The Bigger Locker Room Story Could be in the Trainers' Rooms
by Rafael Vela on Dec 13, 2008 2:04 PM CST
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PrintFive guys who have barely seen the practice field, or in some cases have not seen the practice field, could determine Sunday night's outcome:
In Dallas, Roy Williams has not practiced after developing plantar fasciitis. He's been held out all week and the team hopes rest will have him ready to play:
[Williams] did not practice this week after developing a case of plantar fasciitis that caused him to miss practice last Friday. Williams did play in the Pittsburgh game, but Phillips said he wasn't as effective in the second half.
That last line concerns me. Williams had no separation in the second half last week. He was clearly hobbled. Plantar fasciitis can be a hobbling injury. It's very painful, if nothing else. It put Terence Newman on the shelf for weeks last year.
Welcome back, Miles Austin.
-- Ken Hamlin has not practiced all week with an ankle injury. It seems he's out as a precaution, but Dallas needs him anchoring the secondary.
-- Keith Davis has practiced this week, despite having a third-degree sprain of a medial collateral ligament. That's a severe sprain. He has practiced and is expected to play, but at what level?
In New York, WR Domenik Hixon returned to practice yesterday, but coach Tom Coughlin offered only a modest endorsement of his health:
Hixon is "OK," Coughlin said, "but how he gets up tomorrow morning, we don't know." The coach did not expand on Jacobs' situation beyond saying that "he hasn't practiced all week."
He looks as certain as the Cowboys' safeties. He's likely to play, but at what level? He's the Giants deep threat with Plaxico Burress out. He was their best deep threat when Burress was around, averaging 13.9 yards per catch. If he's not himself, New York's vertical game will be questionable.
--Another injury which has escaped discussion is Fred Robbins' bad shoulder. He's missed most of the week with an undetermined shoulder injury and is listed as questionable, meaning he's 50/50.
He'll likely play. Most players listed as questionable do. But at what level? Robbins has six sacks, tied with Mathias Kiwanuka for second on the team. He is to the Giants what Jay Ratliff is to Dallas, the inside force who pushes QBs to the ends.
The Giants front four has 75% of New York's 36 sacks. And that rush line's production has slowed recently. A less-than-healthy Robbins could be a small factor in Dallas' favor.
Right now, it appears Sunday's winner may be the healthiest team. And right now, it's not clear which team can make that claim.
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I don't know
Wade Phillips had some very encouraing things to say about him on Wednesday, that he looked good so the coaches scrambled to add him to the game plan. He also practiced the whole of the last two practices.
EVERYBODY is dinged this year, even the guys not on injury report. It does sound like Austin is pretty healthy, relatively speaking.
We can't get afford anyone else banged up
next week is a short week, albiet it’s on Saturday, but still short. The Ravens are every bit as physical as the Steelers.
But they're going to be coming off a game against the Steelers
Which will also be a divisional game, so Id expect their bodies to be worse off than ours. On top of that we dont have to travel and they do.
by aussie_cowboy on Dec 14, 2008 5:12 AM CST up reply actions
Most injuries in a Cowboy season...ever?
Considering the impact of the players injured (starting safety Roy Williams, starting guard Kyle Kosier, starting punter Matt McBriar, star rookie runner Felix Jones, contributing reciever/special teamer Sam Hurd and contributing safety/special teamer Pat Watkins all lost for the year, along with quality starters like Tony Romo (3 games), Terence Newman (5 games), Marion Barber (1+ games), Montrae Holland (1+ games), Mike Jenkins (2+ games), Miles Austin (5 games) and Anthony Spencer (2 games), not to mention players who have just been banged up good without missing time like Jason Witten and Keith Davis, it definitely seems like this has been the most injury-plagued Dallas Cowboy team in my lifetime (started following the team seriously in 1980). Maybe I am wrong…
And to think, the injury I was most concerned about before the season started was T.O., because we all thought they didn’t have an adequate number two receiver.
