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Underdog · 08-30-2008, 04:27 PM

Decisions, Decisions
Injuries Leaving Little Wiggle Room

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IRVING, Texas - Admit it, these words came out of your mouth the past 24 hours.

When it rains, it pours.

Never seems to fail . . .

Why us?

That's only natural when one position on your favorite team is attacked by a hard drive-like debilitating virus, better known as injury.

First, you try to qualify how in the world the Cowboys, figuring to keep just five receivers on their 53-man roster when the final cuts are made at 3 p.m. (CDT) this Saturday, could suffer injuries to their third, fourth and fifth receivers severe enough to possibly keep all three out of the Sept. 7 season opener against Cleveland.

Then you get sort of irritated, and the I-told-you-so's in all of you come flooding out, as in I told you they should have drafted a wide receiver or I told you they should have traded for a wide receiver or I told you they should have signed one of these veteran wide receivers or I told you they should not have cut Terry Glenn.

And then you calm down a little after logically sifting through all the available information, and suddenly you become a tad melancholy, feeling sorry for yourself, er, your team, wondering how in the world could it be met with such misfortune so close to the start of such a promising season and at the 11th hour of cuts?

OK, please, come down from the ledge. Shut the window. Come on, it's like 95 degrees outside, you're letting all the cool air out. Now, this is in no way an attempt to minimize the predicament the Cowboys are in, assured of only two healthy, front-line receivers active for the first game of the season now just nine days away. Not good, especially when you have to make decisions which could turn out to be irreversible 24 hours later.

Just to let you know, there have been no air raid sirens screaming out here at The Ranch on Friday, nor have I seen any EMT's around the place. No one seems to be panicking, knowing this is a temporary problem they must solve, one they must figure out a short-term solution to that does not cripple the long-term picture. And as far as we can tell, no APB's have been placed for available wide receivers.

Now this is not to say the Cowboys aren't looking, or won't be scanning Saturday's waive wire with a fine-tooth comb, no matter how they protest. You have heard about being sly as a fox, or, let me cliché you to death, not showing 'em your hand, or better yet, never letting them see you sweat.

Please. They will do everything they can to bail water at the receiver position with Miles Austin likely out another three to five weeks; Isaiah Stanback out maybe another week, and who knows, possibly longer; and now Sam Hurd out with a high ankle sprain at least for the opener, validating Cowboys team physician Dr. Dan Cooper's position after Thursday night's preseason game - without even seeing an MRI - that the third-year wideout would be "doubtful" for the opener.

Plus, these high ankle deals are so weird. They can be two weeks or two months. Stanback's return timetable is kind of vague, too. The other day he could not lift his arm parallel to his shoulders after suffering the subluxation against Houston on Aug. 22. But by Monday he could, and by Thursday he was actually raising both arms over his head playing catch before the game. Austin, oh he's running pretty hard since suffering the second-degree sprain of the MCL in his right knee, but only straight ahead. He should miss at least two games you'd think.

Predicting their returns is not an exact science, but tell you what, with the cuts coming tomorrow, the opinions of Dr. Cooper and Jim Maurer's staff of trainers will be as important as what Jason Garrett and Ray Sherman might think in the room.

So let's see where the Cowboys might find some wiggle room on this roster and where the debates will take place.

Let's start with the relatively easy ones here, dealing in minimums: Three special teamers (kicker, punter, deep snapper), two quarterbacks, four running backs, three tight ends and 10 offensive linemen. And if that is the case, with the trade for Montrae Holland, it would appear James Marten is in a bit of trouble for the 53-man, but eligible for the practice squad since he never was included on a game-day 45-man roster last year.

OK, that's 22.

Now then, six defensive linemen, at least eight linebackers and 10 defensive backs. That's 24.

So now we're up to 46 - eight spots remaining.

All right, now if you're not cutting any of these injured receivers or placing any on injured reserve, you got to keep five of them. And if you are not placing Kyle Kosier (foot) on injured reserve to save a roster spot, knowing he's going to be out likely a minimum of six weeks, then that brings us to 51 - and there, my friends is your wiggle room.

Two.

Where you going?

