It was easy to look at Jaydon Blue's talent coming out of the University of Texas and talk yourself into him being a big contributor as a rookie.
It was a slow burn, but it eventually became clear why Blue hardly saw the field. While Blue's talent screamed immediate contributor, his maturity said otherwise. As such, he's got a lot of eyes on him this offseason, including an entire fanbase that is eager to learn if he's grown up.
It certainly seems like he has. Schottenheimer and Cowboys reporters have had nothing but positive reviews throughout the offseason, and Blue himself recently detailed the new-and-improved mindset he's bringing into Year 2 (h/t Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com)
"I didn't start off like I should've," Blue said. "Whether it was not practicing the right way, or on a maturity level, I think I wasn't really there. But, now, learning from all the vets and having the offseason that I've had, I think I'm ready to go."
"I'm a completely different person than I was this time last year. … I think I made a whole 180 from where I was last year. I've gotten a lot better. …"
Dallas Cowboys RB Jaydon Blue has a completety different mindset entering his second season
Blue finally gets it, ya'll.
Like any facet in life, self-awareness is a critical first step toward improvement. No matter the situation, you can't remedy a weakness if you're not willing to acknowledge it. Granted, Blue needed some tough coaching to reach that point, but not all paths are created equal.
Blue's new approach is already paying dividends on the practice field, as the former Longhorn admitted that the game has slowed down for him thanks to all of the work he's put in.
"The game has slowed down completely for me. [I'm] in the playbook every chance I get. I'm learning from Dak and some of the older guys on this offense do those things. Other than that, I give [running backs coach Derrick Foster] a lot of credit for staying on me, and for checking in to make sure I'm doing the right things because, like coach Schotty said, they're expecting me to be a big part of this offense this year."
Blue's willingness to acknowledge that his approach as a rookie wasn't good enough is so encouraging. Self-awareness is often what separates players who make a Year 2 leap from those who get left behind. The desire to improve matters, too, but it all starts with taking an honest look in the mirror and accepting hard truths.
This isn't lip service, either.
Brian Schottenheimer doesn't hand out compliments willy-nilly, and even he acknowledged that Blue is "night and day from where he was last year."
Media availability has been limited at OTAs, but The Athletic's Jon Machota noted that Blue stayed after at least one practice for additional red-zone reps with Dak Prescott and other members of the offense.
It sounds like "it" has clicked for Blue.
If that keeps up and he becomes a key part of the offense, it'll open up so much for an offense that put up 30 points in its sleep last season.
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