IRVING, Texas - While most figured NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would voice his intention on whether to reinstate suspended Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones at least a bit more clear on Tuesday, that milestone has come and gone.
Instead, the commissioner put off his decision until later this week.
"Adam has been through a period of time where he has gone through medical evaluations, and I'll be hearing from those personnel later this week, and we'll be making a decision sometime in the coming days with respect to his status," Goodell said in an interview with the NFL Network. "But he has to understand that there's a certain standard we're going to expect from him and everybody else, and it now will be up to him."
Common practice suggested the Cowboys might hear something about Jones' future on Tuesday. When he made the indefinite suspension on Oct. 14, Goodell said he would revisit Jones' case after four games, the last of which was Sunday. Jones has been in a Boston-area facility, taking part in an alcohol treatment program administered by the NFL for most of the last month.
With Jones unable to visit the team's practice facility until he is officially reinstated, it would seem unlikely he could play Sunday, because he hasn't been around his teammates for nearly five weeks and it would be hard to integrate him into the lineup on such short notice. With a quick turnaround coming up on the schedule, it would also seem difficult for Jones to come back by Thanksgiving Day if reinstated.
Goodell has long claimed Jones' future was up to him, but the terms of his potential reinstatement will depend heavily on the recommendations of the clinical professionals he has seen during his time in rehab.
"Most importantly, the medical evaluations," Goodell said. "I've asked him to go through those evaluations and any treatments they determine are necessary, and making sure that he follows that program as prescribed by them."
If and when Jones is reinstated, the team would have to make a move to clear space for him on the 45-man active roster. In the last week, both Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips have said they would welcome back the beleaguered 25-year-old.
Jones' attorney told ESPN his client had completed treatment and returned to Dallas. He said he had been in contact with the league, which is still reviewing the situation.
"Adam is feeling good about himself and his ability to contribute if allowed to return, but he has used these several days to focus on his personal issues,"
Worrick Robinson said. "But he's anxious to return to his friends and family with the Cowboys. I'm cautiously optimistic because he has done everything he was asked to do by the league and his treatment providers."
Now that Tuesday's artificial deadline for some word on Jones has come and gone, the team will have to maintain the policy Phillips has had all along: Jones isn't with the team, and he cannot weigh in its thinking until he is.
Time To Take Over
Sunday's 14-10 in Washington was encouraging for the Cowboys from a defensive perspective, a complete turnaround from the last time they met the Redskins, but there's still progress that can be made.
Specifically, the team could really benefit from more turnovers than the defense has been creating this season. Terence Newman's third quarter interception was the lone takeaway Sunday, and just the second pick made by a Cowboys cornerback this year. Mike Jenkins had the other, returning it for a touchdown against the Giants. Greg Ellis and Ken Hamlin also tallied interceptions earlier this season.
The Cowboys are tied for the second fewest interceptions in the league this season with four. Only the Detroit Lions have made fewer picks, with two. For perspective, Green Bay has tallied the most interceptions in the NFL this year with 16, six of which have been returned for touchdowns. Not surprisingly, some of the best defenses in the league are also high atop the interception rankings.
The Ravens and Titans each have 15 picks, and the New York Giants have made 14, while Chicago and Cleveland round out the top five with 13 interceptions apiece.
The Cowboys have fared a bit better in creating and recovering fumbles. Their eight recoveries rank them seventh in the NFL, five behind league-leading Arizona.
Though eight is a good total, it's actually more than the six fumbles the Cowboys have forced, benefiting from a couple of unforced offensive errors.
The Cowboys turnover margin, -7, is tied for 27th in the league.
So how can the Cowboys begin to create more turnovers? It helps that Newman is returning as healthy as he has been since the 2006 season, and there is still the possibility that Adam "Pacman" Jones could be reinstated. But Wade Phillips has said the team played more man coverage than it has been on Sunday, fulfilling his preseason wishes. There's a likelihood the team will continue to man their cornerbacks on wide receivers one-on-one.
Of course, the coach also said earlier in the season that zone coverage is typically better at creating interceptions. Whatever the method, the Cowboys secondary needs to play the ball better. As it stands, they're getting enough help from the front seven.
The Cowboys have 29 sacks this year, just seven away from Philadelphia's league-best pace, and they have been able to pressure quarterbacks more often than that, even against teams that don't allow many sacks.
That Tricky NFC West
Sunday's game pits the Cowboys against a member of the lowly NFC West, as does the Thanksgiving Day game, just four days afterward. In fact, the Cowboys next two opponents have combined for fewer wins (five) than the Cowboys have on their own.
And judging by its collective 14-26 record, the NFC West would have to be considered the conference bottom-feeders, just one game better than the lowly AFC West.
Other than 7-3 Arizona, which beat the Cowboys with the help of Tony Romo's injured pinkie and a failed overtime punt, the division appears to be easy pickings.
How can Wade Phillips keep his players from getting overconfident considering the players can easily look at the standings and tell their next two opponents are a combined 5-15 on the year? Pretty easily, as it turns out.
There is another ugly team out west, the 2-8 Rams, who notched a surprise win against the Cowboys earlier this year. This week, Phillips isn't letting anyone forget the 34-14 drubbing his team took in St. Louis almost a month ago.
"We felt good going into that game, although they had just beaten the Redskins," Phillips said. "But we couldn't get it over to them that (St. Louis) could play and beat them."
There is good news for those fearful the Cowboys will fall on their face to a woeful NFC West team again Sunday. In the loss to St. Louis, the Cowboys were without Tony Romo, who has since returned.
With Romo as their starter, the Cowboys haven't lost to a team with a losing record in over two years. You have to go all the way back to his second career start, when they played a 2-5 Washington team, and even that loss was fluke-ish, with the Redskins hitting the winning field goal after a blocked game-winning try by Mike Vanderjagt.
The morale is that for a team as talented as the Cowboys, it shouldn't matter whether an opponent is up or down.
"We really don't focus on the other team that much, except for what they do route-wise and what they run defensively and all those things," Phillips said, stressing the importance of his team executing.
Short Shots
Marion Barber needs just nine carries to set his career high, surpassing the 204 he had last season . . . Nine is also the magic number for Zach Thomas, who is in pursuit of his 2,000th career tackle . . . The Cowboys are awaiting word on whether their new stadium in Arlington, Texas will be awarded a Final Four college basketball championship in the coming years. The NCAA will announce the sites of the Final Four from 2012-16 on Wednesday.
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