If players whine, Wade Phillips will point to Joe DeCamillis

Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis still has to wear a neck brace because of the broken vertebrae suffered when the Cowboys’ indoor facility collapsed. He sleeps in a chair every night.

But he didn’t mess a second of the special teams portion of the Cowboys’ OTA workouts, and that streak will continue during training camp.

As was the case this spring, the Cowboys will open practices with special teams work. That’s in large part to minimize the amount of time DeCamillis has to be on his feet, but it also helps hammer home the point that special teams is an emphasis after the Cowboys’ awful performance in the kicking game last season.

DeCamillis’ mere presence will help Wade Phillips make another point as training camp turns into a grind.

“He’s a tough son of a gun, No. 1,” Phillips said. “I think some people, and he’s certainly a good example, that it takes toughness to do your job sometimes. And I think I can show the players that hey, this guy’s out there working and working hard and don’t cry to me about I feel tired today.”