Doug Free could miss 3-4 weeks with a foot injury

Doug Free could miss 3-4 weeks with a foot injury

BY CHAREAN WILLIAMS
cjwilliams@star-telegram.com

IRVING — Although Doug Free hopes to play Sunday, the starting right tackle could miss three to four weeks with a sprained foot, according to a source.

“I think he’s OK,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Monday. “He’s dealing with that injury, and we’ll see what it is here over the next few days.”

Free has started 77 consecutive games, but his streak now is in jeopardy. The Cowboys have four games remaining before their bye week, including a Nov. 9 game in London against Jacksonville.

Free was injured with 3:23 left in Sunday’s victory over the Seahawks on a 6-yard run by DeMarco Murray. Jermey Parnell, who has two career starts, helped pave the way for Murray’s 15-yard touchdown run on the next play.

Parnell played five snaps, with Free returning for the victory formation kneel down to end the game.

“Jermey did a really nice job,” Garrett said. “He didn’t play many plays in the game, but he played some important ones. He’s been dealing with a rib injury and hasn’t been able to practice fully the last few days but came in and just really responded well to the situation. It’s part of knocking a guy all the way on his back on that first one. He came off the ball. One of the challenges for a guy like that going into a game like is everybody’s been playing for a while and the crowd noise and all that kind of stuff, you get used to that. All of a sudden you come in, and …you’re kind of clean and all that, but everyone else is kind of well into this thing, and I thought he responded well emotionally to that situation and mentally to that situation, and those were big plays that he played.”

Ah shit....3 weeks?

So much for not being serious. Parnell looked ok, but that was for only 5 plays where we ran the ball each time.

I hope he holds up in pass protection.

Doug Free's status up in air with sprained foot
October, 13, 2014

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys right tackle Doug Free suffered a sprained right foot in Sunday's win against the Seattle Seahawks but the team is unsure if he will miss significant playing time or even any time.

Free was hurt on a 6-yard run by DeMarco Murray with 3:51 to play and was replaced by Jermey Parnell. Murray scored the go-ahead touchdown on the next play. Free was able to return for the final few victory formation snaps.

After the game he said he was OK but he was in a walking boot.

Since becoming a full-time starter in 2010, Free has not missed a game, starting 70 straight games at left and right tackle. Parnell would take over at right tackle if Free cannot play. Donald Hawkins, who has been inactive the first six games, is the only other tackle on the active roster.

"We'll see what it is here over the next few days,” coach Jason Garrett said.

Parnell has started two games in his career, one in each of the last two seasons. He has played in mostly short-yardage and goal-line situations. He was limited in practice last week because of a rib injury suffered against the Houston Texans.

Garrett praised Parnell's work off the bench at the end of the Seahawks' game.

"He came off the ball,” Garrett said. "One of the challenges for guys like that going into a game like that is that everybody's been playing for a while. The crowd noise and all that stuff, you get used to that. All of a sudden you come in fresh, you're kind of clean but everybody else is well into this thing. I thought he responded well emotionally and mentally to that situation and those were big plays he played.”

Damn. That sucks. For as much grief as he gets, he's been playing pretty good.

Hate to mess with the continuity of the line. Hopefully Parnell can step up.

NoDak said:

Hopefully Parnell can step up.

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He stepped up nicely yesterday. I believe in Parnell.

Well this is Parmell's shot. He needs to at least be average to hold down the swing tackle position after this year. If he's exposed, we find a new one in April.

Gotta roll with the punches. Parnell just plowed his guy on Sunday, but fresh legs at the end of the game are different than starting 4 or 5 games.

NoDak said:

Damn. That sucks. For as much grief as he gets, he's been playing pretty good.

Hate to mess with the continuity of the line. Hopefully Parnell can step up.

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Feel the same. Losing Free will disrupt things a little.

Rest him until after the bye...I think we can get by with Parnell. Don't want it to linger in the playoff stretch.

Hopefully he just misses 2 and we can handle Washington and NYG without him.

Parnell has held up well every time he has been asked to start, my biggest fear is if he has to play extended games he will be exposed.

The silver lining is that the way the offense has been playing they can afford to scheme him some help without losing much effectiveness.

I know everyone will hate this idea but I might give Martin a two game audition at RT and let Bernadeau play guard. He's our next best OL.

mschmidt64 said:

I know everyone will hate this idea but I might give Martin a two game audition at RT and let Bernadeau play guard. He's our next best OL.

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Absolutely not. That is disrupting two positions.

mschmidt64 said:

I know everyone will hate this idea but I might give Martin a two game audition at RT and let Bernadeau play guard. He's our next best OL.

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That's stupid you are creating 2 weaknesses instead of 1, Martin has not played OT at all as a pro and we know Berny gets brain farts that's 2 much liability on one side.

Jiggyfly said:

That's stupid you are creating 2 weaknesses instead of 1, Martin has not played OT at all as a pro and we know Berny gets brain farts that's 2 much liability on one side.

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Yep, now if Parnell sucks balls for a game or two and it is affecting what we do, then yeah, I entertain the idea.

boozeman said:

Yep, now if Parnell sucks balls for a game or two and it is affecting what we do, then yeah, I entertain the idea.

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If you think that Martin would be as good at tackle as at guard, then the question is, who is better, Parnell at tackle or Bernadeau at guard? Parnell has been downright bad the last year or so.

Obviously this board doesn't think that Martin translates to tackle. And if the staff thinks it's too big a learning curve and he'd struggle, fine.

I would consider it at least though.

boozeman said:

Yep, now if Parnell sucks balls for a game or two and it is affecting what we do, then yeah, I entertain the idea.

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This is what I do. I let Parnell start and see what happens. No way do I make a move along the line at this stage of the season.

mschmidt64 said:

If you think that Martin would be as good at tackle as at guard, then the question is, who is better, Parnell at tackle or Bernadeau at guard? Parnell has been downright bad the last year or so.

Obviously this board doesn't think that Martin translates to tackle. And if the staff thinks it's too big a learning curve and he'd struggle, fine.

I would consider it at least though.

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I think Martin translates to guard, but there is no way in hell I do it mid-season.

EDIT: I meant tackle.