FRISCO - Some of of us - um, guilty - have rolled our eyes at the Dallas Cowboys' supposed culture change under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
Altered seating charts, Whataburger binges, paintball detours and Greek dancing are cute and all, but what will the tangible effects be of Schottenheimer taking over for departed Mike McCarthy?
So far, so good. And on Tuesday it got even better.
The Cowboys had perfect attendance at the team's mandatory minicamp at The Star. Again, it's not exactly a regular-season win over an NFC East rival. But for a team that in the recent past has had dark clouds hanging over its offseason in the form of contract holdouts by Ezekiel Elliott, Zack Martin and CeeDee Lamb, a clean slate indeed feels like a fresh start.
"I'm excited we got perfect attendance," Schottenheimer said before Tuesday's practice.
Included among the attendees is All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons, who is in negotiations with the team on a contract extension. Schottenheimer even said that Parsons will take part in some on-field work.
While it may raise eyebrows around the league, Schottenheimer isn't surprised.
"Micah and I have had great communication," the coach said last week. "Everything I've asked him to do and vice versa, he's followed through on."
The minicamp, which is essentially another three days of OTAs, will be the team's last organized activity before training camp in Oxnard begins in late July.
"We've had an excellent offseason," Schottenheimer said, "let's stack three more good days."
Cornerback Trevon Diggs, who is still rehabbing from January knee surgery, also showed up at The Star.