Want a wide receiver? You get one, and the one the Cowboys end up keeping on Saturday, either Danny Amendola or Mike Jefferson, must be better than any receiver with a handful of experience who gets cut on Saturday. Otherwise . . . Danny, Mike, don't buy a house if you make it. And remember, if you have this hankering to go sign a veteran, a minimum of five years in the league, he's yours for the season - or at least his salary is if he takes the one-time guarantee should he get cut later in the season.

One spot remaining.

You want to keep either Erik Walden or Tearrius George, although the head coach made George's Thursday night assault on Vikings quarterbacks seem a flash in the pan? That then would be nine linebackers, because as porous as the Cowboys' special teams can be, they almost must keep Justin Rogers.

Or do you want to keep an extra cornerback, since it would seem the Cowboys would keep six corners and four safeties for the 10-man secondary corps? To me, now that Adam Jones has been reinstated and Terence Newman is back practicing, that means lopping off either Alan Ball or Evan Oglesby. (Ball is practice-squad eligible.)

You're interested in signing last year's special teams captain Keith Davis, released on Wednesday by the Dolphins? That would come at the expense of Courtney Brown, because at this point, down three receivers, one offensive line starter and two linebackers, although Kevin Burnett is scheduled to resume practicing on Wednesday, Davis would be considered a luxury.

Or what about this Rodney Hannah kid? He's shown a little something during the preseason.

And remember all that talk about picking up a third quarterback with some NFL experience? Right. The Cowboys got other fish to fry.

Thus the ultimate juggling act: Immediate need vs. eye to the future.

So at this point, do they keep one more receiver? Two more receivers? One more receiver and one more linebacker? An extra receiver or linebacker and extra DB?

Give me a receiver, and that doesn't necessarily mean one already on campus, plus the best special teams player I can get my hands on, be it an extra linebacker or defensive back. The rest would just be too frivolous for my roster blood.

When you look at it like that, this really isn't too different from where the Cowboys would have been, trying to trim to 53, without Hurd getting injured Thursday night. Fine.

But telling you, just one more injury at wide receiver . . .

And it's back to the windowsill.

Larry Allen Re-Signs With Cowboys To Retire

The Cowboys have signed Larry Allen, 10-times a Pro Bowler with the club, so the former offensive lineman may retire with the team that drafted him.

He is considered a sure-fire Cowboys Ring of Honor candidate and likely a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.

Allen earned 11 Pro Bowl trips total in his career, the last coming in 2006, his first year with the 49ers. After playing with the Cowboys from 1994-2005, he played the final two years of his career in San Francisco. A formal announcement and recognition will be made by the Cowboys later, the organization said.

Hall of Fame defensive lineman Bob Lilly is the only Cowboys player to earn more Pro Bowl trips as a member of the club (11) than Allen, and defensive back Mel Renfro is the only other man to earn double-digit Pro Bowl trips as a Cowboy.

In terms of Pro Bowl selections, Allen is the most decorated offensive player in club history, surpassing five Hall-of-Famers. He is one of just three players in NFL history to earn a Pro Bowl trip at three different line positions, left tackle, left guard and right tackle. He also played some right guard early in his career. He was a seven-time All-Pro selection and a member of the 1990s All-Decade team.

He was a consensus All-Rookie team selection in 1994 and the NFL Players Association's pick for Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1996 and 1997.

Allen was a compensatory second-round draft choice out of Sonoma State by Dallas in 1994, the 46th overall selection that year. As a starter his second-year, Allen earned a ring for the team's Super Bowl XXX win over Pittsburgh.

Allen started 197 of 203 career games, and paved the way for many of Emmitt Smith's all-time record 18,355 career rushing yards.

The 6-3, 325-pounder may be the strongest player in NFL history, having recorded a 700-pound bench press.

Allen was a free agent following the 2007 season, but had not filed his official retirement papers. In July, there was speculation he might interested in returning to the 49ers after coach Mike Nolan said he had contacted the team's offensive line coach, George Warhop, the Cowboys line coach from 2003-04.

"He called a week or two ago to express his interest, but I haven't heard from him since," Nolan said in July. "I just think because he's a free agent, he just left it up to his agent this time."

To make room for Allen the Cowboys waived first-year guard Adam Stenavich.

Burnett Expected To Practice Next Week

Although Cowboys wide receiver Sam Hurd will miss the regular-season opener with a high ankle sprain, at least head coach Wade Phillips got one piece of positive injury news on Friday:

Linebacker Kevin Burnett (knee scope) should be ready to return to practice next Wednesday, the team's customary first full practice on a regular work week, and could be available next Sunday at Cleveland (3:15 p.m. CDT).

