SB Nation - Marc Colombo

Cowboys @ Redskins Injury Update

Aaron Novinger — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 04:07:22 -0000

More photos » by Sharon Ellman - AP

Martellus Bennett has missed the last two games, but will be ready to roll into FedEx Field to battle the Redskins.

Fortunately, the Cowboys will have TE Martellus Bennett back because Deon Anderson has been out this week with strep throat. Bennett's presence allows the team to use John Phillips at fullback.

Tight end Martellus Bennett (concussion), safety Ken Hamlin (ankle), cornerback Terence Newman (knee), safety Gerald Sensabaugh (thumb) and linebacker DeMarcus Ware (wrist/neck) took part in a full practice.

Make the jump for the rest of the injury report.

RT Marc Colombo and SS Pat Watkins must be super fast healers. It's possible both could be available for the Week 17 game vs. Philly.

Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips hasn't ruled out starting right tackle Marc Colombo (ankle/leg) or safety Pat Watkins (knee) for the Jan. 3 finale against the Eagles.

"It's going to be close," Phillips said.

Here's how the Redskins' injury report shapes up:

Devin Thomas, WR - No Practice (Ankle)

Andre Carter, DE - Limited Practice (Biceps)

Cornelius Griffin, DT - Limited Practice (Shoulder)

Anthony Montgomery, DT - Limited Practice (Hip)

Stephon Heyer, OT - Full Practice (Knee)

DeAngelo Hall, CB - Full Practice (Knee)

QB Jason Campbell has a left shoulder stinger but will start.

Enough of this injury stuff. Time to get down to serious business. The Cowboys and Redskins are bitter rivals; yet, the question remains: Which team has the hotter cheerleaders?

Pro Bowl voting has come to an end for the fans. DeMarcus Ware received the most votes for OLBs, which is great. The other Cowboys didn't fare too well, though. Here's how they finished.

Sam Hurd finished second at the special teams position with 132,137 votes.

Miles Austin finished third at wide receiver with 454,616 votes. Fullback Deon Anderson (91,472) also finished third at his spot.

Tight end Jason Witten (334,105), center Andre Gurode (206,802), left tackle Flozell Adams (180,818) and punter Mat McBriar (118,945) finished fourth in at their respective positions.

Strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh (91,268), free safety Ken Hamlin (64,476) and inside linebacker Keith Brooking (105,269) finished fifth at their respective positions.

The players and coaches finish their voting this week. Teams will be announced on Tuesday.

Cowboys @ Giants Injury Update

Aaron Novinger — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:23:51 -0000

DeMarcus Ware has been added to the injury report - again. Evidently, Ware has a small fracture in his wrist. From Todd Archer:

Ware was already on the weekly injury report with the foot injury but the wrist was added today. He is listed as probable. Ware had X-rays today that revealed the fracture. Ware will have to wear a small cast for protection.

Make the jump.

The extra time between games has helped heal Jason Witten's sprained foot.

"I thought it was something that might be lingering, but it feels really good," Witten said. "Last week was tough with a short week. I felt good in the game and the trainers did a good job of getting me back quick. If it were a normal week there wouldn't be any question."

Both Ware and Witten practiced fully this week and will play on Sunday.

The only other surprise on the Cowboys' injury report is that Ken Hamlin (high ankle sprain) did not return to practice this week. Therefore, he will not play against the Giants. Obviously, Marc Colombo will still be out with his broken fibula.

Here is the list of the Cowboys' probables:

LB Victor Butler (knee), QB Tony Romo (back), S Gerald Sensabaugh (thumb), LB DeMarcus Ware (foot/wrist), TE Jason Witten (foot)

For the Giants, RB Ahmad Bradshaw (ankle/foot) had limited participation in practice today and is listed as questionable. The same goes for S Michael Johnson who is suffering from an injured groin.

