NFL Capsules: No more ‘Camp Cupcake' for Cowboys?
DALLAS — Forget the image of Wade Phillips as the smiling, joking coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Instead, picture him as a snarling, in-your-face kind of guy.
Bradie James couldn’t do it.
It was the morning after the Cowboys’ 2008 season ended in disgrace. Phillips announced at a news conference that although there was not going to be a change in head coaches, there would be a change in the head coach. No more Mr. Nice Guy, he intimated.
James, a defensive captain last season, got the word from reporters. His unfiltered reaction: a smile, followed by a giggle, then another smile.
Seven months later, James is still smiling — but for a different reason. He insists the grin is in appreciation of how Phillips has managed to get tougher while still remaining good ol’ Wade.
"He’s been more involved, more vocal," James said. "There are some things he’s been firm about. That’s what you need. You need to see him getting in and getting hands-on with us, and that’s what he’s been doing lately."
The Dallas Cowboys open training camp in San Antonio on Wednesday and the juiciest story lines stem from the departure of Terrell Owens, whether Tony Romo will flourish or flounder without him, and whether Roy Williams can step up as the lead receiver.
But don’t forget about Phillips and his vow to crack a sharper whip. His future might depend on it.
Phillips is going into his third season running the Cowboys and his eighth full season as an NFL head coach, yet he’s still seeking his first career playoff victory. He has the second-most regular-season wins without a playoff win in NFL history, 70 compared to Jim Mora’s 125.
If Phillips can’t break through this season, it’s hard to imagine team owner Jerry Jones giving him another chance. And if he’s cut loose, the 62-year-old Phillips may not find a fourth franchise willing to put him in charge.
Jones has plenty of reasons to be impatient, from the $1.1 billion he’s invested in a new stadium that opens this season to the roughly $3 million he’s paying Jason Garrett to be the offensive coordinator. Garrett is the highest-paid assistant in NFL history and widely viewed as the head coach in waiting.
Yet the biggest source of impatience — for Jones and all Cowboys fans — is "The Drought," a stretch between playoff victories that has reached capital-letter status.
Dallas’ last playoff win was in 1996, making this the longest dry spell in franchise history. The club also has matched its longest gap between Super Bowl titles; anything shy of a championship this season will set that dubious mark.
The Cowboys seemed poised for a breakthrough in Phillips’ first season, going 13-3 and grabbing the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Then they lost at home to the New York Giants, a wild-card team that went on to win the Super Bowl.
Dallas started strong again last season, only to finish 1-3 and miss the playoffs. Romo blew fourth-quarter leads in the first two losses, then everything fell apart in the finale, a 44-6 drubbing by Philadelphia when a win still would’ve put the Cowboys into the playoffs.
While Jones kept Phillips, he made a bunch of other changes.
Out went perceived troublemakers Owens, Adam "Pacman" Jones and Tank Johnson, plus linebacker Greg Ellis, who’d been griping about his status for several years. Jones also dumped defensive coordinator Brian Stewart, essentially making him the fall guy for the defense’s problems late last season, even though Phillips was calling the plays by then.
Stewart’s replacement? Phillips, making him the only coach in the NFL whose business card reads head coach/defensive coordinator.
Phillips’ forte over 30-plus NFL seasons is running a defense. But it’s a lot of work, so Phillips tried easing his burden by bringing in Dan Reeves, his former boss and a former Cowboys player and assistant coach, as sort of a right-hand man. Reeves set up shop at team headquarters, then moved out a few days later when Jones insisted he work a set amount of hours.
So Phillips is doing double duty without pals like Stewart or Reeves. He’s also going into the third and final year of the contract he signed when he replaced Bill Parcells. Those factors alone could bring out a new, tougher Phillips even as he has the leeway to be hands-on more often.
"I’m not going to change my personality," Phillips said. "I think one of my strengths is getting players to do what I want done. That’s what leadership is — getting what you want done, however you have to do it."
Phillips seems to be pushing players harder without being harsher. Makes sense. He’s never been into playing mind games like Parcells or threatening anyone with being sent to "the asthma field," a la Jimmy Johnson.
"People are going to feel I’m laid back whether I am or not," Phillips said. "But what you demand of players and what you ask them to do, there are two different things there. Some things you can demand more and other things you can ask them to do, and if it’s not done then you correct it. Some of those things, what I demand, might be different."
