Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Dez Bryant Received Injection In Foot To Speed Healing

Dez Bryant received therapeutic injection in foot to bolster healing - USA Today
Jerry Jones told USA Today that Bryant had received an injection in his foot on Friday.

The procedure Jones described resembles that of platelet-rich therapy, where the patient's blood is drawn from one part of the body, treated in a centrifuge and then concentrated platelets are injected into the area in need of treatment

Jones stressed that the procedure does not indicate a setback in Bryant's rehab, but instead enhances the healing and should ultimately increase confidence in his readiness to return.

"There is not a concern about his progress," Jones told USA TODAY Sports. "The fact that he can do that (injection therapy) is a positive. This was not something to address something that was a surprise or anything. It was something to get him some additional strength."

Most recently, the Giants' Victor Cruz also received a Platelet Rich Plasma - or PRP - injection to help promote healing in his injured calf. For more information on PRP, follow this [LINK] for information from the Hospital for Special Surgery.

NFL betting trends: Why the Cowboys might be a better choice than you think - The Morning Call
It doesn't mean anything in the W/L column, but recent betting trends suggest a wager on the Cowboys suggest the game tonight will be closer than many people think.

• Cowboys as underdogs by more than a field goal: 17-3 ATS
• Cowboys as home underdogs: 28-12 ATS (since 1990)
• Cowboys as underdogs vs. AFC: Covered 10 STRAIGHT

Week 5 Patriots vs Cowboys Film Review: The Dallas Defense is for Real - Pats Pulpit
Two Nuggets from Richard Hill's review of the Cowboys:

Dallas thrives on turnovers. Under head coach Jason Garrett (per Pro Football Reference), the Cowboys are 1-14 when they don't force a turnover. They are 13-13 when they force one turnover. They are 30-7 when they force two or more.

Dallas plays with a very aggressive style of run defense, with linebackers crashing into the backfield and it seems like every single takedown is a gang tackle. The defensive line does a great job of making initial moves to draw the attention of the offensive linemen, while subsequently creating a numbers mismatch or an open lane for a linebacker. For the Cowboys rushing defense, they want to disrupt the opposing team's offensive line as much as possible to break-up the play before it even starts.

Banged up Cowboys offense may rely heavily on Jason Witten - ProvidenceJournal.com
The Patriots have had mixed success against tight ends this season, allowing 49.3 yards a game against the position. Heath Miller of the Steelers caught eight of 11 targets for 84 yards. Buffalo's Charles Clay caught three passes for 19 yards and a score. Jacksonville's Clay Harbor caught three passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. None of them are Jason Witten though.

"Smart guy. He can do everything — pass, block, get open," strong safety Patrick Chung said. "He’s a smart, savvy guy who can make plays. The goal is to just limit him as much as possible. He’s going to have his plays. He’s a good player, but limit him as much as possible and that should help us out."

"He just does everything for them," said Devin McCourty. "I think obviously what stands out is, he’s got great hands. When you’ve got a tight end like that who’s big and [has] quickness in and out of routes that really can catch the ball wherever the quarterback throws it, it’s tough as a defender just because if you don’t get there before the ball gets into his hands, he’s usually catching it.

What To Watch For As Patriots Visit Cowboys: Bringing Weeden back to Earth - CBS Boston
It is always interesting to look at how the other side sees your players. And in Weeden's case, that comes with a grudging respect that is completely absent among many fans and observers in Dallas.

Weeden has completed 76.3 percent of his passes thus far. Nobody in the NFL has been better. He’s averaged 239 yards in his two starts, and in total he’s thrown 2 TDs and 1 INT on the season. It may not sound like much, but for Brandon Weeden, that’s his best work since the 2011 season at Oklahoma State.

New England may be the team that brings Weeden back to reality. The Patriots rank fifth in the NFL with 13 sacks, and sixth in the NFL with five interceptions. That’s despite playing one fewer game than all but one NFL team. Now granted, those stats are boosted by facing Tyrod Taylor (who took an absurd eight sacks in Week 2), Blake Bortles (who was sacked fifty-five times last season) and Ben Roethlisberger (who often opts to stand like a statue in the pocket and absorb a half-dozen hits). But still, four sacks per game is four sacks per game.

Patriots' Tom Brady isn't taking banged-up Cowboys lightly | The Augusta Chronicle
This AP report leads off with Brady's take on the 2015 Cowboys:

"This team could easily be 4-0," Brady said of the Cowboys (2-2), who instead have lost both full games without Romo and Bryant heading into New England’s first visit to their $1.2 billion stadium today. "They’re playing at home. They’ve got a lot of good players. Last year they were one of the best teams in football."

Week 5 Patriots vs Cowboys: Bill Belichick Can't Stop Talking About Tom Landry - Pats Pulpit
The typically short-lipped Bill Belichick loves talking football history, so when he got the chance to open up about Cowboys head coach Tom Landry...well, buckle up. Belichick was asked three questions: "In the 1950's and 1960's, Tom Landry came up with the shift on the offensive line. What was the point of that back then?," followed by "how come you don't see it anymore?," and "it's much more of a gimmick in your eyes, though?" And that elicited a 1,246 word response from Belichick that you can read by following the link above.

Cowboys offensive identity? "We fight till the last drive." | Jon Machota, Dallas Morning News
Machota offers 10 Cowboys nuggets in his weekly Ranch Roundup, here's the one that stood out to me:

Without Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and Lance Dunbar playing Sunday, what is the identity of the Cowboys offense? Do they have one? Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan was asked about that Thursday.

"Yeah, we fight and we play till the last drive of the game. OK? We're short-handed. OK? But there's never been a game that we haven't put ourselves in great position that we continued to finish," Linehan said. "And the fact that our guys fight the last drive of the game on the last game we played when probably everybody was just saying, 'Ah, this is over,' and it really wasn't. To me, that's our identity and as we move forward, that's going to be what takes us over the hump."

Sabin: Scott Linehan's poker face helping Cowboys with their revolving door offense | Rainer Sabin, Dallas Morning News
Machota notes that the Cowboys have used more player combinations on offense (120) over four games than any other team in the NFL, in large part because of an unusally high injury rate on offense.

"Injuries happen to everybody in the league," Linehan said calmly. "This year we have had more than our fair share. But the whole idea is the next-man-up mentality. We've got guys we believe in that can go in and do the job. We've just got to approach things a little different."

Cowboys make it official: Place Lance Dunbar on IR - NFL.com
The Cowboys officially ended Lance Dunbar's 2015 season by placing him on season-ending injured reserve yesterday. WR Vince Mayle was called up from the practice squad to fill Dunbar's roster spot.

Dan Shaughnessy: The Patriots are now what the Cowboys used to be - The Boston Globe
Clearly, Shaughnessy has been hanging out with the wrong people.

Making a dent in the din of Dallas would have been unthinkable in earlier times, but there’s a new world order in the NFL and almost no one gives the Cowboys a chance Sunday. Eight of eight Dallas Morning News "experts" picked the Patriots to win.

Hanging out in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex for the last couple of days, I get no sense that anybody here thinks their team has a chance. It’s amazing. The NFL torch has been passed, and even deep in the heart of Texas the once-vaunted Cowboys are expected to be just another tomato can for the marquee team of the National Football League, the mighty New England Patriots.

Weeden: I don't need Twitter telling me how to play QB - NFL.com

"I'm 32 years old. I don't need a 12-year-old telling me how to play quarterback."