On their second straight day of practicing together, the Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers remained on their best behavior.
No one on either team tried to gain the attention of his coaches and teammates by taking swings at someone in a different colored jersey. Silly as it may seem, it was among the things that jumped out to Cowboys coach Jason Garrett following Friday's workout at Cowboys Stadium.
"We've all seen these practices when you work against another team turn into a fight-fest, and everyone's scratching and clawing after the play, not really handling it well," Garrett said. "I thought each of the teams was well-schooled and understood what we were trying to get out of it. We practiced hard, with good intensity. It was competitive but it didn't cross that line where it becomes unproductive."
The teams went through a typical practice Thursday morning outdoors at Cowboys headquarters. Dealing with temperatures that rose to the high 90s was among the goals for both teams.
On Friday, the challenge was how to handle situational drills. The scoreboard was used to show down, distance, score and time. Backs and receivers weren't fully tackled, as both teams saved the hard stuff for when they meet yet again in a preseason game on Sunday night.
"You can't beat this work, particularly getting to see different players, different defenses, different offenses," San Diego coach Norv Turner said. "The two days, I think, have really helped both teams. ... We came here with the mindset of getting better, and I think we got better. It's great exposure for all our players."
They also had quite an audience: about 50 Cowboys alumni, including Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman and the three newest members of the club's Ring of Honor — Drew Pearson, Charles Haley and Larry Allen. Team owner Jerry Jones announced their selection at a news conference before practice. Their names will go up Nov. 6 against Seattle.
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The alumni gathering was urged by Garrett, the first alum to become Cowboys coach.
"To be able to (practice) in front of these guys, that's fun for me," Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said. "You want to impress them and do things they'll like. It was a great environment."
