October 2008 Archives

ST. LOUIS (AP)--Even on the road, the chorus of "Romo!, Romo!" from Dallas Cowboys' fans was easily audible at the start of the second half.

Tony Romo told the coaching staff after pregame warmups he wasn't up to playing with a broken right pinkie. He was in uniform, giving fans false hope, but they were stuck with Brad Johnson.

The 40-year-old backup quarterback couldn't keep up with a suddenly potent, opportunistic St. Louis Rams' offense, throwing three interceptions. Steven Jackson ran for 160 yards on 25 carries with three touchdowns and the Rams (2-4) looked like contenders instead of sad sacks for the second straight game under new coach Jim Haslett in a surprisingly easy 34-14 victory on Sunday.

"It was a tough day for all of us," Johnson said. "We had miscues across the board."

Owner Jerry Jones admitted after the game that he thought the Cowboys had enough to beat the Rams despite Romo's injury and the suspension of cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones. Adding to the woes, Jones said after the game that safety Roy Williams would miss the rest of the season after breaking his right forearm for the second time.

"I just was thinking a little lighter than I should have about this ballgame," Jones said. "I'm not speaking for this team, but I was."

The Rams won 19-17 at Washington last week in their first game since replacing Scott Linehan, ending a run of 17 losses in 20 games and four blowout losses to start the season.

Their response to Haslett, beginning his second stint as a head coach, has exceeded expectations.

"I think it's just the will of the players, more than anything," Haslett said. "I thought they played extremely well today, in all three phases."

St. Louis defense did its part, forcing four turnovers for the second straight game.

Oshiomogho Atogwe, who had two interceptions, scored the lone touchdown against the Redskins last week on a fumble recovery.

Jackson pulled a quadriceps muscle in the fourth quarter just before Haslett said he was going to take him out, and was to undergo an MRI. But Jackson thought he'd be fine for next week's game at New England.

"It's a little tight," Jackson said. "I'm able to walk and I'm able to bend it, so that's a good sign."

Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware tied an NFL record with a sack in his 10th straight game and enjoyed his first multiple sack game of the season with three, giving him nine on the season.

Ware matched the mark set by Denver's Simon Fletcher from Nov. 15, 1992 to Sept. 20, 1993, although he remained one game shy of the franchise mark by Harvey Martin in 1976-77--which ended five years before the sack was officially recognized.

Marion Barber had 100 yards on 18 carries and the game's opening touchdown for Dallas.

There were not many more highlights for the Cowboys (4-3), who lost for the third time in four games. Newly acquired wide receiver Roy Williams saw limited action and said he was shut out for the first time in his career.

"This is my fifth year and this is my first time to not catch a ball," Williams said. "It's frustrating because I want to help this team win, and today I didn't do that."

Romo looked fine throwing in pregame warmups with his hand wrapped. The team originally believed the injury would sideline him a month, but held out hope Romo could play until game day.

"He ended up making that decision for us, actually, and that's the way it should have been," Jones said. "He just felt like he couldn't help us."

Johnson was 6-for-18 for 66 yards in the first half while the Cowboys fell behind 24-7. He finished 17-for-34 for 234 yards and throwing his only touchdown pass to Martellus Bennett inside the 2-minute warning.

The Rams' 21-point first quarter dwarfed their season output of just 10 points in the first five games. They asserted themselves after Barber accounted for 45 yards on the Cowboys' opening drive, quickly answering on Marc Bulger's first touchdown pass in two starts with a 42-yarder to wide open rookie Donnie Avery.

Jackson added runs of 8 and 1 yards, the Rams' first two touchdowns all season from inside the 20, for a 21-7 lead. The first score capitalized on a short field after Johnson's fumble on a shotgun snap led to a punt from the end zone, and the second came four plays after Will Witherspoon's interception of a tipped pass at the Dallas 18.

Jackson's 56-yard run down the right sideline made it 31-7 midway through the third quarter and gave him three rushing scores for the first time since the 2006 finale.

Bulger finished 14-for-19 for 173 yards and a touchdown.