One wrinkle is an emphasis on his authority, which is tough to claim in an organization where Jones wields much power. Phillips is reminding folks he’s the boss by being strict about the rules. Even little ones.
Consider this scene from an offseason practice: A horn sounded, ending a drill and starting a break. A backup quarterback knew what drill was next, so he lined up folks and started throwing the ball around. Phillips hustled over, blew his whistle and hollered, "Don’t start until we start!"
Trivial as it might seem, cornerback Terence Newman brought that up as an example of the "new" Phillips.
"He just lets everybody know he’s going to hold them more accountable than he did last year," Newman said. "Not that he didn’t hold people accountable, but that’s an emphasis for him. ... He’s just letting everybody know that this is the year. This has to be the year."
Phillips’ previous training camps were chided as "Camp Cupcake" because of how easy he made things for veterans. Don’t expect him to go soft this time around. That message came through loud and clear on the final day of a June minicamp.
After 2½ days of workouts in scorching heat, players were hoping Phillips would reward them by scrubbing the final practice.
Nope.
"If he wouldn’t have had all those headlines about him not being tough, then we would’ve been off," James said, smiling and laughing once again. "He’s tough. Believe me!"
T.O.-mania hits Bills as they open training camp
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Coach Dick Jauron was in the midst of discussing the electric quality Terrell Owens’ presence brings to the Buffalo Bills when, as if on cue, a roar of cheers and shrieks erupted from the other side of the field.
The cause of the commotion was Owens, of course. To the delight of the hundreds of fans who had waited after practice, the star receiver elected to hold an impromptu autograph session that lasted nearly 25 minutes and thoroughly drowned out anything his coach had to say about the Bills opening training camp Saturday morning.
Not that it mattered to Jauron, who’s quickly grown accustomed to being upstaged by Owens after spending most of his vacation this past month fielding questions about T.O.
"It adds a lot of excitement," Jauron said. "I don’t know how (the attention) can be bad."
It wasn’t at all bad on this muggy day in suburban Rochester for the Bills and their fans, who got a firsthand taste of T.O.-mania. More than 5,000 fans combined to attend the team’s two practice sessions, and a majority of them were clearly there to see Owens make his public practice debut in a Bills uniform since signing with the team in March, days after being released by Dallas.
It proved to be a circus-type atmosphere. There were fans who had ‘T.O.’ painted on their chests in Bills colors. Others brought their popcorn and spilled it on to the field. Many brought boxes of the limited edition ‘T.O’s’ breakfast cereal that’s available in local grocery stores. And there was certainly a large amount of No. 81 jerseys that dotted the stands.
Sound exciting?
"I’m used to it," Owens said with a shrug. "Everywhere that I’ve been, it’s always been that type of reception."
But he did feel welcome?
"I know that the Buffalo fans are very very fanatical," Owens said. "So, coming out here, I expected nothing less."
Owens got the royal treatment, the type reserved for the likes of past stars, such as Jim Kelly, whenever he makes his annual visit to camp. And it was a raucous reception from a football-mad fan base that has grown discouraged by a team that has gone nine straight seasons without a playoff berth — the longest drought in franchise history.
Fans began chanting "T.O.! T.O.!" the second Owens was spotted emerging from the locker room to take the field five minutes before the start of practice. They cheered Owens every time he made a catch — and even the time he didn’t after bobbling a ball out of bounds. And the loudest applause came when quarterback Trent Edwards hit Owens for what would’ve been a 60-yard touchdown pass in the middle of the afternoon session.
Owens returned the love by flashing an occasional smile as well as peace signs toward the stands. And he couldn’t stop laughing when one fan, 32-year-old Steven Lasek, held up a box of ‘T.O’s’ and began yelling, "This cereal is delicious."
"Yeah," Owens said afterward with a smile. "He’s part of my P.R. team."
If that’s the case, he had plenty of publicists working for him.
Wearing an Owens’ jersey, Zachary Kiristis, 15, arrived at camp more than an hour before the first practice to make sure he had a place to stand as close to the Bills’ locker room entrance as possible.
"I’m just dying to see this guy," Kiristis said. "This guy could be a game-changer, and we really need someone like that to turn this team around because we’re terrible."
Kiristis even accepted Owens’ reputation for being disruptive.
"I think we need a personality on this team," he said. "We need someone to bring cameras to Buffalo, and he’s going to do it. I don’t care if there’s drama. That’s cool."
