Drayage Brokersin Dallas, TX

FRISCO, Texas -- Growing up in Hamden, Connecticut, Luke Schoonmaker was a New England Patriots fan. His mother, Michelle, grew up outside of Boston, so her son liked the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins.

The Patriots won six Super Bowls, and as Schoonmaker moved from quarterback to tight end later in high school, he saw a lot of Rob Gronkowski.

“I was a big Gronk guy,” he said of the Patriots' legendary tight end.

But once the Dallas Cowboys selected him in the second round of this year's draft, Schoonmaker found himself looking into Jason Witten. He knew of Witten, who was named to 11 Pro Bowls in his 16 years with the Cowboys and became the franchise leader in receptions (1,215) and yards (12,977).

“Just scoured the internet, pretty much,” Schoonmaker said. “Tried to find all that I could.”

A family connection led to him getting Witten’s cellphone number. Before last week’s rookie minicamp, Schoonmaker texted Witten.

“He didn’t have to reach out to me, but obviously I’m pulling for him,” Witten said. “I know it’s a tough transition. He’s got a lot of great resources, that’s what I told him. Get in the back pocket of Dak [Prescott] and Zack [Martin]. Watch them train, watch them study, watch them recover, watch how they lead, what kind of teammates they are, what they do in the weight room, and he’ll be just fine. I know he’s got great guys to follow.”

In 2003, Witten was the Cowboys’ third-round pick. He was an immediate favorite of Bill Parcells, but the coach made him work. Witten mostly watched and listened. By his second season, he caught 87 passes for 980 yards and six touchdowns and was named to his first Pro Bowl.

“The league’s so hard -- and certainly at the tight end position,” said Witten, who is entering his third year as the head coach at Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, Texas. “So much is asked of you, and to get any edge, any secret, I think that’s wise to seek that. I think by him doing that, you see how curious he is. And it’s something I told him through text, that if you have that approach, good things are going to happen. Just reminded him to focus on that, be able to take the coaching. Every opportunity, every rep he gets, be critical of yourself when you evaluate it and enjoy the ride. Don’t worry about the destination.”

The Cowboys will not ask Schoonmaker to be Witten, but they do believe he has some of the same traits as Witten, with his ability to block at the end of the line of scrimmage, while also being a difference-maker in the passing game.

“He’s real polished in the run game because of the way he was taught at Michigan -- his strength, his lower-body strength, his ability to fit combinations,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “But you don’t realize how fast the guy is. He’s a legit 4.58 [40-yard dash] guy, and I think there are some things that we’re really excited about that he can bring us from a vertical standpoint of stretching the defense vertically.”

At Michigan, Schoonmaker caught just 54 passes for 637 yards and seven touchdowns in 44 games, but that was mostly due to the offense it ran. However, the Cowboys believe he is pro-ready because of the NFL tight ends whom Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh produced when he was at Stanford, guys like Zach Ertz and Coby Fleener.

“I think I can just expand on what I did [in college], and I’m looking forward to however they’re going to do that with me,” Schoonmaker said.

In 2022, Schoonmaker was a third-team All-Big Ten pick, catching 35 passes for 418 yards and three touchdowns. He had 147 receiving yards on crossing routes, according to ESPN Stats & Information, which was second most among FBS tight ends behind Georgia’s Brock Bowers.

But his blocking is the strong point.

“I think, honestly, a lot inline, being able to run different schemes -- and my footwork too -- and understanding the full picture of things like that, that I feel like I’m only going to continue to learn more details about,” Schoonmaker said. “I mean I’ve been here for a couple days and I’ve already just learned so much more with the footwork and the hand placement and the vision and everything.”

The Cowboys had a need at tight end after Dalton Schultz left via free agency for the Houston Texans. And Prescott likes throwing to tight ends; in the past two seasons, he has the second-most touchdown passes to tight ends (20).

And Schoonmaker is entering a familiar tight end room with Big Ten tight ends everywhere. Former Michigan tight end, Sean McKeon, is a teammate again. Jake Ferguson was a fourth-round pick from Wisconsin last year. Peyton Hendershot made an impact in 2022 as an undrafted free agent from Indiana.

