Camping with the Cowboys

By Paul Willis, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 13, 2008 at 10:14 p.m.

Text size  

• 2 Comments
• Email
• Print

Video: Former Broncos wide receiver talks about the development of current Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall. Watch »

Video: Broncos coach Mike Shanahan and Cowboys coach Wade Philips discuss their teams' practice. Watch »

A bus arrived early Wednesday morning, and out poured a number of celebrities who could be distinguished by a single moniker.

Romo. T.O. "Pacman" . . . er, Adam. Tank. The Boss.

Only the helmets, emblazoned with a blue star, hinted that this was football, not some Hollywood function. And, with that, the Broncos for the first time welcomed another team to their Dove Valley practice facility and kicked off two days of workouts with the Dallas Cowboys.

They said it

"We go against Champ (Bailey) every day."

Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler, on Adam Jones' comments about Brandon Marshall.

"No, not at all. I wish I was out there standing around chitchatting with him a little bit."

Terrell Owens, on whether he was upset he didn't get to go against Champ Bailey, who watched practice from the sideline.

Romo in orange?

One story that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle is how close the Cowboys' Tony Romo came to starting his career with the Broncos. The Broncos and Cowboys made overtures at the quarterback as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Illinois in 2003.

"It wasn't a chance to start either way, but sometimes, guys in my position as a free agent look at it like you have to make a team," Romo said. "That was the choice I was trying to make is, what team can I make? I felt Dallas gave me the best opportunity."

That part of Romo's career is often overlooked, considering he didn't become a starter until midway through the 2006 season.

"I love Denver," Romo said. "Denver was right there in the end."

Change in climate

The Cowboys said they were happy to escape the Texas humidity. But they gave mixed reviews about trading humidity for altitude.

"It's all good, it wasn't that bad," safety Roy Williams said. "I mean, some of the linemen were huffin' and puffin', but I was fine."

One of those feeling the effects was defensive end Jason Hatcher, who said to a teammate, "What's the deal? I can't breathe up here, dude."

Roll those cameras

HBO Sports had three cameras on hand, as the cable network continued filming for its series Hard Knocks.

It's described as a reality show and is an inside look at the Cowboys' training camp. It airs every Wednesday (8 p.m. MDT) through Sept. 3.

Awaiting word

Jones hasn't officially been reinstated for the Cowboys' opener Sept. 7 at Cleveland, but he believes chances are good he'll be in uniform against the Browns.

Jones, obtained in the offseason in a trade with the Tennessee Titans, was suspended for all of last season after a well-publicized episode at a Las Vegas strip club.

"I'm feeling really good about it," Jones said. "I just sent my letter in to the commissioner."

Jones, who later clarified that he would send the letter this morning, wrote to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on his own, and not as part of any appeals or reinstatement process. Jones allowed few details on the specifics of what he wrote, saying only that he was stating his case as to why he should be reinstated.

"It'll be public, probably, in the next few days," Jones said.

The NFL will make a final determination by Sept. 1.

Boss in town

It was a Cowboys function, so, naturally, hands-on owner Jerry Jones was on hand.

And it wasn't a Cowboys loss or a traumatic event, so the Boss was as chipper as could be.

"It couldn't have been a better deal," Jones said of the teams' morning workout. "The main thing was to see our guys, on both sides of the ball, go against another group without being able to read their tendencies."

Jones even had praise for the opponent, when asked why the Broncos were the team of choice to share camp time two straight years.

"Actually, I give Mike Shanahan his due, because he called and initiated it last year," Jones said. "This is good, because what his offense and defense do is different than what we do."

Delicate balance

Despite the expected mild chatter, no brawls erupted between the squads. Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said both organizations are classy enough to ensure they didn't.

"I think part of it is encouraging your own players and not berating the other team," Phillips said. "If you go out there and say, 'Good job, you kicked his rear,' that's not conducive to a good practice."

Etc.

* Cornerback Terence Newman (groin) and linebacker Anthony Spencer (knee) didn't participate in practice. Owens didn't participate in the afternoon session, although he attended in shoulder pads and a backward baseball cap and helped conduct drills.

* No handmade signs or blue-clad fans greeted the Cowboys at their Denver Tech Center hotel after the afternoon session, but many guests knew the Cowboys were staying there. "Look at you, you're like a little kid," a young woman told a middle-age man. "Do you know their room numbers, too?"

Cowboys you might want to hang with (or not)

* Tony Romo There's always a chance you and the QB can help Jessica Simpson wash the General Lee, The Dukes of Hazzard car.

* Adam Jones Perhaps he's not as much fun as in the days he was known as "Pacman," but it's unlikely you'd be bored accompanying the cornerback to the strip clubs of Las Vegas. Guns are optional. Or not.

* Tank Johnson If you get close to the defensive tackle, he might let you call him Terry. Regardless, you must like to go clubbing. Guns are optional. Or not.

* Terrell Owens You need only go someplace quiet where you and T.O. can talk. OK, you'll probably end up only listening.

• August 14, 2008

  4:58 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  tnip23 writes:

  Why is the coverage of camp all fluff stories and no substance. Both the RMN and DP do a lousy job reporting what happens in the actual practice sessions. You have to go to the blogs to hear how the actual matchups went. No wonder newspapers everywhere are struggling. They all think it's better to do some creative writing fluff piece than actual reporting.

• August 14, 2008

  2:26 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  stewie_08 writes:

  tnip23 -- I think the point of this story was to have some fun with the Cowboys being here. Bronco fans don't necessarily care about Dallas's battle for the final guard spot on the roster. There were plenty of news stories about the Broncos written this day, and it's the job of the Dallas reporters to come up with daily news on their team.

  That being said, I agree that newspapers across the board are moving too much toward a tabloid style.

Featured

• DNC in Denver

  

  Complete coverage of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

• The Crevasse

  

  A five-part series that examines one tragic day on Mount Rainier.

• Deadly denial

  

  Sick nuclear workers applied for government compensation but most haven't seen a dime.

• Final Salute

  

  The Rocky followed Maj. Steve Beck as he took on the most difficult duty of his career.

• 'Colorado's burning'

  

  Coverage of the state's worst wildfires.

• Columbine shootings

  

  Coverage of the April 20, 1999, shootings at Littleton's Columbine High School.

• The Crossing

  

  Colorado's deadliest traffic accident killed 20 children on Dec. 14, 1961.

• Osveli's journey

  

  Osveli Sales left Guatemala for a better life. Two months later, he came home in a box.

• Wake for an Indian warrior

  

  Oglala Sioux bestow a tribute to the first tribal fatality in Iraq.