Supposedly those who can't do, teach. However, that's not the case for Dallas Cowboys new Defensive Backs Coach Al Harris. He walked the walk and talked the talk for more than a decade in the league, earning two Pro Bowl appearances in the process. Things of course are a little different going from player to coach, but it certainly looks as if he's more than up to the challenge.
With help from Al Harris, the Dallas Cowboys 2020 second-round draft pick Trevon Diggs is quickly becoming one of the better cornerbacks early on in training camp practices. He's not only been a camp standout from a rookie standpoint, but from an overall team perspective as well. This is great news considering the unknown state of the Cowboys secondary right now.
Early on in training camp practices Al Harris has been giving rookie CB Trevon Diggs a lot of individual coaching. This teacher/student relationship is something that should help the former Alabama stud DB get up to speed more quickly. Of course, coming from a top-notch collegiate program like Alabama doesn't hurt either.
As a player, Al Harris was known for his physical, bump and run coverage style. It's that playing style that I believe he will try to instill in his players, which should help shorten Trevon Diggs' learning curve immensely. He was after all at his best in press man coverage during his time in Alabama.
As far as intangibles go (size, speed, length), Al Harris and Trevon Diggs could be a mirror image of one another. If Diggs allows himself to buy into what Harris is preaching, his learning curve should be shortened by quite a bit. That should allow him to get on the field sooner rather than later, quite possibly as a Day 1 starter.
Now, I know Al Harris is just a coach and can only do so much for his players, however, having a proven veteran with his kind of experience in Trevon Diggs' corner should help the rookie CB get up to speed sooner rather than later. That's what we all hope anyway. And if these early training camp practices are any indication, it might be hard to keep Diggs off the field early on.