“I think we are pretty loaded with guys that can do so many different things,” Schoonmaker said. “And I’ll just be in there to do whatever’s asked of me and, yeah, be another key role in that room.”

And if he has any questions, Witten is a text message away, although there could be a chance they work together at some point in the spring if their schedules mesh.

“I’ve been watching Witten like all the time, and I think just him as a player, of course, is spectacular. He’s going to be a Hall of Famer,” Schoonmaker said. “But him as a person, as a teammate, he’s such a leader. And I’ve been trying to just research and understand his mindset and how he went about leadership and stuff like that.”

Tenants of a Dallas apartment complex complain they’ve gone three weeks without gas for hot water or cooking.

The St. James Manor Apartments are on Easter Street at Kiest Boulevard in South Oak Cliff. Outdoor grills were popular the past few weeks with no gas for cooking inside units.

“Everybody in the whole place was hungry. We tried to pitch together; had to barbecue, do whatever we could to feed the kids,” tenant Elexus Crow said.

At nearby John Neely Bryan Elementary School, named for the Dallas founder, adults noticed hungry, unbathed children in class coming from the apartments with no gas for hot water. They reached out to neighborhood City Council Member Carolyn King Arnold, who is a former teacher.

“It can be embarrassing and sometimes lead to bullying so there’s a domino effect here,” Arnold said.

The city council member tried to get answers from the property owner and send a message.

“It’s unacceptable. And my basic belief is this. If you wouldn’t have your family in that situation, don’t put another family in that situation,” Arnold said.

The latest news from around North Texas.

A spokesman for the property management company in Denver sent a statement saying the gas company cut service to the entire complex without warning after the report of a leak. The statement said pressure tests were required in each of the 20 buildings in the complex and many units have had gas service restored.

Plumbers who work on gas connections were seen at the complex Thursday. Management said hot plates for cooking and showers at other locations were offered to families.

Tenants said it was a bad situation.

“It bothered me the most not being able to take them a proper bath and give them the proper food,” tenant Ayesha Ramirez said.

Several tenants declined to talk on camera for fear of eviction at the complex. Elexus Crow said management has been conducting inspections during the gas reconnections.

“They were saying their house is not up to par, or something. But my thing is, look what you making us go through for three weeks. I wouldn’t think nobody’s house is up to par right now,” she said.

An email from management said no one is being evicted at this time as they work to solve the gas issues.

It said all gas service should be restored by Thursday evening.

No compatible source was found for this media.

Change. It’s inevitable, and the Green Bay Packers are experiencing quite a bit of it on the offensive side of the ball this offseason.

Most notably, Aaron Rodgers has been traded to the New York Jets, meaning that Jordan Love will take over as the starter. But on top of that, this is a unit that has lost a number of veteran pass catchers, including Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Robert Tonyan, and Marcedes Lewis.

So naturally, when the personnel of a football team changes somewhat drastically, especially when the pendulum swings from being a veteran-heavy roster to one loaded with inexperience, changes to the playbook to varying degrees are likely to follow.

“It might, yeah, it might,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich when asked if the offense might look quite different this season. “I think it might. And it’s not just because of not having Aaron Rodgers. It might just be these other pieces that we’ve added as well. So, again, it’s OTAs right now, so we’re just going to kind of see how it all fits, and once we figure out kind of how we’re going to attack defenses, then we’ll roll from there. But I think it might.”

So what does different mean? Most assume that for the Packers in 2023, it means we see a more pure version of the Matt LaFleur offense after it had previously been mashed together with what Rodgers was comfortable running. This could mean more motion, fewer snaps from shotgun, and greater reliance on the run game, as well as fewer pre-snap adjustments at the line of scrimmage.

However, before that can be determined, the Packers will utilize OTAs, training camp, and the preseason to lay the groundwork for what they want – and hope – the offense can become. This includes seeing where Love excels and where he has to improve. Building off one while attempting to make strides each day in the other.

“I think from the quarterback position, you just take a step back as far as, like, now we’re starting on Step 1 instead of starting at Step 8, where you can start with Aaron Rodgers,” said Stenavich via Packers.com. “So, you’re going to take a step back, and you’re just going to keep working ahead. Can’t really look at the end result right now. We’re just going to look at one day at a time and just go from there, but he’s ready; he’s excited. I think all the guys, you can feel good vibes, good energy around the locker room, so it’s going to be fun.”

