Magus Relmyn
09-30-2004, 07:18 PM
Hunter, Campbell Lost For Season; Looking For Replacements
Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Sept. 29, 2004, 6:47 p.m. (CDT)
IRVING, Texas -- Just two days after coming home with the biggest win of the year so far, the Cowboys now must deal with two of the biggest losses.
Not in the standings, but in the roster. And in the starting lineup no less.
As expected, the Cowboys lost tight end Dan Campbell and cornerback Pete Hunter for the season, both sustaining injuries in the Cowboys' 21-18 victory over Washington on Monday night.
Campbell, the Cowboys' top blocking tight end, suffered torn ligaments in the top of his foot, and already has been scheduled for surgery on Tuesday.
Hunter, the starting right corner, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, and has been scheduled for reconstructive knee surgery on Tuesday.
Both will be placed on injured reserve, opening up two spots on the team's 53-man roster.
"It's tough, but that's the way it is for everyone right now," Parcells said, referring to the recent of wave of injuries running through the NFL. "We're looking for players. I'm actually looking for guys that can help. But that's just the way it is. You have to do the best you can."
The Cowboys did not practice Wednesday for the second straight day, but instead worked out eight players, looking for possible additions to the 53-man roster and the practice squad.
With cornerback and tight end now an instant need, the Cowboys are expected to sign a pair of veterans by the time they practice on Thursday to replace Campbell and Hunter.
Among the players working out included seven-year veteran tight end Mikhael Ricks and Tyrone Williams, an eight-year veteran cornerback who was released by the Falcons on June 1. Williams did not go to training camp with any team this summer.
But since the Cowboys have a bye this Sunday, they will have 10 days to get any signed players ready by the next game, Oct. 10 against the New York Giants at Texas Stadium.
Ricks has played two seasons each with the Chargers, Chiefs and Lions, and was with the Jets in training camp this year, but was released before the start of the season. Ricks has 155 career catches for 1,939 yards and eight touchdowns, although nearly half of his numbers were totaled his first two years with the Chargers.
But the 29-year-old and native Texan (Anahuac, Texas) might just give the team more of a pass-catching threat than Campbell, who had only two catches this year.
"I'm looking for more than a blocking tight end," Parcells said Wednesday. "I'm looking for an all-purpose guy. If I were looking for a blocker, than I know completely what I would've done. (But) I think maybe if we get lucky we're going to sign somebody who's going to give us even more firepower."
As for the cornerback position, Williams would immediately become the most experienced player in the secondary if he signs this week. The eight-year veteran will join a cast including second-year corner Terence Newman and three rookie cornerbacks in Jacques Reeves, Nate Jones and Bruce Thornton.
"We're talking to a guy that I've had in mind for quite some time," Parcells said. "On these other (rookies), you don't want to stop progress. But now it's a different story. You don't have enough players so we have to do something."
Williams was released by the Falcons on June 1 for salary cap reasons. He played only one season in Atlanta, after spending eight years in Green Bay. Williams, who has 19 career interceptions, was suspended for one game last year by then-Falcons head coach Dan Reeves for "conduct detrimental to the team," having been involved in a domestic dispute. Williams returned to the starting lineup but was later deactivated for the final nine games of the season.
That was a long fall from 2002 when Williams was the NFL's seventh highest-paid cornerback, with a $3.8 million salary. And after that season, he signed a five-year deal with the Falcons worth approximately $13 million, only to spend one season in Atlanta.
While the Cowboys lost two starters this week for the season, the loss of Campbell might prove to be more costly, especially from a leadership standpoint. The five-year veteran was one of the new players Parcells brought in last season and has been one of the more vocal leaders in and out of the team's locker room.
"It's a very big blow for us," Parcells said of losing Campbell. "He's one of our top players. He's great in the locker room, he's a team leader and he's one of the tougher guys we got. He allows us to be versatile on offense. He does a lot of the dirty work. He's a player that's very difficult to replace."
Campbell only had one catch for nine yards Monday night against the Redskins, but it certainly turned out to be a meaningful play. Not only did he suffer the injury on that play, but the reception gave the Cowboys a key first down late in the fourth quarter, allowing them to run nearly three more minutes off the clock.
Even with the possible addition of Ricks, the Cowboys will miss Campbell's blocking. The club often uses a two-tight end set, which it has run and passed from effectively. Parcells said Wednesday he will not use deep snapper Jeff Robinson as a true tight end, simply stating his 12-year veteran is "too old" to play extended minutes.
That means the Cowboys will likely use Witten in more of a blocking role and rely on fullback Darian Barnes in more of a two-back system.
But at least those options include some experience.
At cornerback, the Cowboys have little to none after losing Hunter, who was starting for the first time in his three-year career at that, and is why Williams is expected to join the club Thursday.
