The first day of training camp has come and gone for the Dallas Cowboys, and it was mostly a quiet one for a change. The Cowboys got settled in at Oxnard on Wednesday, holding a closed session on opening day.
Today’s session will be open to the public.
The session begins each day at 11 a.m. (PDT) at the River Ridge Playing Fields at 2501 Ventura Road in Oxnard, California.
The gates open for fan experiences at 8:30 and for the general public at 9 a.m.
While admission is free until they reach capacity for the day, parking will set you back anywhere from $10-40 depending on the size of your vehicle.
If this is the first time you’re heading out to California, assuming you’re from out of state, my condolences to your wallet. Everything is expensive out there.
Even still, make sure you hit the nearby Tommy’s hamburger joint in Ventura during the trip.
It’s only three miles from camp. You’ll thank me later.
For a full breakdown of the camp schedule, go to this website provided by the City of Oxnard. Having lived out there for a brief time, it’s worth checking out the area.
The Silence Of The CeeDee Lamb
CeeDee Lamb, as expected, was a no-show on Wednesday.
Lamb has said he will not practice without a deal to extend his contract. He’s looking at a $40,000 a day fine for each day he remains away. While he’s likely going to get the extension, this is the way business is done in Dallas — under current management.
Maybe we should start a pool on which day Lamb returns to the team?
In the meantime, who’s up for some fava beans with a nice Chianti? There’s your obligatory obscure 1990s movie reference for the week.
If you’re wondering how past holdouts have concluded, we have three examples to look at.
- Zack Martin held out for three weeks in 2023.
- Ezekiel Elliott lasted nearly six weeks before his holdout ended in 2019.
- Back in 1993, Emmitt Smith missed the first two games of the regular season.
All three of the players got every penny they were asking for.
It seems like, in these cases, that Jerry Jones can’t bluff to save his life, or at least his checkbook.
Micah Parsons, Dak Prescott Reported To Camp
The two other key players looking to fatten their own wallets with contract extensions are reportedly at camp.
Quarterback Dak Prescott is reportedly looking for $60+ million a year. Micah Parsons is looking for a contract to make him among the top-paid pass rushers in the NFL.
Parsons’ presence in Oxnard is slightly more important given the change in defensive approach brought by the hiring of Mike Zimmer. Getting in a full camp while adjusting to Zimmer’s defense is going to be key this year for Micah Parsons and the Cowboys.
It will be interesting to see if Malik Hooker’s recent swipe at Parson’s off-field activities has been left behind both players. It might be a nice little side-show for the viewing public.
Especially as the days get a little hotter and tempers a little shorter.
Jerry Jones A No-Show, For Now…
Usually, the camp opens with an annual blowing-of-smoke-up-our-backsides State of the Cowboys address from Jerry Jones.
Unfortunately, for Jones at least, that event was postponed early this week to Saturday to allow Jones to deal with the ongoing soap opera in court with a woman claiming to be his daughter.
The good news for Jones is that, on Tuesday, all lawsuits between the parties were dropped.
The news came too late for Jones to still make the Wednesday presser, though. So we’ll have to wait a bit for his thoughts on the upcoming camp and the 2024 season.
It will be interesting to see if he decides to wait until Saturday or goes hunting for the microphones later today or tomorrow instead.
As far as the terms the two parties came to after a lunch meeting on Tuesday, no details were released other than all suits were dropped and will not be refiled. If you were hoping for an answer to the burning question — “Who’s her daddy?” — it looks like you’ll never know.
Speaking of a young person with daddy issues… (In the business we call this a segue.)
Just Call Him Daddy
While this story doesn’t directly involve the Cowboys, it’s just too good to pass up commenting on. Besides, it involves the Kansas City Chiefs, who used to be the Dallas Texans, so it’s close enough.
Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase recently refused to say Patrick Mahomes’ name when asked which player tops his list of the Top-100 players in the NFL.
I can’t say that I blame him. He’s 0-1 in the Super Bowl while Mahomes has won three titles in four attempts over the last five seasons.
He probably should just call Mahomes “Daddy” for now anyway. Just like the rest of the league and Mahomes’ daughter does.