"If he comes back and practices, I assume he'll be full go [in the opener]," Phillips said.

Burnett has been out since spraining his knee Aug. 13 in a joint practice with Denver. He had minor arthroscopic surgery two days later to remove chipped cartilage caused by bone spurs.

Burnett has been effective in the Cowboys' defensive substitution packages, and he's also emerged as a vocal leader on the special teams units. The Cowboys are missing four other special teams contributors: Hurd, linebacker Anthony Spencer (knee scope) and wide receivers Miles Austin (sprained knee) and Isaiah Stanback (dislocated shoulder).

Third Choice

If he hadn't done so already, fourth-round pick Tashard Choice cemented his place as the Cowboys' third running back with another solid game Thursday night. He carried six times for 21 yards and bounced outside for a dynamic 11-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against Minnesota.

The question now becomes, can he earn any regular-season carries behind Marion Barber and Felix Jones?

"Well, I think he's shown he can do it," Phillips said. "Now, I don't know that we will need him to do it, basically. Barber is such a strong runner and a force. Looks like Felix is going to do some things for us, too. I don't know if you need that third guy playing. But it looks like he'll play special teams and be ready to go any time he needs to. I think you can see you can put him in the ballgame and he'll make yards for you."

Short Shots

The Cowboys must trim the roster from 75 to 53 on Saturday but can begin filling their eight-man practice squad once released players clear waivers on Sunday . . . Among the players who impressed Phillips against Minnesota was rookie cornerback Orlando Scandrick, who started opposite first-round pick Mike Jenkins with the Cowboys sitting their entire starting defense. Scandrick has been working at Terence Newman's slot position in nickel situations, and Phillips thinks the fifth-round pick can be a solid backup player there . . . The Dolphins recently contacted the Cowboys to gauge their interest in second-year quarterback John Beck, but Miami might be planning to keep their 2007 second-round pick after all. They reportedly traded backup Josh McCown to Carolina, who needed quarterback depth after former Cowboys rookie Matt Moore injured his leg in preseason.

