Cowboys Country

Cowboys 3 Camp Stars Defense: Stephon Gilmore is 'On It!'

Continuing to soak up knowledge, Dallas Cowboys veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore is approaching this season like one of the young guys would. And ... he's one of the 3 Stars of the Day at camp.

Zach Dimmitt

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As one of only two players currently on the Dallas Cowboys roster with a Super Bowl ring, along with a handful of other individual accolades, veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore has plenty of reason to walk around like he's hot stuff.

But the former Defensive Player of the Year and two-time All-Pro remains open to improvement heading into his 12th year. Add this to the fact that he's staying focused on preparing through the simplest measures, and you've got a guy who's deserving of the praises he was showered with by defensive backs coach Al Harris at training camp on Wednesday.

“His preparation, he’s on it every single day," Harris said of Gilmore. "He eats right, studies, takes notes. And the thing about it is usually when you get guys that have the accolades that he has and the amount of years that he’s played, you kind of as a coach, you don’t know if you can disrupt that. ...

"He’s still willing to learn. Just little things that you tweak him on, you only got to tell him once. He’s been great."

And there is something else about Gilmore, acquired via trade this offseason, that makes him one of the 3 Stars of the Day on Defense in Oxnard ...

3 GILMORE THE TEACHER - Said Harris: "To hear him talk to the younger guys, I think it’s awesome. I think that was a really, really good addition for the team and the entire defense.”

Gilmore isn't just "learning.'' He's instructing. You can see it every day in camp, including on Thursday, with young DBs Daron Bland and Nahshon Wright making plays ... 

And Gilmore among the vets offering praise and guidance.

Oh, and lest you think "Gilly's Island'' was all about "teaching'' but not "doing''?

Yup. Dak Prescott found trouble when he tested Gilmore in first-team vs. first-team work.

2 TANK FULL What we love about DeMarcus Lawrence's camp so far as he is entering Year 10 is that he could choose to "pace himself.'' ... and isn't.

Lawrence is harassing Dallas QBs on a regular basis, and you can see he still cares about playing the run. Can a $20 million edge rusher be under the radar? Maybe in August. But we bet he won't stay that way starting in September.

1 MICAH IS A BAD MAN The Cowboys are so trying to get him to back down, just a little bit, that they are chastising him for making no-no pass-rush contact with QB Prescott.

“Oh yeah, we’ve talked about that a number of times,” said coach Mike McCarthy on Thursday, flashing back to a Tuesday sack that had all present with football disaster darting darkly into their minds. “That’s all part of the ‘practice ethic plan’ and discipline. (Parsons) is the A-No. 1 violator right now.”

So ... fine. Micah won't hit QBs in the backfield. But is it OK if he hits running backs in the backfield?

This is "force of nature'' stuff from Micah. How often is a defensive player worth the price of admission to practice? It's rare ... and so is Micah Parsons.

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

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