For awhile on Sunday it appeared the Cowboys would own a 2-game lead on Philadelphia and the NY Giants in the NFC East, but like Dallas did a week ago—the Eagles rallied to beat the Redskins in the final 2-minutes.

Dallas is the healthiest of everyone, Washington the worst off with injuries and their record as well.

Philadelphia is nursing a few concerns including a possible concussion for big-play receiver DeSean Jackson and stud-RB Brian Westbrook has been dealing with that issue for over a month.

Giants defensively remain battered and their secondary has not been able to string together any consistency because of it.

We all know the Cowboys history of late in December.

Unless something bites them in the butt that’s unforeseen, this should FINALLY be the year the finish with a little bang.

Stay tuned.

NFC East Scores: (November 26th-November 29th)

Dallas 24 Oakland 7
Denver 26 NY Giants 6
Philadelphia 27 Washington 24

NFC East Standings:

Dallas (8-3)
Philadelphia (7-4)
NY Giants (6-5)
Washington (3-8)

December 3rd-December 7th:

Philadelphia @ Atlanta (Noon)
New Orleans @ Washington (Noon)
Dallas @ NY Giants (3:15pm)

December 10th-December 14th:

San Diego @ Dallas (3:15pm)
Washington @ Oakland (3:05pm)
Philadelphia @ NY Giants (7:20pm)

I’m not sure if this will affect Eli Manning against Dallas, but it sure looks like it’s a matter of time before he loses the war of attrition.

Manning’s Foot Issues Continue

David Smoak

I like this move by Jerry Jones, he knows the Cowboys December history as much as anyone and not a bad move to throw up a flare across the bow.

Jerry Jones Preaches Caution

David Smoak

Clarence E. Hill

Gil Lebreton

Randy Galloway

Tim Cowlishaw

David Moore

Jacque Taylor

Gerry Fraley

Calvin Watkins

Tim MacMahon

Cowboys vs. Raiders Game-Day Link .

Cowboys 24 Raiders 7

Cowboys will enter another December under Wade Phillips with the NFC East lead and a nice 8-3 record.

Now, the questions remains—will they finish the deal?

Cowboys assured of at least a one game lead over NYG and Philly after this week…Giants playing Denver tonight (Thursday), Philadelphia playing the Redskins.

Cowboys return to action against the Giants on Sunday, December 6th.

Cowboys final 5-games…

@ NYG
vs. Chargers
@ Saints
@ Redskins
vs. Eagles

David Smoak

Injured Witten takes part in warm-ups
Associated Press

IRVING, Texas — Cowboys tight end Jason Witten was on the field for the start of practice Wednesday, a potentially good sign he’ll be able to play Thursday against Oakland despite a sprained left foot.

Media weren’t allowed to watch the workout, so it was unclear how much he practiced or how he looked. Witten stayed in the training room and didn’t speak with reporters afterward.

“Jason’s a tough guy, I know that,” quarterback Tony Romo said following practice. “If he can go, he’ll go, definitely.”

Witten has the most catches and second-most yards receiving on the club. He’s missed only one game in his career, back as a rookie in 2003, and only one game despite a broken jaw that required surgery.

Coach Wade Phillips said Witten’s status will be decided right before the game.

“He’s getting therapy, he’s getting as many treatments as you can get,” Phillips said. “We’ll see how he feels.”

Phillips has said Witten has the kind of injury that could get worse if he hasn’t healed enough. But Witten’s track record shows he’s not likely to err on the side of caution, which means coaches have to think twice when he tries telling them he’s fine.

“It’s a little harder with guys like that because they want to play so bad that they feel like they can,” Phillips said. “You have to rely on him to a certain extent, but also the medical people and what they have to say.”

The Cowboys have been preparing Martellus Bennett to take Witten’s place. Third-stringer John Phillips would take over Bennett’s role in the two-tight-end formations Dallas likes to use.

“If Jason’s not out there there’s a drop-off, no question,” Romo said. “We’re going to do the same things we do. We’ll have to accomplish things. Everybody will have to pick things up if he can’t go.”

Romo was dismissive of questions about the back injury he sustained Sunday.

“We’re improving each day,” he said. “We’ll be ready to go tomorrow, sure. … I feel very strongly that we’re going to be able to go out there and do what we normally do, so I’m excited. … This short week, you have to watch a lot of tape and get extra treatment to make sure you’re prepared for Thursday.”

could end this week.

Of course, that’s a little unfair considering Wade Phillips has the Cowboys at 7-3 and atop the NFC East Standings ahead of Philadelphia and the Giants.

But, you and I know there has been some speculation involving Jerry Jones and his relationship with Mike Shanahan.

Bills and Shanahan Pow-Wow .

David Smoak

Williams responds to being ’scared’
By Calvin Watkins, ESPNDallas.com

IRVING — Following Sunday’s Cowboys-Redskins game, Redskins safety LaRon Landry said Cowboys wide receiver Roy Williams played scared.

Williams responded to those comments before the Cowboys’ practice on Wednesday.

“You get frustrated with yourself and your team and the way things are going and you envy others who are on winning ballclubs and are doing things they’re supposed to do,” Williams said. “So, I’m just going to continue to do my job. God bless the young man, him and his family and his football team. I don’t buy into the comments, I don’t do anything, just going to continue to play our game.”

That seems to be a problem for the Cowboys of late. Coach Wade Phillips was questioned about Williams’ playing status on Monday and dismissed any notion he would bench the wide receiver.

