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November 2009
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Cowboys Stadium roof: no open and shut case Family and friends have Roy Williams' back Official injury report - Jason Witten questionable Spencer emerges from Ellis shadow Tony Romo ready to go, Jason Witten a question Live chat with Gerry Fraley on the Dallas Cowboys Categories
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Dallas CowboysNovember 25, 2009
Officially, Jason Witten is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against Oakland with a sprained left foot. He took part in a limited part of Wednesday's practice after doing little to nothing on Monday and Tuesday. He will test the injury in pre-game warmups before deciding whether to play or not. "It's gotten better every day," Witten said. "We'll see how it is tomorrow." Just a gut feeling here, but if he feels OK, he'll play. There is a risk that Wade Phillips hinted at Tuesday that it is possible Witten's foot could get worse if he plays. With the New York Giants next on Dec. 6, might it be wiser to rest him for the NFC East showdown? The easy answer is yes, but it's never easy. Oakland is coming off a win against Cincinnati and close losses vs. San Diego and Kansas City and have allowed more than 24 points in the last five games. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have not scored more than 20 in the last three games. On his weekly appearance on The Fan, Witten said the decision will be made between the training staff, Wade Phillips and himself. He was asked if he ever tried to fool the coaches and training staff before. "Absolutely," Witten said. "Kinda of doing that right now. No, I'm kidding."  Comments (0) Leave comment
|  E-mail entryThe entry "Jason Witten feeling better" is tagged: Jason Witten , Wade Phillips
I've talked to a lot of people who wondered why the roof wasn't open for Sunday's game against Washington. If it wasn't open then, they ask if it will ever be open for a day game. Well, I chatted with Cowboys officials today about some of the factors that go into determining whether or not to retract the roof for a day game. 1. Speculation that the sun creates a glare on the digital board if the roof is open is wrong. That is not a factor in making the call to retract the roof. 2. Fan comfort is the overriding discussion point. Feedback from fans in other stadiums that have retractable roofs is that they get too hot and sun burned on warm days. This is more of an issue on a noon start when the sun is directly overhead. 3. A 3:15 start on a nice day at this time of year would be the optimum time to open the roof. No decision has been made for tomorrow's game, but it should fit the profile. Comments (2) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Cowboys Stadium roof: no open and shut case" is tagged: Cowboys Stadium
Roy Williams has grown accustomed to criticism this season. But he also knows he has a strong pocket of support. "I got a call after our last game and was told the announcers said the two high balls to me that I didn't catch were my fault,'' Williams said. "I was told the announcers said the two high balls to Miles (Austin) were Tony's (Romo) fault. "I know those guys (friends and family) have my back and were saying that's not fair. I think it's fair.'' Comments (3) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Family and friends have Roy Williams' back" is tagged: Dallas Cowboys , Miles Austin , Offense , Roy Williams , Tony Romo
COWBOYS OUT - OT Marc Colombo (ankle), S Ken Hamlin (ankle) QUESTIONABLE - TE Jason Witten (foot) PROBABLE - QB Tony Romo (back), RB Marion Barber (thumb), LB Keith Brooking (ankle), K David Buehler (toe), LB DeMarcus Ware (foot), S Gerald Sensabaugh (thumb), CB Mike Jenkins (elbow/head) (Romo took part in a full practice today for the first time this week.) RAIDERS OUT - LB Jon Alston (illness), WR Nick Miller (shin) DOUBTFUL - LB Isaiah Ekejiuba (knee) QUESTIONABLE - WR Javon Walker (hamstring) PROBABLE - DE Greg Ellis (knee), DT Richard Seymour (back) Comments (0) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Official injury report - Jason Witten questionable" is tagged: David Buehler , Gerald Sensabaugh , Jason Witten , Keith Brooking , Ken Hamlin , Marc Colombo , Mike Jenkins , Tony Romo
The Cowboys cut Greg Ellis before the season to make way for Anthony Spencer to start at outside linebacker. This is a prime topic around Valley Ranch this week because Ellis returns with Oakland to play the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. "It was a huge vote of confidence because Greg is such a good player,'' Spencer said. "He's been doing it for so long, he's still doing it. For them to let him go and for me to be in the position I am, I thought, well, they have a lot of confidence in me.'' Spencer has no sacks this season. Ellis has five. But Spencer is tied for second on the team with 18 quarterback pressures and is tied with Jay Ratliff for most tackles behind the line of scrimmage with six. "It hasn't been tough for me at all,'' Spencer said