Stand back for Stanback

Not only is Isaiah Stanback quickly becoming a fan-favorite before ever stepping onto a field for the Cowboys, but the media loves him, too. The latest comes from Tom Orsborn.

Terrell Owens is in danger of losing his unofficial title as the most ripped Cowboy. If bulging biceps and six-pack abs are a guarantee of NFL success, fourth-round draft pick Isaiah Stanback could be well on his way to an outstanding pro career.

This kid is cut. And, according to his strength and conditioning coach at the University of Washington, he’ll live in the weight room at Valley Ranch.

"There’s no doubt Isaiah was blessed with some gifts," Trent Greener said via telephone from Seattle. "But there are a lot of people like that. He’s worked real hard and his body is a reflection of that."

Orsborn relays that Stanback is a workout fiend and that he’s a very coachable kid with very high character. He has size, speed, athleticism and a drive to improve, so why did he go in the 4th round? Oh yeah, that pesky foot injury and the fact that he’s got to change positions. The latter might not be that big of an issue considering he played WR before. But that foot thing is always an issue.

Still, literature on the subject says there’s a 20-25 percent chance Stanback will experience chronic pain.

"And that’s even when the surgery is in the best of hands," said David Schmidt, the Spurs team physician. "It’s a very significant injury. When we draft, (a Lisfranc injury) would raise a little bit of a flag for us. It might not be a red flag because there is a 75-80 percent chance everything will be fine, but it would at least be orange. You’d feel better if you could see him in action before you make the pick."

Orsborn also lists some NFL players who had the injury and most made full recoveries. That’s what we’re expecting in this case, too.