Texas NFL Capsules: Cowboys thrilled with new starters Free, Ball
OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — When the Dallas Cowboys opened training camp, coaches were pretty much settled on all 22 starters. Still, the decision-makers were keeping close watch on left tackle Doug Free and safety Alan Ball, the two newest members of the first team.
Free started seven games last season at right tackle, but this is different. Now he's protecting Tony Romo's blind side.
Ball started three games at safety last season, but also spent time at cornerback. Now he's their last line of defense.
With training camp ending Thursday, the Cowboys are glad they scrutinized the pair. It's made them feel even better about the promotions.
"Both of them have exceeded expectations," team owner Jerry Jones said. "I'd put them right there at the top of the four, five highlights of our preseason work."
Coach Wade Phillips said they haven't just grown into their new roles, they've blossomed.
"Everybody on our coaching staff, after watching them play and practice, would say, 'Hey, these guys are the best two guys and they should be playing,'" he said.
Free and Ball arrived in the 2007 draft and have inched their way up the depth chart. For instance, as rookies, Free was inactive for 15 games and Ball spent 14 weeks on the practice squad.
They handled their fill-in roles so well last season that the Cowboys opted to go with the young, up-and-comers instead of aging, expensive players, Flozell Adams and Ken Hamlin.
Free has been so solid that he's hardly mentioned any more. The big talk regarding the line is at left guard and right tackle, where injuries have sidelined the starters.
Anonymity is every offensive lineman's goal. His name is usually only called when he draws a penalty or gives up a sack. A job well done tends to become a highlight for the quarterback, receivers and running backs.
"I think Doug's had a great preseason," Romo said. "He continues to get better and better."
Free hasn't started at left tackle since his senior year at Northern Illinois.
A fourth-round pick in 2007, he played in only one regular-season game his first two years, then took over at right tackle when Marc Colombo broke a leg last season. Colombo returned for the playoffs, putting Free back on the bench. Then Adams got hurt in the second quarter of the playoff game against Minnesota and Free took over — for good, as it turns out.
Dallas seemingly hedged its bet by trading for Alex Barron, a former first-round pick who started every game at left tackle for St. Louis last season. But there never was any competition. Barron is here strictly for depth, such as filling in for Colombo the rest of the preseason.
"Getting the chance to run with the (starters) the whole camp, getting a lot of reps out there and working with the guys has definitely helped with confidence," Free said.
Free's best asset is his footwork. He's also improved on the techniques needed to blend his athleticism and strength to lock up pass rushers and keep them out of the pocket, away from Romo.
"Every time you come out to practice, you have to have a little list of things to work on," Free said. "I'm not going to go into any specifics, but there are definitely things you want to work on."
Free's predecessor wasn't much of a fan favorite any more because of his penchant for penalties. Still, Adams made five Pro Bowls and had started since 1998; he was the last link to the days of Troy, Michael and Emmitt.
Replacing Hamlin is a lot easier.
Ball's predecessor played only three seasons in Dallas, and the last two were forgettable — one interception, none his last 24 games. No wonder Dallas has been near the bottom of the league in pickoffs.
Ball hopes to change that. But he also has to be careful. Instead of just covering a receiver, like a cornerback does, he's responsible for an entire area at safety.
"When I first got back there, there were times I saw the ball and I wanted to go right now," Ball said. "But I've gotten comfortable. I'm relaxed and patient back there. I can just see things progress and use my eyes a lot more. ... You definitely have to use your eyes to see where the ball is going and see what's happening."
At 195 pounds, Ball is on the light side for a safety. But secondary coach Dave Campo said it isn't an issue. He's shown he can hit with his work on special teams; he was named the unit's captain three times last season, including the playoff opener.
"He's aggressive, he wants to make plays," Campo said. "When he went in last year and started three ball games, you could see a big improvement from the first game to the third game."
Now the Cowboys are counting on more improvement, from August to January and, perhaps, February.
Cowboys CB leaves practice with a bloodied nose
OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick left the practice field with blood gushing from his nose, but is expected to play a preseason game against Houston on Saturday night.
When Scandrick dived to block a pass Thursday afternoon, his helmet banged his nose hard enough to cause immediate bleeding from the inside. Once that stopped, there was bruising all around.
Head athletic trainer Jim Maurer said while it could be called a break, he considered it a bruise.
Texans TE Daniels eager to return
HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Texans tight end Owen Daniels cut sharply, caught a short pass and sprinted 20 yards down the middle of an empty practice field.
The 6-foot-3 Daniels, who made the Pro Bowl after the 2008 season, said Thursday he hopes to be ready for the regular season opener against Indianapolis after getting medical clearance to play again.
