OXNARD, Calif. – Thanks to coach Jason Garrett, the Cowboys are going to the beach today.
Garrett intended to cancel the afternoon practice anyway, but he set up a trick-shot throw that would have sealed the deal. Unfortunately, Tony Romo, Kyle Orton, Nick Stephens and Alex Tanney could not hit the crossbar from 25 or 20 yards away with a pass.
It wasn’t until Garrett, who was representing the coaching staff, hit the back side of the bar from 20 yards that he officially called off the workout.
“I don’t think we have a chance,” Garrett said sarcastically about the quarterbacks’ inability to hit the bar. “If we had to go another round, we’d probably have the receivers throw or someone else throw, which, again, is a little disappointing.”
Garrett’s winning throw is in dispute because it actually hit the support to the cross bar, just as Stephens did twice.
“It looked like the cross bar to me,” Garrett laughed.
Garrett called Tuesday’s practice the best of training camp, and it featured a number of dustups across the offense and defense. The day off is a reward after 18 practices in full pads.
“In training camp it’s the grind, but to have the opportunity to build some camaraderie, have some fun, that’s what it’s about,” defensive end DeMarcus Ware said.
Jason Witten was unable to attend last year’s beach bash because he was laid up in bed with a lacerated spleen.
“That’s a nice bone for us, for sure,” Witten said. “I thought that walk-through was quite intense. I didn’t know on the other end there would be a beach trip. I appreciate that one.”
Witten was wondering about one thing with the trick throws. Tanney earned some fame for his YouTube video in which he throws footballs off uprights and goalposts and into basketball hoops. He wasn’t close on his two throws Wednesday.
Maybe there was some editing involved?
“C’mon, Tanney, I’m not falling for that trick shot,” Witten said. “I don’t believe that … a few takes? Two months, it looked like.”