08-30-2008, 04:27 PM	#1142
Underdog Moderator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: 41.21.1 Posts: 36,143	daily fluff Decisions, Decisions Injuries Leaving Little Wiggle Room link IRVING, Texas - Admit it, these words came out of your mouth the past 24 hours. When it rains, it pours. Never seems to fail . . . Why us? That's only natural when one position on your favorite team is attacked by a hard drive-like debilitating virus, better known as injury. First, you try to qualify how in the world the Cowboys, figuring to keep just five receivers on their 53-man roster when the final cuts are made at 3 p.m. (CDT) this Saturday, could suffer injuries to their third, fourth and fifth receivers severe enough to possibly keep all three out of the Sept. 7 season opener against Cleveland. Then you get sort of irritated, and the I-told-you-so's in all of you come flooding out, as in I told you they should have drafted a wide receiver or I told you they should have traded for a wide receiver or I told you they should have signed one of these veteran wide receivers or I told you they should not have cut Terry Glenn. And then you calm down a little after logically sifting through all the available information, and suddenly you become a tad melancholy, feeling sorry for yourself, er, your team, wondering how in the world could it be met with such misfortune so close to the start of such a promising season and at the 11th hour of cuts? OK, please, come down from the ledge. Shut the window. Come on, it's like 95 degrees outside, you're letting all the cool air out. Now, this is in no way an attempt to minimize the predicament the Cowboys are in, assured of only two healthy, front-line receivers active for the first game of the season now just nine days away. Not good, especially when you have to make decisions which could turn out to be irreversible 24 hours later. Just to let you know, there have been no air raid sirens screaming out here at The Ranch on Friday, nor have I seen any EMT's around the place. No one seems to be panicking, knowing this is a temporary problem they must solve, one they must figure out a short-term solution to that does not cripple the long-term picture. And as far as we can tell, no APB's have been placed for available wide receivers. Now this is not to say the Cowboys aren't looking, or won't be scanning Saturday's waive wire with a fine-tooth comb, no matter how they protest. You have heard about being sly as a fox, or, let me cliché you to death, not showing 'em your hand, or better yet, never letting them see you sweat. Please. They will do everything they can to bail water at the receiver position with Miles Austin likely out another three to five weeks; Isaiah Stanback out maybe another week, and who knows, possibly longer; and now Sam Hurd out with a high ankle sprain at least for the opener, validating Cowboys team physician Dr. Dan Cooper's position after Thursday night's preseason game - without even seeing an MRI - that the third-year wideout would be "doubtful" for the opener. Plus, these high ankle deals are so weird. They can be two weeks or two months. Stanback's return timetable is kind of vague, too. The other day he could not lift his arm parallel to his shoulders after suffering the subluxation against Houston on Aug. 22. But by Monday he could, and by Thursday he was actually raising both arms over his head playing catch before the game. Austin, oh he's running pretty hard since suffering the second-degree sprain of the MCL in his right knee, but only straight ahead. He should miss at least two games you'd think. Predicting their returns is not an exact science, but tell you what, with the cuts coming tomorrow, the opinions of Dr. Cooper and Jim Maurer's staff of trainers will be as important as what Jason Garrett and Ray Sherman might think in the room. So let's see where the Cowboys might find some wiggle room on this roster and where the debates will take place. Let's start with the relatively easy ones here, dealing in minimums: Three special teamers (kicker, punter, deep snapper), two quarterbacks, four running backs, three tight ends and 10 offensive linemen. And if that is the case, with the trade for Montrae Holland, it would appear James Marten is in a bit of trouble for the 53-man, but eligible for the practice squad since he never was included on a game-day 45-man roster last year. OK, that's 22. Now then, six defensive linemen, at least eight linebackers and 10 defensive backs. That's 24. So now we're up to 46 - eight spots remaining. All right, now if you're not cutting any of these injured receivers or placing any on injured reserve, you got to keep five of them. And if you are not placing Kyle Kosier (foot) on injured reserve to save a roster spot, knowing he's going to be out likely a minimum of six weeks, then that brings us to 51 - and there, my friends is your wiggle room. Two. Where you going? Want a wide receiver? You get one, and the one the Cowboys end up keeping on Saturday, either Danny Amendola or Mike Jefferson, must be better than any receiver with a handful of experience who gets cut on Saturday. Otherwise . . . Danny, Mike, don't buy a house if you make it. And remember, if you have this hankering to go sign a veteran, a minimum of five years in the league, he's yours for the season - or at least his salary is if he takes the one-time guarantee should he get cut later in the season. One spot remaining. You want to keep either Erik Walden or Tearrius George, although the head coach made George's Thursday night assault on Vikings quarterbacks seem a flash in the pan? That then would be nine linebackers, because as porous as the Cowboys' special teams can be, they almost must keep Justin Rogers. Or do you want to keep an extra cornerback, since it would seem the Cowboys would keep six corners and four safeties for the 10-man secondary corps? To me, now that Adam Jones has been reinstated and Terence Newman is back practicing, that means lopping off either Alan Ball or Evan Oglesby. (Ball is practice-squad eligible.) You're interested in signing last year's special teams captain Keith Davis, released on Wednesday by the Dolphins? That would come at the expense of Courtney Brown, because at this point, down three receivers, one offensive line starter and two linebackers, although Kevin Burnett is scheduled to resume practicing on Wednesday, Davis would