Notes

X-rays were negative on Rams DT Adam Carriker's left ankle, which forced him out in the first half. ... Rams WR Derek Stanley (concussion) was hospitalized for observation after being involved in a special teams collision early in the third quarter. The team had called for a cart but Stanley ended up walking off the field. ... Atogwe has 10 interceptions in his past 14 games.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The verdict is in: Pacman is out again.

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones has been suspended for at least four games for his most recent violation of the league's personal conduct policy, the NFL announced Tuesday.

The league said Jones was involved in an alcohol-related incident at a Dallas hotel on Oct. 8. Previous reports indicated Jones was involved in an alcohol-related scuffle with a bodyguard assigned to him by the Cowboys, and that hotel employees called the police.

Jones will not be paid during the suspension. Commissioner Roger Goodell will determine the ultimate length of Jones' suspension after Dallas' Week 11 game against Washington on Nov. 16.

"He does need to address the kinds of things that seem to be with him at various times and one of those that he's dealt with for a really long time, he needs to address in a way that most of us might understand -- alcohol issues," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas.

"I am disappointed for him and his opportunity and for the Cowboys and our opportunity and, frankly, for the NFL," Jones said. "I would like to have been standing here talking about his success and the curtain coming up for him and addressing his issues. That certainly would have been more positive."

In his letter to Jones informing him of his latest suspension, Goodell said Jones' "disturbing pattern of behavior was clearly inconsistent with the conditions I set for your continued participation in the NFL."

League and law enforcement sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen that Goodell was expected to weigh whether Jones was in potential violation of his probation, in which he was prohibited from alcohol-related incidents.

When Goodell reinstated Jones from suspension before the regular season began, sources said one of the commissioner's conditions for Jones to remain an active player was that he remain in compliance with all aspects of his three-year probation from when he pleaded no contest last February to a felony in Fayette County, Ga.

Police reported that Jones might have been drinking when he was involved in the scuffle with a Cowboys-assigned bodyguard last week in Dallas. But Jerry Jones has refuted many of the allegations and speculation. Even though police were called to the scene, no arrests were made or charges filed.

"We respect and support the decision of the commissioner," Jones said in a statement earlier Tuesday. "I regret that this issue has brought negative attention to the Cowboys and the NFL. We move forward with a very clear knowledge as to what the process will be for a possible reinstatement. Adam is well aware of where he stands and what he has to do."

Jones began his time in Dallas under close scrutiny by the league after he was suspended for the entire 2007 season for multiple violations of the conduct policy while he was a member of the Tennessee Titans. The Cowboys traded for Jones before his suspension was over and he was reinstated by Goodell on Aug. 28.

Goodell also said his decision on whether Jones can return to play will be based on Jones' strict compliance with the NFL and the Cowboys in relation to treatment plans and evaluations by clinical experts.

"I'd like to see him intensify his approach to getting better with his social conduct," Jerry Jones told ESPN.com. "I'd like to see that. If it were successful, I'd like to be a part of it. I'd like to have influenced it. I know the commissioner, considering his conduct policies in the NFL, it was a well-considered decision to let Adam back into the NFL."

The Cowboys owner said he does not regret making the trade that brought Adam Jones to Dallas.

"I don't regret having been a part of helping him do better," Jones told ESPN.com. "I am sorry that we've had the negative publicity and that is the price that we pay for the team as well as the NFL."

Eventually, in most sports, including the one I prefer to write about, a team takes on the personality of its coach, for better or worse.

The Cowboys achieved that 11 months ago. They're satisfied with the press clippings that say they are as good as anyone in football (and Wade Phillips's season-ending gloat last year that they'd gone further than they had the season before since they had a bye that preceded their one-and-out playoff loss). Never mind the fact that Dallas's last playoff win was in the same year as the Rangers' last playoff win.

This team makes excuses instead of plays. They show up unprepared, uninspired, undisciplined. Underachieving. Comfy.

In football and in baseball, the ultimate measure of a head coach or manager, as far as I'm concerned, is not how they call a game or when they pull out a trick play or how they manage a bullpen. It's whether they get their players to play for them. Whether they bring out the best in the multi-millionaires who suit up, whether they bring to work an intensity and an accountability and a level of character that rubs off on the guys who have to make plays.

