Cowboys Corner

Ware vows to do more

Linebacker DeMarcus Ware has quietly had eight sacks. That ties him for second in the NFL. But it hasn't been enough for him or for the Cowboys.

"I always feel like my job is always to try to make big plays and get pressure on the quarterback," Ware said. "You can never do enough for the team. So I’m trying to do as much as I can."

Ware has 43 tackles, including six for loss, and 13 quarterback pressures. But he has only one forced fumble and one fumble recovery this season. The Cowboys need more from him, especially now that Tony Romo is sidelined with a fractured left clavicle.

"Instead of getting one sack a game, try to get two to four, as many as you can," Ware said. "I just try to make big plays, when the time comes, on the quarterback, knocking the ball out, getting turnovers, making sure Jon Kitna gets the ball back. We talked earlier this week and he said, 'Get me the ball as much as you can and I promise you we’re going to score points.' That’s heart warming to hear that from Jon this week."

-- Charean Williams

 

 

 

Young backup players will sit... for now

Rookie free agent Phil Costa could get his first start this week, but only because the two players in front of him -- Kyle Kosier and Montrae Holland -- are injured. The Cowboys are not throwing in the towel, so they're not ready to throw their young players onto the field just to get them experience.

"I think we should use everything we’ve got on every play to win every down," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "It’s important to this team every time we get a chance to win within the context of the game or in the context of the possession. We would not, in any way, compromise a chance to win the game by playing a player to evaluate or to give him experience."

For now, backup quarterback Stephen McGee will be just that, and other young players like Sam Young and Sean Lee will continue to bide their time as backups unless there are injuries. Rookie defensive end Sean Lissemore could play for the first time this week as a replacement for Jason Hatcher. Lissemore was working on the first-team kickoff team Thursday. Rookie safety Barry Church could get more playing time if Terence Newman's injury forces safety Alan Ball to play cornerback.

But barring injury, the starters will continue to be just that, and young players will not play for the sake of playing. At least not until the Cowboys officially are eliminated from contention.

"You don’t do anything but try to win the game. I’m emphatic about that," Jones said. "We will get enough opportunity, usually through injury, to see the [young] players. We’re getting to look at several of our young players, that’s happening to us right now."

-- Charean Williams

Uncertain CBA could help save Wade's job for 2011

Jerry Jones confirmed what I've been saying for months: There will not be many coaching changes in the NFL in the coming off-season. Not unless the collective bargaining agreement gets done quicker than expected. That includes in Dallas, no matter how bad the Cowboys finish. Owners are not going to be willing to pay off a coaching staff and hire a new coaching staff with no certainty when or if the 2011 season will kickoff. In addition, when would a new coach implement his system? There aren't likely to be OTAs or mini-camps and maybe not even training camp, or a full training camp.

Ultimately, this might be what saves Wade Phillips' job. Phillips signed a two-year extension after last season. He will be paid through the 2011 season even if he is fired.

"I haven’t changed head coaches during the season," Jones said Thursday. "I wouldn’t try to or weighhow that [the uncertain CBA] impacts decisions, but certainly you aren’t going to see a lot of coaching changes as we go into next year."

Asked what exactly he meant, Jones said: "I mean just what I said. As we go into next year, I don’t see a lot of coaching changes. Period. As we go into next year, the league year of next year. That’s about it. I’m not going to go into why. I’m just saying that I don’t see that you’re going to see a lot of that."

-- Charean Williams

 

Jerry an optimist but a realist, too

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is the world's biggest optimist, but he said Thursday that he's a realist, too. Not only are the Cowboys 1-5 and in last place in the NFC East -- the only team in their division without a winning record -- but they won't have starting quarterback Tony Romo for 6-8 weeks.

The Cowboys began the season with hopes of becoming the first team to host the Super Bowl in their home stadium. Only six games in, that dream is unlikely. Since the current 12-team playoff format was implemented in 1990, no team ever has come back from 1-5 to make the playoffs. 

"Obviously, very disappointed," Jones said at a luncheon celebrating the Super Bowl being only 100 days away. "We carefully put together our team, contracts, structured it to we might have a chance to be in the Super Bowl. I know there was a relationship there about being able to play in your own Super Bowl, but believe it or not, I am a realist and I know it’s never been done before. I had that in the proper perspective."

Of their remaining 10 games, the Cowboys face only two teams -- Jacksonville and Detroit -- that currently have losing records. Even getting to .500 will be a challenge for the Cowboys, Jones admitted.

"If you have an appreciation for the talent level of the teams you're playing, the quality of the teams you're playing, then you've got to realize that every part of every game is going to be a dogfight," Jones said. "You look at how close these games are in the best of circumstances, right then you realize that we've got quite a challenge. What I'm realistic about is what a challenge we've got ahead of us. If we can get what we expect out of [backup quarterback Jon] Kitna, then we're up to the challenge."

-- Charean Williams

 

 

Roy late to practice; Newman doesn't practice

Receiver Roy Williams had a family emergency but made it for the team portion of practice. Coach Wade Phillips said Williams informed the team before practice that he would be late.

