: Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys might place franchise tag on Anthony Spencer

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:48 CST

By Clarence E. Hill Jr.

The Dallas Cowboys might not be finished with free agent linebacker Anthony Spencer.

Spencer is a candidate for the franchise tag, giving him a one-year deal of about $8.8 million, according to a team source.

Free agency begins March 13.

Spencer has largely been a disappointment since joining the Cowboys as a first-round pick in 2007. He has never had more than six sacks in a season and has yet to provide a consistent force opposite All-Pro DeMarcus Ware.

He is solid against the run and was fourth on the Cowboys with 74 tackles in 2011. He led the team in forced fumbles with four and tied for the team lead in tackles for losses with eight.

Spencer had 31 quarterback pressures, second behind Ware's 40.

What doesn't translate are the six sacks to 19.5 for Ware.

The key to a potential franchise decision on Spencer is finding a replacement for him.

There are few options on the free-agent market, the best being Houston's Mario Williams. He is likely the top free agent on the market and will command a hefty price.

He would be a huge financial risk for the Cowboys considering his limited experience in the 3-4 alignment -- especially at strongside outside linebacker, which is Spencer's spot.

Another option is Indianapolis defensive end Robert Mathis, who could potentially make the move to outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. Again, he has never played the position and he is 31 years old compared with the 28-year-old Spencer.

If the Cowboys don't find a replacement in free agency and don't sign Spencer, they box themselves into possibly making a bad decision in the draft by forcing them to pick for need.

The Cowboys have made no final decisions, but have discussed placing the franchise tag on Spencer.

Cowboys hire Baker

The Cowboys made official the hiring of Joe Baker on Monday.

He will be the assistant secondary coach, helping newly hired Jerome Henderson.

Baker spent the past three seasons as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has 16 years of NFL coaching experience and three years in college.

He and Cowboys coach Jason Garrett played together at Princeton. Baker was a receiver at Princeton from 1987-1990, catching passes from Garrett in 1987-88.

Baker and Henderson replace Brett Maxie and Dave Campo as secondary coaches. The contracts of Campo and Maxie expired after the 2011 season.

The Cowboys chose not to offer Campo an extension, and he took a job as the defensive coordinator at Kansas. Maxie left to become secondary coach with the Tennessee Titans.

Charean Williams contributed to this report.

Clarence E. Hill Jr.

817-390-7760

Cowboys punter Mat McBriar has surgery to remove rare cyst

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:06 CST

By Carlos Mendez

Dallas Cowboys punter Mat McBriar said he should make a full recovery and be ready to play again in the fall after having surgery this week to remove a cyst in his left knee, found two weeks ago, which apparently led to the "drop foot" that caused him to end the season on injured reserve.

McBriar underwent the surgery on Tuesday at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Dr. Robert Spinner, who performed the surgery, said it was a rare condition.

"He's lucky, and I'm lucky because this is what I've been interested in," Spinner said. "There are lots of reasons why people have drop foot. Most are not related to tumors or this type of cyst."

McBriar, who is a free agent, said in a radio interview Thursday that he'll need to rest about a month but could be working out in two months. Free agency in the NFL begins March 13.

"I know it'll be a full recovery," McBriar said on ESPN/103.3 FM. Asked about his chances to return to Dallas after one of his worst statistical seasons, McBriar said his preference is to remain with the Cowboys.

"I don't know how it's going to end up," he said. "I really do hope that I stay in Dallas, but I guess for the time being, just getting healthy is my main focus. I've been given no reason not to believe that it would come back to where it was."

McBriar finished his eighth season, all with the Cowboys. He averaged 43.8 yards on 58 punts, his lowest average since his first two years in the league, when he averaged 42.4 and 42.5 yards. From 2006 to 2010, he averaged 47.5 yards. He made the Pro Bowl in 2006 when he led the NFL with a 48.2 average, tying for the fifth highest average in league history.

McBriar was put on injured reserve for the final game of the season. He also missed a game against Seattle.

McBriar said the cyst was discovered two weeks ago. Before that, neither he nor the Cowboys had much of an idea of what was causing the "drop foot."

"The cyst itself had been growing," McBriar said. "Maybe if we had found it earlier, that would have been a benefit. There's not extra damage that I did playing with it. It just got larger and larger, and so it was undetected at first."

Spinner said another cyst of that type -- an intraneural ganglion, which means it is in a nerve -- could form, but he does not anticipate it in McBriar. Also, cysts of that type are not common in athletes.

"It usually affects people who are older, and occasionally, people with some injuries," Spinner said. "But it's so rare, this isn't something that has been known in athletes."

Carlos Mendez, 817-390-7760

Peyton may be back, but not with Cowboys

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:06 CST

By Gil LeBreton

Because he is Jerry Jones -- wildcatter, dreamer, frustrated general manager of the Dallas Cowboys -- the idea is not all that far-fetched that he would at least kick the tires on Peyton Manning.

Owner Jones has a hefty light bill these days, and what could be greener than adding a $35 million quarterback at a Wal-Mart discount?

