ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—As expected, tempers flared Thursday when Denver Broncos defensive lineman Marcus Thomas broke up a play in the Dallas backfield and Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams found himself in the middle of a scrum that was quickly broken up.
“That’s all part of football,” Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens said. “When you get all this testosterone going out here, it gets a little out of hand.”
“When you’re going against other guys, guys that you’re not friends with, sometimes tempers flare,” Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams said. “I guess two guys got into it a little extra at the end of the play, and once that happens, your friends come, everybody’s friends come. It’s a big pile-on, just grabbing and pushing.”
Asked about the fracas, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan retorted: “That wasn’t a fight. It wasn’t a fight. You know what a fight is. That was just a little pushing. It happens all the time. But they kept their composure and they didn’t swing. And that’s what you want.”
The intensity of the workouts also picked up on Day 2 of the joint workouts between the teams that will play each other Saturday night at Invesco Field.
“Usually, the second day it’s always that way,” Shanahan said. “Same thing last year. I’ve probably practiced with seven or eight different teams since I’ve been in the National Football League. It never changes: that second day is usually a little bit more competitive.”
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips thought so, too.
“I think both teams picked it up a little, which is good,” Phillips said. “Both teams are in a training camp mode and worn down a little bit and competition comes in and players think we can get better here.”
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COWBOY DOWN:@ Cowboys nickel linebacker Kevin Burnett, who sprained his left knee during 11-on-11 drills against the Broncos’ offense on Wednesday, will undergo arthroscopic surgery Friday in Dallas to remove a piece of loose cartilage.
“It’s not a big deal,” Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said. “He won’t miss much. We did an MRI and there is no ACL problems. He has a few things he needs cleaned out in his knee. It will be less than a week process. From what they say, he will be ready pretty quickly.”
Phillips said he’s got some depth to use in the nickel package until Burnett returns, presumably before the Cowboys’ exhibition schedule is over.
“We’ve got Zach Thomas, and Bobby Carpenter can play nickel, and Bradie James,” Phillips said.
Dallas linebacker Anthony Spencer (knee) was on the sideline again Thursday. He’s day-to-day.
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COWBOYS BENEFIT:@ Wade Phillips said one of the primary beneficiaries of the Cowboys’ four joint practices with the Broncos is Dallas’ front seven because it gets to face one of the NFL’s top rushing offenses with its zone blocking scheme that deploys smaller, quicker linemen.
“Denver is so good in the run. We played them a lot of times in San Diego and they have been consistently that good,” Phillips said.
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EXTRA POINTS:@ Phillips said he is considering playing QB Brad Johnson with the first-team offense Saturday night, although he doesn’t know how much the first-team offense will play. The Cowboys need to see Johnson work with the first-stringers to gauge whether his lack of arm strength is an impediment to being named the backup to starter Tony Romo. … Broncos S Hamza Abdullah was rusty in his return to practice Thursday after missing two weeks with a strained groin. … Broncos WR Darrell Jackson, expected to start this season opposite Brandon Marshall, missed Thursday’s workouts with a right ankle injury he suffered Wednesday. “I can’t tell you if he’s going to play on Saturday, but it’s not serious,” Shanahan said. … Broncos DE Ebenezer Ekuban (back) also was sidelined Thursday.
