Romo without Roy when Cowboys face 49ers
Romo without Roy when Cowboys face 49ers
The Cowboys seek their second win of the preseason, and second in their new digs, Saturday when the 49ers come to Big D. Despite not having Roy Williams, Tony Romo & Co. are big favorites, 6½-7 points depending where you shop, against a San Fran squad thinned by injuries. Niners head coach Mike Singletary has also hinted the first-teamers he does have won't play much past the first quarter.
The giant video board has been given the green light. Roy Williams has not – yet.
The Dallas Cowboys will probably be without their No. 1 wide receiver when they welcome the San Francisco 49ers to the new Cowboys Stadium, home of the already infamous HD television screen hanging 90 feet above the field – well within striking distance of punters. That’s a minor concern for the Cowboys compared to the health of Williams. Initial reports had the former Texas Longhorn breaking his collarbone during Thursday’s practice, but the Dallas Morning News says that X-rays were negative, suggesting the injury is nothing more than a contusion. Williams is expected to be ready for the regular season and might even suit up against San Fran.
Saturday night’s matchup with the Niners (8:00 p.m. Eastern) is the closest thing to a regular-season game; this is Week 3 of the preseason, so the starting units for both teams would ideally be on the field into the third quarter. The Cowboys lost their exhibition opener 31-10 to the Oakland Raiders (-1.5 at home), but with the starters playing more minutes in Week 2 and Williams leading the way with five catches, Dallas beat the Tennessee Titans (+3.5) 30-10 to break in Cowboys Stadium on a winning note.
Williams or no Williams, the ‘Boys will have an army of skill players to deploy Saturday night, including tight ends Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett, plus receivers Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton. Quarterbacks Tony Romo (106.0 passer rating) and Jon Kitna (96.4) have completed over 70 percent of their passes during the preseason. This is supposed to be a “Romo-friendly” offense with the departure of WR Terrell Owens. So far, so good, although the offensive line is a question mark with LT Flozell Adams turning 34. Adams and the Cowboys allowed 34 sacks last year, up from 25 in 2007. Former Buffalo Bills center Duke Preston was signed Wednesday after he failed to make an impression in camp with the Green Bay Packers.
Dallas supporters should be more worried about the absence of a different Williams on Saturday. Linebacker Brandon Williams (formerly a defensive end at Texas Tech) was lost for the season with a torn ACL, prompting the Cowboys to pick up Miami Dolphins cast-off Tearrius George on Friday. OLB Justin Rogers was already waived by the ‘Boys after suffering his own knee injury. This is still the strongest position on the Dallas roster with DeMarcus Ware coming off a 20-sack season, but the reserves will be depleted against the Niners during the second half.
San Francisco’s offensive prospects look a lot brighter in 2009 with the arrival of QB Shaun Hill. He’s already earned the starting job for the Niners this year, but Hill strained his lower back on Tuesday and told reporters he wasn’t sure how many snaps he would take Saturday. Former starter Alex Smith won’t play because of a sprained right thumb, so that should leave either or both of rookie Nate Davis and veteran Damon Huard getting extra work during the second half.
Whoever lines up under center has to play without the protection of former Pro Bowl RT Marvel Smith, who will reportedly retire after hurting his knee and losing his starting job to Adam Snyder. San Francisco led the league in 2009 with 55 sacks allowed; Smith was originally signed during the offseason to rectify that problem after helping the Pittsburgh Steelers to a pair of Super Bowls. Snyder also has a sprained right knee and will not play in either of San Francisco’s final two exhibition games. That leaves Barry Sims to start against the Cowboys.
The Niners do get some help this week with stud LB Patrick Willis (ankle, Achilles) returning to action. But with Hill at risk of getting hit early and often Saturday, coach Mike Singletary told reporters on Friday that he would only commit to having his starters play the first quarter. How much more they play will depend on what happens during the game. This is enough of a pickle to make San Fran a 7-point road dog on the betting odds with a total of 38. The Niners are 0-2 ATS this preseason after beating both the Denver Broncos (+1.5) and the Raiders (+3) by a single point at home.