The same approach will have to be taken with the Packers’ young receivers and tight ends. From a pass-catching standpoint, Josiah Deguara is the most experienced tight end on the roster with 39 receptions, and Rome Doubs is the most experienced receiver with 42 receptions. Rather than trying to force the rookie receivers and tight ends to play a certain way or ask them to do too much, the coaching staff will first figure out their strengths and, from there, do their best to put the pass-catchers in positions to be successful. Oftentimes this means keeping things simple, so that players can simply make plays.

“You have to limit what you put on their plate initially,” said Stenavich of the young pass catchers. “See what they’re good at, what they excel at, and use that as their strengths. Then you can work on things that they need to improve as you go along. But I’m really excited about all of those guys. Watching them run around rookie minicamp was pretty impressive, so I’m fired up for them.”

The Packers offensive coaching staff spent some time this offseason watching the San Francisco 49ers, specifically, how they schematically enabled Brock Purdy, a seventh-round rookie in 2022, to come in and have so much success, which included almost instant control of the Niner offense and an NFC Championship appearance.

Studying like-offenses is common practice in the NFL — San Francisco wasn’t the only team the Packers studied — with the hopes that a specific play, or series of plays, can be borrowed and incorporated. Although Love is entering his first season as a starter, and the foundation for what the offense is going to become still has to be laid this summer, the potential benefit of having him sit and develop for three years is that the learning curve will shrink, and the depth of the playbook expands much sooner.

“Obviously, he doesn’t have the playing experience that Aaron had, but from a playbook standpoint, I think pretty much all of it’s on the table,” Stenavich told reporters. “He’s been around for three years and has really attacked it. Even last year, you could see him come into his own, felt a lot more comfortable, so this year he’s really hitting it on all cylinders, so I’m really excited to see what he’s going to bring.”

Step one to this entire process begins on Monday, when OTAs officially are underway, and the Green Bay Packers will have a majority of their 90-man roster on the practice field. Unlike in past seasons where the bulk of Green Bay’s starting contingency has sat out during the preseason, those reps in 2023 will be incredibly valuable for Love and his young skill position players as the Packers continue to learn their strengths and build this new-look offense — whatever that may end up looking like.

“I think the preseason, that’s going to be very important,” Stenavich said. “But just going out there, getting him around all these young receivers and tight ends and stuff, and working with our vets and just kind of allowing him to put his leadership on there, put his stamp on it, and then once we see how it’s going, then you can go in that direction.”

DALLAS -- For Jim Nill, it's so far, so good with how the Dallas Stars have reached the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2020.

"We've kind of kept our identity that we had during the regular season," the Dallas Stars general manager said Wednesday.

"Whenever we've kind of hit a rough spot, we seem to rise to the occasion, which has been nice to see. In the (Stanley Cup) Playoffs, you're going to get somewhere where there's going to be a defining game. We've had a couple of those where the guys have responded in a positive way, which helped get us over the hump. We've done that all season, so it's nice to see [that] we continue to do that during the playoffs."

Nill talked with NHL.com about the Stars, as a team and about several individuals, before they face the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final, which begins at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, CBC, TVAS).

[RELATED: Complete Golden Knights vs. Stars series coverage]

There were some choices out there for your next coach after the Stars and Rick Bowness parted ways. What was it about Peter DeBoer that told you he was a good fit for the Stars?

"Well, I've watched Pete since he got into coaching. He was coaching in Kitchener, he coached in Plymouth (both of the Ontario Hockey League), so I saw him coming up through the ranks. I watched him make the step up to the NHL from junior (in Kitchener), which is a big step, to Florida. Kind of a rocky road there, but that happens to everybody. Then you saw him go to New Jersey, have some success. So, I watched his career, then I was the general manager for Team Canada when we went to Prague (2015) and Pete was one of our assistant coaches. So, I got to know him then, got to know him even probably better then because you're dealing with him every day in the dressing room and during games. I was impressed with how he handles situations, how he deals with players. He's a smart guy, intellectual but also has a good feel for today's players.

