Post by prossman on Dec 27, 2008 21:58:50 GMT -7
Notes: Injury To Tight End Likely Most Concerning
Notes: Injury To Tight End Likely Most Concerning
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Mickey Spagnola - Email
DallasCowboys.com Columnist
December 26, 2008 6:23 PM Change Font Size A A A A
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OTHER RECENT NEWS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Former Cowboys CB Breaks Down Eagles Match-Up 12/26
• Precedent Sack Totals Key To Beating Eagles 12/25
• Romo Returns, Feeling Better; Colombo Relieved 12/25
• Star: Martin One Of Cowboys' All-Time Greatest 12/25
• Slippery McNabb Stands In Way Of Playoff Berth 12/24
• Notes: Williams Seeks Strong Philly Showing 12/24
• Sham: Good Year? Depends On Your Own Perspective 12/24
• Cowboys Have Been In Must-Win Mode For Weeks 12/23
• Eatman: Sunday's Game More Than Just Do-or-Die 12/23
IRVING, Texas - Earlier in the week, Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said, "You know he's going to play," when talking about tight end Jason Witten being held out of practice on Tuesday and Wednesday with the sprained ankle and knee.
And while Witten almost certainly will play in the 2008 season finale, which is essentially a playoff game at Philadelphia come late Sunday afternoon since the Cowboys will qualify for the postseason only if they beat the Eagles at The Linc, to what extent the Pro Bowl tight end is able to play seems to be in question.
The Cowboys are listing Witten as "probable," and even though he practiced on a limited basis Thursday and then again on Friday, Phillips sort of tempered his weeklong optimism by saying, "I think he'll play, but to what extent we'll see."
In Witten's absence and limited participation in practice this week, rookie Martellus Bennett has been getting the majority of the snaps at tight end, Phillips saying, "He'll be ready if needed."
The same still can't be said for running back Marion Barber, who has started just one of the past three games and had only 10 carries over that span because of his dislocated right little toe. Barber is being listed as no better than questionable, as he has been for the past two games, after only limited participation in practice all week.
From the looks of things on Friday, rookie Tashard Choice will once again shoulder the burden of carries at running back.
The same goes for Cory Procter at left guard since starter Montrae Holland, still in a walking boot for his badly sprained ankle, already has been ruled out of this game.
Other than Witten, the Cowboys have six other players listed as probable, including starting safeties Ken Hamlin (foot) and Keith Davis (knee/neck), linebacker Bobby Carpenter (knee/calf), cornerback Alan Ball (ankle), wide receiver Roy Williams (foot) and quarterback Tony Romo (illness). All six participated fully in practice on Friday, including Romo, who missed Wednesday's practice with a stomach virus.
If Witten is not his usual self come Sunday afternoon, Romo might have another bout of queasiness, the Pro Bowl tight end leading the team with 74 receptions.
Freezing Another TE's Rights
The Cowboys, making sure they own his exclusive rights at season's end, have signed practice squad tight end Rodney Hannah to the 53-man roster. The move has little to do with Witten's injury status heading into Sunday's game and more to do with Hannah's potential.
To make room for Hannah, who has spent the past two seasons on the team's practice squad, the Cowboys on Friday placed wide receiver Isaiah Stanback on injured reserve, knowing he will require surgery to repair the dislocated shoulder he's been dealing with for most of the season. Stanback has been deactivated the past two games, ever since Miles Austin returned from his sprained knee to take over the kickoff return duties and those of the fourth receiver from the team's 2007 fourth-round draft choice.
The Cowboys didn't want to chance Hannah becoming a free agent after spending two years developing the raw tight end out of Houston, where he mostly played basketball before turning to football late in his career.
Jones Patient With Roy
With swirling pessimism surrounding Roy Williams, the wide receiver the Cowboys acquired at this season's trade deadline, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is showing resolute patience with the newcomer he signed to a five-year, $45 million contract.
Since arriving in Dallas, Williams, previously the Detroit Lions lead receiver and former first-round draft choice, has pulled in 13 catches for 177 yards and one touchdown - albeit quite a big one, turning out to be the game-winner in a 13-9 victory over Tampa Bay. But those are not exactly the nine-game totals of a star receiver.
But when Jones was asked if he was disappointed in Williams' production with one game left in the regular season out here at Friday's practice, the owner said, "No, no I'm not. No I'm not. (We) used next year's No. 1 pick to get this season out of Roy Williams. For no other reason, we weren't able to get him as involved this season as opposed to waiting to the draft next year. There isn't any question defenses have to look at both he and 81 when they are on the field. They have had to adjust.
