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Dove rally: Cowboys are coming

Broncos host Dallas for practice, then exhibition

By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 12, 2008 at 11:28 a.m.

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Broncos players talk about the Dallas Cowboys, who come to town for two practices and a preseason game this week.

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Welcome to 'Boys town.

For the next several days, the Dallas Cowboys will invade the Broncos' turf. Two days of practice at Dove Valley, beginning Wednesday, will be followed by the teams' preseason game Saturday night at Invesco Field at Mile High (7, CBS 4).

It's a role reversal from last summer, when the Broncos fought oppressive heat in Dallas and saw firsthand the infant stages of Dallas' emergence into an NFC favorite.

Instead, it will be the Cowboys dressing at a local hotel, getting bused to facilities in full pads (like a high school team), then returning to their makeshift training quarters at their Denver Tech Center digs.

And all of it will be captured on cable television, as Dallas continues its "star" turn on HBO's Hard Knocks.

"It's fun, because at the start of camp, we're going against the same guys and they get a chance to know what we're doing as far as schemewise and individual routes," Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall said. "So it's nice to compete against somebody who's on their heels."

The two teams will be in shoulder pads and shorts for their pair of two-a-day workouts, which are closed to the public and a departure from the Broncos' routine. Denver's afternoon workouts in training camp have been half-speed affairs, more of a review session, to conserve energy and the depth chart, given NFL teams' shortened rosters this year. But, with Dallas on hand, they'll go full bore in the evening sessions, too.

"It's good to see different faces across from you, but it's going to be a couple of long days," tight end Tony Scheffler said. "But we're fortunate to have it here this year rather than the 100-degree-plus heat, like we had last year."

For the Broncos, the trip last August was notable for more than the weather. Former wide receiver Javon Walker and defensive end Tim Crowder both were injured in the joint workouts, and Denver end Ebenezer Ekuban was lost for the season in a 31-20 preseason loss at Texas Stadium.

Worse yet, Dallas' physical lineup was able to gash Denver with the run, setting a troubling tone for the Broncos that lasted well into the season.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?" cornerback Domonique Foxworth asked. "It was tough last year, going straight from San Francisco, stopping here for like an hour, it seemed like, and going down there and practicing, it seemed, right when we landed. It'll definitely be easier now. We're home, and it's not straight off a preseason game for us, so it should be a lot better."

Defensive coordinator Bob Slowik said he won't necessarily be comparing how his group fares this summer as compared with last, but instead will monitor how it fares against a physical running game with a massive offensive front that differs from the zone-blocking scheme the Houston Texans presented in the preseason opener. Throw in the likes of quarterback Tony Romo, receiver Terrell Owens and tight end Jason Witten - they're all near the top of their profession at their positions - and it's a true measuring stick of where the Broncos stand right now.

"It's how we stack up against a team that's probably, by most publications in the media world, a potential Super Bowl team," Slowik said. "We have to see how we hold up against that type of unit, with extreme amounts of talents everywhere."

Yet not everyone's looking forward to butting heads with Dallas.

While Denver tight end Daniel Graham acknowledges facing the Cowboys' 3-4 front for extra practices has some advantages, the fact that New England and San Diego appear on the Broncos' regular-season schedule only makes August seem even longer.

"I just don't like it," Graham said. "I think we have enough preseason games and work hard with each other. I'm just not a big fan."

There will be no full tackling in the joint practices, "but we'll form up a little bit," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. The morning workout will likely be longer than the afternoon session, he added.

There's little concern about fights breaking out, since Shanahan has zero tolerance for such extracurricular activities during his practices. The teams practiced without incident last August.

"It's always nice to go against somebody you don't know," Shanahan said. "You play a lot more honest because you don't know the tendencies. It's a good evaluation process for all of us."

The Broncos figure to be without several starters for the workouts, including safety Hamza Abdullah (groin), linebacker Boss Bailey (groin), cornerback Champ Bailey (hamstring) and center Tom Nalen (knee).

Denver hasn't served as host to another NFL team since its Dove Valley facility opened in 1990. But the Broncos did conduct joint practices during their Greeley training-camp days with the Houston Oilers, New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals. Denver is one of at least four teams playing host to another club this summer, along with Tennessee (versus St. Louis), New Orleans (Houston) and Kansas City (Minnesota).

"We won't come half-stepping, no matter who it is, what they're wearing or what they look like," running back Selvin Young said.

Comments

  • August 12, 2008

    1:32 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Ottis writes:

    So I despise the Cowboys more than most, but the article doesn't ever explain why the Cowboys are a "circus." Why the editorial comment?

  • August 12, 2008

    1:39 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    cooperjtd writes:

    Ottis: It's Dallas... 'nuff said.