Cowboys Corner

Cowboys preparing to mix and match defensive personnel against Eagles because of injuries

Because of an ongoing rash of injuries to defensive players, Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said coaches will “have to mix and match” personnel in Sunday’s game against Philadelphia, with multiple players lining up in non-traditional roles.

“Guys have to be a little flexible and they’ve got to be a little versatile,” Garrett said of a defensive lineup that could include cornerback Brandon Carr at safety, cornerback Mike Jenkins at slot corner and selected linebackers seeing duty at both inside and outside spots.

Dallas has four defensive starters on injured reserve (inside linebacker Sean Lee, inside linebacker Bruce Carter, defensive end Kenyon Coleman, safety Barry Church) and probably will play Sunday without All-Pro nose tackle Jay Ratliff (groin).

In addition, slot corner Orlando Scandric (hand surgery) is out indefinitely and safety Charlie Peprah (foot) has not practiced this week.

For the first time this season, outside linebacker Anthony Spencer will wear the radio communication helmet and call the team’s defensive signals _ a duty that previously fell to Lee, then Carter, before both suffered season-ending injuries.

“We’re fortunate we have smart players on our football team. We have guys who can handle a couple of different spots,” Garrett said. “You want to put them in a position doing things that they can handle. Sometimes, backup players have to be more of a jack-of-all-trades. And you’ve got to be able to handle it. We have to do a good job as coaches giving them a chance to be successful once they’re in there. You just have to make it work.”

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Jerry Jones says he sees improvement in line, names Parnell as one of four with 'real promise for years to come'

Jerry Jones says it makes sense that the Cowboys might be thinking about offense and the offensive line in next year’s draft, but he said he sees improvement in the line and identified four players he believes have ‘real promise for years to come,’ including backup tackle Jermey Parnell.

“I’m seeing at least four players really have a real improvement and real promise for years to come,” Jones said Friday on his radio show on KRLD 105.3 FM The Fan.

Asked by the show hosts about the future of the offensive line players outside of Tyron Smith, Jones said, “We’ve got Parnell, who’s the third tackle as you would have him on the depth chart today, you have Free in there as well, then Mackenzy Bernadeau has really progressed, and so just to name those four as top, certainly you’ve got other guys there.”

As he has before, Jones put faith in offensive line coach Bill Callahan, in his first year with the Cowboys.

“Livings, and other players, have a chance to get better as they get more coaching from Bill Callahan,” Jones said. “I see improvement in our offensive line. But certainly there’s some things you could add. Remember, last year, I think our first five picks were on the defense. We really emphasized defense with our draft last year. So naturally, you might be thinking offense this year.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Cowboys to hold Armed Forces Rally Day at stadium on Saturday

Cowboys Stadium will host an Armed Forces Rally Day on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with military-themed activities, autograph sessions with three former players (Mel Renfro, Leon Lett, Ed “Too Tall” Jones), photo opportunities with the team’s Super Bowl trophies and appearances by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and Santa Claus.

Scheduled times for the autograph sessions include Renfro (11 a.m.), Lett (noon) and Ed Jones (1 p.m.) Cheerleaders will sign autographs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Santa Claus is scheduled to visit the stadium from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

VIP rally day tickets are $27.50 for adults and $22.50 for children/seniors; self-guided rally day tickets are for $17.50 for adults and $14.50 for children/seniors; military rally day tickets are $22.50 for VIP and $14.50 for self-guided. Group tickets can be purchased by calling 817-892-TOUR.

_ Jimmy Burch

Garrett downplays significance of Romo preparing to pass Aikman as Cowboys' career leader in TD passes

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo needs one touchdown pass in Sunday’s game against Philadelphia to move into sole possession of the franchise record for career TD passes. He currently shares the mark (165) with Troy Aikman, a Hall of Famer who led the team to three Super Bowl titles.

Romo has won only one playoff game in his tenure with the Cowboys.

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, a former Aikman teammate, made it clear today that more should be considered than stellar statistics when fans or media members seek to rank the contributions of quarterbacks in franchise history.

“Even though one player is passing another player on a stat sheet, it’s not real productive for us to try to compare the two guys,” Garrett said. “Troy did what he needed to do to help us win football games and he did it about as well as anybody I’ve seen at that position … To put his career in some kind of statistical context is missing the boat about what he was doing as a player.”

_ Jimmy Burch

Garrett encouraged by Murray's progress but still not ready to declare him in Sunday's lineup

 

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said this morning that he is encouraged by what he has seen this week in practice from running back DeMarco Murray but is not ready to declare Murray back in the lineup for Sunday’s game against Philadelphia.

“We don’t want to make that determination yet. It’s a day-by-day thing,” Garrett said before the start of today’s practice.

Murry, who has missed the team’s last six games because of a sprained foot, took part in limited drills on Wednesday and Thursday and is expected to do likewise today.

