FRISCO, Texas — Head Coach Jason Garrett opened up today’s Veteran/Rookie OTA’s with a press conference for the media. He briefly described the situation surrounding guard, Zack Martin’s contract negotiations, and the new NFL kickoff rule for this upcoming season.
He described the leadership and talent of Martin“ Zack Martin has been a part of the offseason program from the start… He is one of the best players we have and he represents everything we want, but there is a business side to this that they are working through. He is the best at his position in the NFL… He does everything the right way each and everyday. Great example to the coaches and for his teammates. We want him to be here for a long time.”
This 4-time Pro bowl player is as durable as they come. He has made a game start in all 16 games the past four seasons with the Boys. Pro Football Focus gave Martin an overall grade of 92.2 in 2017. There is no debate he is an asset to the core strength of the Cowboys’ offensive line. Fingers crossed that the Cowboys can work out negotiations with Martin’s representatives, and secure a place for the elite player.
On the new kickoff rule, Garrett remarked, “The discussions are very thoughtful and the amount of tape the competition committee and our ownership go through to make sure they are doing the right things, I cannot begin to describe it. They talked to 9 special teams coaches around the league and they gave their advice about how to maintain the integrity of the game but also making that play safer. (Looking at) the plays where injuries happen the most and the kickoff is the one that stands out: it is the blinking light. The goal is to make sure those long runs where there is a big collision at the end of it are minimized. They will minimize the run up that the team has. They will have 8 guys in an area that is closer, so you are not having these things where a player on the kickoff team is running 45 yards and a guy is coming the other way running 45 yards and boom.”
As players become bigger and bigger in the league, the risk of injury becomes greater. The NFL has routinely revised the rules to keep players safe on the field. Adjusting the kickoff rule will help to deduce the amount of hard hits and head-on collisions endured during a game opener and the number of injuries caused by those hits.
