Cowboys
Cowboys RB Jaydon Blue wants to be known as a physical runner and is focused on improving outside the passing game, including on tosses and between the tackles. He also wants a more comfortable grasp of the system and playbook.
“Yeah, I mean, of course my speed will stand out, but I think that I’m also a tough runner,” Blue told DallasCowboys.com. “I can run between the tackles. And it might sound crazy, but I’d rather run between the tackles than run outside zone and stuff like that. I’m trying to perfect my game at every level, not just in the passing game. And not just tosses in outside zone. I’m running between the tackles, also.”
“Like I said [before], I went back and I looked at last year, looked at some things I could have done differently, and the game is coming a lot easier to me,” Blue continued. “That’s me knowing this playbook like the back of my hand, and me being more comfortable in the system. Like [head coach Brian Schottenheimer] said a few months ago, it’s probably day and night compared to where I was last year. Man, I just wanna continue to improve, and continue to get better. I don’t wanna do anything different than I haven’t been doing. I’m trusting my preparation, trusting my tracks, and just playing fast. When I play fast, I can play free. That’s mainly what I want to do in this last preseason game, to make sure I’m ready for Week 1.”
Cowboys
Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer said the backup quarterback competition between QB Joe Milton and QB Sam Howell is still too close to call.
“I think it’s a great competition” Schottenheimer said, via the team’s website. “Joe’s performed beautifully in both games, you can’t look at the numbers and not know that… but Sam’s made a lot of play’s too. Sam did a beautiful two-minute drive against Seattle. Like I said, we don’t have to, and we’re not ready to make any decisions yet.”
Schottenheimer added that Howell currently holds a slight edge in the competition.
“If you would just take the training camp competition, it’s probably neck and neck, and Sam maybe a little bit ahead,” Schottenheimer said. “That’s why we actually started Sam in the first game against Seattle. But Joe’s put together two really good performances, and this will be another fun week for them to keep battling.”
Schottenheimer added that Milton’s biggest area of growth is playing with poise instead of solely relying on his arm strength.
“When you’re playing quarterback and you have a play caller that’s the head coach, there’s a rhythm that you want to try to get into. Last year at times, this time of year with Joe, it was a little bit difficult to call plays for Joe because I wasn’t sure exactly what’s going to happen here and there. Just the poise that he’s playing with right now. The touch on the double move to Mingo was a beautiful, beautiful throw. The touch on the scramble play to Camden Brown was a beautiful deal. Honestly, last year this time, on the touchdown to Malik, it’s probably from me to [a nearby reporter], and he probably would’ve blistered it at Malik. Probably would’ve put a dent in Malik’s chest because he’s capable of doing that. He just kind of softened his elbow and just kind of flipped it and made it really easy for Malik. Two really, really good performances.”
Giants
Giants HC John Harbaugh expressed patience with RB Tyrone Tracy and said that he’s displayed the ability to be effective in both the running and passing game.
“A bad play or even two bad plays nullifies a whole career body of work, so to speak,” Harbaugh said, via Giants Wire. “And even in the game, he played well. He had numerous good runs, catches, pass protection pickups were good, but he had the one play that’s the one thing you don’t want to have as a running back. And in the last two games, he’s had two things you don’t want to have. So, nobody feels worse about it than he does. I mean, he’s a very conscientious, very determined guy. It matters a lot to him, so he’s beating himself up. But the rest of the plays were all good. They were all pluses. So, you don’t hold it against him. At the same time, you understand how valuable and important those things are to your football team, and he knows as well. “It’s just a balancing act that way. It’s an ongoing pecking order, was your phrasing on it. It’s ongoing right now. It’s still to be determined over the course of the next week to see exactly where it shakes out, and we’ll keep working at it.”
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