Daniels tore his right anterior cruciate ligament midway through last season and underwent surgery last November. He visited Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday, and the renowned orthopedist finally declared Daniels' knee fully healed.
Daniels is expected to practice with his team on Monday, ending an arduous 10-month recovery.
"It's going to be interesting, it's going to be strange, but I can't wait," Daniels said. "I don't know if I'll sleep Sunday night. It'll be like my first day of football, back when I was like in third grade."
Daniels was on schedule to be ready for the start of training camp until the spring. He started feeling soreness in the reconstructed knee in April and May, and doctors found a stress fracture in his right kneecap, a potentially career-threatening setback.
"We were blindsided by it, cause we were just going in and expecting to see a little inflammation or what have you," Daniels said. "When the doctor said it was a stress fracture, we were all shocked."
Doctors were puzzled how Daniels could've sustained such a rare injury during his rehab. Daniels said he continued to work as the soreness increased, but doesn't think he was overdoing it.
"I think it was just something that was meant to happen, and the good thing was it could've broken all the way through and broken off," Daniels said. "So we were playing with fire there for a while, really working hard and not knowing what the problem was."
Daniels spent the next two months virtually immobilized, wondering when — or if — he'd ever play again.
He consulted with several doctors across the country, and some recommended inserting a screw in his knee, a procedure that might've forced him to miss the 2010 season. Andrews suggested the more conservative route, letting the injury heal on its own.
All Daniels could do was make monotonous visits to the Texans' training room for treatment.
"It was a long time for me, after the stress fracture diagnosis, sitting around," Daniels said. "I couldn't lift any weights, I couldn't jog, I couldn't ride a bike. That really tested my patience. They were doing everything they could for me, though."
Finally, after eight weeks, tests showed that the fracture was improving. Daniels resumed his rehab soon after.
He's still a long way from playing condition, though, and plans to lobby coach Gary Kubiak to let him play in Houston's last preseason game, against Tampa Bay next Thursday.
"I'm trying work as hard as I can," Daniels said. "I'm not in football shape, I can pretty much guarantee that, because I haven't been running around with these guys and banging around. It's different than running routes with a trainer, and running wind sprints, even just pushing a sled. It's a lot different."
Daniels caught 70 passes for 862 yards and two touchdowns in 2008, his best season. He and Andre Johnson formed the most prolific receiver-tight end pairing in the NFL that year, with 185 total receptions and 2,437 yards.
The All-Pro Johnson, who's topped 1,500 receiving yards in the past two seasons, is as happy as anyone to see Daniels back.
"I'm very excited about it," Johnson said. "He's a big part of our offense. I was watching him out here the other day, working out. You can tell he's got some good moves, cause he was getting after it really hard. It'll be great to have him back out here."
Daniels is confident that he can make all the moves on the field that he could two years ago.
"I don't think I'll be able to be the guy that I was if I'm going to think about that type of stuff, or worry about if it might happen again," he said. "I'm not at any greater risk now than anybody else out here, to have that injury again. I'm just going to go with it."
Now that he's so close to returning, Daniels said he values the chance to play football as much as he ever has.
"I've always really appreciated it. I don't think I've ever taken it for granted," he said. "But if there's even a little ounce of that, it's definitely not there anymore.
"I've always loved playing football, and I cherish every moment of being out here, being with the guys and being in that type of an environment. Having that almost taken away from you for a season and a half would've been tough to deal with."
-- Chris Duncan
Texans owner favors 18-game slate
HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Texans owner Bob McNair wants to see the NFL expand its regular season schedule from 16 to 18 games.
Talks on expanding the season gained momentum at the owners' meeting in Atlanta on Wednesday, though the owners held off on voting for a specific proposal that could be presented to the players union.
McNair says moving to an 18-game regular season "makes sense," while acknowledging that several issues still have to be worked out.
"I think we can figure out a way to make it work, and everybody will be happy," McNair said on Thursday night, before he was inducted into this city's Hall of Fame.
Players have raised concerns about the added grind of two more games on top of an already demanding schedule. McNair said the owners have studied injury rates and will seek feedback from players before moving forward with a plan.
Another sticking point, McNair said, is when to start and end the season.
"It's difficult, if you try to start before Labor Day, because so many people are still out on vacation, and so it's hard to get a good crowd," McNair said. "And then up north, if you extend the season, you get into bad weather there.
"There are a few problems, as it relates to the schedule and the weather and that sort of thing. We'll just have to work through that, and we can always adjust later on, too."
McNair is confident that an 18-game schedule will be in place by the 2012 season.
