Cowboys Corner

Game planning for the Giants

Good news - the Cowboys don't appear to be spending too much time worrying about Thursday night's game against the Vikings.
Safety Roy Williams  said the team is already game-planning for the season-opener against the New York Giants.

- Mac Engel

Player Cuts

The Cowboys made their first round of cuts today. Nothing major.
Not unless you count that former Grapevine quarterback Richard Bartel didn't get cut.
The Cowboys need to cut one more player tomorrow to get down to the 75-man roster limit.

The cuts:
RB Jackie Battle
NT Ola Dagunduro
LB Dedrick Harrington
T Jason Hilliard
LB Obomese, Alex
WR Jerard Rabb
WR Jamaica Rector
WR Jamel Richardson
DT Montavious Stanley

- Mac Engel

Newman hopes to be back by Giants game

Terence Newman said he hopes to be back by the regular season opener, against the Giants on Sept. 9.

The Cowboys cornerback said he has a tear in his plantar fascia. What is that? Well, according to athleticadvisor.com, "The plantar fascia is a dense band of tissue that runs from the calcaneus to the heads of the metatarsals of the foot." Yeah, I don't know what that means either. Sounds serious.
Basically, it's the push-off tendon.

Newman said, however, that he does not have plantar fasciitis, which is a chronic condition.

Neither injury is ideal. The treatment? Stay off your feet, which Newman plans to do.

- Mac Engel

Cut time

Expect the Cowboys to announce their roster moves today. They have to get down to 75 players by Tuesday.

Yes, I have it on good authority that DeMarcus Ware will not be cut.

- Mac Engel

Newman's injury lingers

Cornerback Terence Newman said Monday he wasn't sure how long he will be out with a plantar fascia tear in his right heel. Newman said he hopes to be back by the season opener on Sept. 9 against the New York Giants.

Newman's assessment seems to cast a more serious doubt on the cornerback's availability for the season opener than what the Cowboys reported earlier.

Mac Engel

The Who Cares? Cup Returns South

Can't say that the loss really devastated the Cowboys.

To a man, they admitted the Texans wanted this game more than they did. Duh?

But at least this loss restores some humility to a preseason that was quickly spinning to a level of third graders getting ready to win the game and going to for pizza afterwards.

- Mac Engel

Holder Controversy

Brad Johnson and Mat McBriar remain locked in a heated battle to be this team's holder. My money is on Johnson. He's been a holder for years. And he's a quarterback. So if a play goes bad he can roll out of the pocket and throw a touchdown pass to Nick Folk.

As for McBriar, he's done it only a few times. And he's an Aussie. That can't help.

- Mac Engel

Avoiding OT

The Cowboys decision to run a draw with Tyson Thompson on 3rd and 4 from the Texans' 5 was about one thing: Ending this game in regulation.
Avoiding OT in a preseason game is the only true preseason code there is.

By allowing Nick Folk to connect on a short field goal, there will be no overtime. Not unless the Cowboys hit another field goal and get a safety.

- Mac Engel

Is that it for the starters?

Tony Romo's pass that was supposed to be deep but wasn't deep enough and resulted in an interception should be the end of the night for the starters. Should be.

There is 1:05 left in the third quarter. If the starters play any more on offense, the Cowboys will be trying to win the game. And isn't that a violation of the preseason code?

- Mac Engel

Comeback time?

The dream is alive. The Cowboys are making a push to tie the game and keep the Who Cares? Cup.
Tony Romo's TD pass to Jason Witten has cut the defict to 21-13.

Expect the starter to remain in 'til the end of the third quarter, too.

- Mac Engel