But Williams had zero catches on Sunday. For the most part, Williams has played inconsistently since the Cowboys traded for him last season.

“I was a little upset with the way [the ball] was coming to me a little bit,” Williams said. “I did my best to stretch out, lean and fall and do all kinds of things to catch a ball, but you’re going to have those types of games. I’ve never had a zero reception game where I’ve played the whole game, but we came out with the win, and that’s what I told my teammates.”

Williams said his ribs are fine and that he’s not worried about going over the middle to catch a pass. There is this perception that Williams won’t stretch out over the middle of the field to catch a pass. On Sunday against the Redskins, Williams failed to catch three high balls, two with defenders near him.

“If that was the case, I’d have alligator arms going across the middle twice,” Williams said regarding his bruised ribs. “But I’m not like that. I’m a guy that goes across the middle and catches the ball if I can, you know, and the one that they’re giving me a drop on because it hit both my hands, it hit my fingertipes, but Im barely hanging onto the ball, that would have been a tough catch if I would have caught it.”

I had the pleasure of getting to know nose tackle Jason Ferguson during his time in Dallas with the Cowboys.

We’ve stayed in touch since he departed for Miami.

For the second time in his career, his season has been cut short with an upper-arm injury.

I wish the big fella the best.

David Smoak

—–

Omar Kelly
SunSentinel.com

DAVIE – Jason Ferguson always says it takes “a real man” to play his position.

Not every NFL defensive lineman can handle having two offensive linemen tag-teaming him regularly, trying to move him off the point of attack to open up running lanes.

Ferguson, who contributed 23 tackles in his 25 or so snaps a game, prided himself in serving as a pillar of granite, serving as a nose tackle that’s difficult to move.

“If you can be single blocked, then you’re not a nose,” Ferguson said.

The Miami Dolphins will be searching for a new pillar of the defense this week because Ferguson, the key piece to Miami’s 3-4 scheme, suffered a season-ending quadriceps injury during Thursday night’s 24-17 win over Carolina.

The team’s scrambling to fill the void after losing his 13 years of experience.

Randy Starks, the team’s starting right end, Paul Soliai, Ferguson’s understudy the past two seasons, and Tony McDaniel, who already shared some of the nose tackle workload, playing specifically on passing downs, will all have their roles elevated, if not altered, coach Tony Sparano said.

“Whatever they need me to do,” said Starks, whose 33 tackles and 5.5 sacks serve as proof he’s blossoming as a starting end, which complicates a full-time position switch. “If they need me to play nose, I’ll play nose. If they need me to stay an end, I’ll stay and end….I’m big enough to play nose. It’s not something I’m unfamiliar with. I’ve played nose at Tennessee.”

Starks is referring to his former life as a Tennessee Titan, where he backed up Pro Bowl pick Albert Haynesworth before signing a five-year, $21 million contract with the Dolphins in 2008.

Outside of the money, Starks left Tennessee because of the opportunity to possibly start, which is something he earned during training camp by improving his level of conditioning and consistency.

Last season Starks said he was limited to at most 30 snaps a game, but the handcuffs have been taken off this season. Against the Panthers he played 60, and his snap count is usually in the 40 snaps range.

But can Starks, who is 6-foot-3, 305-pounds, handle more and remain effective moving inside?

“Honestly, most people would rather see him out there at end because when he gets in there [opponents have] got to figure out ways to single block this guy while protecting for Joey [Porter], and protecting for Jason [Taylor],” Sparano said of Starks moving inside. “It gets him in a little bit [more] space.”

By the sound of it, the first option to replace Ferguson is Soliai, the team’s 2007 fourth-round pick, who sat out the past two games with a left ankle injury.

Soliai contributed six tackles, a forced fumble, and broke up a pass in the Nov. 1 win over the Jets, but followed that game up with his worst performance of the year in the 27-17 loss to the Patriots a week later.

This week should answer whether Soliai’s inconsistent performance was due to the ankle problems.

Then there’s McDaniel, a long-limbed 6-foot-7, 305-pounder, who might not have a low enough center of gravity to hold his ground as a nose tackle on running downs.

“I have longer arms and longer legs, and once I stay low I’m going to get a good lockout extension. The guy can’t block me [if he] can’t get inside my personal space,” said McDaniel, who has contributed seven tackles this season. “If I can get my hands on him first and get him locked out and stay low it’s going to be a tough time for whoever tries to block me.”

Problem is, the Dolphins need their nose tackle to demand two blockers. Or as Ferguson puts it, a “real man” who refuses to be moved.

Witten, Jenkins miss Monday walkthrough
By Calvin Watkins, ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas — It was only a walkthrough but it should be noted that tight end Jason Witten did not participate on Monday with a sprained foot.

Also, cornerback Mike Jenkins missed the walkthrough because he’s dealing with the effects of a concussion and his bruised biceps. Jenkins said before the walkthrough he expects to play Thursday’s game against the Raiders.

Quarterback Tony Romo (back) and linebacker Keith Brooking (ankle) were limited during the walkthrough as well. Backup quarterback Jon Kitna will probably take more snaps with the first team this week. Coach Wade Phillips noted that Romo said he wasn’t as sore when he awoke this morning.

Starting right tackle Marc Colombo, out for the rest of the regular season because of ankle surgery and a fractured fibula, was using crutches as he made a brief appearance outside the locker room on Monday.
Colombo, who’s left ankle was wrapped, said he’s hoping to return for a first round playoff game.