Cowboys' Cooper Rush Reveals New Offense Thoughts; Game 1 Starter?

With the spotlight upon the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback situation more blinding than ever, Cooper Rush is looking to stay on track.

Few could fault Cooper Rush for taking a summer vacation. 

In the midst of his fifth training camp with the Dallas Cowboys, Rush has perhaps earned some seniority privileges. Unlike many other participants who aren't atop their respective spots on the depth chart, Rush also knows exactly where he stands with the organization, having developed a reputation as a reliable understudy to Dak Prescott during his time in Texas.

Rush, however, refuses to take on the lenient mentality, especially with new offensive personnel in tow. Head coach Mike McCarthy is taking over the playcalling duties while Brian Schottenheimer assumes the offensive coordinator spot vacated by Kellen Moore. Presumably the starter for Saturday's preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars (4 p.m. CT, KTVT), Rush likened the de facto power shift to Christmas in August for McCarthy.

"You can tell he loves doing it,” Rush said during camp activities in Oxnard this week. “He told us he missed it and he’s pumped to be doing it again. You can definitely tell.”

This year's preseason is different for Rush as well: he was fighting his roster life last summer, the campaign culminating in his inclusion among the final cuts before an invite to the practice squad. But a sterling substitute stint when Prescott was injured in the early stages of last regular season more or less solidified his immediate future, as the Cowboys brought him back on a two-year deal.

Set for his fifth slate of summer games with a starred helmet, the exhibition approach hasn't changed for Rush.

"You just want to go out there and look good," Rush said. "You want to be efficient, move the chains, kind of man situations, those kinds of things that show that you can play quarterback. (As a rookie), you were trying to make a team and it's that same mindset now. Now these are live reps against a real opponent that gets you ready for the season."   

His attire remains the same, as does the relative company, but this summer will be drastically different in one vital regard: this summer marks the first time that Rush won't have the services of Moore on his side, as the current Los Angeles Chargers offensive boss was on the Dallas sideline with him in some way, shape, or form during a majority of his Cowboys tenure. Moore's final season as a player, for example, was Rush's first.

Rush, however, has reported no snags in the new leadership tandem, offering regaling praise for the head coach who earned his Super Bowl ring at AT&T Stadium in 2011.

"Fortunately, there's not a huge terminology change or shift which has been nice for us," he said of the “Texas Coast Offense’ install.. "(It's) just enough to make you uncomfortable and you dive back in and study. It's been pretty smooth, a lot of the same concepts and a lot of the same things. The way (McCarthy) has been running it, teaching it, getting to all of the position groups so we can be on the same page has been impressive."

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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