Here is how their injury report shakes out:

OUT - RB D.J. Ware (concussion)

QUESTIONABLE - TE Travis Beckum (groin), RB Ahmad Bradshaw (ankle/foot), S Michael Johnson (groin)

PROBABLE - LB Michael Boley (back), WR Derek Hagan (hamstring), QB Eli Manning (foot)

Thanksgiving Afternoon/Evening Games Open Thread

Bob_Q — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:10:53 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

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Happy Turkey Day everyone! Two rival games are slated for today, which should provide something entertaining to watch while you're stuffing your face. At 4:15, the Raiders travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys. The 'Boys are missing both starting tackle Marc Colombo and safety Ken Hamlin due to ankle injuries, and could have their hands full against the rejuvenated Raiders, who are coming off a huge win over Cincinnati. Bruce Gradkowski will continue to start for Oakland and will hopefully keep the offense fresh and productive.

At 8:20, the Giants fly into Denver to take on the Broncos. Brian Dawkins will continue to provide valuable leadership to the defense and will hopefully help the Broncos to snap a four-game losing streak. The Giants will still be missing linebacker Antonio Pierce and running back Ahmad Bradshaw, but should give the Broncos more than a run for their money.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy that turducken. It should be an entertaining Thanksgiving.

Cowboys Injury Update

Aaron Novinger — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:53:05 -0000

Here is the report on who practiced and who didn't yesterday for the Cowboys.

Marc Colombo, OT - No Practice (Ankle)
Ken Hamlin, S - No Practice (Ankle)
Allen Rossum, CB - No Practice (Hamstring)

David Buehler, K - Limited Practice (Toe)

Marion Barber, RB - Full Practice (Thumb)
Mike Jenkins, CB - Full Practice (Elbow)
Gerald Sensabaugh, S - Full Practice (Thumb)
DeMarcus Ware, LB - Full Practice (Foot)

Make the jump for the Redskins' injury report.

Chris Cooley, TE - No Practice (Ankle) - OUT
Clinton Portis, RB - No Practice (Concussion)
Albert Haynesworth, DT - No Practice (Ankle)
Mike Williams, OT - No Practice (Ankle)

Stephon Heyer, OT - Limited Practice (Knee)

Ladell Betts, RB - Full Practice (Ankle)

Cowboys vs. Redskins: A Chat With Hogs Haven

Dave Halprin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:05 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

Jason Campbell and Jim Zorn try to get on the same page.

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This week, I got together for a little instant message chat with KevinE over at Hogs Haven to discuss the upcoming game against the Redskins. Since it was an IM conversation, I left the spellings and errors in the text so you can read it just how how it went down.

Blogging The Boys: So what's the story with Jim Zorn and Vinny Cerrato? Do you guys think Zorn will survive past this year?

Hogs Haven: if you had asked me last week I'd say Zorn had 0% chance, but there aren't any big names out there. And the way they stripped the play-calling from Zorn...it was a real turn-off for coaches (Holmgren publically stated his displeasure of the move)

As for Cerrato...no one knows. It certainly would win some popularity points for Snyder if he canned him. I think it depends on Cerrato's 3 2nd round picks from last year (THomas, Kelly, Davis)...if they show a lot of production the rest of the year, it'll prob be enough to save his job. Shanahan rejected Snyder's offer to come here as well...as did Cowher. So...its anyone's guess.

More after the jump...

BTB: What's the main problem on offense. Jason Campbell? The running game, the o-line? Why are they having so many problems scoring?

HH: Oline is a huge problem. They drafted ZERO this year after losing Chris Samuels & Randy Thomas to season-ending injuries last year. There's no depth there.

Portis certainly doesn't have that boost like he used to, which is why people are happy Betts is getting the starts. Play-calling was poor at times the first half the season too...the Skins have no problem moving the ball, and then Zorn would call some obscure plays on 3rd and goal...like a Portis half-back pass. Execution has also been another back-breaker...lots of dropped balls and missed blocks...but I'd say the lion's share w/o doubt is the Oline...Skins (before bringing in Levi Jones) had THREE undrafted free agents starting

BTB: What happened last week? Why did things get better?

HH: they ran the ball very effectively...Skins have never been able to do that all year

Joe Bugel tore the Oline a new ass at halftime vs the Falcons and ever since then they've been performing...creating holes and doing decent pass block

BTB: Is Betts a better fit for the offense right now, or would Portis have probably done just as well with the o-line playing better?

