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Underdog · 09-01-2008, 08:52 PM

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Cowboys Hoping Stanback Can Play As No. 3 Receiver

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IRVING, Texas - The Cowboys have five wide receivers on their active roster.

Two of them have been ruled out for this game.

Another receiver, who has not caught a pass in a regular-season game since his freshman year in college, has returned to practice after missing a week and is expected to play with a protective shoulder harness.

That leaves the two starting receivers, both of which missed games in the second half of last season with high-ankle sprains.

Should the Cowboys be worried about the wide receiver position as they head into Sunday's season opener in Cleveland?

Maybe so, especially with Miles Austin (sprained MCL) and Sam Hurd (high ankle sprain) ruled out for the first game.

And the Cowboys did make their own decision on Saturday to release Danny Amendola and Mike Jefferson, who both cleared waivers and are on the team's eight-man practice squad.

But there is some good news.

It starts with the fact that the two healthiest receivers are indeed the starters, and one of them happens to be six-time Pro Bowler Terrell Owens. The other, Patrick Crayton, is coming off a career season, catching 50 passes for 697 yards and seven touchdowns in 2007.

But you always need some depth, especially at wide receiver. The Cowboys are just fortunate that Isaiah Stanback, who opted not to have season-ending shoulder surgery last week, should be ready to play Sunday against the Browns.

Stanback, wearing a harness on his left shoulder, practiced Monday with the team and is expected to be the Cowboys' No. 3 receiver on the roster.

Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips sounded rather encouraged by Stanback's practice Monday.

"He caught the ball over his head, made a couple of real good catches," Phillips said. "(He) caught a curl route, caught the ball and ran with it, caught a couple of deep balls. One way over his head, one time. It looks good that he'll play and he'll be able to play as a third receiver for us. As long as no hitches come the rest of the week. But I thought he looked good in practice."

And it's about time the Cowboys had some good news at wide receiver.

They lost their third, fourth and fifth receivers to injury in each of the final preseason games.

Austin suffered his knee injury in the second game, while covering a kickoff in Denver. Ironically, the kickoff occurred following Austin hauling in a long pass from Brad Johnson and then a touchdown pass. He is expected to miss the first two regular-season games, if not longer.

The following week, Stanback had a double-whammy, re-injuring his shoulder while returning a kickoff that he fumbled away against the Texans. Stanback had a similar injury last year and required surgery at the end of the season.

However, he chose not to have the same procedure this year and is hoping to play through the pain.

And then in the final preseason game, the Cowboys kept nearly every starter out of the game and planned on playing Hurd only a handful of snaps. But while being tackled after a 35-yard gain off a reverse run, Hurd suffered the high-ankle sprain.

The Cowboys ruled him out of Sunday's game in Cleveland, but there is a chance he could be ready to play for the Sept. 15 game against Philadelphia, the home opener at Texas Stadium.

But the Cowboys are just trying to get through the first week.

Phillips said on Monday the club hasn't completely made a decision regarding how many receivers will be active on Sunday, and hasn't ruled out taking four.

"We hadn't finalized what our final 45 for the game will be," Phillips said, referring to the 45-player game-day active list. "Normally you take four receivers. We do have some tight ends that, especially (Jason) Witten, can play in the slot for you. It gives you some more versatility. Felix Jones gives us some too. But it's a decision I have to come to maybe take a fourth receiver to the game."

Phillips later said that the fourth receiver would come from the practice squad, moving up either Amendola or Jefferson.

"It'd be hard to bring in anyone on Wednesday who doesn't know the system," Phillips said. "You can't really see if they can play. I think it'll be one of our guys, if we did that."

But doing that would mean the Cowboys would have to create yet another roster spot, something that will likely happen by Wednesday when they re-sign veteran safety and special teams standout Keith Davis.

It's likely the Cowboys will have to make a cut at either defensive back or the offensive line. Both positions currently have 11 players on the 53-man roster.

So adding a fourth receiver such as Amendola or Jefferson might be rather difficult. The Cowboys will certainly hope to make do in the meantime.

So far, the team has yet to reveal the offensive package that features both Marion Barber and Felix Jones in the backfield together. The Cowboys worked on that in practice some, but never showed it in a preseason game.

Also, rookie Martellus Bennett could get some snaps, alongside Witten, in the offense.

And don't rule out a defensive player possibly getting some work on offense. Cornerback Terence Newman has played a few snaps on the other side of the ball, but his groin injury that has kept him out for the last month will probably hinder that move. However, the Cowboys said back in the summer that Adam Jones might get a few touches on offense.

But if that is the case, Phillips was in no mood to show the card.

"It's a little early and we don't want to give out any secrets," Phillips said. "So I'd say right now we don't expect him to play much receiver."

But at this point, with the Cowboys running out of options, nothing should seem too farfetched.