After Hunter suffered the torn ACL while trying to stay with Rod Gardner in the first quarter, the Cowboys were forced to play Reeves at right corner the remainder of the game. The seventh-round pick from Purdue played decently the first three quarters, but gave up a pair of long receptions to Gardner in the fourth quarter, including a 48-yarder on the game's final play.
But Parcells said, regardless of any additions to the position this week, Reeves would likely start the Oct. 10 game against the Giants.
Now that could change depending how quickly Williams can adapt to the Cowboys' system. But for now, Parcells said the Cowboys will be putting Reeves, Jones and even Thornton on crash-courses for the next two weeks.
Thornton, a fourth-round pick from Georgia, has been inactive for the first three games, mainly because he has not practiced well or with confidence. Jones, another seventh-round pick from Rutgers, was backing up Hunter as the team's slot corner on the nickel defense while Reeves would slide to right corner.
After Hunter's injury, Reeves played the rest of the way at right corner while Jones played in the slot. With the extra practice time the next two weeks, it's likely all three rookies corners, as well as Williams, will work in the slot as the Cowboys will look for the best combination of a right corner and slot corner, along with versatile backups.
"Obviously we're going to have to use Thornton some," Parcells said. "I was pretty pleased with what I saw from Reeves overall. He did give up a couple of things, but he was on some things, too. The guy played 89 plays, 23 on special teams. He had a full night's work. That's by far the most for anyone on the team
"(Reeves) and Jones just happened to get thrown in there in a game like that under those circumstances I thought it was a little less than perfect, but it was OK for the first time out. They have to grow up and improve and improve and Thornton will have to start doing something and hopefully we can add somebody."
That somebody appears to be Williams. And while the Cowboys will have to throw him right into the mix, at least his next game will be his 118th, and not his fourth, or in Thornton's case, his first.
Link here (http://www.dallascowboys.com/news.cfm?id=4C93809F-E6A7-15B2-7A4E90BA09129021).
Yes, folks, that's right. This is the same Tyrone Williams who could get outsprinted by Vinny Testaverde! The same Tyrone Williams that made $3.8 mill last season, only to be cut loose, fortunately. He'll soon be "Texas Toast" to go along with already being a "Dead Bird". Oh, and they signed no-name TE Mikhael Ricks.
What do you get when you cross Toast with Meshawn? You get Locker Room Ebola of course!
Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Sept. 29, 2004, 6:47 p.m. (CDT)
IRVING, Texas -- Just two days after coming home with the biggest win of the year so far, the Cowboys now must deal with two of the biggest losses.
Not in the standings, but in the roster. And in the starting lineup no less.
As expected, the Cowboys lost tight end Dan Campbell and cornerback Pete Hunter for the season, both sustaining injuries in the Cowboys' 21-18 victory over Washington on Monday night.
Campbell, the Cowboys' top blocking tight end, suffered torn ligaments in the top of his foot, and already has been scheduled for surgery on Tuesday.
Hunter, the starting right corner, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, and has been scheduled for reconstructive knee surgery on Tuesday.
Both will be placed on injured reserve, opening up two spots on the team's 53-man roster.
"It's tough, but that's the way it is for everyone right now," Parcells said, referring to the recent of wave of injuries running through the NFL. "We're looking for players. I'm actually looking for guys that can help. But that's just the way it is. You have to do the best you can."
The Cowboys did not practice Wednesday for the second straight day, but instead worked out eight players, looking for possible additions to the 53-man roster and the practice squad.
With cornerback and tight end now an instant need, the Cowboys are expected to sign a pair of veterans by the time they practice on Thursday to replace Campbell and Hunter.
Among the players working out included seven-year veteran tight end Mikhael Ricks and Tyrone Williams, an eight-year veteran cornerback who was released by the Falcons on June 1. Williams did not go to training camp with any team this summer.
But since the Cowboys have a bye this Sunday, they will have 10 days to get any signed players ready by the next game, Oct. 10 against the New York Giants at Texas Stadium.
Ricks has played two seasons each with the Chargers, Chiefs and Lions, and was with the Jets in training camp this year, but was released before the start of the season. Ricks has 155 career catches for 1,939 yards and eight touchdowns, although nearly half of his numbers were totaled his first two years with the Chargers.
But the 29-year-old and native Texan (Anahuac, Texas) might just give the team more of a pass-catching threat than Campbell, who had only two catches this year.
"I'm looking for more than a blocking tight end," Parcells said Wednesday. "I'm looking for an all-purpose guy. If I were looking for a blocker, than I know completely what I would've done. (But) I think maybe if we get lucky we're going to sign somebody who's going to give us even more firepower."