“He’s looked pretty good. He’s been limited both days but he’s been playing football,” Garrett said. “It’s nice to see him out there running the ball, catching the ball and doing stuff we haven’t seen him do in a while.”

_ Jimmy Burch

Just CHILL: NFL Picks of the Week, the December push is on

 

Just CHILL: NFL Picks of the Week, the December push is on 

 Thursday Nov. 29

 New Orleans at Atlanta

It’s another must-win game for Saints.  It’s good they are facing a team that they own of late. Never mind that Atlanta’s 10-1 record. The Saints have the mental edge in this series. Saints 28-25

 Sunday Dec. 2

 Jacksonville at Buffalo

The Jaguars have been very competitive the last two weeks and they much improved with Chad Henne at quarterback. But they are still a bad team. The Bills are bad as well but at least they are at home. Bills, 24-22

 Seattle at Chicago

Seattle has only one win on the road this season. They will not get number two at Chicago because of the looming suspensions hanging over their starting cornerbacks and the prowess the Bears when Jay Cutler is healthy. Bears, 28-17

 San Francisco at St. Louis

Colin Kaepernick will be looking to win his third straight game as the 49ers quarterback. The Rams defense will offer little resistance and the 49ers defense will set the table with a mauling of quarterback Sam Bradford. 49ers, 30-24

 New England at Miami

The Patriots have scored 45, 37, 59 and 49 points in each of their last four games. The Dolphins have a game defense. But nothing is slowing the Patriots right now. Tom Brady has them rolling. Patriots, 35-24

 

 Arizona at N.Y. Jets

This is an awful game. Both teams are struggling at quarterback and in the midst of lost seasons. Both coaches are on the hot seat. The Jets do have the bunker tendency to play well when the odds are against them. They are also at home. Jets, 28-14

 Indianapolis at Detroit

 The Lions are still smarting from having a game taken from against the Texans because of a blown call by the officials. They are better than their record and should handle the upstart Colts at home. Lions, 24-20

 Minnesota at Green Bay

The Vikings are another team that takes on a distinct different personality away from home. Maligned quarterback Chris Ponder is no match for Aaron Rodgers of the Packers any where but especially at Lambeau Field. Packers, 33-20

 Houston at Tennessee

This one is a mismatch on paper. Houston has the best record in the AFC and the Titans are floundering after just firing their offensive coordinator. But Houston has struggled the last two games so look for Titans to make it competitive at home. But the Texans will prevail. Texans, 28-26

 Carolina at Kansas City

The Panthers and Cam Newton looked good in beating the emotionless Eagles last Monday. But following that road game with a trip to Kansas City will be took much.  Jamaal Charles should run wild the Panthers defense if they give him the ball. Chiefs, 21-18

 Tampa Bay at Denver

Tampa Bay continues to after the persona of their coach. They are young, tough and feisty. This one won’t be easy but the Broncos may be playing as well as anyone in the NFL outside of the Chargers. Peyton Manning should exploit a suspect Tampa Bay secondary. Broncos, 28-23

 Cleveland at Oakland

Oakland is in shambles. Linebacker Rolando McClain quit the team this week and then was cut. But this remains a tough spot for the Browns, who are going across the country and might be without starting quarterback Brandon Weeden (concussion). Raiders, 14-13

 Cincinnati at San Diego

The Chargers and Bengals are going in opposite directions. Cincinnati has won three straight and are back in the race for a playoff spot. The Chargers have six of their last seven games and don’t appear interested in saving coach Norv Turner’s job. Bengals, 24-20

 Pittsburgh at Baltimore

The Steelers just aren’t the same team without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. And things just seem to falling in place for the Ravens are not as good as their lofty record but they just keep winning. They will again on Sunday. Ravens, 24-17

 Philadelphia at Dallas

The Eagles and Andy Reid are dead men walking. It looks like quarterback Michael Vick has already checked out as he has yet to be cleared from a concussion he suffered three weeks ago against the Cowboys. Dallas has its own problems but it is in a much better spot than the Eagles. Cowboys, 33-20

 Monday Dec. 3

N.Y. Giants at the Washington

As good as the Giants looked against the Packers last week, they have been Jekyll and Hyde team. They could easily drop this game against the Redskins. Quarterback Robert Griffin III is as scary to face as any quarterback in the league. He has a healthy Pierre Garcon and they should give the suspects Giants secondary fits. This will be a shootout. But the Giants prevail. Giants, 35-31

 Last week: 9-7

 Season: 103-73

 

So you're saying there's a chance: Romo likes feeling that Cowboys still have opportunity 'to do something special'

The Cowboys have an uphill climb on their playoff push, but quarterback Tony Romo does not have a bad feeling.

Not as long as they have a chance.