Raf
I had a conversation earlier today with a friend and we were talking about the luck or good fortune that goes into winning. I wondered if a discussion sometime might get into that…There were a couple of games ( or more) last year that we were very fortunate to win…Buffalo and Detroit come to mind. We had almost no injuries until late when the high ankle sprain made TO a much less effective receiver. This year despite the injury bug,which has been enormous, we have played at least two games that we might well have won…Arizona and Pittsburg…..but we didn’t. With a break here and there we could have. Had we lost the two last year the media would have been all over the team and the playoff situation might have been different…Had we have won the two games this year we would be playing the Giants for a share of 1st place. The media reaction would have been very different. I for one think the coaches have done pretty well to get the team competitive most every week despite a huge number of injuries. Good teams may make their own luck…but, good fortune….that’s something else.
Good Teams Do Make Good Luck
but there is almost always some luck involved, even small doses.
I wonder if you saw last night’s replay of the Emmitt separated shoulder game.
It’s for the #1 playoff seed in ’93. Winner gets it and a bye. Loser goes to the wild card game.
Emmitt separates his shoulder. Plays out of his mind. The Cowboys win in overtime, 16-13.
At the end of the game, New York is down 13-10 and driving. Rodney Hampton gives them a first down at about the Dallas 14 with a minute left. They score seven and no Super Bowl. There’s no way Emmitt plays the next week with his shoulder.
Dan Reeves, for some reason, runs on first and second down and makes a very safe toss on 3rd and 4 to his backup TE for three yards. They kick the game tying FG with 15 seconds left.
We don’t want to speculate what would have happened had Reeves called a shot or two into the end zone there. But he didn’t.
Dallas might have stopped them. They also got a little help.
That’s what I call luck.
’95 season, against the same Reeves Giants. Rodney Hampton is running riot on Dallas. The Cowboys are losing by two. New York is running out the clock in Texas Stadium. Dallas has lost the previous two to Washington and Philly in the infamous 4th-and-1 times two game.
The Giants convert a 3rd down pass in Dallas territory just inside the two minute warning. The refs flag New York for holding. Reeves is out of his mind. The replays didn’t show a clear penalty on the player named.
The Giants have to punt. Dallas drives for the game winning FG. They win the next week and earn a bye.
You wonder if they recover from a three game December losing streak if that flag isn’t thrown?
Yeah, there’s always a little bit of luck along the way.
Just watched the 1992 NFC Championship
with my 7 and 5 year old boys. Talk about some “lucky” moments: A defensive holding call on a missed 3rd down to give the Cowboys another chance to score a TD; an errant Aikman pass that SF linebacker Bill Romonoski drops and Dallas goes onto score; a dump off pass to Emmitt on 3rd and long in which he breaks two tackles and gets the first down. Compare to last year against the Giants – senior citizen Amani Toomer breaks numerous tackles on a short pass for a 50-yard TD; DeMarcus Ware gets called offside on 3rd down when replays show he wasn’t; a personal fould penalty far away from the play against Bigg Davis negates a big completion, and of course Crayton’s big drop. Sometimes a team just doesn’t have that “luck” going for it. Sometimes it does.
There is no such thing as luck in sports.
Your examples (Raf and David) are not luck, the first was bad play calling (not luck just a mistake), again the second is a mistake this time by an official (and by the law of averages those things should even out over time). The example of Romonoski’s drop is again not luck but bad play. To say a drop is luck, conversely means a catch is also luck, therefore there are no good and bad receivers, just lucky and unlucky ones.
Luck doesn’t exist.
by aussie_cowboy on Dec 14, 2008 5:18 AM CST up reply actions
jamie dukes
rants about dallas
lately he’s seemed to side with us
http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80d465ad
Superbowl or Bust?
Crayotn is who I'd go with who is leaking info
lost his number two spot with the trade for Williams and has been invisible in the offense
That would make sense.
I just don’t buy Witten doing anything like that. He’s one of the most stand-up guys you’ll ever meet.
Come and whisper in my ear, give us dirty laundry - ESPN
There are lots of people who could be sources
Doesn’t have to be a player. Scouts talk. So do coaches. Anybody who has regular access to the locker room is a suspect.
I think Dukes is right about Crayton
He got a big deal what last year? ‘06? He’s their 4th receiver when Miles Austin is healthy.