As for the cornerback position, Williams would immediately become the most experienced player in the secondary if he signs this week. The eight-year veteran will join a cast including second-year corner Terence Newman and three rookie cornerbacks in Jacques Reeves, Nate Jones and Bruce Thornton.
"We're talking to a guy that I've had in mind for quite some time," Parcells said. "On these other (rookies), you don't want to stop progress. But now it's a different story. You don't have enough players so we have to do something."
Williams was released by the Falcons on June 1 for salary cap reasons. He played only one season in Atlanta, after spending eight years in Green Bay. Williams, who has 19 career interceptions, was suspended for one game last year by then-Falcons head coach Dan Reeves for "conduct detrimental to the team," having been involved in a domestic dispute. Williams returned to the starting lineup but was later deactivated for the final nine games of the season.
That was a long fall from 2002 when Williams was the NFL's seventh highest-paid cornerback, with a $3.8 million salary. And after that season, he signed a five-year deal with the Falcons worth approximately $13 million, only to spend one season in Atlanta.
While the Cowboys lost two starters this week for the season, the loss of Campbell might prove to be more costly, especially from a leadership standpoint. The five-year veteran was one of the new players Parcells brought in last season and has been one of the more vocal leaders in and out of the team's locker room.
"It's a very big blow for us," Parcells said of losing Campbell. "He's one of our top players. He's great in the locker room, he's a team leader and he's one of the tougher guys we got. He allows us to be versatile on offense. He does a lot of the dirty work. He's a player that's very difficult to replace."
Campbell only had one catch for nine yards Monday night against the Redskins, but it certainly turned out to be a meaningful play. Not only did he suffer the injury on that play, but the reception gave the Cowboys a key first down late in the fourth quarter, allowing them to run nearly three more minutes off the clock.
Even with the possible addition of Ricks, the Cowboys will miss Campbell's blocking. The club often uses a two-tight end set, which it has run and passed from effectively. Parcells said Wednesday he will not use deep snapper Jeff Robinson as a true tight end, simply stating his 12-year veteran is "too old" to play extended minutes.
That means the Cowboys will likely use Witten in more of a blocking role and rely on fullback Darian Barnes in more of a two-back system.
But at least those options include some experience.
At cornerback, the Cowboys have little to none after losing Hunter, who was starting for the first time in his three-year career at that, and is why Williams is expected to join the club Thursday.
After Hunter suffered the torn ACL while trying to stay with Rod Gardner in the first quarter, the Cowboys were forced to play Reeves at right corner the remainder of the game. The seventh-round pick from Purdue played decently the first three quarters, but gave up a pair of long receptions to Gardner in the fourth quarter, including a 48-yarder on the game's final play.
But Parcells said, regardless of any additions to the position this week, Reeves would likely start the Oct. 10 game against the Giants.
Now that could change depending how quickly Williams can adapt to the Cowboys' system. But for now, Parcells said the Cowboys will be putting Reeves, Jones and even Thornton on crash-courses for the next two weeks.
Thornton, a fourth-round pick from Georgia, has been inactive for the first three games, mainly because he has not practiced well or with confidence. Jones, another seventh-round pick from Rutgers, was backing up Hunter as the team's slot corner on the nickel defense while Reeves would slide to right corner.
After Hunter's injury, Reeves played the rest of the way at right corner while Jones played in the slot. With the extra practice time the next two weeks, it's likely all three rookies corners, as well as Williams, will work in the slot as the Cowboys will look for the best combination of a right corner and slot corner, along with versatile backups.
"Obviously we're going to have to use Thornton some," Parcells said. "I was pretty pleased with what I saw from Reeves overall. He did give up a couple of things, but he was on some things, too. The guy played 89 plays, 23 on special teams. He had a full night's work. That's by far the most for anyone on the team
"(Reeves) and Jones just happened to get thrown in there in a game like that under those circumstances I thought it was a little less than perfect, but it was OK for the first time out. They have to grow up and improve and improve and Thornton will have to start doing something and hopefully we can add somebody."
That somebody appears to be Williams. And while the Cowboys will have to throw him right into the mix, at least his next game will be his 118th, and not his fourth, or in Thornton's case, his first.
Link here (http://www.dallascowboys.com/news.cfm?id=4C93809F-E6A7-15B2-7A4E90BA09129021).
Yes, folks, that's right. This is the same Tyrone Williams who could get outsprinted by Vinny Testaverde! The same Tyrone Williams that made $3.8 mill last season, only to be cut loose, fortunately. He'll soon be "Texas Toast" to go along with already being a "Dead Bird". Oh, and they signed no-name TE Mikhael Ricks.
What do you get when you cross Toast with Meshawn? You get Locker Room Ebola of course!