Josh Brent Not Quite There Yet
By Cory Mageors | @inthemageors
DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) -- There is a lot of interest in when the Cowboys might return Josh Brent to the field, and it looks like there might be a bit of a longer wait.
Most of Brent's work during practice of late has come at the back-end of the rotation with the 2's and 3's which suggests a number of things.
A) He hasn't quite earned his spot on the defensive front yet
B) Some of the other guys have proven they don't want to let go of their spot yet
C) Competition is breeding among the defensive line
Jason Garrett has preached the desire to have competition at every position since he took over as head coach, and it really hasn't shown until this year. What happens when a guy is uncomfortable -- either you see the best or they fold, and you want guys on your team who give their best when things get difficult.
Rod Marinelli has proven he doesn't need a bunch of big names in order to rally his guys into a fighting frenzy, but when every player on the line knows they have an opportunity to play and will be fresh, then they start to get excited.
The defensive coaches like what they are getting out of their guys right now. Terrell McClain is giving them something to smile about. Jack Crawford showed a little something in London against Jacksonville, and you can say was it because he was in front of his home town and the adrenaline pumped him up, or like Jerry Jones says "If you see a player do something once, you know he can do it again."
Either way, his hat is in the ring.
Tyrone Crawford has done great things on the inside as well, and as the team's health has come around, playing time becomes more of a commodity.
When I talked to Leon Lett about how that competition helps he said "when I played you always wanted to be the guy whose name was being called after the play was made."
I asked Charles Haley recently just why that was and he said "because you knew you were gonna get paid."
Understandable, money is a key incentive in the NFL.
As we look at Brent's situation, he's signed with Dallas through 2015, and he definitely wants to make his past negative a positive. I would assume he'll continue giving everything he's got, but if he is working with the 2's and 3's now, that probably means he won't play Sunday against the Giants.
It also probably means he won't be playing the following Thursday against the Eagles on Thanksgiving Day. There is just too quick of a turnaround and implementation of a game plan from week to week in order to put him in the mix, plus the Eagles offense will present a whole new array of things to deal with.
It might be a safe bet to look for Brent's first action to be on the road, in Chicago, Illinois. He was born in Bloomington, and went to the University of Illinois. Maybe sort of a homecoming.
But before he does that, as Jerry said recently on The Fan, "He's gonna have to earn that jersey."
Cory Mageors Co-Hosts The K&C Masterpiece, weeknights 7-11p on 105.3 The Fan.
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