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OXNARD, Calif. — You can only rub two pieces of iron together for so long before you start creating sparks, and then it's just a matter of time before those sparks generate a fire. That is, more or less, the best way to describe what's been seen throughout the entirety of 2023 training camp from the Dallas Cowboys — as the offense and defense built up plenty of friction over the course of nearly four weeks.

And, on the final day of padded practice in sunny California, that friction sparked a wildfire.

"We ain't taking no sh-t from nobody — all 32 teams — we ain't taking sh-t from nobody," said veteran safety Jayron Kearse after practice. "Whether it's our offense or the next offense. We're trying to show we're the best in the business, so it gets spicy out here, it's gonna get spicy on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays; whenever we line up, that's how we're gonna come."

The afternoon brimmed over with a mix of explosive plays and, on two separate occasions, a scuffle ensued.

The first began when an exchange of words between offensive lineman Brock Hoffman and defensive end Sam Williams, ending with a massive scrum that had to be broken up before defensive coordinator Dan Quinn called a full team huddle to get everyone back on the same page before continuing practice.

That calm lasted for all of 20 minutes, if that.

Not long after the initial kerfuffle, two-time All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons squared off against Pro Bowl center Tyler Biadasz — the latter being a centerpiece in the initial scuffle — tossing at least two punches toward Biadasz's helmet before being separated and calmed down by two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott.

For his part, it's exactly the kind of fire he's demanding from the Cowboys offense, regularly.

"Hell yeah, I need that," he said. "I'm here to make them better. I push myself to the greater good and me pushing myself is only gonna make them better, at the end of the day. I don't care who I'm up against. I don't care if it's Tyron, if it's Zack, if it's Tyler Smith — I'm gonna beat the hell out of them.

"It's only gonna make them better. … This is where championships get started — right here in camp. The goal is to bring that out, and the camaraderie, to bring it all together. It's only one goal at the end of the day."

By the way, Parsons says his hands are just fine, since you were wondering.

The aforementioned goal for the Cowboys is to finally get over the hump and into the Super Bowl this coming season, and to then hoist the Lombardi trophy when the clock runs down to all zeroes on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. And, to Parsons' point, the fuel required to reach that destination can't simply be picked after the drive truly begins in Week 1.

The tank needs to be filled in training camp, first and foremost.

"That's just how this thing goes," said Kearse. "When you're going up against a bunch of dogs on the opposite side, it just brings the best out of you. We're just trying to continue to work, and bring those guys along. … When you come out here and you go against us, it's gonna bring out the best in you.

"You're going against Micah, D-Law, you're going against Mazi [Smith], Osa [Odighizuwa], you're going against [Dante] Fowler — you're going against a lot of dogs. It brings the best out of you. … At the end, we're gonna stand up all the time."

The team will now prepare to pack up and fly to face the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, returning to Dallas immediately afterwards, where they'll hold a few more practices before wrapping up their preseason against the Raiders on Aug. 26.

Needless to say, they're leaving Oxnard with a bang this year.

"It's the last practice of camp, man," said Parsons. "You gotta bring all you got. That's what this is about. I told guys before we went out there that this is our Super Bowl [on the line]. It was nothing more than being ferocious and being a dog competitor."

Kearse agrees, and wholeheartedly.

"It's our last day out in Oxnard, and maybe that's what it was," he added. "… Either way, it's all good competition and, come September 10, it's gonna be another team on the opposite side of both [our] offense and the defense, and they're gonna have to take what we're bringing to them."

In other words, bring on the New York Giants, and anyone else who wants a piece.

OXNARD, Calif. – Deuce Vaughn, all 5 feet, 5 inches of him, realizes that at least one thing hasn’t changed as he tries to transition to the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys.

It’s the doubts about his size.

Vaughn, a sixth-round rookie from Kansas State, is challenged to survive in a forest where just about everybody towers above him.

“I’ve been doubted my whole life,” Vaughn, 21, told USA TODAY Sports following a recent training camp practice. “Coming out of high school, I had maybe three offers. Going to Kansas State, I was the ninth running back out of nine running backs on that depth chart. I was able to fight, claw and scratch, and wound up starting the second game of my career and play three years.

