Cowboys Team Report

INSIDE SLANT

Receiver Roy Williams said last week’s game was a wakeup call for him—he had two drops in the first half and didn’t see the ball again.

He believes his disappointing season has gotten to the point where quarterback Tony Romo(notes) and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett have lost trust in him.

Some snaps are being given to rookie Kevin Ogletree(notes), and Williams said if he doesn’t play better, he could very well lose his job.

“You know I have to get the confidence of my quarterback, because I didn’t get a look after the first half,” Williams said. “I didn’t get a look in the second half. That’s telling me that my quarterback has lost confidence in me, and so has the coordinator as far as calling plays for me.

“That’s not on them. I don’t blame them. I blame myself. I’ve got to get my crap together and try to help this team win some games in the playoffs.”

The Cowboys remain supported of Williams publicly, however.

Owner/general manager Jerry Jones said he does not believe that Romo and Garrett have lost confidence in Williams.

“I don’t believe that is the case at all,” Jones said. “On a personal basis and on a professional basis, I have not (lost confidence in Williams). I know the kinds of plays he is capable of making and can make. I think we will see those as we go into Philadelphia and the playoffs. So I feel very good that he is on our team and out there with a chance to make plays.”

Romo agreed:

“No one has lost any confidence in Roy,” said Romo, who added that he appreciated that Williams wanted to improve. “Roy is going to be a huge part of this going forward. He knows that. Hopefully we’re all going to have some good football ahead of us.”

• One year later, the Cowboys are back in nearly the same spot.

A showdown game against the Eagles for all the marbles.

Last year it was for a playoff spot.

This year it’s for the NFC East title and possibly a No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

Last year the Cowboys went out like chumps, losing 44-6 in the most embarrassing performance in franchise history to end what was the most underachieving season in franchise history.

This year, the Cowboys promise they are not going out like that again.

“No. 44-6? No. We are not laying down,” receiver Patrick Crayton(notes) said. “We laid down last year, the last two games. We had back-to-back weeks to get to the playoffs and we laid down.

“This year, the NFC East crown is on the line. You never know how stuff plays out. We could have the No. 2 seed. There are some things out there for us. But we have been thinking about (redemption) all offseason. We are not going out like that again.”

The Cowboys are not going out like that because they are a different team with a different mindset from a year ago.

Last year’s loss was so embarrassing that it forced the Cowboys to make changes to the roster and the players who were left to do some soul searching.

It also didn’t hurt that coach Wade Phillips fired defensive coordinator Brian Stewart and took over as his own defensive coordinator.

The results have been evident throughout the season but mostly in December when the Cowboys have come together like never before to play their best football.

Quarterback Tony Romo is the perfect example. He is playing winning football, and that can largely be attributed to the departure of divisive receiver Terrell Owens(notes).

Romo doesn’t have the pressure of Owens complaining about getting the ball. It has allowed Romo to be a better quarterback and a better leader.

It also allowed offensive coordinator Jason Garrett to use the entire offense and not worry about chiding remarks from a disgruntled receiver.

The Cowboys’ failure in December last year culminated with infighting among Owens, Garrett, Romo and tight end Jason Witten(notes).

“Everybody has the same goal but everything hit the wall last year,” tight end Jason Witten. “We were losing. Things were happening. Things flared up. We have experienced that. We have done a better job moving forward. The message was sent to our team that it was about team.”

Series History:   98th meeting. Cowboys lead the series, 54-43. Dallas won the first meeting 20-16. The teams have split the last four meetings.

NOTES, QUOTES

—te J  ason Witten acknowledges being motivated by last year’s 44-6 loss to the Eagles in the season finale. But he said this team is different and he hopes the outcome will be different Sunday.

“We still felt we could win that game,” Witten said. “But the focus this team has had, the preparation, is a totally different feel.

“I think that has shown over the last few weeks, not just the off-the-field stuff, but on the field, the way we’re playing, the way Tony (Romo) is playing and all that goes into that. I think we’re all just feeding off one another.

