GREEN BAY, Wis. - When your teammates and coaches are coming by to shake your hand after the game, it could be either a really good thing, or a really bad thing.
For Marc Colombo on Sunday, it was the worst thing of all. On the first play of the Cowboys' second drive, Colombo had his leg rolled on from behind by a Packers' defender and broke his left fibula, the small bone on the outer part of the leg. He was helped directly to a cart, and then to the locker room, where he appeared afterward with crutches and a boot.
Though he seemed hopeful when talking to teammates that he could rehab after surgery and possibly return for a playoff run, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed after the 17-7 loss that Colombo would miss the remainder of the season.
Two other players were forced to come out of the game with injuries, including Ken Hamlin, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the third quarter and did not return after being taken to the locker room for X-rays. The Cowboys don't expect Hamlin to be out long term.
"It's real hard to tell early," Jerry Jones said. "But it does not look like an extended period of time he'll be out."
Mike Jenkins came out of the game with a bruised forearm on two occasions, but said he was fine and wouldn't miss any time.
Losing Colombo is undeniably the most significant injury setback yet for a Cowboys team that has enjoyed relatively good health among its veteran core all season. It will also test an offensive line that had been improved with the cohesion that comes from having all five starters healthy.
A former first-round pick of Chicago in 2002, Colombo battled serious knee injuries early in his career, cutting short his time with the Bears. He signed with the Cowboys in 2005, and won the starting right tackle job during training camp of 2006, starting every game since.
Colombo was replaced by third-year backup swing tackle Doug Free, who is expected to fill in for the remainder of the season. A year after the offensive line had its problems with Kyle Kosier out of the lineup, the new front five combination will need to develop instant unity.
"There ain't no excuse, to be honest," Leonard Davis said. "I'm not going to lie to you, he's a guy that I've been playing with, and half the battle is just communicating, knowing what guys are going to be doing, certain plays versus certain looks.
"I think it's pretty big, but Doug Free came in and did a good job, he stepped up and went in there and played."
Though Free didn't seem to be the reason for the trouble, the Cowboys allowed a season-high five sacks in Sunday's loss. Without Colombo, known for his physicality and nastiness, the Cowboys are in need of a new emotional leader up front.
"He's a warrior, man," Jason Witten said. "He's a big part of that offensive line. But that's what happens in football, guys have got to step up."
Losing Colombo also gives the Cowboys something of a roster dilemma. The team has been keeping seven linemen active on game days, and will need to identify another player capable of backing up both the left and right tackles. The obvious answer is fourth-year tackle Pat McQuistan, but the team may also consider adding another offensive lineman to the 53-man roster. McQuistan's twin brother Paul, a guard/tackle cut recently by Oakland, worked out for the Cowboys at team headquarters on Thursday.
If the Cowboys want to take a wait-and-see approach with Colombo they could carry him as an inactive player, but still make room for another lineman by waiving someone, maybe kick returner Allen Rossum, who injured his hamstring against Atlanta and has likely lost his punt returning duties to Patrick Crayton.
The Cowboys could also free up a roster spot by moving Colombo to the injured reserve.
Jones listed depth along the line as his primary concern heading into training camp this year, and saw it extremely tested for a moment on Sunday, when left tackle Flozell Adams was slow to get up and had to sit out a play. Leonard Davis slid over to left tackle, and guard/center Cory Procter took Davis' spot at right guard.
"I know that we have really been challenged when we don't have a good right tackle," Jones said. "You saw what happens if for any reason we don't have Flo then we'll really have to make an adjustment because we've got to take Free to the other side. This will give us some problems - we'll have to really take a look at who our swing guy is other than Free."
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