IRVING, Texas - There was an initial fear the Cowboys might have lost two starters after beating the Eagles, 41-37, Monday night at Texas Stadium. But, they now feel fortunate to only have lost one.
As expected, starting strong safety Roy Williams will miss as many as four weeks with a fractured forearm, but starting tight end Jason Witten, who left the game for a period with a slightly separated shoulder, should be ready for Sunday's game in Green Bay.
"He wasn't injured," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said of Witten, who finished Monday night with seven catches for 110 yards. "He was banged up a little bit, but he wasn't injured. He did come back and play."
When one reporter said that Witten feared the injury to be pretty serious after the game, Phillips said the Cowboys' medical staff felt quite the opposite.
"Our guys don't think that at all," Phillips said. "Our doctors and athletic trainers think he's going to play."
Williams won't play, though, undergoing surgery on Monday to place a plate over the fracture to help facilitate faster bone growth. So now the Cowboys will call on third-year safety Pat Watkins to fill the void. Watkins already comes in on the nickel in place of Williams, who had been mainly a two-down player this season, so the transition shouldn't be too tough. Phillips said Watkins has been learning both the free and strong safety positions all training camp, although he'd say strong safety is his strong suit.
"He's a good tackler, and he's a pretty good cover man," Phillips said. "He's got some skills as far as a one-on-one cover guy. We thought those attributes would be good, and he's an aggressive guy who plays good on special teams. I think that suits him more."
As for the three Cowboys who returned from injury against the Eagles - cornerback Terence Newman (groin), linebacker Anthony Spencer (knee) and wide receiver Miles Austin (knee) - none suffered any setbacks, although Phillips said Newman and Spencer showed a little rust.
Neither played the entire way, although Phillips said Newman improved as the game progressed. Spencer didn't exactly pick up where he left off in camp before having his knee scoped, but his availability did keep fellow linebacker Greg Ellis fresh for the fourth quarter, something Phillips identified as important in being able to stop the Eagles on their last two possessions. Eventually, Phillips hopes Spencer can spell DeMarcus Ware as well.
"It helps if you have three guys, certainly," Phillips said. "If we could rotate them enough to give DeMarcus a break - even though DeMarcus made a sack at the end of the game, he goes hard every play."
Austin didn't appear to have much trouble getting back in the swing of things, serving as the team's third receiver and catching two passes for 12 yards.
Third running back Tashard Choice sprained his wrist on special teams, but it doesn't seem to be a serious injury.
Rush Judgment
While Ellis said after the game he wished he could have rushed more instead of dropping into coverage, and felt doing so could have helped the Cowboys get more pressure on Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in the first half, he still acknowledged how he'll do what's asked of him.
Phillips reiterated Ellis sacrificed sack opportunities for what the head coach believed were better defensive calls in the first half.
"I think every player wishes they rushed every down, especially Greg," Phillips said. "It's like the receivers - if they don't throw it to them every time, they didn't throw it to them enough. Looking at film, really the quarterback got away from us several times and made plays, but rushing him more didn't really help us in those situations in my opinion."
Gearing Up For Green Bay
With such an emotional win on Monday night, it's easy to assume the Cowboys will be pretty drained in the week leading up to their Sunday face-off against the Packers in Green Bay.
But Phillips has preempted that notion, giving the players their usual Tuesday off-day before returning to practice on Wednesday, although the coaches have already begun studying film on the Packers.
"The coaches have to get into Green Bay," said Phillips, who noted calling this a short week is inaccurate since the team has just as many practices. "This is our game plan day and everything. The players can relax a day and still enjoy the victory, but tomorrow they've got to be pointed towards Green Bay."
One of the difficulties the coaching staff faces, though, is the lack of film from this season to watch. The two games Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has started this year are the only two starts of his career, although he did play extensively last season against the Cowboys at Texas Stadium when former Packer and current New York Jet Brett Favre left with an injury.
So, Phillips said the Cowboys have to make due with what they have.
"Certain things that one quarterback will do, and certain formations that they like with him, and certain receivers they like to throw to, all those things we're learning about Rodgers," Phillips said. "You look at the first two games, and he's played really well and thrown it to all the receivers, it looks like to me, and got them the ball."
A Couple Cowboys Accolades
Two Cowboys are being honored for two very different things this week. First, Witten will be one of 30 honorees at the 30 Stars Over Texas: The 30th Anniversary Gala of the Texas Council on Family Violence. Witten will be recognized for his efforts to combat domestic violence, a cause that has become the mission statement of his foundation, the Jason Witten SCORE Foundation.
"This is a tremendous honor," said Witten, who is the only athlete being recognized. "The Texas Council on Family Violence has done so much for victims of abuse over the last 30 years, and to be selected as someone who has helped make a positive impact in the lives of those who have suffered abuse is very humbling. I am truly honored."
Cowboys top draft pick Felix Jones is being recognized for his actions on the field rather than off, highlighted by his 98-yard kickoff return Monday night. Jones is one of five rookie finalists for Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week honors, along with Redskins safety Chris Horton, Titans running back Chris Johnson, Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart, and Jones' former Arkansas teammate and current Raiders running back Darren McFadden.
Monday night's 78 combined points was the highest combined points total of the Cowboys-Eagles series . . . Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's 72-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens was the longest completion of Romo's career . . .That same catch was the longest of Owens' Cowboys career, second only to a 91-yarder he hauled in for a touchdown while he was with the Eagles . . . Running back Marion Barber's rushing touchdown gave him 32 for his career, claiming sole possession of fifth place in club history. Adding a touchdown catch gave Barber his 12th multiple touchdown game of his career.
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