FRISCO — The Cowboys held their Friday practice outside under sunny skies on a dry field.
That wasn’t nearly the case on Thursday.
The Cowboys conducted their Thursday practice outside under a light drizzle on slightly wet grass.
Given the number of players returning from leg injuries, and the fact the Cowboys’ next five games are indoors, it led to questions as to why.
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Before coach Brian Schottenheimer could answer, it should be noted, the Cowboys’ grass practice field at The Star drains very well. But Wednesday night, heavy storms hit the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The next day, under a light drizzle and with the grass in good condition, it didn’t stop Schottenheimer from taking his group outside.
“No. 1, I wanted to get on the grass,” he said. “It’s better for their bodies and their legs. We’re still a little bit sore yesterday. We’re coming back from a Monday night game, and we have a couple of games here in a short window of time.
“I wanted to get outside and get some stuff done. We had to move (around), we’re kind of in a ramp-up process. Wednesday we did a walkthrough, yesterday, we ran full speed for about 40 minutes or so. (Friday) it will be an hour and 20 minutes of full speed. It’s all part of the process anytime we go outside. I’d rather go outside, plus it’s kind of fun to play outside a little bit.”
The Cowboys are in the midst of playing four games in 18 days. The team’s next game after Sunday’s against Philadelphia is the traditional Thanksgiving Day clash on Thursday (Nov. 27).
Schottenheimer is mindful of this stretch and in addition to practicing on grass, the team won’t be in pads until maybe the week of the Detroit game, which comes on Dec. 4.
“I’ve got a great group of people that I lean on from (head athletic trainer) Jim Maurer, (associate athletic trainer) Britt Brown, strength staff and really sports performance department,” Schottenheimer said.
“I kind of lean on those guys but also kind of just watch practice and see what our legs look like and how we feel and there’s a handful of guys that I watch. And if they’re not moving real fast, there’s a reason and because of that, I’ll be like, ‘I need to be a little smart here.’ We’ll be in that type of mode, probably for the next couple of games.”
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