Owens’ arrival has already benefited the Bills, who’s season-ticket sales are already over 50,000. Now it’s a question of whether he can help spark what’s been a sputtering offense.
Receiver Lee Evans is confident Owens will deliver.
"With him coming here, we see what we can do offensively and I think there’s great optimism," Evans said. "We feel like now we have a real shot — we have the potential and the talent — to be able to make the playoffs."
The Bills certainly have the fans on their side for now.
Defensive tackle Marcus Stroud shook his head in amazement at the reception Owens received before noting: "I hope they’re as enthusiastic when the season starts."
Time — and T.O. — will tell.
Notes: Stroud experienced a slight pull of his left hamstring and called the injury minor, though he might miss a few practices. ... Fourth-round draft pick, TE Shawn Nelson, arrived in time for the afternoon practice after signing his four-year contract. ... The Bills have two practices on Sunday.
-- John Wawrow
McDermott takes over Eagles defense
PHILADELPHIA — New Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott has learned too much from Jim Johnson — in life and football — to discuss in one news conference.
"What haven’t I learned from Jim?" McDermott said Saturday upon being introduced as Johnson’s replacement. "I don’t think it would be fair to Jim, in this setting, to try and limit in one statement, one press conference, the effect that Jim has had on my life."
After spending the last eight seasons as a defensive assistant under Johnson, McDermott on Friday was named to succeed his mentor.
Johnson, the only defensive coordinator the Eagles have had since Andy Reid became coach in 1999, took an indefinite leave of absence in May to continue treatment for a cancerous tumor on his spine. It’s uncertain whether he’ll return to the team in any capacity.
"This seat is an important and respected seat that I’m sitting in right now," McDermott said. "It’s important to understand that some of my biggest concerns right now are for Jim, his wife, Vicky, and their entire family."
McDermott first joined the Eagles in 1998 as a scouting administrative assistant. He spent two seasons as an assistant to the head coach before joining the defensive coaching staff.
"He just gives you that confidence that he’s got it under control," Reid said.
Widely regarded as one of the top defensive masterminds in the game, Johnson is known for his aggressive, attacking style, and his defenses have played a major role in the Eagles’ success over the last decade. Last season, in advancing to their fifth NFC title game this decade, the Eagles finished third in total defense and fourth in points allowed.
"There is one thing I know, and that is that this system, it works," McDermott said. "Jim has spent a considerable amount of time in his coaching career researching and finding things that work and finding things that didn’t work, quite frankly, and I’m going to respect that and we’re going to build on that. From there we’ll add wrinkles."
Johnson’s units have been known for their ability to pressure the quarterback. Since 2000, the Eagles are second in the league in sacks with 390.
McDermott didn’t hesitate when asked the most important advice he’s received from Johnson.
"Blitz, and blitz again," McDermott said.
Before becoming the interim defensive coordinator in May, McDermott had been the Eagles’ secondary coach. Assuming those responsibilities will be Brian Stewart, who spent the last two seasons as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, and former Eagles safety Michael Zordich.
Ryan, Falcons prepare for training camp
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — In 43 seasons in the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons have had only 10 winning campaigns and never two in a row.
Reaching that modest goal — consecutive seasons above .500 — is the task that falls to second-year quarterback Matt Ryan. As a rookie, he led the Falcons to a surprising 11-5 record in 2008.
Ryan has heard much about Atlanta’s long history of futility. All he asks is that he and the 2009 team not be judged on that inglorious past.
"What’s done is done. The past is kind of the past," he said. "Our focus is on just trying to be the team that we feel we can be."
Ryan and the Falcons open training camp on Saturday with a team that will have five new starters on defense, but looks deep and balanced on offense, thanks in part to the addition of 10-time Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez.
As for Ryan, he started every game last season, passing for 3,440 yards and 16 touchdowns and winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
There is ample talent surrounding Ryan on offense. Michael Turner rushed for 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns in his 2008 breakout season. Jerious Norwood gives the Falcons depth at running back. Roddy White caught 88 passes for 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns and Michael Jenkins added 50 catches for 777 yards.
And now Ryan has Gonzalez, who gives the offense a receiving threat over the middle of the field, making it more difficult for defenses to load up against the run or place an extra defensive back on White.
"I think we set a certain standard for ourselves," said Ryan of last year’s success. "And with the experience we had last year I think we did a pretty good job, but I think the bar has raised. We have to feel like we have to go out there and play better than we did last year because what we did as an offense wasn’t good enough to get us where we ultimately want to go."
