Tsunami alert, a Simba celly, Jerry's music pick: Fun times and oddities from Cowboys camp in Oxnard

OXNARD, Calif. -- Another Dallas Cowboys' summer in California has come and gone.

After 26 days and 15 practices in Oxnard, the Cowboys are back in Texas preparing for Saturday's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. Then they will have practices on Tuesday and Wednesday inside Ford Center as they get ready to settle the 53-man roster on Aug. 26.

For all the big stories in training camp -- pass rusher Micah Parsons' contract, quarterback Dak Prescott's comeback from hamstring surgery, the knee injury to left tackle Tyler Guyton, the question of when cornerback Trevon Diggs will return to the field, who will be the lead running back, how the defense will stop the run, receiver George Pickens' playmaking ability -- there were some funny and odd moments in Oxnard that cracked some smiles.

Here's a look at five of them:

A tsunami advisory?

Brian Schottenheimer had seen a lot during his 26 years of training camp as an NFL coach.

Being under a tsunami watch was not one of them.

Ventura County was under the advisory the evening of July 29 following the earthquake on Russia's western coast. Ultimately there was not much of an impact in the waters near Cowboys' training camp in Oxnard.

"I will admit something; that I was a little worried," Schottenheimer said. "You hear 'tsunami' and you're really worried."

Schottenheimer called the Cowboys' director of security, Cable Johnson, who called the local police department for more information.

"He just said, 'You're good,' and I was like, 'OK, good. That's all I want to hear.' Then I was able to get back to sleep."

A Simba celebration

Able to undercut a deep pass from Prescott to receiver Jalen Tolbert, cornerback Kaiir Elam was able to come up with an interception early camp, but it was how he celebrated that was more impressive.

Making the takeaway near the fans on the sideline, Elam reached over the fence and pulled up 4-year-old Kenneth, then lifted him up in the air over his head with teammates cheering, like Simba in "The Lion King."

"I'm just trying to give the people a show, what they paid to come see, that's all," Elam said.

Getting to Kenneth was harder than the pick, according to Elam.

"My arms ain't that long," he said.

Was the boy nervous?

Elam said no, but the adults, he said, "were kind of nervous. I seen one of the guys. He was like, 'I don't know about this,' but the kid was excited. That's all that mattered."

Pumping up for practice

After the team stretches, the players run through and over bags to get ready for practice, while the assistant coaches perform skits that are scored by Schottenheimer.

It's a way for the coaches to have some fun and get the players energized.

One day "Eye of the Tiger" came over the speakers and a coach was sporting a red, white and blue boxing robe and proceeded to shadow box a few rounds. Secondary coach Darian Thompson acted like he was surfing on a backboard. Prescott, who doesn't run the bags, pretended to ride a horse. And then there was a dunk contest.

Offensive line coach Conor Riley said he won't be doing the surf trick anytime soon.

"You'd probably have to get a couple of the O-linemen to hoist me up, and they're busy running through the bags," Riley said. "So, I don't want to put any of the coaches on IR trying to hoist me up."

More than just an arm

Prescott laughs when he talks about the arm strength of No. 2 quarterback Joe Milton III. No. 3 QB Will Grier just shakes his head.

Schottenheimer called Milton a throwing mechanics "nerd" when it comes to how he can rifle the ball.

But there's another thing that Milton does that catches folks by surprise -- a backflip.

He said he was 3-years-old when he first flipped.

"I fell on my head," he said.

When he would visit his great-grandmother's house, he said his cousins would grab his arms and legs and swing him in the air and let him go, and he had to land on his feet. One day he almost hit his head on a pole.