Talk to any football player about playing preseason games and they'll all say the same thing. After practicing against your team-mates for days on end, it's just nice to play against guys in a different uniform.
So, why not keep doing that for a while?
The Cowboys and Chargers are having a pair of practices in Murphy Canyon this week. On Monday neither team was going full-game speed, but it certainly was not a walk-through, either. The extra intensity was easily noticeable.
“The best thing about today is you get to see different people,” said Chargers head coach Norv Turner. “You get to see different styles. It’s great experience for our guys, another chance to get experience without having players at risk.”
Philip Rivers expanded on that same topic.
“I know it’s not completely the same, but it’s almost like getting two more pre-season games,” said Rivers. “I’m talking about the amount of reps against guys you don’t usually see, coverages you don’t see.”
During his post-practice media session, Rivers was visibly animated. You could tell he was really getting in to the unique opportunity of a dual practice. He was listening, and learning the entire time.
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“Their code word things that you haven’t heard a bunch so you don’t really know it, it’s all on the run,” said Rivers. “It’s good, it’s game-like.”
The Chargers and Cowboys get one more practice on Tuesday. San Diego will then travel to Minnesota for exhibition game number 3 on Friday. Dallas hosts St. Louis on Saturday.
NOTES:
- Cowboys WR Dez Bryant left the practice session with a knee injury. He'll have an MRI to determine the severity of the injury.
- Rivers completed several passes to WR Robert Meachem, who seem to be getting on the same page. Two of Rivers' three interceptions have been on passes intended for Meachem.