HH: That's been the debate all week...this was Levi Jones' 1st game at LT and he did well. But I really think Betts is a better fit. He runs hard and hits the hole. CP hit that 2000 rushing attempts plateau and it's showing. He's still a great RB tho and is invaluable in pass blocking

BTB: Things have been better on defense, you guys do pretty well in keeping the scoring down. What's been the successful components of the defense?

HH: Haynesworth. His force upfront has allowed Andre Carter and Brian Orakpo to have 1-1 coverage and they are reeking havoc in backfields. It also frees up London Fletcher on rushing plays. skins are on pace to have two 10-sack players...first time in 9 years and its been sorely missed in DC (they're gonna blow way past 10...each already have 7) (carter 8.0, Orakpo 7.0 to be exact)

BTB: So the pass rush has fueled the defensive success? How has the secondary played?

HH: depends...they're tackling has been atrocious. Big talk this week is Carlos Rogers getting benched last week after letting BMarshall blow by him on a double move

same move he got burned on by DeSean Jackson. they haven't announced if he's startnig or not, but they think he well. We lost our SS, Chris Horton, for the year which really hurts us. Reed Doughty is playing OK but has made some mistakes as well. It's upsetting Laron Landry, our FS, has 0 INTs.

BTB: Sounds like the big battle will be between the Redskins pass rush vs. the Cowboys pass protection. Do you expect them to target new RT Marc Colombo?

HH: definitely. there's not much targeting to do tho...Hayensworth demands all the attention. I hope Blache brings the corner blitzes which Romo seemed to have trouble with last week vs GB

BTB: what are your expectations for the game? Prediction?

HH: Skins seem to disappoint at all the wrong times, so call me delusional but I think the Skins can win this. The vets made it known to the young guys what this game means. WAS 26 DAL 24. If it wasn't for the loss of Hamlin and Columbo, I'd have picked DAL

BTB: Forgot to ask, where are you on the Jason Campbell issue?

HH: It's so tough given how bad this Oline is...he is getting sacked on 3-foot drops at some points. INEXCUSABLE. However, he's on pace to have back-to-back 3,000 yard seasons, which only 3 other legendary Redskins QBs have done in our franchise

Sentiment here is build up the Oline via the draft the next 2 years...keeping Campbell, then draft a stud QB once we get a line in here to protect him

The VRR: Surviving Injury Up Next For Cowboys

Dave Halprin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:12:06 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

We never see much of Doug Free, but now we're going to get an up-close and personal look.

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The Dallas Cowboys' relatively injury-free season was fractured on Sunday. More specifically, it was torn apart. Right tackle and resident tough-guy on the offense, Marc Colombo, fractured his tibia, but it turns out that will heal on its own. It's the torn ligaments in his ankle that require surgery.

From Todd Archer:

Marc Colombo will undergo surgery to repair the torn ligaments in his right ankle and will miss at least six weeks. The fibular fracture will heal on its own. There is a chance Colombo could play again this season if the Cowboys make a playoff run.

We all know how important the continuity along our offensive line has been to the success of the Cowboys offense. Last year, the Cowboys lost that when they lost Kyle Kosier, and in turn started to struggle. Now, they must face life without Colombo for the rest of the regular-season at minimum. This time, they turn to Doug Free. We've been waiting for a while to find out what we have in Free, but obviously we didn't want to find out this way.

Still, we've been watching Flozell Adams over the past couple of years and wondering when age and injury would fully catch up to him, all the while wondering if Free was his eventual replacement. We'll get a preview of that when he takes over for Colombo over the stretch-run, even though it would be at the "theoretically" less-challenging right tackle position. Free has to show he can handle that, before we have any thoughts of him eventually taking over at left tackle. Marc Colombo will be back after this season, the question has always been when will it be over for Flozell?

More VRR after the jump...

Leonard Davis says that he and Free are already talking together and working toward integrating Free into a line that is not short on experience.

"The whole time Doug was out there, him and I were talking," Davis said. "We talked on the bench and just kind of went over some plays and scenarios, so that way when we got on the field we were able to communicate and be on the same page, because the worst thing you can do is go out on the field with somebody that's never had any game experience and not be on the same page."

The good news on the injury front is that Mike Jenkins appears to be fine after bruising his bicep during the game and shouldn't miss any time. The bad news is Ken Hamlin, who we don't know about yet, but conflicting reports give pause.