“It’s just hard work, dedication and being a professional every single day to just try to become a better player in any way I can. It’s the only way I know how to play this game. It hasn’t changed to this point. I’m out to gain the respect of the coaches and everyone in the building to show that I am able to play at this level, just like I did in college and high school.”

Vaughn, who during the preseason opener on Saturday against the Jacksonville Jaguars rushed for 50 yards with a touchdown, caught three passes and returned a kickoff for 30 yards, quickly became a fan favorite during Dallas’ crowd-friendly training camp.

Sure, it’s easy to root for a player who looks as though he might still be playing on somebody’s high school freshman team. People are often inspired by so-called underdogs. Yet in Vaughn’s case, the attraction is undoubtedly fueled by his skill and the potential of adding production to a high-powered offense after he led the nation last season with 1,936 yards from scrimmage.

And it’s tough to consider Vaughn’s potential without recalling another too-short running back from Kansas State: Darren Sproles, a 5-foot-6 dynamo who sparkled for 14 seasons in the NFL.

The buzz with Vaughn has been ignited by the type of explosive burst that can produce chunk plays. On several occasions in practice, Vaughn was the guy hidden behind a wall of blockers before suddenly darting through a hole for a healthy gain. And it came to life on Saturday night as he ripped off a 26-yard run up the middle.

He’s also rather slippery to tackle in the open field, with a knack for bouncing off of contact.

No, Vaughn, in the running for a backup role behind featured back Tony Pollard, is no mere novelty as he vies to become perhaps the shortest player in the storied history of the Cowboys. The Deuce Factor, if you will, may come in the form of a Mighty Mouse.

“Watching him run the football in the run-game aspect, you see a 6-foot, 230-pound running back,” Will McClay, the Cowboys’ vice president of player personnel, told USA TODAY Sports as he observed from the sideline during a practice.

“His negative is his height, but it’s really his super-power because of all the other things about his game that have gotten better because he’s lacking something.”

Then there’s the other relatable twist to the story of Christopher Vaughn II. His father, Chris, is the Cowboys’ assistant director of college scouting.

During draft weekend, the video from the Cowboys’ war room went viral as it captured the moment that Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones informed the elder Vaughn that the team would select his son with the 212^th pick overall.

“It’s crazy, man,” Vaughn said of joining the team that father has worked for since 2017. “Never something I thought would have happened. It’s hard to put into words how draft day felt. But then things got very real as you went into OTAs and now training camp. I’m getting ready to play some football; I try to put that in the back of my mind. It’s surreal, but you have so much work in front of you to first, make the team, and then to have a role to help this team win. That’s the biggest thing.”

McClay said that given the elder Vaughn’s presence on his staff, it was natural that he and the team’s scouts paid close attention to Deuce. In the evaluation process for the draft, however, there were no shortcuts. And no input from the father.

During the meetings in the weeks before the draft, then again on draft weekend, the elder Vaughn removed himself.

"He said, ‘I’m going to take myself out of the room, so everybody can speak freely,’ “ McClay said.

The Cowboys had Vaughn at the top of a group of four players that they apparently considered choosing with the second of their sixth-round picks. McClay said that Dallas’ running backs coach, Jeff Blasko, contended that Vaughn “was the best gap-scheme runner in the draft – regardless of size.”

As they discussed strengths and weaknesses, they sought to project whether Vaughn could help on special teams, critical for game-day roster management with a backup running back. McClay was also asked, presumably by Jones: “What if we had to cut him?”

“When we started talking about it on that day,” McClay said, referring to the third day of the draft, “all of those points were brought up.”

The elder Vaughn was brought into the room to discuss the other options.

“Even though we were talking about guys who were rated below his son, Chris talked about those guys and all of their positives and how they could help us, without ever referring back to his son,” McClay said.

Fast-forward to the present. Vaughn said the conversations with his father are similar to what they were during his college years. When it comes to football, the talks include a rundown of what occurred in practice and what is needed to improve.

“You get to this point, you’re trying to become a better player, a better person, every single day,” Vaughn said. “So, for him to be in my corner my entire football career, and now for it to be at this level, man, it’s crazy.”

Circumstances seem to have improved Vaughn’s chances to stick. The door was finally shut on the possibility of Ezekiel Elliott returning to the Cowboys after the veteran running back agreed to a one-year deal this week with the New England Patriots. Meanwhile, veteran Ronald Jones was suspended for the first two games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

Vaughn is part of a mix that includes fourth-year veteran Rico Dowdle and second-year pro Malik Davis for the slots behind Pollard. The Cowboys have a dynamic returner in second-year receiver KaVontae Turpin, but depth for the punt-return and kickoff-return roles are on the table.

Said Vaughn: “The only thing I need to prove – it’s not necessarily a prove thing, it’s to gain the respect inside this organization, for everybody to know that I’m somebody you can trust, somebody that if you put on the field, you understand that I’m going to do my job, own my role, no matter what it is. I’m going to work my butt off. That’s what I’m trying to put across every single day.”

He certainly doesn’t lack the confidence that he belongs – regardless of size.

Vaughn also left an impression during a recent practice, when he was left alone in the backfield to pick up a blitz. Done. He stood up the edge-rusher without a hitch, showing that size doesn’t always matter in the matchups.

“Football is a game of angles and leverage,” McClay noted. “No matter what size you are, you’ve got to understand the angles.”

Vaughn knows. When asked about the blitz pickup, he shrugged.

“That’s football,” he said. “It’s hard to explain exactly what goes through my mind, when it’s ‘Man, you’re a little guy out here playing with the biggest guys in the world.’ But I love this game so much. I love what I do, love the position that I play and everything that comes with it. The pass-blocking, the route-running, the running in-between and outside the tackles.

“No matter what my size is,” he added, “you can’t determine how much heart I put on this field.”

In Vaughn’s case, heart may be just the ticket to level the playing field.

(Nick at Nite is a weekly column from DallasCowboys.com staff writer Nick Harris, who joined the staff in April 2023. After over four years working in college football recruiting for Rivals and 247Sports, Harris brings a wealth of knowledge from not only the college landscape, but as well as a scouting perspective that translates to covering the NFL.)

OXNARD, Calif. - I've been thinking on this hard over the last 24 hours.

Even with an unproven kicker situation and a running back picture behind Tony Pollard that has been largely unpredictable, the offensive line group is the one that has seen the most active discourse during training camp and even since Zack Martin's arrival. And I'll be the first to tell you that I've been a part of that.

Why is that? If the best five up front are better when together than 90-percent of the league's best five, where is the issue?

It's about preparing for the unexpected.

It's a long season. 17 games and hopefully a lot more. If you can tell me with a straight face that all five guys will play every meaningful snap during the season without suffering one setback, I'd be quick to call you a fool. It just doesn't happen in today's NFL.

Now take into account the personnel. Tyron Smith hasn't played a full season since 2015 and Terence Steele is coming off a major knee injury that sidelined him for the final stretch of last season. Zack Martin, while he has proved to be as durable as they come, is approaching his age-33 season in 2023. It's impossible to think that at least one of those guys doesn't get banged up at some point.

All it takes is one guy.

Why is it a concern? If the time Zack Martin was away from training camp was spent trying to find a potential future replacement up front and/or a reliable depth option in case someone up front goes down, I can't say that that goal was fully accomplished. Sure, it's a process – especially with so many young guys in the room – but when the process has to take sacrifice to necessity, will anyone in the depth of that group be ready to step up to the task?

Let's look at it. I think there are encouraging "processes" at this point.

I want to start with Asim Richards, the rookie fifth round pick out of North Carolina who saw ample reps at both left tackle and left guard during the preseason opener against the Jaguars. Richards' hand ability, developed lower half and experience in college all combine to create a player that has potential to start at either left tackle or left guard one day. My concern is simply hoping that one day is later rather than sooner so that he can fully develop into whichever role (or both) that he fits into.

Another rookie that has taken some by surprise, especially in the last week or so of camp, has been undrafted free agent T.J. Bass out of Oregon. Coming from a program that stresses technique over talent, Bass comes in with experience that rivals some second and third-year linemen with the toolbox that he has to play at guard. In the preseason opener, Bass excelled at right guard with his correct hand placement and quick punch inside to fight off defenders, although it's the strength generated from his lower half that has impressed me the most in Oxnard.

Lastly, I think there's a lot to like from the growth that second-year interior lineman Brock Hoffman has made this offseason. He's stronger, he's more technical, and he's more comfortable commanding his presence up front. In the preseason opener, Hoffman got a healthy dose of work at center and he played a mostly clean game with the opportunities that he had.

Of the three mentioned, I would feel most confident about Hoffman stepping in if something were to happen up front during the season to the interior offensive line, just because his process is further along than the others.

That doesn't even take into account guys like Matt Waletzko, Matt Farniok, Alec Lindstrom and Earl Bostick Jr. who have all had just as equal of an opportunity to make that big splash at camp, even though the splash has felt more like a sprinkle at times.

As I think more on this situation and on if it's necessary to bring a free agent in that can be that reliable depth option, I find myself conflicted.

On one side, I want to just have the Jason Peters type of free agent to walk in the door and provide immediate help, but on the other side I want to see the process get lived out with a guy that's already in the building.

I will say what I'm rooting for, though. I'm rooting for the latter. I'm rooting for someone not named Tyron Smith, Tyler Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Zack Martin or Terence Steele to take command of the depth by the end of the preseason to provide a comfortable safety net going into the season.

In the end, all it takes is one guy.

An acclaimed chef is debuting a new Italian restaurant with a truly original approach. Called Miss Pasta, it's from chef Giuliano Matarese and his wife Tiziana Cosentino, and will open in the Shire complex at 3613 Shire Blvd. #100 in Richardson.

A native of Naples, Matarese worked on the East Coast at restaurants such as Charlie Palmer's Aureole in New York before coming to Dallas, and has also appeared on cooking shows such as Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay.

He earned local notice as a partner in Mille Lire, the Italian restaurant in the Centrum building in Oak Lawn that he opened with his brother-in-law Brian Ellard in 2017; it closed during COVID in 2020.

Matarese comes from a restaurant family: His cousin Enzo owns a Neapolitan Pizzeria called La Notizia, found in the Michelin Guide, and his great grandmother and grandmother owned restaurants in Naples.

With Miss Pasta, Matarese and Cosentino want to offer the handmade pasta that is a family tradition but in a semi-fast-casual setting and at an approachable price.

"All my life, I've worked in fine dining, but I want to make an incredible pasta experience available to everyone," he says. "This will be a neighborhood Italian kitchen specializing in fresh homemade pasta. But you'll order at the counter and when your food is ready, we will deliver it to the table."

He values the idea not only of a more affordable meal but also one in which the experience is more immediate, inspired by the osterias common in Rome.

"It's an opportunity to have authentic Italian food and experience but in a casual way," he says.

The menu will incorporate family recipes from Matarese's grandmother's restaurants that he had as a child, as well as dishes from different regions of Italy: cacio e pepe, carbonara, Bolognese, gnocchi, lasagna — "but everything made fresh," he says. "You'll be able to see all the pasta, freshly made, displayed behind a window. Once you order, we'll drop it in the water and then serve it with authentic Italian sauces."

Miss Pasta chef Giuliano Matarese has his eye on pasta.Courtesy photo

Ravioli, gnocchi, spaghetti — everything will be made daily. "Anyone who has spent time in Italy knows how Italian food has to be, and we are focused on that authenticity," he says.

Another major component at Miss Pasta will be their to-go option. "Takeout will be a significant part of the operation," Matarese says.

They'll partner with third-party delivery companies such as DoorDash, so that you can get all of their pasta delivered, along with a bottle of wine, if you so desire.

They've formed an alliance with a small winery in Tuscany, whose wines they will feature.

"Villa Svetoni is a beautiful vineyard in Tuscany, they make montepulciano, sangiovese, rose, all from the same area, we spend time between here and there, and want to to show where we come from," he says.

A friend recommended the space at the Shire, and the couple liked its central location and proximity to businesses and residential. Their goal is to open other Miss Pastas down the road.

They're still in construction and hope to be open in mid-October. The space will be clean but warm, with black & white photos but also greenery and flowers.

"The main focus will be the open space where diners can see the process before their eyes," Matarese says. "To see the kitchen take the fresh pasta on display, cook it, make the sauce, see the action and the freshness of the ingredients."

"We love the Dallas-Fort Worth dining scene and I don't feel like there's anything quite like this," he says. "A nice dish of pasta with an authentic flavor served this way. I think about sitting down at home with my mom and a bowl of pasta, the way we were raised — I want to bring that same emotional sensation to Dallas-Fort Worth."

If you haven’t heard, the drink of the summer is plain black coffee. August also happens to be national coffee month, but please, don’t limit yourself to just plain coffee.

There are a bunch of new coffee shops opening in neighborhoods across Dallas, and they’re serving hot and iced drinks all year long. In this weather, we won’t blame you for grabbing something chilled.

The Berni Bean Coffee Co. in Deep Ellum

A new location of the Costa Rican coffee shop opened early July to serve coffee, smoothies, and bites in the Deep Ellum neighborhood. Owner Giuliana Bernini opened its other location in downtown Dallas in 2021, and she told D Magazine at the time that she was hoping to build a customer base of office workers who were returning to the office. With the Deep Ellum location, the shop can cater to a new crop of regulars.

Its menu spans Costa Rican brews made with beans from her family’s farm, speciality lattes, and food such as toasts and empanadas. Both locations offer breakfast and brunch items, like the desayuno plate, which includes tortillas, sour cream, egg, plantain, fried cheese, and a bowl of fruit.

The Berni Bean Coffee Co., 2820 Elm St.

JuJu’s Coffee in Lakewood

UNT graduates Julia and Nick Rocha went home to Amarillo for spring break in March 2020 and soon realized that they weren’t going to go back to Denton. The couple found a 1962 airstream trailer and decided to renovate it to sell coffee. Coffee was a major part of their relationship, Nick says.

“We always studied at coffee shops, we were always around coffee,” he says. “In college, I would literally make pour-overs for my friends in my dorm and I would geek out about coffee to them.”

JuJu’s Coffee—JuJu is Julia’s nickname—sold brews out of the airstream at pop-ups, weddings, and other events throughout 2022. While their trailer (its name is Otis) served customers all over D-FW, Nick and Rocha wanted to open a shop in Lakewood. They found 6038 La Vista Dr. and opened this past May. Most of JuJu’s customers walk over to the shop with their families and their dogs on Saturday mornings, Nick says.

“I can remember my regulars’ names and know where they work and kind of be part of their family,” he says. “That’s really special for us.”

JuJu’s Coffee, 6038 La Vista Dr.

Peaberry Coffee in Elmwood

The Kiestwood shop opened its new location in downtown Elmwood earlier this month. Owner Elijah Salazar says he wants to keep his shop local to neighborhoods around Dallas, specifically in Oak Cliff. His first Peaberry location is on Kiest Boulevard on the other side of the neighborhood.

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The Elmwood shop has freshly painted murals by artist Stephanie Sanz and will offer the same menu as the other location, such as the Oat Cliff and the canned Kiestwood Iced Coffees, with a few additions. Salazar says Elmwood will offer coffee flights, which will give customers a chance to try several flavors in one go. A flight can include three to six different coffee drinks and range from $8 to $14. Customers will also get to try pour-overs, which aren’t offered at the other location.

Peaberry Coffee in Elmwood, 2105 S. Edgefield Ave.

Slow and Steady in Elmwood

Down Edgefield Avenue from Peaberry is another local coffee shop that has been years in the making. What was formerly Graph Coffee is now Slow and Steady, an homage to the years-long journey owner Germán Sierra took to get to the shop’s opening due to obstacles with the city’s parking code regulations.

Sierra bought the house in 2020 and has since renovated and refurbished it. Slow and Steady roasts its own beans and will sell coffee drinks, merch, and more. The shop isn’t open just yet—Sierra says they’ll have an official opening in late August—but they’ve been testing things out with soft pop-ups since mid-July, according to its Instagram account.

Slow and Steady Coffee, 1805 S. Edgefield Ave.

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