Jason Garrett: Cowboys are “way far off” as a team

[Rowdy]

Ezekiel Elliott is more than 1,200 miles from Oxnard, California, working out on his own in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The Cowboys are about that far from being a good team.

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, speaking for the first time since the team’s blue-white scrimmage Sunday, doesn’t seem pleased with where his team is a little over a week into training camp.

“We’re way far off as a team. We’re not even close,” Garrett said Tuesday, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I thought there were some flashes on both sides of the ball and the kicking game, flashing in each of the three units, but we’re not even close. Back to work. This is an important three-day stretch for us now.”

The Cowboys have not had Elliott, who is holding out while seeking a contract. But they have the other 21 players who started the playoff game against the Rams in January. They also have tight end Jason Witten, who has unretired, and center Travis Frederick, who missed last season with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, back.

Yet, the Cowboys still are working to get their groove back.

“We just know we’re not close,” Garrett said. “The consistency you need with players, with units, throughout practice, young guys, how we communicate, we’re just a long way off. I don’t think it’s unique. Six real practices into training camp, that’s where teams are. But the blue-white scrimmage is always a good barometer to see where guys are, how guys handle it. It’s not a game. We understand that. It’s very situational, but you do get a glimpse to check in 10 days into it to see where we are. It’s incumbent on us to clean it up as coaches and get back here the next three days and really take the next step as a football team.”