Practice Ejections: HC punishes Cowboys for fighting; 'We need discipline' after hands fly
Video clips out of Oxnard have shown plenty of enthusiasm from Cowboys coaches and players- with music and dancing, guys celebrating good plays, and a level of physicality that's been noticeable.
It's manifested itself into several scuffles between teammates, which is, of course, a common occurrence at camp for most teams. Young players are literally fighting for roster spots and the attention of coaches, and there's often a disparity in how one player might attack a given practice rep as opposed to the man across from him.
But things went a little too far a little too frequently on Wednesday. Rookie offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius, the team's sixth-round pick out of Oregon, got himself ejected from practice for throwing a punch, according to ESPN's Todd Archer.
And after a third skirmish broke out during the day's work session, a livid Schottenheimer yelled for the entire team to assemble at midfield.
"You want to fight?" he reportedly screamed. "Let's [expletive] fight. Get your ass on the sideline!"
From there, he ordered his players to burn off their extra energy by running sideline-to-sideline, back and forth for several minutes, with several coaches also taking on the punishment before the day's practice was cut short.
They weren't exactly wind sprints. And overall, it was no Landry Mile, the infamous conditioning drill imposed in the early days by the Cowboys' first head coach, but it likely got Schottenheimer's message across to tone down the extracurricular activity.
At least one star veteran praised the coach's back-to-basics approach.
"I like what he's doing. We need discipline," wide receiver CeeDee Lamb explained afterward. "Shout out to him for that."
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