OXNARD, Calif. -- Mo Claiborne appears to be brimming with confidence -- and talent -- on this first day of offense vs. defense, so much so that after some drills in which he battled fiercely with Terrance Williams, Mo demanded that the offense provide him a greater challenge.
"Bring Dez over here!" he hooted.
Claiborne was the focal point of a 2012 draft-day trade as the Cowboys packaged their first two picks to get him No. 6 overall - a deal that has yet to pay off. Not only has Claiborne not shown himself to be the "best defensive player in that draft,'' as the Cowboys believed, he's not presently a full-time starter. Injuries and shaken confidence opened the door for Orlando Scandrick to steal snaps from him last year.
The other corner, Brandon Carr, is absent from camp while caring for his ailing mother. So Claiborne gets a first-rate chance ... and on Saturday did a first-rate job.
Williams was his victim on this day, Claiborne gluing himself to the second-year receiver, roughing him up, and then trying to talk his way into his psyche.
"It just got a little bit competitive â he didn't like the way I was touching him," Claiborne said. "I don't know what else I was supposed to do except let him run his route. It gets like that sometimes out here, but we're still teammates, we're still buddies."
Claiborne went so hard during the workout that coach Jason Garrett urged him to calm himself a bit ... and by the end, Mo was cramping up. (He's presently listed as day-to-day with those leg cramps).
But this was a breakout workout for the LSU product, who is physically capable of being s difference-maker.
"That's what this is about for him,'' Jones said "is keeping his confidence at a high level.''
So far there, mission accomplished.