"Whether or not we've taken advantage of them or make the plays is something else. We've gotten at least one aspect of the impact, and that's do they have more to deal with, with Roy and Terrell out there? We've gotten that. Plus, from what I've seen, we have the player that I had hoped we were getting in Roy Williams. That is important - close in and up tight as opposed to far away in Detroit. Close in and up tight, we've seen we made the right decision relative to the use of that No. 1 pick and the future receiver for the Cowboys."
December In Philly
Much is being made of the Cowboys not having won a December game in Philadelphia since 1994's 31-19 victory on Dec. 4. Well, that drought includes only three games, and one of those the Cowboys lost was the Dec. 10, 1995 game, better known as "Load Left."
That was the infamous game in which former head coach Barry Switzer twice ordered up an Emmitt Smith run over the overloaded left side in their own territory late in the fourth quarter of a tied game, only to be denied on third and fourth downs, turning the ball over to the Eagles for an easy, final-seconds game-winning field goal in the 20-17 loss.
The other two December losses came in 2003 (36-10) and 2004 (12-7).
So as droughts go, this one is not exactly intimidating.
Kindler, Gentler Philly?
Maybe, at least when it comes to the weather this time of year, since the high on Sunday in Philadelphia is expected to be 60, with the low hitting overnight around 35, this will seem like a chamber of commerce-type trip.
That's not bad if you consider two of the coldest games the Cowboys have ever played took place in the City of Brotherly Shove. The coldest of those two was that 1980 NFC title game, taking placing on Jan. 11, 1981, when the kickoff temperature in that 20-7 loss was 16 degrees. Then there was that "Load Left" game on Dec. 10, 1995, when the kickoff temperature was 19 degrees.
While the temperatures aren't expected to be too bad come Sunday at The Linc, there is a 40-percent chance of rain and a good possibility of high winds, blowing through The Linc at nearly 20 mph.
Short Shots
The Eagles already have ruled out starting right guard Shawn Andrews (back) and backup defensive end Victor Abiamiri (foot) for Sunday's game. They also have three players listed as questionable, including starting safety Brian Dawkins, the combination of a bad back and an illness keeping him out of practice the past two days. Also questionable are wide receiver Kevin Curtis (calf) and starting middle linebacker Stewart Bradley (rib/groin) . . . No matter what anyone thinks of Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb's season, passing for 135 yards Sunday against the Cowboys will give him his highest single-season passing total of his career. His previous high is 3,875 yards in 2004 . . . And this from Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens, saying, "A lot of the joy in the holidays will be decided Sunday." Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS
Notes: Injury To Tight End Likely Most Concerning
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mickey Spagnola - Email
DallasCowboys.com Columnist
December 26, 2008 6:23 PM Change Font Size A A A A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER RECENT NEWS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Former Cowboys CB Breaks Down Eagles Match-Up 12/26
• Precedent Sack Totals Key To Beating Eagles 12/25
• Romo Returns, Feeling Better; Colombo Relieved 12/25
• Star: Martin One Of Cowboys' All-Time Greatest 12/25
• Slippery McNabb Stands In Way Of Playoff Berth 12/24
• Notes: Williams Seeks Strong Philly Showing 12/24
• Sham: Good Year? Depends On Your Own Perspective 12/24
• Cowboys Have Been In Must-Win Mode For Weeks 12/23
• Eatman: Sunday's Game More Than Just Do-or-Die 12/23
IRVING, Texas - Earlier in the week, Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said, "You know he's going to play," when talking about tight end Jason Witten being held out of practice on Tuesday and Wednesday with the sprained ankle and knee.
And while Witten almost certainly will play in the 2008 season finale, which is essentially a playoff game at Philadelphia come late Sunday afternoon since the Cowboys will qualify for the postseason only if they beat the Eagles at The Linc, to what extent the Pro Bowl tight end is able to play seems to be in question.
The Cowboys are listing Witten as "probable," and even though he practiced on a limited basis Thursday and then again on Friday, Phillips sort of tempered his weeklong optimism by saying, "I think he'll play, but to what extent we'll see."
In Witten's absence and limited participation in practice this week, rookie Martellus Bennett has been getting the majority of the snaps at tight end, Phillips saying, "He'll be ready if needed."
The same still can't be said for running back Marion Barber, who has started just one of the past three games and had only 10 carries over that span because of his dislocated right little toe. Barber is being listed as no better than questionable, as he has been for the past two games, after only limited participation in practice all week.
From the looks of things on Friday, rookie Tashard Choice will once again shoulder the burden of carries at running back.
The same goes for Cory Procter at left guard since starter Montrae Holland, still in a walking boot for his badly sprained ankle, already has been ruled out of this game.