“This time of year, we’re in a position to where we have a chance. That's something that not every team can say at this point,” Romo said during his weekly session with reporters at Valley Ranch. “Obviously, we would like to be in a better position. But I like the feeling that at least your team has a chance to do something special at the end of this season. It's going to take great effort and great commitment and everybody doing their job a little better than what we've done at this point. I think our team can do that, and we just need to start that off this week.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said earlier in the week that the team is running out of time to make the playoffs, although there is still time for improvement.

Romo said he doesn’t think about running out of time.

“I do know this game right now, we have a chance,” he said. “Leading up to this football game, knowing that, I know it’s not the record we want at this point. But I also know that we can change that from this point forward. It’s what we do now that matters. I’ve tried to instill that with the different guys. I think they understand that. We have to do some things better to change the outcome, the record of what it’s been so far.

“Hopefully we’ll get a few guys back healthy and some things can shift a little.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Callahan says Cowboys aren't running a lot, or well, because they're not running a lot

The Cowboys are now last in the NFL in rushing and on pace to set franchise lows for attempts and yards.

“I hear that. I hear that,” offensive line coach Bill Callahan said Thursday at his weekly meeting with reporters at Valley Ranch.

So why is that?

Callahan said it’s because of the score of the games. As the Cowboys have fallen behind, they have given up chances to run as they go to the pass to try to come back.

“No. 1, I think there is about five or six games where we just haven’t had the number of rushing attempts that we would like to have, and I’ve always believed that your rush attempts and your completions really sets the tone for what you do in terms of your success formula,” he said. “So saying that, I look at the second half production, I look at how many runs we’ve attempted in the second half in some of these games, and they’re not very many. Those attempt numbers are down, and any good running attack that I’ve been around, the years that we’ve led the league in rushing at the various places I’ve been at, it’s basically kind of a war of attrition where you wear down an opponent and your attempts increase in the second half.

“But a lot of your production arises out of your second-half performance. So we start off the games, and we’re running it and you’re trying to get in your groove and rhythm. And then you’re kind of thrown out of kilter because you’re behind pretty quickly and you’re in a catch-up mode. So things change.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been inspired by the New York Giants’ championship run last year. Callahan apparently has, too.

“From a franchise perspective, being last in the league in rushing, I’ve never been there. We certainly don’t want to be there, but I look back at last year, and I look at the New York Giants – they were 32nd in the league in rushing and they won the Super Bowl,” he said. “It’s a function of what you’re doing. It’s circumstantial to a lot of respects, and it’s not for a lack of will and wanting to run the ball. I know we want to that. We’ve just been kind of thrown off of kilter in some of these games that we’ve been involved in, which really, if you have the low attempts, you’re obviously not going to have the production.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Witten says Cowboys need to put their mental energy into earlier part of the game so they don't fall behind

Tight end Jason Witten said he’s proud of the Cowboys’ will to come back when they fall behind, but that they are putting their focus into not falling behind.

“That mental energy has got to be happening earlier in games, so you don’t fall behind that way,” he said. “Just in general, that’s a winning formula. You can’t come from behind and expect to do it. Starting fast is going to be critical for us going forward.”

The Cowboys have trailed 28-3 and 13-0 at halftime in their last two games. They rallied from the 13-0 deficit to beat Cleveland in overtime, 23-20. But they fell short, 38-31, against Washington.

Earlier in the year, they came back from a 23-0 deficit against the New York Giants to lead 24-23, but eventually lost 29-24.

“We’ve got a lot of battle, we’ve got a lot of will,” Witten said. “But every team tries to do that. You’re proud to be a part of this locker room and the guys, the way they play. It’s about wins and losses, and as tough as we’ve been in fighting back and keeping ourselves in games at the end of it, we’re losing them. The mindset has been clear as to not get behind in those games, and you can control that, limiting those situations where you’re not in that adversity, trying to come from behind in the second half. That’s been our mindset. That’s been our focus. Now we’ve got to go do it.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Injury report: Felix Jones returns on a limited basis; Charlie Peprah misses with foot injury

Running back Felix Jones (knee) returned to practice Thursday on a limited basis. He joined DeMarco Murray, who, for the second consecutive day, had limited participation. Murray missed six games with a foot injury before returning Wednesday.

Besides Jones, the Cowboys had only two other changes to their injury report from Wednesday. Safety Charlie Peprah did not practice because of a foot injury, and defensive lineman Ben Bass, who injured his ankle in Wednesday’s practice, was not on the field.

Cowboys offensive coordinator Bill Callahan said Thursday he is optimistic that left tackle Tyron Smith (ankle) and center Ryan Cook (knee) will play Sunday against the Eagles. Both were limited in practice Thursday as were receiver Miles Austin (hip) and defensive end Sean Lissemore (ankle).