Zach Martin calls out teammates ahead of 2022 training camp

Cowboys offensive lineman Zach Martin had a message for his team as they head into fall camp. Martin believes the Cowboys have to make some changes heading into this season in order to improve, and an identity that they must establish.

“I want to be a tough football team. I want to be a smart football team. Last year we had some trouble with some discipline and some penalties and stuff. That’s A-No. 1 for us, a disciplined, tough football team,” Martin said.

Martin, a team captain, is a seven time Pro-Bowler and seven time All-Pro heading into his eighth season in the league, all with the Cowboys. Out of Notre Dame, Martin made an immediate impact once he stepped foot in the league establishing himself as one of the best offensive lineman in the NFL early.

And he does have a point, the Cowboys were the most penalized team in the league last year with 127 flags thrown on them accounting for over 1,000 yards of penalty yardage, only six other teams made it to the 1,000 yard mark. Plus the way their season ended last year in the fourth quarter of their playoff matchup versus the San Fransisco 49ers did not show shades of a ‘smart football team’. If the Cowboys want to give their fans a legitimate playoff run to cheer about, they will definitely have to clean up those mistakes and establish toughness like Martin mentioned. The Cowboys first open practice of training camp is Wednesday, July 27 in Oxnard, California.

Mike McCarthy shoots down rumors of potential firing amid uncertain future: ‘It’s not a story’

Mike McCarthy believes you can take the rumors of his demise and stick them where the sun doesn’t shine.

Throughout his time with the Cowboys, rumors have run rampant that McCarthy isn’t truly the man for the job. Along with freshly-retired former New Orleans Saints leader Sean Payton, coaches like Dallas coordinators Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn have been theorized to potentially taking over for McCarthy.

Evidently, McCarthy isn’t concerning himself with such theories as the 2022 season approaches.

“It’s irritating that the first question you ask me has nothing to do with how I do my job,” McCarthy told David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, per Pro Football Talk. “I show up every day for work to win a championship. How do we win today? That’s what I’m asking. 

“My viewpoint is it’s not a story. It’s a media-driven narrative, or at least a narrative driven outside my realm.”

Time will tell if the rumors are truly a media-driven story, or if it wasn’t all made out of thin air. Still, Mike McCarthy will have to win to save his job in Dallas — and Jerry Jones is itching to find someone who can get the job done.

On3’s Stephen Samra contributed to this report