Other than Witten, the Cowboys have six other players listed as probable, including starting safeties Ken Hamlin (foot) and Keith Davis (knee/neck), linebacker Bobby Carpenter (knee/calf), cornerback Alan Ball (ankle), wide receiver Roy Williams (foot) and quarterback Tony Romo (illness). All six participated fully in practice on Friday, including Romo, who missed Wednesday's practice with a stomach virus.
If Witten is not his usual self come Sunday afternoon, Romo might have another bout of queasiness, the Pro Bowl tight end leading the team with 74 receptions.
Freezing Another TE's Rights
The Cowboys, making sure they own his exclusive rights at season's end, have signed practice squad tight end Rodney Hannah to the 53-man roster. The move has little to do with Witten's injury status heading into Sunday's game and more to do with Hannah's potential.
To make room for Hannah, who has spent the past two seasons on the team's practice squad, the Cowboys on Friday placed wide receiver Isaiah Stanback on injured reserve, knowing he will require surgery to repair the dislocated shoulder he's been dealing with for most of the season. Stanback has been deactivated the past two games, ever since Miles Austin returned from his sprained knee to take over the kickoff return duties and those of the fourth receiver from the team's 2007 fourth-round draft choice.
The Cowboys didn't want to chance Hannah becoming a free agent after spending two years developing the raw tight end out of Houston, where he mostly played basketball before turning to football late in his career.
Jones Patient With Roy
With swirling pessimism surrounding Roy Williams, the wide receiver the Cowboys acquired at this season's trade deadline, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is showing resolute patience with the newcomer he signed to a five-year, $45 million contract.
Since arriving in Dallas, Williams, previously the Detroit Lions lead receiver and former first-round draft choice, has pulled in 13 catches for 177 yards and one touchdown - albeit quite a big one, turning out to be the game-winner in a 13-9 victory over Tampa Bay. But those are not exactly the nine-game totals of a star receiver.
But when Jones was asked if he was disappointed in Williams' production with one game left in the regular season out here at Friday's practice, the owner said, "No, no I'm not. No I'm not. (We) used next year's No. 1 pick to get this season out of Roy Williams. For no other reason, we weren't able to get him as involved this season as opposed to waiting to the draft next year. There isn't any question defenses have to look at both he and 81 when they are on the field. They have had to adjust.
"Whether or not we've taken advantage of them or make the plays is something else. We've gotten at least one aspect of the impact, and that's do they have more to deal with, with Roy and Terrell out there? We've gotten that. Plus, from what I've seen, we have the player that I had hoped we were getting in Roy Williams. That is important - close in and up tight as opposed to far away in Detroit. Close in and up tight, we've seen we made the right decision relative to the use of that No. 1 pick and the future receiver for the Cowboys."
December In Philly
Much is being made of the Cowboys not having won a December game in Philadelphia since 1994's 31-19 victory on Dec. 4. Well, that drought includes only three games, and one of those the Cowboys lost was the Dec. 10, 1995 game, better known as "Load Left."
That was the infamous game in which former head coach Barry Switzer twice ordered up an Emmitt Smith run over the overloaded left side in their own territory late in the fourth quarter of a tied game, only to be denied on third and fourth downs, turning the ball over to the Eagles for an easy, final-seconds game-winning field goal in the 20-17 loss.
The other two December losses came in 2003 (36-10) and 2004 (12-7).
So as droughts go, this one is not exactly intimidating.
Kindler, Gentler Philly?
Maybe, at least when it comes to the weather this time of year, since the high on Sunday in Philadelphia is expected to be 60, with the low hitting overnight around 35, this will seem like a chamber of commerce-type trip.
That's not bad if you consider two of the coldest games the Cowboys have ever played took place in the City of Brotherly Shove. The coldest of those two was that 1980 NFC title game, taking placing on Jan. 11, 1981, when the kickoff temperature in that 20-7 loss was 16 degrees. Then there was that "Load Left" game on Dec. 10, 1995, when the kickoff temperature was 19 degrees.
While the temperatures aren't expected to be too bad come Sunday at The Linc, there is a 40-percent chance of rain and a good possibility of high winds, blowing through The Linc at nearly 20 mph.
Short Shots
The Eagles already have ruled out starting right guard Shawn Andrews (back) and backup defensive end Victor Abiamiri (foot) for Sunday's game. They also have three players listed as questionable, including starting safety Brian Dawkins, the combination of a bad back and an illness keeping him out of practice the past two days. Also questionable are wide receiver Kevin Curtis (calf) and starting middle linebacker Stewart Bradley (rib/groin) . . . No matter what anyone thinks of Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb's season, passing for 135 yards Sunday against the Cowboys will give him his highest single-season passing total of his career. His previous high is 3,875 yards in 2004 . . . And this from Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens, saying, "A lot of the joy in the holidays will be decided Sunday." Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS