The Landry Hat » Bye Week

Will The Dallas Cowboys Find Their Heart?

Kim Dunning — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 16:00:19 +0000

The bye week is a time to relax for both the fans and the players. Having an early bye week can be both beneficial as well as detrimental to a team. It can be a time of getting players healthy and back into the starting lineup and preparing for the next opponent. It is also a time to reflect on the previous weeks of football. Once again this year, the Dallas Cowboys have proven they are the same team as they were last season, a team that lacks the heart and desire for the game.

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Bye Week Injury Report

Josh Sanchez — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 01:25:53 +0000

The Dallas Cowboys enter this year’s bye week on the heels of a 27-13 win over the Houston Texans. While it may be early in the season, the time off couldn’t come at a better time for the team.

They go in to the bye week with an added level of confidence and with the extra time necessary before hitting a tough stretch on their schedule. With injuries to guys like Jason Witten, Kyle Kosier, Dez Bryant, and Mike Jenkins, the extra rest is a welcomed.

Here is a rundown of the Cowboys injury report:

TE Jason Witten (knee) – The Cowboys held out the tight end for this week’s practices although head coach Wade Phillip said he expects Witten to be ready to play against the Titans. Witten played through a sprained knee in Sunday’s win over the Texans. He had an MRI on Monday, and the team’s preliminary report suggests he won’t miss any time.

G Kyle Kosier (knee) – Like Witten, Kosier didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday, and his chances of playing against the Titans were deemed “iffy” by coach Wade Phillips earlier this week. Kosier re-injured his right knee late in the Texans game, in just his second game back from missing a month with a sprained MCL in the same knee.

WR Dez Bryant (ribs, hip) – Bryant did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday because of a pair of minor setbacks. Not only did the rookie receiver play through what appears to be a stress fracture to his rib cage, Bryant also got his hip checked out on Wednesday after he collided with a cameraman on the sideline in Houston.

OT Marc Colombo (knee) – While Colombo has played the last two weeks after missing nearly a month because of a knee scope, the veteran tackle was held out of practice this week. Wade Phillips said the move was simply “precautionary.” Colombo had his best game of the season, helping shut down Texans defensive end Mario Williams in last week’s win over Houston.

CB Mike Jenkins (knee) – Jenkins practiced on Wednesday and Thursday, though possibly on a limited basis after he played through a bruised knee last week. Jenkins said he was “really sore” after the team’s win over Houston. Jenkins suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter against Chicago on Sept. 19.

LB Sean Lee (hamstring) – The rookie linebacker began practicing on a limited basis last week and coach Wade Phillips said he moved around well on Wednesday and Thursday. Lee was inactive against the Texans after returning to practice on a limited basis last Wednesday and Thursday, with full participation in Friday’s no-pads workout. He suffered a strained hamstring on the first punt in the season opener against Washington.

T Sam Young (knee) – The rookie returned to practice last week and could be close to 100 percent. However, Young is considered the fifth offensive tackle on the roster and it’s unlikely he will be active for a game anytime soon.

WR Sam Hurd (hip) – Though he finished the Houston game and recorded his first catch of the year, Hurd got Wednesday and Thursday off, apparently with hip pain. Not obligated to release an official injury report, Wade Phillips did not address his affliction this week.

Let us hope that the Cowboys can come into the game against Tennessee still carrying the momentum from week three and a lot healthier.

Cowboys Start Off Bye Week On The Right Foot

Josh Sanchez — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:51:49 +0000

Don’t worry about a hangover for the Cowboys following their first win of the season.

The Cowboys are entering their bye week following a 23-17 victory over the Houston Texans and are not slowing down. Practice re-opened and the team is now beginning preparations for their next opponent — the Tennessee Titans. According to players, the team has not relaxed and is not feeling secure. Instead, they are keeping their “backs against the wall” attitude and setting out to prove others wrong.

“Just the attention to detail, the focus, our mindset, our whole approach, it obviously paid off,” said linebacker Keith Brooking. “I’ve said all along that you just show up and win on Sunday, so we have to prepare that way and just focus.

“Every day is a grind. It’s extremely important for us to keep that mindset. We’re not relaxing right now. We’re at work right now.”

The maintained focus is translating onto the practice field. Head coach Wade Phillips is more than satisfied with the way the team is performing.

“That was the best open-date practice that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” said Phillips. “The guys worked hard today. They executed well. The concentration was excellent.

“I think it was a combination of things carrying over what we’ve been doing. I think that’s important to them. We emphasized that, and I thought they responded well today.”

Let us hope the energy, focus, and success on the practice field translates when the Titans roll in to town.