Are there renegade personalities on the roster? Sure. But that's even more reason for a stronger personality under the headset than the Cowboys have right now.

I can't wait to hear Phillips acquit his team's effort tomorrow in his chronically defensive manner. I can't think of one reason he shouldn't be fired before that press conference ever takes place. This team should be so much better than it is. Instead, he's instilled a personality that seems to have everyone on the field convinced that they're a lot better than they are. Wade Phillips isn't going to turn that around.

Apologies for the self-serving, off-topic rant - my football therapy for the day.

The news from Sunday just gets better and better! This means more time to spend with Jessica Simpson, you know. Check his travel plans, I think he's headed from Arizona and going to Mexico.

IRVING, TEXAS (TICKER) --Tony Romo evidently will not be around to help the Dallas Cowboys recover from a painful loss.

According to multiple reports, Romo has a broken pinkie finger - an injury that will sideline the Pro Bowl quarterback for four weeks.

The injury first was reported Monday morning by ESPN, which cited an anonymous team source. The NFL Network reported that Romo currently is being examined by team doctors.

The Cowboys could not be reached for comment.

Romo suffered the injury during Sunday's 30-24 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals and originally was diagnosed with a sprained pinkie. The two-time Pro Bowler was harassed by Arizona's pass rush throughout the contest and appeared to favor his throwing hand during Dallas' overtime possession.

Romo has passed for 1,689 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns this season for the high-powered Cowboys (4-2), who have lost two of their last three games.

If Monday's reports are accurate, Dallas will use veteran Brad Johnson under center for at least its next three games.

The Cowboys visit St. Louis next week before hosting Tampa Bay on October 26. After a road game against the rival New York Giants, the Cowboys have a bye in Week 10.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP)--Never before had an NFL team started a game with a kickoff return for a score, then ended it with a blocked punt in overtime for a touchdown.

It was that kind of crazy day in the desert.

J.J. Arrington, inactive the first four games of the season, opened things up with a 93-yard return for an Arizona score.

Several comebacks and many clutch plays later, Sean Morey blocked Mat McBriar's punt, then Monty Beisel scooped up the ball and scored from 3 yards to give the Cardinals a wild 30-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

It was the first time in NFL history that a blocked punt for a touchdown ended a game in overtime.

"I can't remember one that was this crazy," Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner said, "especially toward the end."

Morey rushed untouched off the left side of the Dallas line to block the kick. Beisel, a backup linebacker, picked up the ball at about the 3 and bowled over the goal line.

Morey said that in previous punts, his assignment was to double-team Dallas' Kevin Burnett to set up the return. But this time, Burnett had been moved from tackle to guard.

"They just had new personnel," Morey said, "so I figured if I have to block the tackle, and the tackle's not going to block me, then I'm just going to make a play at the end of the game."

McBriar was hurt on the play and had to be carted off the field in the din of a crowd that included the usual large portion of Dallas fans.

Dallas (4-2) scored 10 points in the final 2 minutes of regulation, sending the game into overtime when Nick Folk's 52-yard field goal barely cleared the crossbar as the fourth quarter ended.

"It was almost a miracle finish for us," Dallas coach Wade Phillips said.

Almost isn't good enough when you're the Cowboys, who thus far haven't been the dominating team many expected them to be.

"This season isn't going to go straight down this narrow path and be a nice and cozy Sunday drive," Dallas quarterback Tony Romo said.

Folk was in field-goal range only because a 5-yard offside penalty was called against injured Arizona linebacker Travis LaBoy as he tried to limp downfield. The penalty moved the ball from the 40 to the 35.

That was just one of the weird moments in Arizona's sixth consecutive home victory.

"It didn't seem like the bounces or the calls were going our way and sometimes you have to overcome those things," said Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, whose team is 9-2 at home since he became coach. "I think our team did that. That's part of growing up and getting mentally tougher."

Arizona (4-2) scored 17 consecutive points, including a pair of touchdown passes by Warner, to go up 24-14 on Neil Rackers' 41-yard field goal with 3:17 left in regulation.

