Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys and Brian Schottenheimer are excited to see what they have in their veteran running back
Despite the lack of a preseason showcase, the Cowboys are confident in Williams’ ability to be the lead guy effectively against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday.
“I have no questions about it,” Schottenheimer said about Williams handling the workload of a starting running back.
There are reasons for Schottenheimer’s optimism — chief among them is how Williams answered one question the Cowboys had about him immediately.
Schottenheimer has been adamant through his first season as a head coach that film matters. A player is defined by what they put on tape, rather than what their reputation might be. That’s ultimately why the Cowboys went out and targeted Williams. They saw a 220-pound running back who played physically and could work in Schottenheimer’s offense.
It does matter, however, when a player’s reputation is backed up by what they show once they arrive in Dallas, like Williams’ did. Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams indicated that he heard Williams, in his words, was a “pro’s pro,” and someone who was a high-character guy. Williams said the NFL is a business, which means he approaches it with a business mentality.
“He’s as advertised,” Adams said.
Adams didn’t hear, however, about one of Williams’ best accolades. Williams graduated early from Wallace-Rose Hill High School in Teachey, North Carolina. He was named valedictorian there after finishing with a 4.6 GPA. His lowest grade ever, reportedly, was a 97.
“I call him Valedictorian-Tae,” Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said. “That’s what he is … the guy plays smart at running back, and he can make plays, and I’m super excited for him to play.”
UCLA becoming the preferred school for Cowboys defensive tackles.
When Kenny Clark walked through the doors at The Star for the first time last week, one of the first guys he saw was rookie defensive tackle Jay Toia.
It might have been the first time Clark had officially met Toia, but he certainly didn’t need to introduce himself.
“No way, man I’ve seen his picture up on the wall for four years,” Toia said of Clark. “He was an All-American and so those guys are honored up there.”
And ‘there’ would be UCLA, which is proving to be a breeding ground for defensive tackles for the Cowboys.
Not only is Clark, who was traded by the Packers in the Micah Deal deal, a product of UCLA, but he joins two other defensive tackles on the Cowboys who were former Bruins in Osa Odighizuwa and Toia, a seventh-round pick this year.
“It’s cool to be able to...