The Falcons lost in the first round of the playoffs to Arizona last year, so added winning a playoff game to the list of goals.
The lack of sustained success has been especially painful in the last decade.
In 1998 the Falcons finished 14-2 in the regular season and made it to their only Super Bowl, but they fell back to 5-11 in 1999.
In 2002, Michael Vick led Atlanta to a 9-6 record and a playoff win at Green Bay, but again the Falcons fell back to 5-11 the following year.
In 2004, coach Jim Mora’s Falcons won the NFC South with an 11-5 record. The goal of back-to-back winning seasons seemed to be a lock when the Falcons were 6-2 midway through the 2005 season, but a 2-6 collapse in the second half left the team 8-8.
The key to ending the pattern may be on defense. Gone are linebackers Keith Brooking and Michael Boley, defensive tackle Grady Jackson, safety Lawyer Milloy and cornerback Domonique Foxworth.
The Falcons’ first two draft picks, defensive tackle Peria Jerry and safety William Moore, could earn starting jobs in training camp.
-- Charles Odum
Bills’ DiGiorgio waived after having knee surgery
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Linebacker John DiGiorgio was waived by the Buffalo Bills on Saturday for failing his physical after having season-ending surgery to repair bone damage in his right knee.
The move was announced after DiGiorgio was absent from practice as the Bills opened training camp in suburban Rochester.
Though the team did not provide any more details, the player’s agent, Chris Murray, told The Associated Press that his client had microfracture knee surgery two weeks ago in Vail, Colo. Murray said the surgery went well, but that DiGiorgio isn’t expected to be fully healthy until January.
DiGiorgio appeared in six games primarily on special teams before tearing a ligament in his right knee while blocking on a punt return in the second quarter of a 23-14 win over San Diego in Week 7 last season.
Though re-signed by the Bills in February, DiGiorgio did not take part in any of the team’s spring practices while recuperating from the knee injury.
DiGiorgio’s best season came in 2007, when he made 14 starts, including 13 at middle linebacker, and finished second on the team with a career-high 137 tackles and a pair of sacks.
Receivers James Hardy and C.J. Hawthorne opened training camp on the active/physically-unable-to-perform list as they continue to recuperate from injuries. Hardy, the Bills second-round pick last year, finished last season on injured reserve after tearing a knee ligament in December. Hawthorne had surgery on his left foot in June.
Coach Dick Jauron said he expects both players will soon be cleared for practice.
-- Jon Wawrow
Willie McGinest open to NFL return
LOS ANGELES — Willie McGinest will consider playing another NFL season if he receives an interesting offer, and he would prefer to get it from the New England Patriots.
The 37-year-old McGinest, the two-time Pro Bowl linebacker who won three Super Bowls with New England, acknowledged his interest Saturday during the Hollywood Stars celebrity softball game at Dodger Stadium.
"I do want to play, but only if the situation is right," said McGinest, a Long Beach native who played at USC. "If not, I’m probably retired."
McGinest, whose 16 postseason sacks are the most in NFL history, played the past three seasons in Cleveland after 12 years with the Patriots, who are thought to be thin at outside linebacker heading into training camp. McGinest had 56 tackles in 14 games with the Browns last season, his best performance since his final year in New England.
"There is a possibility," McGinest said. "I’ve talked to (coach Bill) Belichick a few times. I’m not excited just to jump into camp, but we’ll see what happens."
Browns sign first-round pick Mack
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns signed first-round draft pick Alex Mack on Saturday.
Mack, an All-American from California who also can play guard, was on the practice field just hours after signing with other rookies called in early by new coach Eric Mangini.
The 6-foot-4, 311-pound Mack won the Draddy Trophy, which is given to college football’s top scholar-athlete, and was a two-time finalist for the Rimington Trophy, given to the nation’s top center.
Mack worked out briefly at guard at the Senior Bowl but lined up only at center at Browns minicamps, eventually playing center with the first team. For the upcoming season he could replace starter Hank Fraley, a nine-year veteran who struggled last season in Cleveland’s 31st-ranked offense.
As a senior in 2008, Mack didn’t allow any sacks or quarterback pressures on 397 pass plays. He was the Pac-10’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2008 and was a four-time league academic honor roll honoree.
The Browns were one of the NFL’s biggest disappointment last year. They finished 4-12 after a surprising 10-6 finish the year before.
