OXNARD, Cali. – The first fight, or skirmish in this case, in training camp is like the first robin of spring: It's expected and usually comes after the first workout in pads.
The reason why? The first day in pads is now on film, and the entire team has had a chance to view the video in what many players call the "shame session."
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The biggest competition when you put the pads on for the first time is the one-on-one offense versus defense drills. That's when a single offensive lineman is teamed against a single defensive lineman and the whistle blows.
Tempers flare at training camp for first time. just happened between La’el Collins and Taco Charlton in offense vs defense one on one drills. See it tonight on IR
— Greg Simmons (@GregSimmonsKSAT) July 30, 2018
On the first day of pads Saturday, the defense won according to big offensive lineman Zack Martin, who cautioned it would get even more competitive the next day following the shame session -- and he was right.
It came late in the one-on-one standoff, when offensive tackle La'el Collins put defensive end Taco Charlton on the ground. Taco did not take kindly to that and came up ready to go, and go they did.
Zeke ready for second day of pads under bright blue skies pic.twitter.com/VjM8KZnopi
— Greg Simmons (@GregSimmonsKSAT) July 29, 2018
That's when everyone jumped in. No punches were thrown; there was just a lot of pushing and shoving, and soon, the flare-up was over.
Taco says the "Hot Boys" are not going to take any cr...and he caught himself...stuff. Hot Boys, by the way, is the nickname of the Cowboys' defensive line.
La'el says they are still friends, and Joe Looney says he jumped in, but it can't really be a fight if everyone is wearing helmets. It's interesting he said that, because I always wondered why, when it does get out of hand, players take off their helmets.
On Sunday night, we were there for the annual appearance with the man himself Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Just over an hour before his appearance, we received a text saying the anthem subject is off-limits, which was clarified later as a league mandate as the NFL and the players union attempt to work out some type of an agreement.
I felt comfortable with that because Jones had already made his feelings known on the subject and we were running that at the top of the broadcast. However, it caught one station, KDFW in Dallas, off guard because the stipulation came less than a minute before they were to interview Jones.
Mike Doocy, longtime Dallas sportscaster and friend, did not feel comfortable with that late restriction and declined to interview Jones under those circumstances.
It led to a few tense moments, but in the end Doocy stuck to his guns, and then revealed why live on the air.
Jones did appear with us live and answered all the questions we posed after we ran his earlier statement, in which he said players must stand for the anthem, toe on the line, and that the president's constant tweets about the subject had been problematic while the league and union tried to work out an agreement.
Then, the day was done, and we thought the camp drama was finished as well. Little did we know, the best -- or in this case, the worst -- was yet to come.