“We’ve earned the right to get to this spot. Yeah, that was good making the playoffs. We’re one of 12 teams. But we’re still playing for a lot more than that. We were talking about that earlier. If we can win this game, it gives us a huge platform to win in the playoffs.

“We know win or lose, we’ve got to move forward. That’s what good teams do.”

• K Shaun Suisham(notes) was the beneficiary of the team moving Thursday’s practice to Cowboys Stadium. Sunday will be in his first game kicking there as a member of the Cowboys. He missed two kicks there earlier this season when he was with the Redskins.

Suisham made a 54-yarder during the early stages of practice.

“He kicked the ball very, very well today,” coach Wade Phillips said. “He didn’t miss a kick. That was good.”

• LB DeMarcus Ware(notes) is back in the Pro Bowl. He leads the Cowboys with 11 sacks, but he acknowledges it has been a tough season. He has battled foot, hand and neck injuries and went sackless for the first four games.

“I think it’s a hard-work thing, and you try to be consistent every year,” Ware said. “If you play well, they vote you in. It was four games where I went without a sack, but I was getting pressure.

“That’s just part of the game. I feel good. I don’t feel any lag, and it’s the 16th game but a lot of guys have stepped up (despite injuries). My neck is not stiff at all. It’s good.”

• G Kyle Kosier(notes) was named the winner of the Ed Block Courage award, voted on by teammates. Kosier was honored for his ability to battle back from a foot fracture that sidelined him last season. “With the list of the guys that have won it, it’s an honor to have my peers think of me that way,” Kosier said.

• Dallas has faced no team more times than the Eagles. The Cowboys’ 56 victories against the Eagles are the most against any team except the Redskins (57).

• A victory against the Eagles would give the Cowboys their 21st division title and 17th NFC East title. The Cowboys won three Capital division titles.

• Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is hoping for a crowd of close to 100,000 when the Eagles come to town for Sunday’s NFC East title game.

“We’re going to have a great, great attendance,” Jones said. “That’ll give us the home-field, which is a real advantage and it’s real appropriate after what happened up there this time last year in Philadelphia (a 44-6 Eagles victory).”

• WR Miles Austin(notes) has a swollen left thumb. Austin, who did practice, was wearing a wrap on his hand and said he’s fine.

• Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis is back at work and not missing a beat after being rushed to a Virginia hospital Sunday morning for an emergency appendectomy and missing the game against the Redskins. The doctor also found and operated on a hernia.

But DeCamillis returned to Dallas on Monday. He was at work on Tuesday and getting the Cowboys ready for the game against the Eagles.

“This is what I do,” said DeCamillis, who missed just 15 days after breaking his neck in the collapse of the team’s indoor facility last May. “We’ve got a chance to win a division championship this week, so I guess selfishly I don’t want to miss it. We’ve got to win this game somehow. I knew that if I felt like I could do it, I could do it and I feel like I can do it.”

• Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Wade Phillips is the MVP of the defense. He still won’t give Phillips a contract extension. But he said it’s not necessarily true that Phillips needs to win a playoff game to keep his job.

“That’s too succinct,” Jones said before, citing the importance of continuity on the coaching staff.

Phillips is 32-16 in his three seasons at Dallas, but he has yet to win a playoff game. He is 0-4 in his career in the postseason.

By The Numbers:   4,172—Number of yards QB Tony Romo has passed for this season. He has a passer rating of 97.0 and has thrown 24 touchdown passes with just eight interceptions.

Quote To Note:   “There is no question that if you had to pick the most valuable player on defense right now, it needs to be Wade Phillips. There is no question about that. It’s a team thing over there. … He should be recognized and is being recognized for that, I think. I think he’s as tough as a boot. You see how he has handled his criticism. You see frankly that he’s never had a honeymoon since he’s been here, and he’s handled it well. The players see that. I see that.” - Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on coach Wade Phillips.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Player Notes  

• WR Miles Austin is excited about making the Pro Bowl for the first time. He has gone from an unknown to the Cowboys top receiver and now one of the league’s best.