The Cowboys seek their second win of the preseason, and second in their new digs, Saturday when the 49ers come to Big D. Despite not having Roy Williams, Tony Romo & Co. are big favorites, 6½-7 points depending where you shop, against a San Fran squad thinned by injuries. Niners head coach Mike Singletary has also hinted the first-teamers he does have won't play much past the first quarter.
The giant video board has been given the green light. Roy Williams has not – yet.
The Dallas Cowboys will probably be without their No. 1 wide receiver when they welcome the San Francisco 49ers to the new Cowboys Stadium, home of the already infamous HD television screen hanging 90 feet above the field – well within striking distance of punters. That’s a minor concern for the Cowboys compared to the health of Williams. Initial reports had the former Texas Longhorn breaking his collarbone during Thursday’s practice, but the Dallas Morning News says that X-rays were negative, suggesting the injury is nothing more than a contusion. Williams is expected to be ready for the regular season and might even suit up against San Fran.
Saturday night’s matchup with the Niners (8:00 p.m. Eastern) is the closest thing to a regular-season game; this is Week 3 of the preseason, so the starting units for both teams would ideally be on the field into the third quarter. The Cowboys lost their exhibition opener 31-10 to the Oakland Raiders (-1.5 at home), but with the starters playing more minutes in Week 2 and Williams leading the way with five catches, Dallas beat the Tennessee Titans (+3.5) 30-10 to break in Cowboys Stadium on a winning note.
Williams or no Williams, the ‘Boys will have an army of skill players to deploy Saturday night, including tight ends Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett, plus receivers Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton. Quarterbacks Tony Romo (106.0 passer rating) and Jon Kitna (96.4) have completed over 70 percent of their passes during the preseason. This is supposed to be a “Romo-friendly” offense with the departure of WR Terrell Owens. So far, so good, although the offensive line is a question mark with LT Flozell Adams turning 34. Adams and the Cowboys allowed 34 sacks last year, up from 25 in 2007. Former Buffalo Bills center Duke Preston was signed Wednesday after he failed to make an impression in camp with the Green Bay Packers.
Dallas supporters should be more worried about the absence of a different Williams on Saturday. Linebacker Brandon Williams (formerly a defensive end at Texas Tech) was lost for the season with a torn ACL, prompting the Cowboys to pick up Miami Dolphins cast-off Tearrius George on Friday. OLB Justin Rogers was already waived by the ‘Boys after suffering his own knee injury. This is still the strongest position on the Dallas roster with DeMarcus Ware coming off a 20-sack season, but the reserves will be depleted against the Niners during the second half.
San Francisco’s offensive prospects look a lot brighter in 2009 with the arrival of QB Shaun Hill. He’s already earned the starting job for the Niners this year, but Hill strained his lower back on Tuesday and told reporters he wasn’t sure how many snaps he would take Saturday. Former starter Alex Smith won’t play because of a sprained right thumb, so that should leave either or both of rookie Nate Davis and veteran Damon Huard getting extra work during the second half.
Whoever lines up under center has to play without the protection of former Pro Bowl RT Marvel Smith, who will reportedly retire after hurting his knee and losing his starting job to Adam Snyder. San Francisco led the league in 2009 with 55 sacks allowed; Smith was originally signed during the offseason to rectify that problem after helping the Pittsburgh Steelers to a pair of Super Bowls. Snyder also has a sprained right knee and will not play in either of San Francisco’s final two exhibition games. That leaves Barry Sims to start against the Cowboys.
The Niners do get some help this week with stud LB Patrick Willis (ankle, Achilles) returning to action. But with Hill at risk of getting hit early and often Saturday, coach Mike Singletary told reporters on Friday that he would only commit to having his starters play the first quarter. How much more they play will depend on what happens during the game. This is enough of a pickle to make San Fran a 7-point road dog on the betting odds with a total of 38. The Niners are 0-2 ATS this preseason after beating both the Denver Broncos (+1.5) and the Raiders (+3) by a single point at home.