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The Cowboys Have Injuries? Tell That to the Rest of the League
BY ROB PHILLIPS on NOVEMBER 13, 2013
Here’s my first reaction to those who say injuries are no excuse for the Cowboys’ undermanned and outclassed defense: mute the TV, turn off your computer and recite the lineup from the second half against the Saints. I want fun facts, too: Where did Jeff Heath go to school? Who drafted Jarius Wynn? Does Kyle Bosworth have his uncle Brian’s awesome ‘80s mullet?
Let’s face it: Drew Brees played the closest thing to a preseason defense for roughly half of Sunday night’s 49-17 debacle. Unfortunately, final cuts are over. The Cowboys have played two-thirds of the season, and at 5-5, they’re hanging onto the NFC East lead with sweaty fingers, asking a bunch of no-names to stop Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
After Sean Lee went down (my only issue with already giving him a big contract) and DeMarcus Ware limped off, the Cowboys were without four of their top five defensive linemen from training camp (Ware, Anthony Spencer, Jason Hatcher, Jay Ratliff, Tyrone Crawford), two starting linebackers (Lee, Justin Durant), a starting safety (J.J. Wilcox) and a quasi-starting corner (Morris Claiborne).
This defense probably does need an exhibition game to learn each other’s names and numbers. Remember the early scene in Major League when the Indians fan is reading off the spring training roster? “Who are these %&#@$!&^ guys? Mitchell Friedman??”
Caesar Rayford?? Oh wait, he got cut Tuesday. Corvey Irvin????
That was my first reaction. Then I looked a little deeper.
Those who cut the Cowboys zero slack for their health problems make one simple argument: “Everyone’s got injuries.” Guess what? You’re exactly right. According to USA Today, the NFL had 208 players on injured reserve through the first eight weeks of the season. That’s a record-breaking pace.
Monte Kiffin is justifiably under fire. His defense has given out 400-yard passing games like candy to opposing quarterbacks all year, even before the most recent injuries to studs Lee, Ware and Hatcher. And what exactly is the offense’s excuse? Yes, they’ve been without Miles Austin, DeMarco Murray and Brian Waters, and Dez Bryant is playing below 100 percent. But they haven’t lost their QB for several weeks like the Packers and Bears.
The Cowboys are bringing knives to gunfights, but the fact is injuries are everywhere. Players are bigger and stronger than ever, and some might argue the new CBA’s restrictions on practice time aren’t getting these guys ready for a 16-game physical gauntlet.
I’ll let someone else do that research. Below is an injury list for the seven other division leaders who have somehow managed to play pretty decent football:
Patriots (7-2; AFC East)
Their offense has been a mess since the summer, starting with Aaron Hernandez’s arrest and subsequent release. Rob Gronkowski has missed six games, Danny Amendola has missed four; Shane Vereen has missed eight; tackle Sebastian Vollmer’s on injured reserve. On defense, cornerstone Vince Wilfork and fellow starting tackle Tommy Kelly are on injured reserve, replaced by undrafted rookie Joe Vellano and sixth-round rookie waiver claim Chris Jones. The defense has also been without Jerod Mayo and Aquib Talib.
Bengals (6-4; AFC North)
Cincinnati also lost their best defensive player, Geno Atkins, to a season-ending knee injury. Cornerback Leon Hall and safety Taylor Mays are out of the year, too. Linebacker is thin lately with Rey Maualuga and his backup Michael Boley both hurt. Devon Still, Wallace Gilberry, Andrew Whitworth and Mohamed Sanu have also missed time.
Colts (6-3; AFC South)
Five offensive starters are on injured reserve: Reggie Wayne, Dwayne Allen, Donald Thomas, Ahmad Bradshaw and Vick Ballard. Greg Toler, Josh Chapman and Bjoern Werner have also been banged up.
Chiefs (9-0; AFC West)
The exception to the rule. So, let’s look at the second-place team with the second-best record in the NFL…
Broncos (8-1; AFC West*)
Star rusher Von Miller missed six games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Champ Bailey has been out seven games due to injury. Offensive tackle Ryan Clady has been out for the season since September. Peyton Manning is reportedly playing with a high ankle sprain. Even head coach John Fox is out several weeks recovering from heart surgery.
Lions (6-3; NFC North)
Detroit has been fairly healthy, but they’ve still got five players on injured reserve: wide receiver Ryan Broyles, linebacker Cory Greenwood, defensive end Jason Jones, fullback Montell Owens and tight end Michael Williams. A small handful of starters are also hurting, and the Lions have played one game each without Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush.
Saints (7-2; NFC South)
The Saints have played without five starters on defense for parts of the season, including both safeties Malcolm Jenkins and Roman Harper and linebacker Jonathan Vilma. Sound familiar? Didn’t hurt Rob Ryan’s unit on Sunday night. The Saints have been relatively healthy on offense, though Marques Colston has missed a game and Jimmy Graham is playing with a torn plantar fascia.
Seahawks (9-1; NFC West)
Seattle’s starting offensive line hasn’t been at full strength since Week 2 due to injuries to Russell Okung, Breno Giacomini and Max Unger. Russell Wilson has avoided heavy pass rush at times while missing his top receivers Percy Harvin and most recently Sidney Rice (injured reserve).
