OXNARD, Calif. – The Dallas Cowboys are headed to San Francisco for their first pre-season game of 2018 against the 49ers, and there is more than just the added depth and competition at positions getting this team excited: the new assistant coaches. Defensive backs coach Kris Richard and receiver’s coach Sanjay Lal has dialed up the enthusiasm in their players and the team as a whole. They have a new way of doing things in Dallas and it is just what the Cowboys have needed.
Richard is a vocal coach on the field and wears cleats to be able to jump in on plays to illustrate teaching points. He remarked on his coaching style, “This is the next best thing to playing. I just want to the best that I absolutely can to give them all that I did receive and all that I did not receive. Having energy each and every single day, if that is what we ask of them, then that is what we have to be willing to go to. “
Richard backs up his words with actions and his players are taking to his new philosophy on coaching with absolute trust and respect. He is being a physical example as well as mental, on the level of passion and commitment that is expected when they step onto the field.
He concluded by saying his mantra “ I want you to run through a brick wall for me, no we will run through this wall together!”
If Richard expects his players to do something, than he will do it too. He wants to be involved in every aspect of their coaching to grow them as players and men. His genuine nature is sinking in and resonating with his players, and the defensive backfield will be something to look out for in pre-season!On the opposite side of the ball, Sanjay Lal is mixing things up with his receivers creating new drills. He has his players’ walk the field carrying 25-pound bricks to strengthen their arms and hands to make catches on routes. He is building up a strong foundation that will start to take shape in games. He wants his receivers to be prepared to play F, Z, or X and to build stamina in each player he has on the field.
Lal’s mission statement for the 2018 season is “ be more violent than the guy trying to oppose us and impose our will on them. “
He has a lot of young talent and eager veterans to act out the physicality of their mission statement on the gridiron. Lal has a different plan to utilize the talents of the top receivers on the depth chart into the offensive scheme to keep defenses guessing. Receivers will also be a position to watch throughout pre-season to see who can run fluid routes, bounce back from a bad play, and beat cornerbacks on man-to-man coverage.