Safety Ken Hamlin has a high ankle sprain that could keep him out a couple of weeks. Alan Ball or Pat Watkins would replace Hamlin if he cannot play.

Over at DC.com, they were a little more optimistic.

Two other players were forced to come out of the game with injuries, including Ken Hamlin, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the third quarter and did not return after being taken to the locker room for X-rays. The Cowboys don't expect Hamlin to be out long term. "It's real hard to tell early," Jerry Jones said. "But it does not look like an extended period of time he'll be out."

Sounds like he could miss a week or two.

Are players named Roy Williams simply cursed in Dallas? Roy Williams, the receiver, had his best statistical outing for the Cowboys and was one of the few offensive players early-on that made any plays, only to have that all overshadowed by his disastrous fumble and drop. For the drop, he claimed the lights and his visor-glare blinded him - let me give that a simple 'whatever'. But, he at least recognized he helped blow the game.

"The fumble, that’s on me," Williams said. "The one in the lights, that’s on me. If the lights weren’t there that’s a catch. I lost this game for this football team. That’s the way I feel."

Nick Eatman makes the case that the Cowboys abandoned the running game too soon.

Barber gets 20 yards on his first two carries of the game and finishes with just three more . . . the rest of the game? Seriously? That's what I had a problem with. We're not talking about the game getting out of hand or the score was prohibitive for the run. And you can't say the Packers completely sold out to stop the run, or you would think the Cowboys might have attempted more than a handful of deep balls. The Packers' safeties were playing too deep to suggest a lot of eight-man fronts.

Raf looks at it with a different conclusion in this post, but let's talk about what hasn't been said much recently.

Felix Jones doesn't look anything like his old self since coming back from the knee injury. The quick burst, the explosiveness when he finds a small crease are just not there right now. He's still wearing the knee brace and over the past few games has added very little to the Cowboys cause. Should he be sitting until fully healthy? Is there a problem no one is discussing? Or is he just in a mini-slump? Without Jones' big bursts from the backfield, the Cowboys ground game is suffering.

Before we dive into this next story, let's all pledge that we are not in anyway blaming this game on the officials. But...didn't it feel like Dallas got hosed in the replay department on Sunday. By now we all know that the officials couldn't review the fumble that was recovered by Felix Jones. Still, even though it was the rule, that doesn't make us feel any better. That was a huge turning point in the game and essentially ended any chance of the Cowboys coming back once that Packers scored a TD.

"My mistake [thinking it was reviewable]," Triplette told a pool reporter after the game. "That’s not a reviewable aspect of a play. A recovery of a loose ball in the field of play is not reviewable by rule. So we just couldn’t review it."

I bet the NFL will review it, the rule that is, this offseason.

But how about another mistake that basically went unnoticed. On fourth down with just under 8 minutes to go, the Cowboys picked up the first down on a great "catch" by Patrick Crayton. Cowboys ball, first and ten at the Green Bay 29 yard-line. But the Packers challenged the play.

Triplette failed to penalize the Packers in the fourth quarter after coach Mike McCarthy tried to challenge a play when the Packers were out of challenges. Rule 15, Section 9 of the rule book states that "for initiating a challenge when all of a team’s timeouts have been exhausted or when all of its available challenges have been used: Loss of 15 yards."

A 15-yard penalty would have put the Cowboys at the Pack 14 with 8 minutes to go. Sure, a miracle comeback was far-fetched, but at least you'd like to have all the benefits of correct rulings to make it happen.

And to close, I have to give a shout-out to the Packers Charles Woodson. The whole Packers 3-4 defense was good, in fact great, but Woodson was the star.

Charles Woodson made enough for the Packers. He shadowed Witten more than the Cowboys thought he would, but he went further than merely playing his position. He was involved in all three Dallas turnovers.

We needed someone like him on Sunday.

Packers Punish Cowboys 17-7

Dave Halprin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:39:54 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

A healthy Cowboys team got beat up in Green Bay.

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That game was brutal - on so many levels.

