It's Game Week
DallasCowboys.com

San Antonio, TX., Tuesday, August 3, 2010. For the first time since the Cowboys were gearing up to play the Vikings in last year's playoffs, the team can actually say it has a game "this week."

The team returned to a more physical practice on Monday - after having no pads in the four previous weekend practices - with the mindset of getting prepared for an actual game. The Cowboys will break off the first portion of training camp Friday, but only to get on a plane Saturday and head up to Canton, Ohio to face the Bengals in Sunday night's Hall of Fame Game.

To do that, the Cowboys worked on more game-specific things such as short-yardage and goal-line drills. There will be more work on two-minute offense and special teams situations as the team gets closer to the game.

Another thing the coaching staff will soon to decide is the amount of playing time to be distributed not only for Sunday's game against Cincinnati, but the Aug. 12 home game against Oakland, which is also just 10 days away.

"We really have two games to get ready for," head coach Wade Phillips said. "I'd like to play a certain set of the younger guys in one game, and then vice versa. Whether we'll be able to do that with 80 guys ? that's the plan right now. Of course, it's still (early). There are certain guys you'd like to see in both games."

Phillips said the young guys will "certainly play a lot" in all five preseason games, and uses the practice film as one way to determine playing time.

"We want to give guys who are practicing well the opportunity to show they can compete or help the team or make the team or whatever it is."

Phillips said the coaching staff will likely decide by Wednesday how much the first-teamers will play.

"We haven't finalized the plan yet. We'll see where everybody's health is on Wednesday," Phillips said. "The team involved - what we want to see from our first group."

Another factor in determining playing time and the plays that are called is the actual opponent. Since the Bengals and Raiders run different schemes, Phillips said if the offense wants to work on more one-on-one receiving plays, they might wait and use them more against a team such Oakland, which typically plays man coverage on defense.

"There are just a lot of factors that go into it," Phillips said. "But that's something we will work on this week."

Subtle Jab

When asked about the possibility of having a "dominating" defense, Phillips said it's much harder to sustain that type of consistency in today's pass-happy league.

"You want to try to be a dominant defense," said Phillips on the podium at his Monday press conference. "What a dominant defense now is different than when Houston shut out Pittsburgh 6-0 in 1980. That was a different time."

But don't think the referenced game in which Wade was a defensive coordinator for his dad, Bum Phillips and the Oilers, was just a random choice. Phillips made sure Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple, who was seated next to him in the press conference, heard the reference. Dalrymple, who grew up in Pittsburgh as a huge Steelers fan, only smiled in return, knowing the four Super Bowls in the 1970s still "dominates" that conversation.

Ready To Hit Someone

Cowboys safety Alan Ball has had all eyes on him since training camp began last week. As the top choice to replace Ken Hamlin, Ball has worked with the first-team defense in every practice, but said the game Sunday in Canton will be the first big test.

"I'm definitely eager. This is game week for us," Ball said. "So I'm excited to go out there and play someone other than our receivers and quarterbacks."

 

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