Starting cornerback Terence Newman missed practice with a rib muscle strain. Phillips said he expected Newman to play. Newman was injured on his interception return on the third play from scrimmage Monday night.

"All indications from him and from our staff is that he will play," Phillips said. "That's what we're looking at right now. It could change."

The Cowboys could make a roster move if Newman is unable to play. They have only three cornerbacks, though safety Alan Ball, a converted corner, has been working at corner some this week. Ball played some corner during Monday night's game.

-- Charean Williams

Roy misses practice

Cowboys receiver Roy Williams was not at practice during the 25 minutes the media was allowed to watch. He did not appear on Wednesday's injury report and practiced fully Wednesday.

QB Tony Romo (left clavicle), LG Kyle Kosier (right Achilles'), guard Montrae Holland (groin) and DE Jason Hatcher (groin) sat out Thursday. Kosier worked on the side during practice. Holland said Wednesday he has been doing "everything I can do" to get healed. Rookie free agent Phil Costa is taking all of the snaps at left guard with Kosier and Holland hurting. 

-- Charean Williams

The mysterious running game

With quarterback Tony Romo out for at least eight weeks and 38-year old Jon Kitna in as his replacement, the Cowboys will wisely attempt to emphasize the running game.

The problem is that the running game hasn’t exactly been the second coming of Jim Brown and Walter Payton.

Felix Jones currently ranks 38th in the NFL with an average of 44 yards per game. Marion Barber ranks 51st with 30.2 a game. Combined, their 74.2 yards per game would rank them only 16th in the league.

Dallas coach Wade Phillips showed no interest in using popular third back Tashard Choice.

 “There are two other guys I think are running hard," Phillips said. "We’ve got to block better for them. We’ve got to execute the plays better. Those guys are running hard. I don't have a problem with the way they're running."

Unfortunately for Phillips, opponents also have no problem with the way the Dallas running backs are running.

-- Jan Hubbard

Is it easier to score two times or three?

With 8:19 left in the Cowboys’ loss to the Giants on Monday, Dallas had a fourth down as the New York six while trailing in the game 38-20.

David Buehler already had field goals of 26 and 41 yards so it was reasonable to believe he could have hit one from less than 25 yards.

If he’d been successful, the Cowboys would have trailed 38-23 -- a two-possession game. They would have had to score on a two-point conversion after one of their TDs, but they still would have needed two possessions rather than three to tie or take the lead.

Instead, after a failed Jon Kitna pass, they still trailed by 18, which meant they had to score three times.

Phillips continued on Wednesday to defend the decision to go for the field goal by saying, “We would have lost by three. We lost by six. You kick a field goal and you lose by three.”

That, of course, was a disingenuous answer. When the fourth down play failed, the Giants took over on the six yard line. If the Cowboys had scored a field goal, there would have been a kickoff. There would have been a completely different set of plays that occurred after that.

Phillips went on to say that with eight minutes left in the game, “We were 18 points behind [and] we needed a touchdown to win the game and I think that’s still true.”

The bottom line is Phillips was willing to take a chance on a situation and that he saw no advantage to having a two-possession game rather than a three-possession game.

-- Jan Hubbard

Roy Williams kids, and praises, Kitna

In 2006, Roy Williams had his best season as a pro. Playing for the Detroit Lions, Williams had 82 receptions for 1,310 yards -- both career highs. He also had seven touchdowns.

Each of those 82 passes were thrown by Jon Kitna, who has become the Cowboys starting quarterback with Tony Romo injured.

But even though they have that bond, it doesn’t prevent the 28-year-old Williams from having a little fun with the 38-year-old Kitna.

Williams was asked why he has confidence in Kitna.

“He has been there and done that,” Williams said. “Not to take anything from Romo but he has not played in the league like Jon has for 37 years.”

Williams, of course, had tongue in cheek. But he continued.

“Jon has been playing for a long time,” Williams said. “He knows it. And Jon has actually been . . . when he got coached by Mike Martz, it opened his eyes. He actually learned more than what he was taught early in his career. That is the big difference. He knows it. Jon has just been here for 37 years and coached by quote unquote the wizard. He knows it.”

-- Jan Hubbard

If Igor wants to celebrate, he's going to celebrate

The announcing crew on Monday night football criticized Dallas defensive lineman Igor Olshansky for celebrating two tackles in the Giants victory over the Cowboys.

The criticism was because the Cowboys were 18 points behind at the time. But Olshansky was unrepentant on Wednesday.

“It’s the end of the game and they’re running the ball,” Olshansky said. “Pretty much, it’s like an inside-run drill mentality. I take pride in stopping the run. This was a no-nonsense type of deal. I knew that they were going to run the ball. They knew that they were going to try to run the clock out, so it was a lot of fun.”

When told the Monday Night Football announcers, Olshansky said: “I really don’t care what the announcers said. I play this game for my family and myself not for anybody else’s opinion on what they think about me. I have a lot of pride in what I do so you’re going to run the ball my way, I’m going to make the play I’m going to let you know it. Period.”

-- Jan Hubbard