In the short-term, we just got punked by the Green Bay Packers. They punished the Cowboys to the tune of a 17-7 loss at Lambeau Field. The Cowboys offense was terrible, the defense hung tough for as long as they could, but eventually buckled late in the game. This was all on the offense, though. You only need to look at the points the offense put on the scoreboard to know why this game was an epic fail.

It was equally ugly long-term. Marc Colombo has a broken tibia which means Doug Free is part of the starting offensive line for the foreseeable future. I'll have to look at the film to see how Free did in this game, but the blame on the offense should be spread across the board. It will require a deep tape study to figure out all of what went wrong.

Also on the injury front, Ken Hamlin injured an ankle and Mike Jenkins hurt his bicep.

And the Packers hurt the Cowboys pride in this one.

The most important thing the Cowboys can do in the wake of this loss is to not start pointing fingers or making wild statements over the next few days. Dallas is still in first in the NFC East and they are 6-3 which is a good record at this point of the season. With the quick turnaround of games in the next two weeks because of Thanksgiving, the Cowboys need to hold their composure and get ready to win next week. If the Cowboys can pick up wins against the Redskins and the Raiders, which is very doable, they can get over this particular momentum-killer quickly.

Every once in a while you get kicked in the teeth in this game, that just happened to the Cowboys.

It's what you do after the beating that matters.

(Please don't foul up the board with a bunch of profanity or name-calling, I will be vigilant about that.)

David Hawthorne: Pretty Boy-seeking Missile

John Morgan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:14:04 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

Jordan Babineaux showed great spacing by consistently hitting his man before the first down marker. Felix Jones was able to spin through for the first.

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Today I finish up with last weekend's game notes. I rewatched the second quarter last night and I had an absolute blast. Here are my notes and highlights.

We left off with Seattle pulling close on one of those Greg Knapp third-down deep passes that drive folks crazy. A block in the back penalty would pin Dallas at their eight to start the next drive. Things looked up. Seattle needed its defense to hold field position and get Matt Hasselbeck the ball back.

Miles Austin responded with a beautiful catch on the right sideline. He was double covered and reached out nearly out of bounds to grab the ball. It's worth noting that Austin looked every bit the real deal, exploding out of the blocks and running tight routes.

That got Dallas out of jail. On the next play, Dallas pulled out its left side and directed fullback Deon Anderson at right end Darryl Tapp. Tapp has to win this, but doesn't and that allows Felix Jones a clean release through the hole -- Flozell Adams and Kyle Kosier blocking into the second level. Adams destroyed Aaron Curry and Jones was picked his way towards the third level. Jordan Babineaux hit him before the marker but Jones twisted for the first. It could have been worse. It should have been worse.

Brandon Mebane pressured up the middle and Leroy Hill was in position and aware of the pass on a high floater that overshot Martellus Bennett.

Dallas again targeted the Seahawks right side and doubled to stampede through Colin Cole. Deon Grant was controlling the right end and made contact with Jones at the line, but Jones spun right through Grant's tackle and reminded me again why I've stumped so vehemently for him to be positioned at free safety. Ken Lucas made a saving tackle that forced third down after a gain of nine.

Marion Barber converted the first. He was the up back.

Seattle overloads the right and Curry comes free around right end forcing Tony Romo up into the pocket. Seattle struggled with getting edge rush but failing to establish interior pressure, but this time Red Bryant plows through the right guard and forces and incomplete pass. Babineaux can be seen covering Jason Witten streaking up the right hash mark. However Seattle did it, the Seahawks shut down Witten.

Well, mostly. Patrick Kerney was taken down and that tripped Bryant and eliminated much of Seattle's rush. Cory Redding got a parting shot, but the pass was accurate and Witten received for 18.

David Hawthorne is an excellent blitzer, a stand out blitzer from the mike position. Seattle dropped its right end and overloaded the offensive right, but it wasn't a team effort that felled Romo. The goal was to free Hawthorne. Curry and Redding attempted to engage and force the Cowboy interior offensive line left. That plan was for Hawthorne to rush unabated between right guard and right tackle. Instead, Marc Colombo was squatting in Hawthorne's rush lane and Heater had to power through the giant right tackle to sack Romo. He did. That is a big league sack and Heater a major addition to Seattle's pass rush.

Romo scrambled for ten to put Dallas back into a manageable third down. Nick Reed was pwned.

