Bryan McCann

[Mustangunner]

On the Nate Show on ESPN Radio, Nate said Bryann was the only player to have an interception yesterday in camp.

[The PonyGrad]

Pretty darn interesting since the Cowboys need someone to make interceptions.

[Mustangunner]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/cowboys/stories/080310dnspocowinsider.287518a.html

• Cletis Gordon . The 27-year old veteran played in one game for the Cowboys last season. He is competing with sixth-round pick Jamar Wall and free-agent rookie Bryan McCann for the fourth corner spot that opened with Alan Ball's move to starting safety.

All have had their moments. SMU's McCann is smart and technically more advanced than some veterans at the position. Wall isn't as smooth, but he's had several interceptions and gets after it when the pads are on.

"But if you pinned me down and said who is the guy right now, I'd say Cletis Gordon," secondary coach Dave Campo said. "He's been in the league. He's more experienced. I like what he's doing.

"Cletis gives us something we don't even have with our veteran guys – size at corner. He's got speed. Once he puts everything together and does the little things, he may be the guy."

Gordon is 6-1. That makes him three inches taller than Wall and McCann.

Not great news but I find it interesting that McCann is more technically sound than some of veterans in camp.

[shadowman]

I scour the camp reports every day and, unfortunately, Bryan seldom is mentioned. I did see that yersterday he was returning punts with about 6 others, it did not say how he did or who stood out, however.

He probably needs to have a defining moment in a preseason game to have a shot at making the team. At the end of the day, all things being close to equal, you might as well take the taller player and he will have that working against him.

[Treadway21]

What is the schedule for cuts?

[Alaric]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/cowboys/stories/080310dnspocowinsider.287518a.html

•

All have had their moments. SMU's McCann is smart and technically more advanced than some veterans at the position. Wall isn't as smooth, but he's had several interceptions and gets after it when the pads are on.

Not great news but I find it interesting that McCann is more technically sound than some of veterans in camp.

Hearing the same things about Emmanuel Sanders.

[ponyscott]

Sounds like good coaching either way.....hope McCann makes the Practice Squad...

[SMU89]

McCann's competition Gordon....

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 9fa82.html

[diamond_tom]

Sounds like Bryan is working with the first team. Ouch.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/08/todd-archers-training-camp-obs-15.html

** Romo concluded the afternoon two-minute drill with a touchdown throw to Miles Austin after the Pro Bowl wide out perfectly set up Bryan McCann with a step inside for the slant only to go back outside for the fade. That pass came after Roy Williams could not hold on to a bullet of a throw that hit his hands.

** Cletis Gordon continued to put a lock down on the No. 4 corner spot with a pick of Stephen McGee in the afternoon workout to close out the third-team two-minute drill. He stepped in front of a comeback to Titus Ryan for the turnover.

[Peruna94&07]

Sounds like Bryan is working with the first team. Ouch.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/08/todd-archers-training-camp-obs-15.html

** Romo concluded the afternoon two-minute drill with a touchdown throw to Miles Austin after the Pro Bowl wide out perfectly set up Bryan McCann with a step inside for the slant only to go back outside for the fade. That pass came after Roy Williams could not hold on to a bullet of a throw that hit his hands.

** Cletis Gordon continued to put a lock down on the No. 4 corner spot with a pick of Stephen McGee in the afternoon workout to close out the third-team two-minute drill. He stepped in front of a comeback to Titus Ryan for the turnover.

Ok I can see that Bryan getting burned by a pro-bowler is bad, but the other way to look at it is they put him against him to see what would happen. Maybe he proved himself against the 2nd team. Probably positive thinking but if I have a guy I am sure is ready for the spot I want to give them the best reps I can until someone else proves me wrong.

[cutter]

Sounds like Bryan is working with the first team. Ouch.

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/08/todd-archers-training-camp-obs-15.html

** Romo concluded the afternoon two-minute drill with a touchdown throw to Miles Austin after the Pro Bowl wide out perfectly set up Bryan McCann with a step inside for the slant only to go back outside for the fade. That pass came after Roy Williams could not hold on to a bullet of a throw that hit his hands.

** Cletis Gordon continued to put a lock down on the No. 4 corner spot with a pick of Stephen McGee in the afternoon workout to close out the third-team two-minute drill. He stepped in front of a comeback to Titus Ryan for the turnover.

