[Underdog]

Davis Excited About Return; Feeling Wanted Again


For Keith Davis, it's almost like the last five months never even took place.

Here are the Cowboys, about to play their first game of the regular season. And Davis is ready to be one of the anchors of the special teams units.

He's back with his teammates again and he's even got his old number, too.

So when Davis runs down, wearing his No. 29 jersey, on that first kickoff Sunday against Cleveland (3:15 p.m., CDT) in the season opener, it'll be like he never even went to the Miami Dolphins this off-season.

"It's almost like I never left," said Davis, who officially signed his contract with the Cowboys on Wednesday morning and said he will play this week against the Browns. "I was only in Miami for a few months and now I'm back. Everything happens for a reason."

And when asked the specific reason why he's no longer with the Dolphins, who released him last week, Davis kept it simple.

"I just didn't fit into their scheme and their plans," Davis said. "It didn't work out. No hard feelings whatsoever. I wish them all the best."

Davis said he signed with the Dolphins because he truly believed he would get the chance to start at safety, something that didn't seem possible in Dallas. But as it turned out, he never got that opportunity in Miami.

"It doesn't always happen like you think it will," Davis said. "That's okay. I just figured, if I'm going to be a special teams guy . . . if that's my role, then I'd rather be here in Dallas."

Davis said he's already gotten an idea of the special-teams situation this year with the Cowboys, who have struggled in the preseason covering kickoffs and punts.

"I've already watched the preseason film, most of the games to see what we have to work with," Davis said. "From my standpoint, I've been in the fire. I know how important the phase of the game is. It's every bit as important as offense and defense and I'm trying to help the guys understand that.

So despite missing a few months here this summer, Davis said he expects to resume his roles, not only as a special tams player, but a leader, too.

"Yeah, no question. Everywhere I've viewed myself as a leader and this is no different. It may not be something that happens overnight," Davis said. The more I play with these guys, I'll understand what I'm working with. And I think we can be every bit as good as we've always been. We're going to get this thing fixed." Davis said the best part of returning to the Cowboys isn't just the chance to "win a Super Bowl," although that doesn't hurt. But he said the reception he's felt from his teammates, coaches and even the Cowboys' football staff has been overwhelming.

"It really makes you appreciate where you come from. It felt good to see that pretty much everyone here really missed me and was happy that I was back," Davis said. "It always feels good to be wanted. I always wanted to play for the Cowboys. Even throughout the ordeal that happened in the off-season, I still wanted to be in Dallas. It was an opportunity I thought I had to do more. But it didn't work out. I'm back here and I'm excited."

And he's not alone. Cowboys safety Roy Williams said he was ecstatic when he found out Davis was returning.

"I'm so glad we brought him back. KD has an arrogance and a cockiness about him. It's contagious," Williams said. "A lot of players gravitate to him. It's a good thing. He's going to bring a swagger back to the field that hopefully the young guys will feed off of that."




Shoulder Harness Not Slowing Down Stanback

Cowboys receiver Isaiah Stanback says his protective shoulder harness causes some minor physical limitations. Apparently, it didn't prevent him from having what head coach Wade Phillips called "maybe one of his best days" on Wednesday.

"We might ought to put a harness on him all the time," Phillips joked.

Stanback's return from an Aug. 22 shoulder subluxation gives Phillips a necessary third active receiver for Sunday's regular-season opener at Cleveland. Miles Austin (sprained MCL) and Sam Hurd (high ankle sprain) will miss at least Week 1, and the team chose to place first-year receivers Mike Jefferson and Danny Amendola on the practice squad rather than the 53-man roster.

There's a good chance the Cowboys will fetch a fourth receiver, most likely Jefferson, before Sunday, which will require a roster cut at another position. Stanback provides at least one reserve behind starters Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton.

Stanback said he will wear the harness all season long in an attempt to delay shoulder surgery until after the season. He played through a similar shoulder injury for the final eight weeks of the 2007 season, but only appeared at receiver Thanksgiving Day against the Jets.

"It's going to be all year," Stanback said. "The shoulder's not stable and it's not going to be until they go in there and take care of it."

Stanback said the harness restricts his movement "enough to the point where you notice it, but it's not going to hinder you from doing what you need to do." In Wednesday's practice, Phillips said the second-year wideout caught passes over his head and with one arm.

Stanback said he's been assured by doctors that he's not risking further injury by playing, though there's a chance the shoulder could pop out of place again at some point during the season.

That's fine with the former college quarterback, who realizes he must stay on the field to continue making his now two-year transition to NFL wideout.

"I've dealt with pain plenty of times," Stanback said. "There was a game back in college where I played with a pulled hip flexor and a hernia. I could barely even walk, but I was going to play."




Felix Jones Says He's Feeling Nervous

Sure, it's the first game of the season, and he's playing at a new level, but first-round running back Felix Jones sure talked a lot about the butterflies already creeping into his stomach before Sunday's opener in Cleveland.

"I've got some nerves, but once I get tackled, somebody gets me, it gets the jitters out. I'll be ready after my first tackle. I have nerves every game, if you don't, something's kind of wrong. But this is the first game of the season, so I have a lot of nervousness I need to get out."

With the way Jones shined in the preseason, where the game never seemed too big, it's almost surprising to hear him talk about his nerves. Then again, it's not like he's quivering into a ball. Linebacker Zach Thomas said earlier in the day that some of his worst games came when he wasn't feeling the stomach quake beforehand.

"I've always been nervous before games," Jones said. "It's just what a player goes through. It's just getting into the game, is really what it is."