The drive concluded when Lawrence Jackson pressured Romo and forced an incomplete attempt to Patrick Crayton. The resulting missed field goal put Seattle in business at their 38. Grand opening. Grand closing.

The VRR: Cowboys Will Take a Team-First Approach into Philadelphia

Aaron Novinger — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:51:50 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

Working as a team has helped Dallas develop the potential of some of their rising stars, such as WR Miles Austin and TE Martellus Bennett.

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The numbers 44-6 still have a sting to them, but this Dallas team is different from the last one that management fielded against the Eagles.

"That was a low point that everybody still tastes, everybody remembers," Jerry Jones said Sunday evening. "We brought it on ourselves, more so than anything else, and we’ll remember that as we go back up and play in a similar situation."

While the Cowboys seem to be benefiting from a growing team chemistry, they are also much healthier going into this game.

Some things are clearly different now, such as Miles Austin. The only time he touched the ball against the Eagles was on kickoff returns. That night, at least, there were a lot of them.

"We have a lot of other new faces here," Jones countered. "Just add them up." He chose to add up faces that have healed. "I think Romo is healthier and better than he was against Philadelphia," Jones said. "I think Marion Barber is healthier. I think Felix Jones is healthier."

Romo’s thumb had mostly healed by late December, but point taken. Barber was bothered at the end of last season by a sore toe, and he carried only three times in the finale against the Eagles. Felix was out.

More VRR after the jump.

The Eagles, though, have attained some new weapons for themselves - particularly on offense.

As if one outstanding dual-purpose running back wasn’t enough in Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia added second-round pick LeSean McCoy (294 yards, 4.2 average). McNabb has a dependable target in tight end Brent Celek (37 catches), but wideouts DeSean Jackson and rookie Jeremy Maclin worry Dallas the most. Jackson has five TDs this season (three receiving, one punt return and one rushing) that have covered 50-plus yards. Dallas coach Wade Phillips was asked how he plans to contain Jackson.

"Help, help," Phillips said. "You got to get some help on him. They know that. We know that. You get a guy like that who makes a lot of big plays, you’ve got to have somebody else looking for him other than a corner."

It's no secret that the Eagles WR DeSean Jackson is their most dynamic player. I'm not so sure Dallas will just stick one guy on him, as this article suggests.

Who has to stop him? Terence Newman followed Steve Smith all over the field when the Cowboys played Carolina and limited him to four catches for 38 yards. Newman could draw Jackson this week. Newman has a team-high three forced fumbles this season.

Newman took the team-first approach in addressing the subject of him covering Jackson.

"I don’t know. You’ll have to ask the coaches. I’ll do whatever they tell me to do," Newman said when asked about the possibility. The cornerback also said he has no preference when the coaches notify him of the plan. "It doesn’t matter. You just go out and play. If that’s something they want me to do, I’ll definitely do it."

Matt Mosely on Jackson.

One longtime NFC pro personnel scout told me recently that it's Jackson's ability to stutter-step and then be at full speed within about four strides that separates him from most receivers in the league. Asked recently if he'd coached a weapon as potent as Jackson, Eagles coach Andy Reid referenced Terrell Owens and Brian Westbrook. But he quickly returned to Jackson.

The Cowboys have yet to be fooled by the Wildcat this year. With Michael Vick coming in at times for the Eagles, the Dallas defense must still be aware of how well Philly uses the formation.

According to stats compiled by Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News, the Eagles have rushed for 163 yards on 40 carries out of the Wildcat. They have rushed for 639 yards on 127 carries out of their standard sets. Vick has rushed for 26 yards on 10 carries out of the Wildcat.

Brian Westbrook will play on Sunday night.

Coach Andy Reid made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon that barring any setbacks in practice, his starting running back is good to go for Dallas.

JJT and Geoff Mosher go over both teams' keys for success, and predict a 24-17 Eagles victory.

BGN previews the game here.

Wouldn't it be great if Patrick Crayton could seal another victory via punt return?

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no professional player has ever returned a punt for a touchdown in three consecutive games.

The ST coverage units have been consistently tackling returners all season. Nick Eatman notes how competitive the special teamers' numbers are.

