Like any year around this time, the Dallas Cowboys are planning on getting together for offseason team workouts. The big difference, of course, is that they are currently locked out of team facilities and barred from having any contact with coaches and other staff members.
These factors will probably leave something of a dent in the organization of these practices--some players, like Tashard Choice, have opted to work out out of state--but a number of veterans of the team, including quarterback Tony Romo, are doing their best to make do with what’s available to them.
“Tony [Romo] is doing a good job leading that up,” said tight end Jason Witten at the Taste of the NFL: Ultimate Cowboys Tailgate Party on Sunday night, per ESPN Dallas. “It’s been an important part of what we’re doing.”
Veteran leadership is a positive, of course, but there’s no doubt that the lockout will have a negative effect on teams’ preparations for next season. For Witten, Romo and the rest, the goal is to make the impact of the labor situation minimal and, like every other season, to be as ready as possible when (and if) next season begins.
“It’s been hard just because it’s kind of foreign to us,” Witten said. “This is the time really when you’re getting back into it and starting to make evaluations and looking forward into next season. Definitely different. I think just as leaders you’re trying to keep contact with guys so that everybody is on the same communication as far as what the plans are as a team and giving us the best chance when it does get fixed.”
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