Dallas Cowboys practice report Friday in London: QB Tony Romo working again; LB McClain, DT Crawford out
By Brandon George / Reporter
bgeorge@dallasnews.com
6:11 am on November 7, 2014 | Permalink
LONDON — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is practicing for a second consecutive day Friday in London. Friday’s practice is mostly a walk-through in preparation for Sunday’s game against Jacksonville.
It’s another chilly and windy day at Allianz Stadium, the home of the Saracens rugby team.
Though Romo won’t be pushed Friday, he did take all the offensive on-air work early in practice Friday and made all of the throws. Brandon Weeden wasn’t doing any of that. So all signs still point to Romo starting Sunday.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Romo came out of Thursday’s practice — his first since suffering two small fractures in the transverse processes of his against Washington two weeks ago — just fine.
“He looked pretty comfortable to me,” Garrett said. “Clearly he’s coming back of of this thing. He wants to get the blood going through his body and getting his movement back both in the pocket and also throwing the football. I feel like he had a pretty good day [Thursday].”
Cowboys starting 3-technique defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford and starting middle linebacker Rolando McClain both didn’t practice Friday. They went all week without practicing. They both were at practice Friday but not in uniform.
Crawford did some stretching on the side, but that’s about it. He hasn’t been too involved this week — staying back at the team hotel the two previous days to receive treatment on his injured right knee — and the Cowboys don’t expect him to play.
McClain, who also has an injured right knee, has been involved in all the club’s walk-through practices this week, so there’s some hope there he can play Sunday.
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said Friday that rookie Anthony Hitchens will start at middle linebacker if McClain can’t play, Bruce Carter would start at weak-side linebacker and Kyle Wilber would start at strong-side linebacker. Hitchens would handle the defensive play-calls if McClain was out.
Some good news for the Cowboys on Friday: Starting defensive tackle Nick Hayden was back at practice. He’s been out this week after injuring his shoulder Sunday in the loss to Arizona.
With Crawford likely out Sunday, undrafted rookie Davon Coleman would start at 3-technique defensive tackle, Marinelli said Friday. Marinelli said he still wants to bring Henry Melton off the bench to keep him fresh in his limited snaps.
Marinelli said if Hayden also couldn’t play, which doesn’t appear to be the case now with him back at practice Friday, defensive end Jack Crawford of London could start inside at defensive tackle alongside Coleman.