be considered a luxury. Or what about this Rodney Hannah kid? He's shown a little something during the preseason. And remember all that talk about picking up a third quarterback with some NFL experience? Right. The Cowboys got other fish to fry. Thus the ultimate juggling act: Immediate need vs. eye to the future. So at this point, do they keep one more receiver? Two more receivers? One more receiver and one more linebacker? An extra receiver or linebacker and extra DB? Give me a receiver, and that doesn't necessarily mean one already on campus, plus the best special teams player I can get my hands on, be it an extra linebacker or defensive back. The rest would just be too frivolous for my roster blood. When you look at it like that, this really isn't too different from where the Cowboys would have been, trying to trim to 53, without Hurd getting injured Thursday night. Fine. But telling you, just one more injury at wide receiver . . . And it's back to the windowsill. Larry Allen Re-Signs With Cowboys To Retire The Cowboys have signed Larry Allen, 10-times a Pro Bowler with the club, so the former offensive lineman may retire with the team that drafted him. He is considered a sure-fire Cowboys Ring of Honor candidate and likely a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. Allen earned 11 Pro Bowl trips total in his career, the last coming in 2006, his first year with the 49ers. After playing with the Cowboys from 1994-2005, he played the final two years of his career in San Francisco. A formal announcement and recognition will be made by the Cowboys later, the organization said. Hall of Fame defensive lineman Bob Lilly is the only Cowboys player to earn more Pro Bowl trips as a member of the club (11) than Allen, and defensive back Mel Renfro is the only other man to earn double-digit Pro Bowl trips as a Cowboy. In terms of Pro Bowl selections, Allen is the most decorated offensive player in club history, surpassing five Hall-of-Famers. He is one of just three players in NFL history to earn a Pro Bowl trip at three different line positions, left tackle, left guard and right tackle. He also played some right guard early in his career. He was a seven-time All-Pro selection and a member of the 1990s All-Decade team. He was a consensus All-Rookie team selection in 1994 and the NFL Players Association's pick for Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1996 and 1997. Allen was a compensatory second-round draft choice out of Sonoma State by Dallas in 1994, the 46th overall selection that year. As a starter his second-year, Allen earned a ring for the team's Super Bowl XXX win over Pittsburgh. Allen started 197 of 203 career games, and paved the way for many of Emmitt Smith's all-time record 18,355 career rushing yards. The 6-3, 325-pounder may be the strongest player in NFL history, having recorded a 700-pound bench press. Allen was a free agent following the 2007 season, but had not filed his official retirement papers. In July, there was speculation he might interested in returning to the 49ers after coach Mike Nolan said he had contacted the team's offensive line coach, George Warhop, the Cowboys line coach from 2003-04. "He called a week or two ago to express his interest, but I haven't heard from him since," Nolan said in July. "I just think because he's a free agent, he just left it up to his agent this time." To make room for Allen the Cowboys waived first-year guard Adam Stenavich. Burnett Expected To Practice Next Week Although Cowboys wide receiver Sam Hurd will miss the regular-season opener with a high ankle sprain, at least head coach Wade Phillips got one piece of positive injury news on Friday: Linebacker Kevin Burnett (knee scope) should be ready to return to practice next Wednesday, the team's customary first full practice on a regular work week, and could be available next Sunday at Cleveland (3:15 p.m. CDT). "If he comes back and practices, I assume he'll be full go [in the opener]," Phillips said. Burnett has been out since spraining his knee Aug. 13 in a joint practice with Denver. He had minor arthroscopic surgery two days later to remove chipped cartilage caused by bone spurs. Burnett has been effective in the Cowboys' defensive substitution packages, and he's also emerged as a vocal leader on the special teams units. The Cowboys are missing four other special teams contributors: Hurd, linebacker Anthony Spencer (knee scope) and wide receivers Miles Austin (sprained knee) and Isaiah Stanback (dislocated shoulder). Third Choice If he hadn't done so already, fourth-round pick Tashard Choice cemented his place as the Cowboys' third running back with another solid game Thursday night. He carried six times for 21 yards and bounced outside for a dynamic 11-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against Minnesota. The question now becomes, can he earn any regular-season carries behind Marion Barber and Felix Jones? "Well, I think he's shown he can do it," Phillips said. "Now, I don't know that we will need him to do it, basically. Barber is such a strong runner and a force. Looks like Felix is going to do some things for us, too. I don't know if you need that third guy playing. But it looks like he'll play special teams and be ready to go any time he needs to. I think you can see you can put him in the ballgame and he'll make yards for you." Short Shots The Cowboys must trim the roster from 75 to 53 on Saturday but can begin filling their eight-man practice squad once released players clear waivers on Sunday . . . Among the players who impressed Phillips against Minnesota was rookie cornerback Orlando Scandrick, who started opposite first-round pick Mike Jenkins with the Cowboys sitting their entire starting defense. Scandrick has been working at Terence Newman's slot position in nickel situations, and Phillips thinks the fifth-round pick can be a solid backup player there . . . The Dolphins recently contacted the Cowboys to gauge their interest in second-year quarterback John Beck, but Miami might be planning to keep their 2007 second-round pick after all. They reportedly traded backup Josh McCown to Carolina, who needed quarterback depth after former Cowboys rookie Matt Moore injured his leg in preseason. __________________ These days being a fan is a competition to see who can be the most upset when your team loses. That proves you love winning more. That's how it works.