If the Indianapolis Colts don't exercise their option on Manning by March 8, they would be on the hook for a $28 million bonus and $7 million in salary. The Colts won't, of course, barring an unforeseen turn of events.

And thus Manning, a certain Hall of Famer who has reportedly had three neck surgeries since he last stepped on an NFL playing field, is scheduled to soon become the league's most intriguing free agent.

A certain winner, provided he's healthy.

And if he's not, somebody has themselves one heck of a smart inactive quarterback.

The notion of Manning-to-the-Cowboys continues to bob to the surface, like flotsam from a shipwreck, on Twitter and Facebook.

Who comes up with this stuff? The bored? Fantasy players? Colts owner Jimmy Irsay?

Jones, of course, already has a starting quarterback, and that quarterback is well-paid, playoff-tested and, no doubt, working out at this very moment in his never-ending quest to bring a Super Bowl trophy back to Texas.

What's that, you say? Tony Romo is in Pebble Beach this week, preparing to beat the Giants by playing golf with Tiger Woods?

The Romo skeptics, a congregation that grows annually, won't be surprised.

The question is, if Peyton Manning proves to be completely and certifiably healthy, who would offer the Cowboys the better chance to reach the Super Bowl -- Manning or Romo?

Is this a trick question?

Hands down, I would take the four-time MVP and star of Super Bowl XLI. Never mind that Manning is almost four years older.

The Cowboys, however, don't need a quarterback. They need pass rushers and defensive backs and offensive linemen.

They're not a Peyton Manning away from the Super Bowl. They're a boatload of loaves and fishes away from the Super Bowl.

And for that reason alone, there figures to be minimal mutual interest between the two parties.

Think about it -- why would a guy coming off a serious neck injury sign with a team that has multiple offensive line concerns?

Come to think of it, no wonder Romo is off playing golf.

Reportedly, at least one doctor has cleared Manning to resume his NFL career.

No less than his brother Eli, his former GM Bill Polian and his ex-Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe also seem to be sending signals that a determined Peyton is planning to play in 2012.

A report Thursday said that while Romo was at Pebble Beach, Manning was working with Cutcliffe at Duke University.

Hmm. The NFL season ended five days ago, and Manning is already working out.

Anybody want to bet against Peyton Manning?

In due time, Manning is expected to become the most high-profile free agent since Reggie White and Gary Zimmerman -- both eventual Hall of Famers -- became available after the 1992 season.

There has to be a fit, however. The Giants, Patriots, Saints, Steelers and Packers are among a group of about 16 teams that don't need a starting quarterback.

Miami? Maybe, but the feeling here is that the Dolphins instead will try to sign free agent quarterback Matt Flynn from Green Bay.

Arizona? Interesting, and the Cardinals have hired Manning's old Indy position coach, Frank Reich.

Kansas City, Denver, Seattle and the Jets are also possible Peyton destinations. But are any of them just a quarterback away from the Super Bowl?

One notable team certainly is -- the San Francisco 49ers. Yet coach Jim Harbaugh said Thursday that the franchise is "in lockstep" with Alex Smith at quarterback.

Best guess: Manning will sign with either the Cardinals or Tennessee Titans.

The Cowboys will stick with Romo, a 2-handicap when Tiger Woods is blocking for him.

It would be very-Jerry of Owner Jones, however, to at least ponder the notion of making Peyton Manning his quarterback. As Jones has said, a thousand or so times, it's all about "keeping your powder dry."

The idea, therefore, will remain an unfounded rumor. Wild speculation.

The Cowboys already have their quarterback.

As we've noticed.

Gil LeBreton, 817-390-7697

Twitter: @gilebreton

Terrell Owens regrets having to leave Cowboys

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:06 CST

By Clarence E. Hill Jr.

ALLEN -- Receiver Terrell Owens wanted to retire from the NFL as a Dallas Cowboy.

It didn't happen.

Owens remarked on at least two occasions during a fanfest Wednesday night to welcome him as a member of the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League that he had hoped to retire as a member of the Cowboys.

That was his plan when he signed with the Cowboys in 2006 in hope of reviving his career after a bitter departure from the Philadelphia Eagles. Owens was buoyed in his belief by promises from owner Jerry Jones that Owens would remain with the team even after he was embroiled in a locker-room spat with quarterback Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten.

That was before Jones was convinced by his son and team vice president Stephen Jones that it was in the best interest of the franchise to part ways with Owens.

"I think everybody knows after the first three years, [that I wanted to retire with the Cowboys]," Owens said. "I had signed an extension and after that season I got that call or whatever, that meeting that said they wanted to part ways."

In 15 seasons, Owens played with the San Francisco 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.

Owens said he's not bitter toward Jones, but his words and tone tell a different story. He regrets not being able to play in Cowboys Stadium.

"I've seen him maybe a handful of times since then, other than that, it is what it is," Owens said. "I'm not bitter about it; at that time it was disappointing considering the stadium was about to be open, and he had told me I was going to be a big part of that process, and then it's like having the wind knocked out of you. But life goes on."

Clarence E. Hill Jr.

817-390-7760