Post by prossman on Dec 23, 2008 20:54:42 GMT -7
DC.COM: Spagnola: Barber Still In Doubt; Notes: Not Much Optimism Around Lead Back's
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Barber Still In Doubt
Notes: Not Much Optimism Around Lead Back's Return
Mickey Spagnola
December 23, 2008 5:30 PM
IRVING, Texas - The prospects of Marion Barber becoming a significantly more productive running back this Sunday in Philadelphia than he was in the past three games don't look much better.
Barber, still bothered by pain from the dislocated right little toe, did not practice on Tuesday - an extra day of practice for the Cowboys preparing for their win-and-they're-in game against the Eagles - and Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips seemed less than encouraged about his former Pro Bowl running back's availability.
"Right now, we don't know," Phillips said here on Tuesday afternoon following practice. "We've gone game-time the last two weeks, and I don't know this will be any different."
The Cowboys did decide after Barber worked out for running backs coach Skip Peete roughly two hours before the past two kickoffs to keep him active after his missed the Pittsburgh game three weeks ago. But he was but a shadow of himself, carrying eight times against the Giants for two yards and then only twice this past Saturday against Baltimore for no yards.
That limited production, along with the toe still causing enough pain to prevent Barber from being "able to cut the way he wants to cut," has Phillips somewhat questioning their decision to keep him active, if only for a dozen or so plays, in the past two games.
"Maybe we shouldn't have played him at all, and he'd be well now," Phillips said in a rare second-guess.
This points to rookie Tashard Choice starting his third game in the past four, as well as shouldering the majority of the running back chores for the fourth consecutive game. That probably doesn't concern the Cowboys as much as it did in his NFL starting debut against Pittsburgh since Choice in the past three games has produced 269 yards rushing and two touchdowns, along with having caught 16 passes for 135 more yards - totaling 404 yards from scrimmage in the past three games.
But likely troubling the Cowboys is not so much Choice starting as who is behind him. Because if Barber isn't active, then first-year running back Alonzo Coleman, who has never carried the ball in the NFL, would be the next guy up.
Romo Feeling Better
Saturday wasn't a great night for Tony Romo. He had fewer yards per attempt (5.6) than in any game this season, and couldn't ignite the Cowboys offense for three quarters. On top of that, the franchise quarterback was taking more hits than anybody with a bad back would prefer. But while Romo had admitted he was in pain during the loss, he said Tuesday it didn't affect his play.
"It's just part of the game," Romo said. "You play with stuff and you just keep playing. It's December and everybody is banged up . . . You love to play at 100 percent and go out there and do what you can do, (but) it's December. Everybody plays with different things."
Romo was back on the practice field with his teammates Tuesday, and said he doesn't expect any setbacks by Sunday.
"The back's gotten better every day," said Romo, who appeared to be throwing the ball much better and with far less pain than he was during practice last week. "I think it will be real good by the game."
-Josh Ellis
Rush Needs To Return
By halftime of Saturday night's loss to the Ravens, the Cowboys had registered 25 sacks in the last 14 quarters, but their total didn't climb at all in the second half. Baltimore stuck to its running game and deployed an extra offensive tackle in many passing situations down the stretch to keep the Cowboys and NFL sack-leader DeMarcus Ware from getting to quarterback Joe Flacco.
"I don't know that it was any different (than the first half)," Phillips said. "(Flacco) got rid of the ball some, that kind of thing. But we put good pressure on him the whole game. Any time you get five sacks in a game that should be enough."
Ware had a sack in the first half to reach 20 for the season, still 2.5 short of Michael Strahan's NFL record. Reaching the record will be a tall order considering Donovan McNabb's track record of avoiding pressure.
"We've just got to get pressure on him," Ware said. "He's an elusive guy. We just have to find a way to get him."
-Josh Ellis
Could Have Been 21
Had Elias awarded Ware the sack he deserved in the Green Bay game when he ran quarterback Aaron Rodgers out of bounds for a loss of one on a second-and-goal at the six early in the third quarter, a sack total of 21 sure would have looked a lot better going into the final game of the season.
But for some reason Elias, the NFL's official statistics service, credited Zach Thomas with the sack since he was standing closest to where Rodgers went out of bounds even though Ware did all the work.
"We sent it in to Elias," Phillips said of challenging the ruling that was denied. "We thought (Ware) ran him out of bounds and (Thomas) was just standing there. "Back then it didn't seem to mean much and now 21 sacks could make a difference."
Short Shots
Besides Barber, the only other Cowboys player not at least dressed for practice was guard Montrae Holland (ankle), who seems rather doubtful to return for the season's final game . . . That means the rest of the players nursing injuries, including tight end Jason Witten (ankle), safety Ken Hamlin (foot), safety Keith Davis (knee/neck), linebacker Bobby Carpenter (knee/calf) and cornerback Alan Ball (ankle), were out at practice. How much they did, Phillips wasn't saying since the NFL does not require a practice report until Wednesday each week . . . The Eagles are not without their share of injuries, wide receivers Hank Baskett and Kevin Curtis missing this past Sunday's game against Washington. Baskett (sprained knee) was feeling better, Philly head coach Andy Reid said, and Curtis (strained calf) at least was able to test his strained calf before the Washington game. Also, starting left guard Todd Herremans is nursing a sprained ankle he suffered against the Redskins.