"It was kind of a strange, if that's the right word, but it was a unique year last year when you saw so many high-end coaches all seem to get fired. So, lots of options, but I would say the success he's had and familiarity, knowing him and liking the way he's coached teams, kind of drew us to him."

Why has Wyatt Johnston adapted so well so soon?

"Some guys just have it. It's an amazing story when you think about it. Here's a guy who, because of COVID, his whole (OHL) season was wiped out other than seven games to play for Canada's Under-18 team. We watched him play and even on that team he played a third-line role, which, no knock against him. That's a good team.

"But that's where you have to give a credit to Joe McDonnell, our head of scouting. He had a special feel for him as a [young player], he had a special feel for him watching Under-18s, he did his homework on him and went to bat for him. Wyatt's unique. Some guys are just gifted. He's got great hockey sense, a great demeanor for the game. Pete and I talked during the season, put him on the team and you're always watching, 'How's he going to do after 10 games, 20 games, what's the next step? What's the next move? When's he going to hit the wall?' He got better every 15-20 games, every segment. We'd go into Boston, because you're on the road, you don't have the matchups you want, he'd be playing against Patrice Bergeron and (David) Krejci, and it didn't seem to bother him. He just kept getting better along the way, and we thought he'd hit a wall at the 50-60 game segment and went the other way. He got better and better. So, you know what? He's got it. He's got the moxie, he's got the hockey sense, intelligence. He's gifted and he's taken advantage of his gifts."

Wyatt Johnston lifts Stars

So, does Roope Hintz finally get some notice with the postseason he's having?

"I hope so. He's been a great player for us for a long time. I remember him developing down here in Austin (with Texas of the American Hockey League) and it was actually in those playoffs when we went to the final (Calder Cup in 2018), he was outstanding then and that kind of got his feet wet for making the NHL team the next year. He's just continued to grow. He's a special player not only because of his speed, but when you add his size to that speed, that's a pretty tough combination to stop."

Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn have adapted to a new roles. Tyler adapted again, jumping into Joe Pavelski's spot when he was hurt through most of the Western Conference First Round. He's thrived. How much of a resurgence has this been for Seguin?

"I'm happy for Tyler. He's put in a lot of work. He went through a lot of tough things, both of them did, some knee surgeries and stuff. That's hard. When Tyler went through his (injury), that was in the bubble. That was the year we had to start up again in January, so he didn't have time to recover through all these things and it just takes time. I think we're starting to see Tyler kind of where he was five or six years ago. When you're 20 to 26, 27, it's about setting, who are you in the League? You're a scorer, you're a star, who are you? These guys created that but now it's less about what they're trying to create and more about the team.

"When you get players who get to that point in their career where they've had success, they're big names in the game, but when they get to that point where it's more important about winning and what's right for the team, that's when you know they're in a good spot and I think that's where both guys are at. They want to win, they've had their individual successes but now it's about, 'What do we do? We want to win.' They want to win the Stanley Cup and that's reflected in their game."

You never know how acquisitions are going to fit in at the trade deadline. How pleasantly surprised are you with how Evgenii Dadonov and Max Domi, who you got before the deadline, have adjusted and been so key in these playoffs?

"Well, they've come in and look like they've been here all season, which is sometimes not easy to do. You never know if that's going to work out. With Dadonov, got to give credit to the coaching staff, Pete and (Stars assistant coach) Steve Spott, they had him in Vegas. When his name came up as a possible fit, they really went to bat for him. We discussed things as far as the systems. We're playing a similar system in Dallas that he would've played in Vegas. So, the coaches were pretty confident that he could come in and help us. Did we think he'd fit like this? Probably not, but it's amazing sometimes how guys fit in. We put him with Wyatt and Jamie, and they hit it off from the start.

"Same thing for Max. He's come in, he had a great year in Chicago and came in here, and he's really kind of that missing piece for that line we were looking for with Tyler and (Mason) Marchment. I think what's exciting for him, is he hasn't been on a team making a push in the playoffs like this team is, and I think that's got him rejuvenated and he's fit in like a glove also."

After defeating the Edmonton Oilers in six games, the Vegas Golden Knights find themselves in the Western Conference Final where they will take on the Dallas Stars. Here's a rundown of what to expect in the matchup.