Checking out the special teams tackles, there’s a competition brewing for the team lead with three guys tied with 12 tackles. Alan Ball, Patrick Watkins and Sam Hurd each have a dozen stops while covering kicks, and watch out for rookie Victor Butler, who is right there with 11. Deon Anderson and Steve Octavien each have seven each.

Coach Phillips is having fun working with this group of Cowboys. With each week, the team grows more into its "blue-collar" mentality.

"They are hard workers, and we have a lot of guys that play a role," Phillips said. "Whatever it is, they accept it, and they try to do really well at their role. So I think that's a good sign for our team."

Phillips has coached plenty of stars, including hall of famers John Elway, Bruce Smith and Jim Kelly. While he enjoyed them all, he's clearly having plenty of fun guiding a team that lacks a bona fide superstar.

"It's fun to have guys that are not big ego guys and are very team-oriented," Phillips said. "... This is a good group to coach. They do what you ask, and that's what you want as a coach. If you emphasize something or if you are quote on them about something, they try to do better. That's what you ask."

Team play is emphasized at every turn. In Sunday's 38-17 win over Seattle, Romo completed passes to 10 different targets, and five different players scored touchdowns. Afterward, nobody complained about not getting the ball enough.

Doug Free's play last week was encouraging for the coaches. Is this something we can expect more of?

At some point, the Cowboys have to find out what they have in the 25-year-old Free. They've tried to replace Adams, 34, the last few years but draft picks Pat McQuistan and James Marten, who's no longer with the team, haven't panned out. Meanwhile, Free has emerged as the backup to Adams.

"I think it's important for us. That's why we played him some," coach Wade Phillips said of Free. "I just think if a guy ... if he practices good enough and is good enough to play, then he deserves to get in the game sometimes. It helps his attitude and the confidence in the team in that guy when they see him do some good things."

Evidently, Miles Austin did get a tad banged up in the Seattle game, but nothing worrisome.

Receiver Miles Austin emerged with a sore groin, but that is not expected to limit his participation in practice.

It's doubtful we will see Austin's name on the injury report this week.

Either way, it doesn't look like Austin will be bothered by the groin this week. It didn't sound like an issue at all on Wednesday.

"It's alright, yeah," the receiver said.

The Dallas defeat of Seattle led to some big changes up in the Pacific Northwest.

Head coach Jim Mora Jr. reportedly ripped into his team following the team's 38-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys this past Sunday and chose words that intimated changes could be on the horizon for 2-5 Seattle. Cornerback Travis Fisher, who had five tackles in four games this season, was released Monday -- joined by (Edgerrin) James and safety C.J. Wallace a day later. Wallace made three stops in five games prior to his release Tuesday.

While broadcasting a Chargers game in 2002, Troy Aikman received a call from Andy Reid. Apparently, Reid wanted Aikman to come out of retirement to fill in for Donovan McNabb, who had just broken his ankle.

"Andy was giving me all the reasons why this would be good, why this would work," said Aikman, who was 35 at the time and had retired from the Cowboys after winning three Super Bowls in large part because of concussion problems.

The Philadelphia situation was all happening too fast for Aikman, who explained to Reid he was in the middle of a broadcast and promised to call after the game. Aikman had plenty of time to chat too, because he and his wife were driving from San Diego to their home in Santa Barbara for a mini-vacation. When Aikman dialed back Reid, the quarterback said he wanted to sleep on the decision but promised to call the coach the next day. By the time he reached Santa Barbara, Aikman had a pretty good idea which way he was leaning.

"So I went to bed that night and said, 'I can wake up tomorrow and spend a nice couple of days in Santa Barbara. Or, I can be in frigid Philadelphia getting my brains kicked in,' " he said. The next day, he called Reid and politely declined the offer.

Dancing With the Stars says, "you are the weakest link, goodbye" to Michael Irvin.

Irvin says that he recently offered advice to both Roy Williams and Miles Austin. Austin seemed the more receptive.

Ostensibly, Irvin stressed the importance of knowing the snap count and getting off the line; according to Irvin, Austin's receptiveness, and Williams disregard, was evident last Sunday against Seattle. On one play, Irvin said, Austin was four yards ahead of Williams after 12 yards, indicating that the former got off the line quicker and, presumably, did so at least in part due to the Hall of Famer's advice.