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Barber Still In Doubt
Notes: Not Much Optimism Around Lead Back's Return
Mickey Spagnola
December 23, 2008 5:30 PM
IRVING, Texas - The prospects of Marion Barber becoming a significantly more productive running back this Sunday in Philadelphia than he was in the past three games don't look much better.
Barber, still bothered by pain from the dislocated right little toe, did not practice on Tuesday - an extra day of practice for the Cowboys preparing for their win-and-they're-in game against the Eagles - and Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips seemed less than encouraged about his former Pro Bowl running back's availability.
"Right now, we don't know," Phillips said here on Tuesday afternoon following practice. "We've gone game-time the last two weeks, and I don't know this will be any different."
The Cowboys did decide after Barber worked out for running backs coach Skip Peete roughly two hours before the past two kickoffs to keep him active after his missed the Pittsburgh game three weeks ago. But he was but a shadow of himself, carrying eight times against the Giants for two yards and then only twice this past Saturday against Baltimore for no yards.
That limited production, along with the toe still causing enough pain to prevent Barber from being "able to cut the way he wants to cut," has Phillips somewhat questioning their decision to keep him active, if only for a dozen or so plays, in the past two games.
"Maybe we shouldn't have played him at all, and he'd be well now," Phillips said in a rare second-guess.
This points to rookie Tashard Choice starting his third game in the past four, as well as shouldering the majority of the running back chores for the fourth consecutive game. That probably doesn't concern the Cowboys as much as it did in his NFL starting debut against Pittsburgh since Choice in the past three games has produced 269 yards rushing and two touchdowns, along with having caught 16 passes for 135 more yards - totaling 404 yards from scrimmage in the past three games.
But likely troubling the Cowboys is not so much Choice starting as who is behind him. Because if Barber isn't active, then first-year running back Alonzo Coleman, who has never carried the ball in the NFL, would be the next guy up.
Romo Feeling Better
Saturday wasn't a great night for Tony Romo. He had fewer yards per attempt (5.6) than in any game this season, and couldn't ignite the Cowboys offense for three quarters. On top of that, the franchise quarterback was taking more hits than anybody with a bad back would prefer. But while Romo had admitted he was in pain during the loss, he said Tuesday it didn't affect his play.
"It's just part of the game," Romo said. "You play with stuff and you just keep playing. It's December and everybody is banged up . . . You love to play at 100 percent and go out there and do what you can do, (but) it's December. Everybody plays with different things."
Romo was back on the practice field with his teammates Tuesday, and said he doesn't expect any setbacks by Sunday.
"The back's gotten better every day," said Romo, who appeared to be throwing the ball much better and with far less pain than he was during practice last week. "I think it will be real good by the game."
-Josh Ellis
Rush Needs To Return
By halftime of Saturday night's loss to the Ravens, the Cowboys had registered 25 sacks in the last 14 quarters, but their total didn't climb at all in the second half. Baltimore stuck to its running game and deployed an extra offensive tackle in many passing situations down the stretch to keep the Cowboys and NFL sack-leader DeMarcus Ware from getting to quarterback Joe Flacco.
"I don't know that it was any different (than the first half)," Phillips said. "(Flacco) got rid of the ball some, that kind of thing. But we put good pressure on him the whole game. Any time you get five sacks in a game that should be enough."
Ware had a sack in the first half to reach 20 for the season, still 2.5 short of Michael Strahan's NFL record. Reaching the record will be a tall order considering Donovan McNabb's track record of avoiding pressure.
"We've just got to get pressure on him," Ware said. "He's an elusive guy. We just have to find a way to get him."
-Josh Ellis
Could Have Been 21
Had Elias awarded Ware the sack he deserved in the Green Bay game when he ran quarterback Aaron Rodgers out of bounds for a loss of one on a second-and-goal at the six early in the third quarter, a sack total of 21 sure would have looked a lot better going into the final game of the season.
But for some reason Elias, the NFL's official statistics service, credited Zach Thomas with the sack since he was standing closest to where Rodgers went out of bounds even though Ware did all the work.
"We sent it in to Elias," Phillips said of challenging the ruling that was denied. "We thought (Ware) ran him out of bounds and (Thomas) was just standing there. "Back then it didn't seem to mean much and now 21 sacks could make a difference."
Short Shots
Besides Barber, the only other Cowboys player not at least dressed for practice was guard Montrae Holland (ankle), who seems rather doubtful to return for the season's final game . . . That means the rest of the players nursing injuries, including tight end Jason Witten (ankle), safety Ken Hamlin (foot), safety Keith Davis (knee/neck), linebacker Bobby Carpenter (knee/calf) and cornerback Alan Ball (ankle), were out at practice. How much they did, Phillips wasn't saying since the NFL does not require a practice report until Wednesday each week . . . The Eagles are not without their share of injuries, wide receivers Hank Baskett and Kevin Curtis missing this past Sunday's game against Washington. Baskett (sprained knee) was feeling better, Philly head coach Andy Reid said, and Curtis (strained calf) at least was able to test his strained calf before the Washington game. Also, starting left guard Todd Herremans is nursing a sprained ankle he suffered against the Redskins.
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