You don’t carry a 4th receiver with a big contract.
It also helps to be in a position that the good luck helps. Raf, how do you rate the overall coaching this year? It obviously helps to have good back-ups when there are injuries. Choice’s college career made it likely he would succeed against Pittsburg….but I think everyone was surprised and pleased. Someone on the Cowboys staff saw a pretty good college RB and a good young man as well…I think the coaching has been better than the credit. The expectations for the Cowboys…from fans and media is unrealistic…It’s hard to get the “good fortune” every year.
Coaching?
Mixed bag. The staff is doing a lot better job overall the last month. The defense across the board and the offensive line is playing much better. With the o-line, Flozell Adams’ improving health is making Hud Houck look like a lot better coach.
As for Choice, did you read his draft book writeups? A couple of them had him as a “steal pick.” To read the War Room, you would think he should have been a 1st rounder, based on his heart.
Look, Marion Barber had a 2nd round grade his year. Dallas got him at the top of the 4th. I’ll bet Choice was rated higher than his draft spot too. Everybody knew he was tough and had a heart the size of Montana. I think he’s been faster than people expected.
garrett
I expected a lot more from him. IMO, Garrett has been disappointing. Raf, how much would you say the loss of Sparano has hurt the boys?
Some, but I don't see any real dropoff
The line is giving up sacks at the same level as last year and running a little bit better.
The line rarely missed a game in ’06 and ’07. Gurode missed the Carolina game and the Washington game. and I think that was it those two years.
This year, Kosier played what, six quarters all year and his backup, who finally got into the lineup, goes down after five quarters. And Flozell was playing hurt in October, when Arizona beat them up.
As for play calling, look at the offense’s output when Romo was in the lineup. About the same as last year. Pittsburgh is the only team to shut them down. The weather slowed them down in Washington, as did Romo’s splint, but they’re averaging about 28 points a game when he’s at QB.
I’m surprised Houck hasn’t done more with McQuistan and Free, but I think it’s a wash in terms of first unit performance. When the line has been healthy, they’ve been good. They played well last week. Romo didn’t but his line did.
thanks
I expected more with all the weapons he has at his disposal. His playcalling also seems to be predictable.
When were the weapons all together for a consistent period of time?
The first six games or so. They were averaging what, 29 ppg when Romo broke his finger?
Remember, they lost Romo and Felix Jones in the same game. Felix never came back. Roy Williams wasn’t really ready until Giants I and it wasn’t like Brad Johnson could do anything to exploit him.
They won the Redskins game, even with Romo throwing two picks inside the Washington 25. They topped 30 in the next two games.
Pittsburgh’s D was as good as advertised and Dallas lost because Romo had maybe his worst game ever. Guys were open and he didn’t find them. Or he missed them. The rest of that offense played well enough to win.
I see Garrett stuttering a bit in October but when he has Romo, the offense runs.
It’s amazing how that seven minute meltdown in Pittsburgh has made everybody crazy.
agreed raf
Hopefully they tighten up and fix some of these things, we’ll be fine for Sunday as long as the defense plays like it has.
by joey7289 on Dec 13, 2008 9:41 PM CST up reply actions
i have read your stuff
for along time and I appreciate all your hard work. I dont alway agree, but you have a clear view of this team, thanks again
I read the book on Choice and knew when we drafted him that he had a chance to be a very good player…..and he seems a bit quicker than Barber. I’m not certain that he will not carry the load tomorrow. Barber’s foot is not an easy injury to play with…or he would.
There have been so many injuries in the defensive backfield that just coaching and controlling the sub packages must be a nightmare. I think Campo has done a pretty darn good job. I also agree the OL is playing better, but I think a lot of that is Flo is healthier. We’ll find out more tomorrow. I think the coaches are finding that McQ and Free are not players and I look for them to be drafted over. The key to the game tomorrow IMO is the OL. If Romo has time to see his targets he will beat the Giants..If they keep him on the move he will have a lot of trouble…Interesting observation that all the offense except the FB position is under contract for next year so continuity there is assured.
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