Cowboys Corner

Spencer sacked

Outside linebacker Anthony Spencer lost half a sack Wednesday after the Elias Sports Bureau -- the league's official statistician -- reviewed Saturday's game. Elias ruled that Marcus Spears had gotten to Drew Brees first before Spencer finished him off. That means Spencer officially had 1.5 sacks.

"It's happened like that all year," Spencer said Wednesday when I told him.

For the season, he has 3.5 sacks.

-- Charean Williams

Wade wants Jenkins in Pro Bowl

Cornerback Mike Jenkins hasn't gotten the recognition that Charles Woodson and Asante Samuel have this season. He might be the best-kept secret in the league.

Jenkins has played at a Pro Bowl level this season, with 56 tackles, a team-leading five interceptions and 19 pass breakups. Coach Wade Phillips said Jenkins is getting "to that point" where the Cowboys can trust him to go one-on-one with no help.

"He's so strong and can jam people so well," Phillips said Wednesday. "...He's not perfect, but he's getting better and better. He might even be in the Pro Bowl. He's a heck of a player. He's a lot like Miles [Austin] in that nobody knew about him. Going in[to the season], they didn't say, 'Wow, those two guys are going to be in the Pro Bowl.' But I think he's earned his way as far as his play."

Jenkins said not much has changed since his rookie season aside from the opportunities he is getting. He didn't play much last season with Anthony Henry and Pacman Jones on the roster, along with Terence Newman and Orlando Scandrick.

"As long as you play, you are going to feel good," Jenkins said Wednesday.
 

Landry-Williams Part II

Cowboys receiver Roy Williams and Redskins safety LaRon Landry will meet again, for the first time since Landry called out Williams after the Cowboys' 7-6 win. Landry said after the game that Williams was "scared" to go across the middle.

Williams said he has no problem with Landry.

"He's a good player, a Pro Bowl player," Williams said. "I'll have him on this team any time. If he becomes a free agent, come on and join us. He's a great player. I have nothing to say. We're just going to play Sunday night."

-- Charean Williams

Adams for the Pro Bowl?

Flozell Adams isn't likely to make the Pro Bowl off voting by fans, coaches and players. But he could end up being named a Pro Bowler for the sixth time, because some of the top offensive tackles in the NFC -- Jordan Gross, Chris Samuels and Jamal Brown -- are injured. It also helps Adams' cause that the players on the Super Bowl teams will not play in the Pro Bowl, which is being held the week before the Super Bowl.

But does Adams deserve it? No.

He got off to a fast start this season, but he has had $75,000 in fines, 12 penalties for 95 yards, including three holding penalties, and he has given up seven sacks for 38 yards. Those are hardly Pro Bowl numbers.

One thing is for sure: He didn't get any votes from the New York Giants.

-- Charean Williams

Ware leads LBs in Pro Bowl voting

Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware led all players at his position in NFC Pro Bowl voting, which ended Monday. Sam Hurd was second among special teamers. No other Cowboy was in the top two.

"It's always a good thing to be high on the fan votes," Ware said Wednesday. "I always think about the fans being the 12th man for us, especially in the stadium. Like when we played the Saints last week, it was so loud. So it really helps out. For them to put me on a high pedestal like that, it lets me know I'm still doing the right things and a good job."

NFL players finish voting today, and the teams will be announced Tuesday.

The Pro Bowl teams are a consensus of fans, players and coaches. Each group's vote counts one-third toward determining the 43-player rosters for each conference. The game will be played Jan. 31, 2010, at 7:20 p.m. from Dolphin Stadium. Super Bowl XLIV will be held a week later.

-- Charean Williams

Dungy gives Cowboys a chance

Former NFL coach Tony Dungy gives the Cowboys a chance this week against the Redskins.

"Cowboys, I got your message!" Dungy said in his role as NBC analyst. "Let me be clear: Dallas definitely has a chance this Sunday night against the Redskins."

A week ago, the ex-Bucs and ex-Colts coach gave the Cowboys "no chance" against the Saints. The Cowboys used that as motivation the night before their 24-17 victory.

-- Charean Williams

Romo to remain the holder

Tony Romo will remain the holder for Shaun Suisham. He replaced Mat McBriar as the holder two games ago in hopes of getting Nick Folk out of his slump. It didn't work, and Folk was cut Monday and replaced by the ex-Redskin, Suisham.

"Romo's the best holder right now," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said.

Romo is the only starting quarterback in the league to hold. Three teams use their backup quarterback. The rest have their punter double as the holder since a punter can spend more time during practice working with the kicker.

-- Charean Williams

Roy ranks 14th in drops

Roy Williams dropped yet another pass last week. He has seven for the season, tied for 14th in the NFL. (49ers tight end Vernon Davis leads with 11, and T.O. is tied for third with nine.)

"I'm not a guy that loses confidence in my hands," Williams said Tuesday. "I still think I have the best hands in this league. You got to feel that way, and I feel that way. It happens. Happens to the best of us."

Williams has been the target on 81 passes, according to STATS, Inc. He has caught 45.7 percent, with 34.6 percent going for a first down.

-- Charean Williams

Carney released

I speculated last week that the Saints didn't cut veteran kicker John Carney, because they didn't want him kicking against them. New Orleans cut Carney on Tuesday, three days after losing to the Cowboys and one day after the Cowboys signed Shaun Suisham to be their kicker.

Carney, 45, was signed by the Saints on Aug. 15 to replace Garrett Hartley, who was suspended for the first four games for testing positive for a banned stimulant. Hartley, a Southlake Carroll product, won back his job three games ago.

For the season, Carney is 13-of-17 and has scored 89 points. It would have been interesting if the Saints had cut him a day earlier, considering Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis has a relationship with Carney as the two were together in 2007 in Jacksonville.

-- Charean Williams

Folk will be good again

NFL rules prohibited the Cowboys from putting Nick Folk on injured reserve, which would have been their preference. I asked special teams coach Joe DeCamillis if they could have hurt Folk on the plane ride back from New Orleans. DeCamillis laughed.

He knows as well as anyone that Folk is going to be a good kicker in this league again, and he could come back to haunt the Cowboys.

Dallas drafted him with a sixth-round draft choice in 2007. He made the Pro Bowl that season. Folk was as reliable as any kicker in the NFL over the past two seasons, making 46-of-53 tries. That includes 17-of-18 from 40-49 yards and 4-of-7 from 50 or longer. He made big, pressure kicks for the Cowboys, too. Remember the Buffalo game when he hit a 53-yarder as time expired? Or the seven field goals he kicked against Green Bay that season. We started this season talking about his consecutive field goals streak.

Folk just turned 25. He has a long career ahead of him, and the Cowboys are going to be pained every time they see him make another field goal for another team.

"It's just one of those difficult situations with those guys," DeCamillis said. "Most of the time what happens is they go through spells at the start where they struggle, struggle, struggle. Then, all of a sudden, it kicks. Well, for Nick, it started the other way. Everything came real easy, and then he hit a spell where it went back for him, and we just couldn't get him out of it."

Folk had hip surgery in May. It prevented him from getting his usual off-season work, which likely led to some of the problems he has had lately. DeCamillis also admitted he didn't know how having a new holder affected Folk or how having another kicker on the roster might have played into things. The bottom line was the Cowboys finally had to think about the now instead of the future. It was the right move for today. They're playing for a playoff berth, and maybe more, much more. But it might force the Cowboys to use yet another draft pick on a kicker next year. That would be the third time in four years.

-- Charean Williams