Dallas Cowboys News: Preparing For The Giants

Tyron Smith won't wear a cast on his right hand vs. NY Giants - The Dallas Morning News
Tyron Smith dislocated the ring finger on his right hand against the Dolphins and the finger swelled up again during the Cardinals game. However, he will not wear a cast on the finger against the Giants.

I swear, one of these days duct tape will be officially recognized for its medical benefits.

NFL fines Shaun Chapas $20,000 - ESPN Dallas
Rookie fullback Shaun Chapas was fined $20,000 for a blindside hit on Cardinals linebacker Reggie Walker during a second-quarter punt return. That's a big chunk of his $22,000 paycheck for the game. Chapas' agent said his client will appeal the fine.

In other week 13 fines, Philly's Trent Cole gets a slap on the wrist and a $7,500 fine for a cheap shot after the whistle that resulted in a season-ending injury to Seattle's Russell Okung.

Tuck resents Cowboys envy notion; Jacobs says Dallas fears him - NFL.com
All this trash talk is starting to get stale, and frankly isn't very entertaining. The Giants have lost four in a row since Osi Umenyiora's promise that the team wouldn't collapse. They've recorded exactly four sacks in the last four games and have given up over 1,000 yards in the last two. They should be down on their knees thanking their deity of choice that they can still play for the division lead on Sunday. You'd think they have more important things to do than running their mouths.

Spencer: Cowboys’ pass rushers have ‘all the confidence in the world’ right now - Star-Telegram
The Cowboys have twelve sacks in the last three games - after recording only six in the three games before that - and are brimming with confidence.

"We believe we’ve got some of the best pass-rushers in the league," said defensive end Anthony Spencer, second on the Cowboys with six sacks. "It’s all about confidence, and I think we have the right type of confidence in this room. I don’t think we really lost any confidence in that game. We just didn’t make the plays that we needed to make last weekend. We know we have the personnel to make plays. We’ve got all the confidence in the world right now."

Sean Lee hopeful to wear less-restrictive cast Sunday night against NY Giants - The Dallas Morning News
No more Stumpy: Sean Lee was sporting a new cast in practice this week that allows him to use his fingers a little.

"It's been a transition, with the first time I've used my hand in a while," Lee said of wearing the smaller cast. "It's been a little bit of a transition and it's feeling good, so hopefully I can go into the game with it. But we're still working on it and trying to figure out what's the best. Come game time, we'll see what I'm going to do and what's more comfortable."

"There have been some issues when it comes to pain. That's part of the transition thing. There's going to be more pain, but is it manageable and how safe is it for me to wear a different kind of cast?" Lee said. "If it's a manageable type of pain and it's not going to get worse then we're going to look into trying to expose the fingers and playing with something that allows me to have more mobility."

Bryant happy with his own progress - CBSSports.com
Bryant credits his increased production to maturing and learning how to be a professional. He said the big games will come for him. But he will stay patient, while terming himself a work in progress on and off the field.

"I can honestly say I'm more mature," Bryant said. "I look at a lot of things different. The little things do matter, like being where you're supposed to be. I don't even care if it's a minute late. Just being there on time. Not saying I was late, but just using that as an example. Just making sure you're watching film alone, a little bit more on your time, not just on the coaches' time. Just making sure that you've got everything down. I don't want to say that I'm all the way there. It's still a learning process for me. As long as I keep on talking to Miles (Austin) and Tony (Romo) and those guys, everything will be fine. They're doing it the right way, and that's the way I want to do it. It'll happen."

Dez Bryant could be X-factor down the stretch - Sporting News
Bryant's admits being a little frustrated early in the season because of the coverages teams used to take him out of games. But he says he has confidence in the other receivers that they can make plays when the ball doesn't come to him. He said he has continued to work hard and do the right things, believing that a breakout game will come his way.

Giants-Cowboys Injury Update: Long List Of Missing For Giants - Big Blue View
The Giants have been snakebit this year. No question.