of any criticism over a lack of sacks. "I sleep pretty well at night, every night. I don't watch too much TV, I don't pay attention to it too much. I mean, I do my job and come here, work and go home and relax.'' Still, he concedes his interception to seal the victory over Washington three days ago was important because he had been in position to make big plays earlier this season and didn't. "It's all about confidence in this game,'' Spencer said. "If you're not playing with confidence, it's hard to play in this league, especially with the type of players who are in this league. It was a confidence boost.'' Comments (1) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Spencer emerges from Ellis shadow" is tagged: Anthony Spencer , Dallas Cowboys , Defense , Greg Ellis
Three days removed from injuring his back against Washington, Tony Romo is set for Thursday's game against Oakland, aside from a curious choose of pronoun when asked about his health. "We're improving each day and I think we'll be ready to go tomorrow for sure," Romo said. Will he be able to play his normal game? "I feel strongly that we're going to go out there and do what we normally do, so, yeah, I'm excited," Romo said. Romo has received extra treatment on his back this week and he took a pain-killing injection Sunday. Tight end Jason Witten did not make himself available to the media but he was spotted with ice on his left foot as he sat on the training room table. He has not missed a game since his rookie season. "If he can go, he'll go," Romo said. If Witten cannot go, then the Cowboys would be down to two tight ends - Martellus Bennett and John Phillips - but Romo does not believe the "12" personnel package would be limited against the Raiders. (Practice squad tight end Scott Chandler will not be called up for the game.) I think obviously Jason not out there it's a drop off, no question but we're going to do the same things that we do and hopefully improve at them and get better," Romo said. "Everybody's going to have to pick it up if Jason can't go." Comments (1) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Tony Romo ready to go, Jason Witten a question" is tagged: Jason Witten , John Phillips , Martellus Bennett , Scott Chandler , Tony Romo
Gerry Fraley, Dalls Cowboys beat writer for The Dallas Morning News, is chatting with readers about the team today at 1:30 p.m. If you have a question for Gerry, please enter it in the Coveritlive module below, and Gerry will try to get to as many as he can. Comments (4) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Live chat with Gerry Fraley on the Dallas Cowboys" has no entry tags.
Martellus Bennett's Thanksgiving Day could include a start against the Raiders as the Cowboys' lead tight end depending on Jason Witten's health and feeding at least 80 families from the area at the Salvation Army in McKinney. Through his Truly Blessed Foundation, Bennett will provide a traditional meal prepared by Atlanta-based chef, Laurie McGee. The doors will be open at 10:30 a.m. and the families are encouraged to remain and watch the game. "It's a blessing to be able to help anyone," Bennett said. "That's important to give back to the community. You always want to have an impact on people's lives." Comments (2) Leave comment
| E-mail entryThe entry "Martellus Bennett helping out families" is tagged: Martellus Bennett
On Tuesday it was Jimmy Johnson gracing the Cowboys practice field. Today it is Dan Reeves and it is a case of what could have been. In the offseason coach Wade Phillips wanted to bring Reeves in as a consultant for the offense but Reeves and owner and general manager Jerry Jones could not come to an agerement on how much Reeves should work. Phillips served as Reeves' defensive coordinator in Denver and Atlanta. Reeves' son in law is special teams coach Joe DeCamillis, and Reeves is in town working Thursday's game for the national radio broadcast.
Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips brings a long and twisted history against Oakland into Thursday's game. Before joining the Cowboys, Phillips had a six-game winning streak against Oakland as San Diego's defensive coordinator. The Chargers held Oakland to 17 points or fewer in each game. Before that, Phillips had problems with Oakland. Phillips' teams, starting with his time as Houston's defensive-line coach in 1977, were 5-14 against the Raiders before the current winning streak. Some things about Oakland's offense remain the same after more than 30 seasons, Phillips said. ``They're still a vertical team,'' Phillips said. ``With (managing general partner) Al Davis there, they're always going to be that. They're always going to have a lot of speed at wide receiver and always threaten you deep. Whoever coaches there, they're always going to do that.'' Oakland's desire for speed at wide receiver led to the selection of Darrius Heyward-Bey wtih the seventh overall pick in this draft. Heyward-Bey is fast but has had trouble catching the ball. He has only seven catches out of 35 passes targeted to him. |
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