09-01-2008, 08:52 PM	#1170
Underdog Moderator Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: 41.21.1 Posts: 36,143	Options Limited Cowboys Hoping Stanback Can Play As No. 3 Receiver link IRVING, Texas - The Cowboys have five wide receivers on their active roster. Two of them have been ruled out for this game. Another receiver, who has not caught a pass in a regular-season game since his freshman year in college, has returned to practice after missing a week and is expected to play with a protective shoulder harness. That leaves the two starting receivers, both of which missed games in the second half of last season with high-ankle sprains. Should the Cowboys be worried about the wide receiver position as they head into Sunday's season opener in Cleveland? Maybe so, especially with Miles Austin (sprained MCL) and Sam Hurd (high ankle sprain) ruled out for the first game. And the Cowboys did make their own decision on Saturday to release Danny Amendola and Mike Jefferson, who both cleared waivers and are on the team's eight-man practice squad. But there is some good news. It starts with the fact that the two healthiest receivers are indeed the starters, and one of them happens to be six-time Pro Bowler Terrell Owens. The other, Patrick Crayton, is coming off a career season, catching 50 passes for 697 yards and seven touchdowns in 2007. But you always need some depth, especially at wide receiver. The Cowboys are just fortunate that Isaiah Stanback, who opted not to have season-ending shoulder surgery last week, should be ready to play Sunday against the Browns. Stanback, wearing a harness on his left shoulder, practiced Monday with the team and is expected to be the Cowboys' No. 3 receiver on the roster. Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips sounded rather encouraged by Stanback's practice Monday. "He caught the ball over his head, made a couple of real good catches," Phillips said. "(He) caught a curl route, caught the ball and ran with it, caught a couple of deep balls. One way over his head, one time. It looks good that he'll play and he'll be able to play as a third receiver for us. As long as no hitches come the rest of the week. But I thought he looked good in practice." And it's about time the Cowboys had some good news at wide receiver. They lost their third, fourth and fifth receivers to injury in each of the final preseason games. Austin suffered his knee injury in the second game, while covering a kickoff in Denver. Ironically, the kickoff occurred following Austin hauling in a long pass from Brad Johnson and then a touchdown pass. He is expected to miss the first two regular-season games, if not longer. The following week, Stanback had a double-whammy, re-injuring his shoulder while returning a kickoff that he fumbled away against the Texans. Stanback had a similar injury last year and required surgery at the end of the season. However, he chose not to have the same procedure this year and is hoping to play through the pain. And then in the final preseason game, the Cowboys kept nearly every starter out of the game and planned on playing Hurd only a handful of snaps. But while being tackled after a 35-yard gain off a reverse run, Hurd suffered the high-ankle sprain. The Cowboys ruled him out of Sunday's game in Cleveland, but there is a chance he could be ready to play for the Sept. 15 game against Philadelphia, the home opener at Texas Stadium. But the Cowboys are just trying to get through the first week. Phillips said on Monday the club hasn't completely made a decision regarding how many receivers will be active on Sunday, and hasn't ruled out taking four. "We hadn't finalized what our final 45 for the game will be," Phillips said, referring to the 45-player game-day active list. "Normally you take four receivers. We do have some tight ends that, especially (Jason) Witten, can play in the slot for you. It gives you some more versatility. Felix Jones gives us some too. But it's a decision I have to come to maybe take a fourth receiver to the game." Phillips later said that the fourth receiver would come from the practice squad, moving up either Amendola or Jefferson. "It'd be hard to bring in anyone on Wednesday who doesn't know the system," Phillips said. "You can't really see if they can play. I think it'll be one of our guys, if we did that." But doing that would mean the Cowboys would have to create yet another roster spot, something that will likely happen by Wednesday when they re-sign veteran safety and special teams standout Keith Davis. It's likely the Cowboys will have to make a cut at either defensive back or the offensive line. Both positions currently have 11 players on the 53-man roster. So adding a fourth receiver such as Amendola or Jefferson might be rather difficult. The Cowboys will certainly hope to make do in the meantime. So far, the team has yet to reveal the offensive package that features both Marion Barber and Felix Jones in the backfield together. The Cowboys worked on that in practice some, but never showed it in a preseason game. Also, rookie Martellus Bennett could get some snaps, alongside Witten, in the offense. And don't rule out a defensive player possibly getting some work on offense. Cornerback Terence Newman has played a few snaps on the other side of the ball, but his groin injury that has kept him out for the last month will probably hinder that move. However, the Cowboys said back in the summer that Adam Jones might get a few touches on offense. But if that is the case, Phillips was in no mood to show the card. "It's a little early and we don't want to give out any secrets," Phillips said. "So I'd say right now we don't expect him to play much receiver." But at this point, with the Cowboys running out of options, nothing should seem too farfetched. __________________ 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. Last edited by Underdog; 09-01-2008 at 08:56 PM.