Ok I can see that Bryan getting burned by a pro-bowler is bad, but the other way to look at it is they put him against him to see what would happen. Maybe he proved himself against the 2nd team. Probably positive thinking but if I have a guy I am sure is ready for the spot I want to give them the best reps I can until someone else proves me wrong.

I kind of agree. I mean, they have Bryan running against the 1st team offense. How does that compare with Gordon getting a pick against the 3rd team offense?? I don't think you can read anything into the final depth chart, except that it is obvious that they want to see what Bryan can do; and, we have no idea what potential they see in him. It sounds like both are somewhat equivalent players, but the final roster decision will be based on how much upside can be developed by coaching. Anyway, I am still encouraged until any cuts happen.

[indianmustang]

Who will step up in the tight race for the fourth cornerback job?

The battle for the fourth cornerback spot is one of my favorite of the preseason. It is particularly intriguing because, in my estimation, the versatility of safeties Ball and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah will allow Dallas to keep just four corners .

Each guy has advantages over the others. Cletis Gordon’s experience has him in the lead as of now. Bryan McCann is the most athletic of the group. Coach Phillips has even labeled him the best in coverage “when he is on,” but he is also quite frail and may not be physical enough in live action. Rookie Jamar Wall has struggled a bit, particularly in coverage, but the ‘Boys invested a sixth-round draft pick in him.

Right now, I’d give a slight advantage to Gordon with McCann’s upside putting him right in the mix. Wall will need to show he can make some plays to stick around.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/4303 ... s-to-track

[ponyscott]

Who will step up in the tight race for the fourth cornerback job?

The battle for the fourth cornerback spot is one of my favorite of the preseason. It is particularly intriguing because, in my estimation, the versatility of safeties Ball and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah will allow Dallas to keep just four corners .

Each guy has advantages over the others. Cletis Gordon’s experience has him in the lead as of now. Bryan McCann is the most athletic of the group. Coach Phillips has even labeled him the best in coverage “when he is on,” but he is also quite frail and may not be physical enough in live action. Rookie Jamar Wall has struggled a bit, particularly in coverage, but the ‘Boys invested a sixth-round draft pick in him.

Right now, I’d give a slight advantage to Gordon with McCann’s upside putting him right in the mix. Wall will need to show he can make some plays to stick around.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/4303 ... s-to-track

I think because of his lack of strength at this point they will sign him for the practice squad and work on his strength more. His fundamentals are good is what we all hear but size hurts him, height and weight.

[RE Tycoon]

Rookie Jamar Wall has struggled a bit, particularly in coverage, but the ‘Boys invested a sixth-round draft pick in him.

http://www.bobanddan.com/contact/sep15/ ... sedrop.mp3

[PonyPride]

I'm not sure what to make of the "they put him against first-team offense" idea. Having been at a lot of practices going all the way back to the first OTAs, I can tell you they mix up the rotations a lot, so McCann will cover a starter on one play and moments later be lined up across from a free agent.

As for Wall, it's true the team invested a sixth-round pick in him, but in terms of finances, it's not like McCann is trying to unseat a guy making a million a year, in which case the team would go with the big-money guy if the talent and performance appear to be close.

Wall is a good athlete, and a couple of coaches told me they like his strength and his toughness (gleaned from his Texas Tech film, I assume, since they almost never hit anyone when I was out there).

But there also were times — a lot of times — when Wall looked completely lost in coverage. It's true that some drills are run basically for the offense to succeed (short comeback routes, etc.), so EVERY defensive back gets beaten in practice sometimes. But Wall sometimes looked like he didn't know his assignments or something, because he would be 15 or 20 yards away from his man at the time of the reception .... and this wasn't just on the first day — this happened throughout mini-camps and OTAs. A reporter told me he had asked Wall about it, and Wall had explained (paraphrasing second-hand info here) "that's the way they taught us at Tech — let the guy catch it and then hit him." I seriously doubt that was what the Tech coaches instructed him to do, but that was the explanation he offered.

Anyway, McCann has his work cut out for him. Gordon is playing well in San Antonio, and apparently has impressed head coach Wade Phillips. There were times last year when the Cowboys carried five cornerbacks last year, but with two safeties — Alan Ball and third-round pick Akwasi Owusu-Ansah — who have considerable cornerback experience, it appears likely the team will carry four this season.