By Jay Betsill – @thefamousjay & Scott Holub – @cowboytrivia
The Dallas Cowboys have made the trip out west and are in Oxnard for Training Camp. On Sunday they had their Blue-White scrimmage where DeMarco Murray was the star with his physical running. The team’s Facebook page now has over five million “likes” and is still growing. The team is also focusing on their first preseason game against the Oakland Raiders on Monday. The game will be aired on ESPN at 7pm. Here’s what has happened recently of note.
MILES AUSTIN INJURED
The Dallas Cowboys are a week into Training Camp in Oxnard and are already nursing several injured players. Wide receiver Miles Austin battled hamstring issues for most of last season, so when word came that he would be out for a week with what is being called a strained hamstring, it is an obvious concern — that is unless your name is Jerry Jones and you own the franchise.
“I’m not necessarily concerned about his (Austin’s) situation and why I’m not is we are being very conservative here,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. “These get a little tightness or a little twinge. Everybody is on the same page here.”
MORRIS CLAIBORNE HURTING
The Cowboys addressed their biggest weakness of a season ago — the cornerback position — by saying goodbye to Terence Newman and adding Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne to join Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick in the defensive backfield. While Carr has been stellar in camp, Claiborne, the team’s first-round pick out of LSU, has had a tougher time of things. Adding to his issues of trying to cover wide receiver Dez Bryant is the fact that Claiborne is going to miss a week with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
“A little bit disappointing,” Claiborne said, “but it’s not too much because I know it’s not something serious. I know it’s something I can come back from.”
COLE BEASLEY SAGA
“Cole came into my office yesterday and said, he wasn’t going to play football anymore,” head coach Jason Garrett said Saturday morning. “And we sat down and had a little visit and for now we put him on the left team exempt list.”
Following a brief trip home, Beasley, an undrafted rookie receiver out of SMU, reconsidered his decision and returned to Oxnard. Garrett had given Beasley 24 hours to reconsider and Beasley called Saturday evening and informed the Cowboys head coach that he wanted to return to the team.
“I just had a couple of issues that I had to take care of, and go home and spend some time with my family and go over some stuff,” Beasley said. “I think I got all that resolved, and now I’m just ready to focus on football.”
JASON GARRETT OFFERS CONDOLENCES TO ANDY REID
Jason Garrett started his Sunday afternoon news conference offering condolences to Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid whose oldest son, Garrett, was found dead in his dorm room at the club’s training camp at Lehigh University on Sunday. He also offered condolences to Reid’s wife, Tammy, and the entire Eagles organization and said that he sent Reid a text message offering his support.
“Andy is a great guy, he’s an outstanding football coach, but he’s a great guy,” Garrett said. “He’s been really good to me and so good to so many people in the NFL for a long, long time. He’s part of our fraternity and this is really, really sad day for their family and really for everybody in the NFL.”
TERRELL OWENS GETS A TRYOUT WITH SEATTLE
Going into Week No. 2 of camp, the Cowboys have still not addressed their lack of depth at the wide receiver position. A suspension for Dez Bryant is inevitable following his arrest and now that Miles Austin is out with what is becoming his annual “hamstring issues”, it is possible that Dallas could line up against the New York Giants on the NFL’s opening night with Kevin Ogletree as their wide receiver biggest threat.
The Seattle Seahawks are not doing the Cowboys any favors in that department. After signing receiver Braylon Edwards last week, the Seahawks gave former Cowboys wide out Terrell Owens a tryout on Monday afternoon. Owens is tied with Randy Moss, now back in the league with San Francisco, for the second most receiving touchdowns in NFL history. He has played for five teams, most recently with Cincinnati in 2010. He caught 72 for 983 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games that season.