IRVING, Texas - When Allen Rossum first set foot inside Cowboys Stadium for a preseason game back in August, the veteran return specialist admitted his attention immediately turned upward, towards the hanging video board.
But not because he knew it could be distracting for him to catch punts or kickoffs.
"I walked in and I was like, 'Wow, is that really a television?'" recalled Rossum, who played against the Cowboys on Aug. 29 as a member of the 49ers. "Even during the game, I found myself on the sideline looking at the game thinking, 'Man, I can't believe he really spent that much money on the screen.'"
The "he" was in reference to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, of course. But now that Rossum is playing for Jones and the Cowboys, he knows his primary job will be to bolster the return units for the team. And to do that, especially this week against the Falcons, he will need to block out any background distraction the video board might cause.
"I don't really worry about anything," Rossum said. "The only thing I noticed in preseason was that it's dark up there. You know how bright it is in there, and then it gets dark right in the middle part. I don't really see me losing it."
Rossum said the best way to prepare for catching a punt or kickoffs happens before the ball is ever kicked.
"What I try to do is get a read from the punter or kicker, before he even kicks the ball," said Rossum, a 12-year veteran who has played for five previous teams before joining the Cowboys last week. "I just try to get to the spot where I think the ball is going to be. If it changes on me, which sometimes it does, then I'll just adjust. The most important thing is just getting the offense the ball."
While Rossum said he only caught "four or five" balls under the video board when the 49ers played the Cowboys two months ago, he isn't concerned if the Cowboys don't practice at the new stadium before Sunday's game with Atlanta.
Rossum said he expects to get plenty of pre-game work, fielding both punts and kickoffs. And for a 12-yerar veteran, catching the ball under a "giant screen" probably won't be the toughest conditions to date.
"I've caught balls in Lambeau in December, Seattle in December, San Francisco for an entire year," Rossum said. "I've caught balls in Buffalo in the winter. I'm not worried about the video board. I've had to deal with worse conditions. It's probably just something you have to get used to. That's always the way it is."
Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS
Nick Eatman - 
