OXNARD, Calif. -- In the spring, the Dallas Cowboys were given shirts that read, "RE-COMMIT" as a reminder that their success in 2016 would not automatically carry over to 2017.
When they arrived in Oxnard, California, for the start of training camp on Saturday, they were given shirts that read "FOCUS."
The messages become mantras for a season, but the buzzwords coach Jason Garrett has chosen this year don't seem to be resonating considering the drama that surrounds the Cowboys as they take to the practice field for the first time Monday.
Most of the State of the Cowboys news conference that lasted 47 minutes Sunday was about the poor behavior of a few players off the field, ranging from the legal entanglements of Ezekiel Elliott, Damien Wilson, Nolan Carroll and Jourdan Lewis to the poor optics in decisions by Dez Bryant and David Irving in either being late to or not arriving at all for reporting day, as well as Darren McFadden missing the team charter.
Garrett offered up more buzzwords Sunday, like accountability and character, when discussing the incidents that have cropped up over the past month. Publicly, the Cowboys don't put forth how players are held accountable, which leads some to wonder if there are any repercussions at all.
From late February through the middle of June, there was little question about the recommitment or focus. The Cowboys had nearly 100 percent attendance at their voluntary offseason program. Players showed up early for captains' workouts.
The message seemed to be received.
"It's what this team is about; recommit every day," quarterback Dak Prescott said after a June minicamp practice. "We come in every morning, you know it's going to be a grind. We know we're going to have meetings, hot practices, but it's about the commitment to this team and to each other. It takes doing that, recommitting every day, for us to get better and to get on that path to where we want to be. ... Recommit's not just something in this locker room. You're recommitting to this team and to our goal every day. That's probably going to play more in hand going into this month off when we're not together. It's being committed to this team and being held accountable for everyone."
Things have changed since the minicamp ended in the middle of June. The actions of a few have made the impression that the Cowboys as a whole are not recommitted or focused. Or at least not yet.
The point of the T-shirts is not supposed to be about the words. It is about the actions.
"Character is critical with us, with the Dallas Cowboys," Garrett said. "We have built this team over the last five or six years with great character guys. We believe very strongly in that. That is the kind of team we want to have. That is the kind of organization we want to have. We believe when you build with character that is what gives you the best chance to have success and building the team we are all proud to be a part of."
That puts more of the load on players Garrett cites as strong character, such as Jason Witten, Sean Lee, Tyron Smith, Tyrone Crawford, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and others.
"The stronger your core base is, it allows you to take some risk," Jerry Jones said.
Jones often refers to the Cowboys of the 1990s that won three Super Bowls in a four-year span as proof that a risk can bring a big reward. On Sunday, he cited Charles Haley, Michael Irvin and Nate Newton. They had their own issues, but the Cowboys were strong enough to win.
He doesn't mention the risks that did not work out over the years.
The Cowboys enter their first practice with the story not about Prescott's development or the questions on defense or the holes to fill on the offensive line. It's about the possibility of having five players potentially suspended for at least the season opener or the entire season.
It's not about "RE-COMMIT" or "FOCUS."
"One of the things we try to emphasize to our team is that momentum is earned on a daily basis -- on a daily basis," Garrett said. "There's no such thing as this outside force of momentum. You earn your momentum with what you do each and every day to keep that momentum going. When the momentum is going against you, somehow, some way, you do what you need to do. You execute. You do your job the right way to stem the tide of the momentum. We're very much focused on the day: What we need to do as players and as coaches each and every day to get our jobs done. That's what carries momentum. Stay focused on the task. When things come up, don't be distracted by them. Address them, solve them, move on and get back to work. That's how you keep momentum alive."