Code word for Cowboys’ second week of camp: Survival

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The cowboys are practicing on the field.

Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer is definitely establishing a new tone and culture in Dallas. You have to look no further than the 2025 training camp for proof of that.

This year’s camp is certainly much more physical than camp has been in years. Maybe even as far back as the Bill Parcells days.

But that’s coming at a cost.

Check out this MASH report just two weeks into camp:

Injury list for the #Cowboys halfway through the teamu2019s 16 practices in Oxnard:nn- CB Shavon Revel Jr. (pre-existing knee)n- CB Trevon Diggs (pre-existing knee)n- CB Josh Butler (pre-existing knee)n- LB DeMarvion Overshown (pre-existing knee)n- OG Tyler Smith (knee tendinitis)n-

This new mentality will pay off in the long run. The Cowboys should be a much more physical team, maybe even rivaling the Jimmy Johnson Cowboys of the early 1990s.

They just have to survive this camp to get a chance to prove it.

So You Want To Fight?

Another welcome sight was Schottenheimer cracking down on the fights during practice. On the third fight of the day on Wednesday, Schottenheimer called a halt to practice.

He promptly chewed the entire team out and lined them up to run from sideline to sideline until they’d run all the fight out.

After the third fight today at #Cowboys practice, a furious Brian Schottenheimer is making the whole team, and even some of the coaching staff, run as punishment
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That’s some old school coaching that has been missing from Dallas since the Johnson days.

All that is needed to fully summon the 90s Dynasty vibe would be for Schottenheimer to send someone to the asthma field. Johnson’s approach to offseason training and camp sent Randy White into retirement.

If Schottenheimer can instill some of the old Johnson magic into this team, this could be a very good year.

As long as the players fully buy into it, of course.

Tip Of The Cap

Trevon Diggs may, or may not, be engaging in a low-key social media war with the Cowboys front office these days.

Diggs posted this cryptic post consisting of one single emoji:

https://twitter.com/TrevonDiggs/status/1950622879663702115

The general consensus is that Diggs may have been calling out Stephen Jones’ recent remarks regarding salary issues. Seems like docking a guy half a million in salary doesn’t sit well with him.

Hey, We Knew That Guy

The Los Angeles Chargers started quarterback Trey Lance on Thursday night for the annual Hall of Fame Game.

Trey Lance's failed test puts Cowboys in a deep QB hole

The former Cowboys back-up quarterback played most of the game in the Chargers’ 34-7 victory over the Detroit Lions in Canton, Ohio on Thursday night.

Lance was 13-for-20 for 120 yards and two touchdowns. He added eight yards on three carries.

More importantly, for Lance and Los Angeles, he looked like a very solid back-up quarterback for Justin Herbert.

Amazing, isn’t it, when a quarterback is playing for a coach that knows how to get the most out of his players.

Not to mention playing in an innovative offense.

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Richard Paolinelli is an award-winning sports journalist with 34 years of professional newsroom experience. His newspaper career (1991–2011) includes the Gallup Independent, Modesto Bee, Gustine Press-Standard, Turlock Journal, Merced Sun-Star, Tracy Press, Patch, and San Francisco Examiner. He received the 2001 California Newspaper Publishers Association Best Sports Story award. Richard has authored two non-fiction sports books and 11 novels. At InsideTheStar.com, he has published 874 articles reaching over 728,000 readers.

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Siempre
Siempre
Aug 3, 2025 10:54 AM

McCarthy never cared about coaching Dallas. From his open admittal that he lied about watching Boys film before taking the job to his absurd trick plays and failed ‘go for it’ plays, everything Mccarthy did said “I do not care”. Schotty at least cares.