BY ROB PHILLIPS on NOVEMBER 13, 2013
Here’s my first reaction to those who say injuries are no excuse for the Cowboys’ undermanned and outclassed defense: mute the TV, turn off your computer and recite the lineup from the second half against the Saints. I want fun facts, too: Where did Jeff Heath go to school? Who drafted Jarius Wynn? Does Kyle Bosworth have his uncle Brian’s awesome ‘80s mullet?
Let’s face it: Drew Brees played the closest thing to a preseason defense for roughly half of Sunday night’s 49-17 debacle. Unfortunately, final cuts are over. The Cowboys have played two-thirds of the season, and at 5-5, they’re hanging onto the NFC East lead with sweaty fingers, asking a bunch of no-names to stop Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
After Sean Lee went down (my only issue with already giving him a big contract) and DeMarcus Ware limped off, the Cowboys were without four of their top five defensive linemen from training camp (Ware, Anthony Spencer, Jason Hatcher, Jay Ratliff, Tyrone Crawford), two starting linebackers (Lee, Justin Durant), a starting safety (J.J. Wilcox) and a quasi-starting corner (Morris Claiborne).
This defense probably does need an exhibition game to learn each other’s names and numbers. Remember the early scene in Major League when the Indians fan is reading off the spring training roster? “Who are these %&#@$!&^ guys? Mitchell Friedman??”
Caesar Rayford?? Oh wait, he got cut Tuesday. Corvey Irvin????
That was my first reaction. Then I looked a little deeper.
Those who cut the Cowboys zero slack for their health problems make one simple argument: “Everyone’s got injuries.” Guess what? You’re exactly right. According to USA Today, the NFL had 208 players on injured reserve through the first eight weeks of the season. That’s a record-breaking pace.
Monte Kiffin is justifiably under fire. His defense has given out 400-yard passing games like candy to opposing quarterbacks all year, even before the most recent injuries to studs Lee, Ware and Hatcher. And what exactly is the offense’s excuse? Yes, they’ve been without Miles Austin, DeMarco Murray and Brian Waters, and Dez Bryant is playing below 100 percent. But they haven’t lost their QB for several weeks like the Packers and Bears.
The Cowboys are bringing knives to gunfights, but the fact is injuries are everywhere. Players are bigger and stronger than ever, and some might argue the new CBA’s restrictions on practice time aren’t getting these guys ready for a 16-game physical gauntlet.
I’ll let someone else do that research. Below is an injury list for the seven other division leaders who have somehow managed to play pretty decent football:
Patriots (7-2; AFC East)
Their offense has been a mess since the summer, starting with Aaron Hernandez’s arrest and subsequent release. Rob Gronkowski has missed six games, Danny Amendola has missed four; Shane Vereen has missed eight; tackle Sebastian Vollmer’s on injured reserve. On defense, cornerstone Vince Wilfork and fellow starting tackle Tommy Kelly are on injured reserve, replaced by undrafted rookie Joe Vellano and sixth-round rookie waiver claim Chris Jones. The defense has also been without Jerod Mayo and Aquib Talib.
Bengals (6-4; AFC North)
Cincinnati also lost their best defensive player, Geno Atkins, to a season-ending knee injury. Cornerback Leon Hall and safety Taylor Mays are out of the year, too. Linebacker is thin lately with Rey Maualuga and his backup Michael Boley both hurt. Devon Still, Wallace Gilberry, Andrew Whitworth and Mohamed Sanu have also missed time.
Colts (6-3; AFC South)
Five offensive starters are on injured reserve: Reggie Wayne, Dwayne Allen, Donald Thomas, Ahmad Bradshaw and Vick Ballard. Greg Toler, Josh Chapman and Bjoern Werner have also been banged up.
Chiefs (9-0; AFC West)
The exception to the rule. So, let’s look at the second-place team with the second-best record in the NFL…
Broncos (8-1; AFC West*)
Star rusher Von Miller missed six games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Champ Bailey has been out seven games due to injury. Offensive tackle Ryan Clady has been out for the season since September. Peyton Manning is reportedly playing with a high ankle sprain. Even head coach John Fox is out several weeks recovering from heart surgery.
Lions (6-3; NFC North)
Detroit has been fairly healthy, but they’ve still got five players on injured reserve: wide receiver Ryan Broyles, linebacker Cory Greenwood, defensive end Jason Jones, fullback Montell Owens and tight end Michael Williams. A small handful of starters are also hurting, and the Lions have played one game each without Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush.
Saints (7-2; NFC South)
The Saints have played without five starters on defense for parts of the season, including both safeties Malcolm Jenkins and Roman Harper and linebacker Jonathan Vilma. Sound familiar? Didn’t hurt Rob Ryan’s unit on Sunday night. The Saints have been relatively healthy on offense, though Marques Colston has missed a game and Jimmy Graham is playing with a torn plantar fascia.
Seahawks (9-1; NFC West)
Seattle’s starting offensive line hasn’t been at full strength since Week 2 due to injuries to Russell Okung, Breno Giacomini and Max Unger. Russell Wilson has avoided heavy pass rush at times while missing his top receivers Percy Harvin and most recently Sidney Rice (injured reserve).