues to go about his job quietly during these practices in California. Whether it's playing on the outside and dealing with the likes of Dez Bryant or Terrance Williams, he has shown not only the reactionary skills but the extended burst to handle any ball that is put in his direction. His key and diagnose has been spot on, making it very difficult for these quarterbacks to find any windows to work with. One of the strengths of Scandrick's game has been his ability to play with foot quickness, which means receivers do not run away from him whether he is playing the ball down the field or driving on intermediate or underneath routes. If Scandrick does have a weakness, it would be his ball skills. He was 50 percent on opportunities on Sunday, but this is an area that we have observed before. He was 50 percent on chances on Sunday and he even juggled the one that he caught working against Cole Beasley in the one-on-one drills. He talks about making the Pro Bowl and interceptions are what gets you noticed, so this is clearly an area that he knows he can improve in.
- It has been a year since George Selvie first stepped foot on the practice field fields here in Oxnard,
California. At the time, there was no fanfare or praise for the veteran defensive end but what a difference that year makes. Sunday was Selvie's best day of practice during this camp. In looking at him, you would never believe he can play with the power that he does, but that is the case. There were several snaps where he was able to get his hands inside on the tackles and walk them back into the quarterback either as a single rusher or working with a defensive tackle in the two-man game. There is some of that strike and explosiveness to his game. He is one of those guys that plays well on his feet and when you see him engage on the blocker there is nice balance with solid hand use. One of his best traits is his ability to bend and finish the play. During the Team Period, he comes on a twist game and is able to overpower Travis Frederick and has the presence of mind to continue after Tony Romo, flushing him to his right and forcing a throw.
- Didn't honestly know a great deal about Ryan Williams or the type of game he plays, but I have to admit he is growing on me. His film from his days at Arizona was okay and nothing special. What I have noticed about him seeing him now in person -- there is a pace in which he plays. There is some elusiveness to his game with the ball in his hands. He does show that ability to make people miss when he is going to and through the hole. I didn't believe he had the quickness, say, of a back like Lance Dunbar, but there are snaps where he appears just that. There is acceleration and a burst in his play. He can get the ball around the corner and into the secondary. He has done a nice job of keeping his pads down when taking on defenders. What really has impressed me has been his ability to catch the ball on the move. He extends his hands and can really snatch the ball. Showed some nice feel of how to work the screen. If there is an area he is working on, it's pass protection. In Arizona, that part of his game was awful with [embedded_ad] poor effort and technique. Since this camp opened, he has done a much better job of staying square and taking on the rusher. There has been improvement here.
- Dezmon Briscoe was signed before the team left Dallas and headed out West. At the time, I understood what the front office was trying to do here with adding camp legs to the roster to combat the amount of running that these receivers go through each and every day. Briscoe is a veteran receiver so unlike L'Damien Washington, Devin Street and Chris Boyd he understands how to practice. There have been several snaps during the one-on-one periods where he has really done a nice job of playing with technique to buy space and separation in the route. When you watch him run his routes, there is a real consistency to them. He is not all over the place with his arms and legs. He plays with discipline and you can see it in the way he moves. He appears to have natural hands and he is able to extend those hands to make the catch. He doesn't fight the ball at all. He has a smoothness about him. As he begins to learn this offense and his responsibilities, he is a player that I would continue to keep an eye on that might be difficult to release if he can continue to find ways to get himself noticed because I believe he is going to get more opportunities in the coming practices.