Romo, who threw three touchdown passes but fumbled twice under fierce pressure, connected with Marion Barber on a 70-yard scoring play that cut it to 24-21 with 2 minutes left.

Dallas' defense held, and the Cowboys got the ball at their 32. Romo connected with Patrick Crayton on a 30-yard play to the Arizona 39, where the Dallas quarterback spiked the ball with 4 seconds to play to stop the clock.

LaBoy was far upfield.

"I think we were about 60 yards offsides on the play," Whisenhunt said.

Officials, who had a difficult day all around, huddled for several minutes and even reviewed the play before Folk's tying kick.

The Cowboys scored the last time they had the ball in the first half and on their first possession of the second to take a 14-7 lead.

Romo was sacked three times and had to hurry his throw on several other occasions.

"Today I got hit blindside for the first time in awhile," he said. "But they're good. Their D-line played an outstanding football game. You've got to give them credit. That was, I thought, the difference of the game."

Before the blocked punt, Arizona's biggest play of the game came the next time the Cardinals had the ball and it was third-and-17 on their 33.

Warner's pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage, but the intended receiver, rookie Tim Hightower, still caught it. Hightower powered to the first down, and the Cardinals went on for the tying score.

Larry Fitzgerald's leaping catch between defenders on a 30-yard play led to Warner's 11-yard touchdown pass to Steve Breaston that put Arizona ahead 21-14 with 10:44 left in regulation. ^Notes: The Cardinals' home winning streak is their longest since 1975-76. ... Phillips said the team had doubled its special teams practice time to try to shore up some problems. ... Dallas lost running back Felix Jones with an injured left hamstring in the first half. ... Folk's 37-yard field-goal try at the end of the first half bounced off the left upright.

DALLAS (AP)--Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones was involved in a fight with one of his bodyguards, according to Dallas police, the night before attending a previously scheduled team meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

No one was arrested and no one will be charged in connection with the fight late Tuesday night at The Joule, an upscale downtown hotel.

Jones missed all of last season for Tennessee while serving an NFL suspension for off-field incidents. Goodell fully reinstated the cornerback, acquired by Dallas in a trade in April, just before the season opener.

"Someone from the business called police," Dallas police spokesman Cpl. Jerry Monreal told The Associated Press. "Police arrived and spoke to the parties after they had a verbal argument. Both parties agreed to leave, and they left."

The incident report lists no names, and Monreal said he did not know if Jones was involved in the fight, which was first reported by Dallas-Fort Worth TV station KTVT.

But the details of the incident and Jones' involvement were confirmed to The Dallas Morning News by Deputy Chief Vince Golbeck, who is a commander of the central patrol division, which responded to the call. Golbeck was not in the police station Wednesday night, and a dispatcher at the central patrol division declined to comment.

Jones' agent, Warrick Robinson, said he had spoken with Jones on Wednesday but declined to discuss the details of their conversation. He referred all questions to the Cowboys. Team spokesman Rich Dalrymple did not immediately respond to an e-mail and voicemail left by The Associated Press.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the NFL had no comment.

Before meeting with the Cowboys on Wednesday, Goodell said to reporters in San Antonio: "Adam knows how much emphasis I put on making sure that he makes good choices going forward, that he avoids situations where he can reflect poorly on himself, the Cowboys or the NFL. So far he seems to have been able to do that very effectively.

"I am supportive of him and am hopeful that he will be able to do that for the rest of his life. I am hoping he will not only be a great NFL player but he will continue to do the right things so he can lead a productive life off the field as well."

Before the latest incident, Jones has been arrested six times and involved in a dozen incidents requiring police intervention since Tennessee drafted him in the first round in 2005. That includes his connection to a shooting at a Las Vegas strip club.

Goodell suspended Jones in April 2007 after an accumulation of arrests and legal problems.

At the time of his reinstatement Aug. 28, Jones said: "I know my responsibilities to the NFL and I'm going to hold my own and do what I need to do to make sure I stay where I am right now, which is reinstated. I work hard every day to make sure I don't make the same mistakes. Can I say I would never ever make the same mistakes? No, I can't say that. I'll make sure I put myself in way better situations than I have put myself in the past."