2023 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND SCHEDULE VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. DALLAS STARS Game 1: Friday, May 19, 5:30 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena (ESPN, ESPN+) Game 2: Sunday, May 21, 12 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena (ABC, ESPN+) Game 3: Tuesday, May 23, 5 p.m. PT at American Airlines Center (ESPN, ESPN+) Game 4: Thursday, May 25, 5 p.m. PT at American Airlines Center (ESPN, ESPN+) *Game 5: Saturday, May 27, 5 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena (ABC, ESPN+) *Game 6: Monday, May 29, 5 p.m. PT at American Airlines Center (ESPN, ESPN+) *Game 7: Wednesday, May 31, 6 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena (ESPN, ESPN+) * If necessary

The Golden Knights finished the regular season as Pacific Division Champions and atop the Western Conference with a 51-22-9 record and 111 points. The Dallas Stars finished in third place in the Central Division with a 47-21-14 record and 108 points. The last time Vegas and Dallas met in the postseason was in the 2020 Western Conference Final. The Stars won the series, 4-1. The Golden Knights went 0-1-2 against the Stars during the regular season and are 8-3-3 against Dallas all-time.

On Jan. 16, the Stars handed Vegas their first and only shutout of the season - a 4-0 loss at T-Mobile Arena. Jamie Benn opened the scoring for Dallas in the first period. The Stars then scored three more unanswered goals from Joel Kiviranta in the second and Ryan Suter and Tyler Seguin in the third period. Jake Oettinger stopped all 27 shots he faced.

The Golden Knights fell 3-2 to the Stars in a shootout on Feb. 25 at T-Mobile Arena. After a scoreless first period, Michael Amadio put Vegas on the board in the middle frame. Wyatt Johnston then tied things up 1-1 two minutes later. In the third period, Jack Eichel put the Golden Knights ahead, 2-1. Then, with less than one minute remaining in the third, Roope Hintz tied the game for Dallas at 2-2 to send it to overtime. Hintz went on to score the shootout winner for the Stars. Oettinger stopped 41 of 43 shots faced.

The final meeting between both teams was on April 8 at American Airlines Center, in which Vegas was defeated 2-1 in another shootout loss. Brett Howden scored fourteen minutes into the first period, putting the Golden Knights up 1-0. Kiviranta then tied the game for Dallas thirteen minutes into the second. After a scoreless third period and overtime, Hintz scored the only goal in the shootout, securing the 2-1 win for the Stars. Oettinger saved 19 out of 20 shots faced.

HOW THEY GOT HERE The Golden Knights defeated the Winnipeg Jets in five games in Round 1. After losing Game 1, Vegas won four straight to clinch the series. Mark Stone led the team with 8 points (3G, 5A). Goaltender Laurent Brossoit shined with a 2.42 GAA and a .915 save percentage.

The Golden Knights took down the Edmonton Oilers in six games in Round 2. After a back-and-forth series that went 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, then 3-2, Vegas was able to get it done in six in enemy territory. Eichel was Vegas' points leader with 9 (3G, 6A). After Brossoit suffered an injury in the first period of Game 3, Adin Hill stepped in and finished out the series with a 2.19 GAA and a .934 save percentage.

The Stars beat the Minnesota Wild in six games in Round 1. Hintz led the club with 12 points (5G, 7A). Goaltender Oettinger had a 2.01 GAA and a .929 save percentage throughout the series.

The Stars went on to defeat the Seattle Kraken in seven games in Round 2. Joe Pavelski led the way with 9 points (8G, 1A). Oettinger was pulled twice in the series and finished with a 3.50 GAA and a .878 save percentage.

NOTABLE STATS Playoff points leaders: Vegas - Jack Eichel - 14 points (6G, 8A) Mark Stone - 12 points (7G, 5A) Chandler Stephenson - 10 points (6G, 4A)

Dallas - Roope Hintz - 19 points (9G, 10A) Jason Robertson - 12 points (2G, 10A) Max Domi - 11 points (3G, 8A)

Goaltending comparison: Vegas - Adin Hill - 2.19 GAA, .934 SV%

Dallas - Jake Oettinger - 2.75 GAA, .903 SV%