“It feels good,” Austin said Wednesday. “It was a shock. … I did enjoy it yesterday for a couple of hours, but now I’m back on Philly. One thing at a time.”

• WR Roy Williams has had four drops the last two games, continuing what has been a disappointing season. He admits that quarterback Tony Romo is starting to lose confidence in him.

“If I continue to do the things I’ve been doing, I’m going to mess around and be on the sidelines playing special teams,” said Williams, who dropped two of the three balls thrown to him Sunday against the Redskins, one resulting in an interception.

“I didn’t get a look in the second half, so that’s telling me my quarterback has lost that confidence in me and so has the coordinator in calling the play for me. That’s not on them. I don’t blame them. I’ve brought it on myself. I’ve got to get my stuff together and help this team win some games in the playoffs.”

• RB Marion Barber(notes) has had trouble on short yardage this season after being one of the league’s best on short-yardage and goal-line situations for most of his career.

He failed to pick up first downs on two fourth-and-one carries Sunday after being stopped three times from the 1-yard line against the Chargers two weeks ago.

For the season, Barber has had 17 carries on third-and-one or third-and-two. He has gained 66 yards and made 12 first downs. That means 70.6 of his third-and-short runs have been converted into first downs. On fourth-down runs, Barber is 0-for-3.

“It’s hard,” assistant head coach Jason Garrett said about picking up a yard, in defense of Barber. “It’s hard around the league. We’ve been among the best at it. Our offensive line is awfully good in those situations. Our runner has been outstanding. You have to be creative. You have to be tough. You have to have great determination. We’ve done a lot of that. We obviously didn’t do it well enough the other night in the game. We’re going to go back and look at it, evaluate the physical part of it, evaluate the technique part of it, evaluate the scheme part of it and get it right. We need to get it right as we go forward.”

• LT Flozell Adams(notes) has now been fined $80,000 for six offenses in five games.

Adams has 12 penalties, including three holds, and has allowed seven sacks.

• DE Igor Olshansky(notes) has been a strong addition to the Cowboys’ defensive line since replacing the departed Chris Canty(notes). He has been great on run defense.

“Igor’s done a great job for us,” coach Wade Phillips said. “I think everyone around here sees that. He’s dominating a lot of times. You’re not going to knock him off the football.”

Game Plan:   The Cowboys must limit big plays by the Eagles’ explosive offense. They have to stop the run and put quarterback Donovan McNabb(notes) in less than favorable down and distance situations. DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer(notes) need to pressure the quarterback. The Cowboys’ offense must establish the run and take shots down the field to big-play receiver Miles Austin.

Matchups To Watch:   Eagles C Nick Cole(notes) vs. Cowboys NT Jay Ratliff(notes). Eagles center Jamaal Jackson(notes), who had made 71 consecutive starts, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Sunday’s victory over the Broncos. Cole moved from right guard to replace Jackson, with Max Jean-Giles replacing Cole at guard. Cole will have his hands full with Ratliff, who has 71 tackles, six sacks and 31 quarterback pressures. Ratliff had eight tackles, two sacks and two quarterback pressures in the Cowboys’ victory over Philadelphia earlier this year.

Eagles WR DeSean Jackson(notes) vs. Cowboys secondary. Jackson is clearly the one to stop for the Eagles. He is big-play receiver and a game-breaking returner. CBs Terence Newman(notes) and Mike Jenkins(notes) need to be focused on keeping Jackson in front of them and not letting him get deep. The biggest pressure will be on slot cornerback, Orlando Scandrick(notes), who has struggled with slot receivers all season. The Eagles will certainly try to target him on third downs.

Injury Impact:   RT Marc Colombo(notes) (ankle and leg) is close to returning to the field after missing six games. He is doing on-field rehab work. But he will sit out Sunday’s game against the Eagle and return for the playoffs.

• SS Pat Watkins(notes) (knee) is doing on-field rehab work. But he is not ready to return to action after missing two games. He hopes to return for the playoffs.