Put this in your backpocket for some offseason Cowboys-related reality TV.

When Free Reign -- the metal rock band featuring Dallas Cowboys Marc Colombo, Leonard Davis and Cory Procter -- joins WWEer Chris Jericho's Fozzy in a spring tour to promote Free Reign's new CD, "Tragedy," you can follow from your couch. Production house Go Go Luckey! ("Laguna Beach") will film for a reality series it'll soon shop to various networks.

The Cowboys' Offensive Line: The 'This-Ain't-Their-First-Rodeo' Factor

Mike Fisher — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:00:30 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

Romo and the Cowboys' 1,627 pounds of etched-in-granite.

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Timing. Chemistry. The "This-Ain't-Our-First-Rodeo'' Factor.

Understanding of the importance of all this when it comes to offensive-line play tends to get avalanched as an NFL season trudges on. ... buried under everything from the excitement of a new toy (Miles Austin's record-setting hat-trick!) to how a team is doing when its quarterback start wearing his ballcap front-side-to-the-front (Tony Romo, undefeated!).

But then along comes the Seattle Seahawks, a 38-17 thrashing of that beleaguered bunch, and a distinct contrast in success levels when you compare their offensive line to your offensive line.

The jump-out number from Seattle: They are seven games into their season and they have been forced to dress out five different left tackles. In their last 23 games, they have utilized 14 different quintet combos as starters.

Now compare-and-contrast: Dallas' offensive line, left to right, is almost etched into 1,625 pounds of granite: Flozell Adams, Kyle Kosier, Andre Gurode, Leonard Davis and Marc Colombo. With the exception of a Kosier injury a year ago, those fellas have been side-to-side-to-side-to-side-to-side for two years.

They don't move out of the lineup ... but they do move the people in front of them.

That fivesome has turned the lights out on some of the NFL's greatest defensive-front standouts (Carolina's Julius Peppers, Atlanta's John Abraham, Seattle's Patrick Kearney) in bodyguarding Dallas' stars to four wins in the team's last five games. Most of the credit for the Cowboys' 5-2 record naturally goes to Romo and Austin and the people who habitually follow the final gun by being led to Pam Oliver.

But just as timing matters when it comes to quarterbacks and receivers (you see Romo's perfectly-synched coordination with every other pass-catcher and you begin to assume that it is Roy Williams who is doing something wrong), timing matters in the offensive line. At 411 yards per game, Dallas is the NFL's second-best grass-eaters ... and this offensive line is the constant there.

Chemistry matters, too. As every good Cowboys fan knows, Colombo, Davis and reserve Cory Procter are in a heavy-metal band called "Free Reign.'' Offensive linemen are often a tight group - tight enough to go bowling or fishing together - but I assume it takes a special bond for these guys to lie to each other about their musical gifts.

Kidding!

And the "This-Ain't-Our-First-Rodeo''Factor? This is Flozell's 12^th year, the ninth season for Gurode and Davis, the eighth season for Colombo and Kosier. They are grinders and they are survivors. ... and I'll give two examples to prove it:

One, you know the financial problems many athletes subject themselves to because of crazy spending? I do not believe that will ever happen to Flozell Adams. Friends of his testify that on a recent visit to Las Vegas, Flozell ended the trip having lost $50. On the entire plane ride home, a mumbling-to-himself Adams just couldn't let it go ... 50 bucks - gone!

Flozell Adams' latest contract, from February 2008, paid him a $15-million signing bonus ... but still ... 50 bucks - gone!

Not exactly flashy.

Two, a Marc Colombo story that I think illustrates what these five guys are all about: On a recent Cowboys day off, Colombo opted to spend the day with his lovely wife Jessica. They are members of the Four Seasons Golf Resort in Las Colinas, so that was their destination. Marc Colombo for some golf? A fancy lunch? Maybe a spa and pedicure?

You know better than that. What Marc Colombo did on his off-day at the Four Seasons Golf Resort typifies the style of this Cowboys offensive line that is heavy on timing, chemistry and understanding of how to get as far as it has.

He found the gym. And spent the day in the weight room.