Todd Archer

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SAN ANTONIO – What do a giant tire, blue bag, black mat and jump rope have in common?

For the Cowboys quarterbacks, they are four tools of strength and conditioning coach Joe Juraszek's trade designed to tax them physically, build up their conditioning and test their toughness.

The name of the drill cannot be mentioned in a family newspaper or on the Internet, but it has to do with, um, maturation.

"Joe says the quarterbacks need to be the toughest guys on the team," said Jon Kitna, who is entering his 13th season.

So every other day during training camp the quarterbacks go through the rigorous four-circuit workout after practice. They flip the 300-pound tire one way, use a two-footed jump to get in and out, then flip it back. They do that eight times. They raise the 50-pound blue bag over their head eight times. They jump rope and hop on the soft black mat for 20 seconds. They do each turn four times before heading to the shower.

"I think the biggest thing at the quarterback position – and this has always been the case – is that they don't run as much as everyone else does," assistant head coach Jason Garrett said. "Receivers and defensive backs run all day long, and you do everything you can as a coach, 'Are they running too much? Are their legs dead?' The quarterbacks have to get their stuff on their own."

When Garrett played, that mostly meant post-practice running, but Juraszek, Garrett and Wade Phillips did not want to use the conventional ways of conditioning. In the off-season program, Juraszek had the rookie quarterbacks Stephen McGee and Rudy Carpenter go through the circuit and decided to add the veterans Tony Romo and Kitna.

"Most of the players have confidence in me that the reason we're doing something is because it applies to your game this way," Juraszek said. "I never go, 'Just do this.' "

Juraszek's programs for all players are designed to be football similar so a player can see how a certain exercise relates to certain movements on the field.

"We do the same thing with chains and belts and cords, resistance vests," Juraszek said. "You take the vest off and your body adapts to the resistance, and it's easier when you're doing free movements."

The tire flip and bag lift are designed for explosion. The mat and jump rope are meant for endurance. While jumping on a mat might not seem like much, the cushioning forces the player to concentrate as he lift his knees while taking away the pounding of the artificial turf.

"You're working your legs with things you don't normally go through," Romo said.

During a season a quarterback's legs are as important as his throwing arm. Bill Parcells used to say Vinny Testaverde will be able to throw when he is 50 years old because of how he kept his legs in shape. Dead legs lead to dead arms.

"At all positions you've got to be great with your lower body, and the quarterback is no different," Garrett said.

As the players go through the sets, Juraszek offers encouragement, bringing up late-game, late season situations.

"It's 'You've got to finish the fourth-quarter drive, it's a touchdown we gotta have it now, make a play,' " McGee said. "It definitely works."