NFL PRESEASON : Dallas kicker star of few starters
Posted on Friday, August 29, 2008
IRVING, Texas — Terrell Owens and freshly reinstated Adam “Pacman” Jones didn’t even bother to put on their football pants.
Owens wore warm-up pants and Jones was in shorts while watching from the sideline with the rest of the Dallas Cowboys starters Thursday night in a 16-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in a preseason finale.
Aside from the kickers, the Vikings didn’t play a single starter and the only likely starter for the Cowboys on the field was fullback Deon Anderson.
Rookie running back Tashard Choice, a fourth-round draft pick, solidified his chance of making the Cowboys roster with an 11-yard touchdown run and Nick Folk kicked two 52-yard field goals and a 23-yarder.
John David Booty, the fifthround draft pick from Southern California competing to be Minnesota’s third quarterback, started and threw an interception on his first pass. He played the entire first half, going 8 of 15 for 93 yards.
Brooks Bollinger, the veteran backup whom Booty is battling for the roster spot, was 6 of 18 for 62 yards. Vikings starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson had a baseball cap on before the game even started, and primary backup Gus Frerotte didn’t play either.
Jones, the cornerback-kick returner acquired by Dallas from the Tennessee Titans in April, found out earlier Thursday that he had been fully reinstated from his NFL suspension and was clear to play in the regular season. The Sept. 7 opener at Cleveland will be his first NFL game since Dec. 31, 2006.
Jones, who played in the first three preseason games for the Cowboys, missed all last season with the Titans after his suspension that followed an accumulation of arrests and legal problems.
Owens and Patrick Crayton, the Cowboys’ top two receivers didn’t play, but expected No. 3 Sam Hurd did and sprained his left ankle on the opening drive of the game. He got hurt when he landed awkwardly after being tackled from behind.
Receivers Miles Austin (sprained right knee ) and Isaiah Stanback (dislocated shoulder ) were already out with injuries. Austin could be out another month, and Stanback is questionable for the opener.
On Minnesota’s second play, after Folk’s short field goal, linebacker Tyson Smith stepped in front of intended receiver Bobby Wade and intercepted Booty’s pass to set up Dallas at the Vikings’ 24.
Richard Bartel threw a 13-yard pass to Anderson before Choice swept right, broke one tackle just past the line of scrimmage and then bulled over another defender going into the end zone for a 10-0 lead.
Bartel, a practice squad member last season when Tony Romo and Brad Johnson were the only quarterbacks on the Dallas roster, played the entire game. He finished 28 of 41 for 233 yards and got to kneel down on three consecutive plays to run out the clock.
Minnesota’s only touchdown came on a 1-yard run by Maurice Hicks early in the second quarter. Ryan Longwell kicked a 25-yard field goal. CHIEFS 21, RAMS 17 KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Brodie Croyle directed two quick touchdown drives against St. Louis’ reserves as Kansas City won. After the start of the game was delayed 1 hour, 26 minutes by a rain and wind storm, Marcus Riley recovered Dantrell Savage’s fumble on the kickoff and the Rams took a 3-0 lead on Josh Brown’s 35-yard field goal. But the rest of the quarter belonged to the Chiefs, who snapped off two brisk touchdown drives, each capped by touchdown runs by Kolby Smith, on a 14-yard run and a 4-yard run. GIANTS 19, PATRIOTS 14 EAST RUTHERFORD, N. J. — David Carr took advantage of Eli Manning’s rare night off and threw two touchdown passes and finished 20 of 29 for 192 yards to lead New York over New England.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady missed the entire preseason because of an injury to his right foot.
Carr threw a 26-yard scoring pass to tight end Darcy Johnson on the Giants ’ opening possession and added a 9-yarder to Sinorice Moss late in the second quarter. Carr also engineered second-half drives of 54 and 64 yards that ended in field goals of 20 and 30 yards by Josh Huston. STEELERS 19, PANTHERS 16 PITTSBURGH — Jeff Reed kicked his fourth field goal of the game, a 43-yarder on the last play, as Pittsburgh beat Carolina.
Steelers rookie quarterback Dennis Dixon went 4 for 4 for 32 yards and ran 11 yards for a first down on the 47-yard drive that ended with Reed’s decisive field goal. LIONS 14, BILLS 6 ORCHARD PARK, N. Y. — Buffalo played one starter, safety Ko Simpson, and Detroit played seven, including Jerome Felton, the starting fullback, who scored on a 9-yard reception from Dan Orlovsky, the backup quarterback. JETS 27, EAGLES 20 PHILADELPHIA — Jesse Chatman had 180 total yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown as New York beat Philadelphia.
Chatman ran 29 times for 93 yards and caught 6 passes for 87 yards. Fourthstring quarterback Erik Ainge was 10 of 16 for 131 yards and 1 touchdown. JAGUARS 24, REDSKINS 3 LANDOVER, Md. — Jacksonville held Washington’s starters to 14 total yards in three first-quarter drives, and David Garrard, Cleo Lemon (Arkansas State ) and Todd Bouman each threw a touchdown pass.
Seventh-round draft pick Chauncey Washington ran 11 times for 68 yards and caught 4 passes for 40 yards for the Jaguars. BENGALS 27, COLTS 7 INDIANAPOLIS — Backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was 5 for 8 for 35 yards with 1 touchdown pass to lead Cincinnati over Indianapolis.
The Bengals’ Chris Perry, who is trying to supplant Rudi Johnson at running back, rushed 9 times for 20 yards and 1 touchdown. FALCONS 10, RAVENS 9 BALTIMORE — The top two quarterbacks selected in the draft started in Atlanta’s victory over Baltimore. Matt Ryan, the third overall pick, went 2 for 7 for 17 yards and played two series to get a feel for being the Falcons’ starting quarterback.
Joe Flacco, the 18 th player selected, was 8 for 13 for 72 yards for the Ravens. BEARS 16, BROWNS 10 CLEVELAND — Kyle Orton, recently picked to start the season at quarterback over Rex Grossman, went 4 of 7 for 51 yards with 1 interception in 2 possessions as Chicago beat Cleveland. Grossman was 5 of 7 for 59 yards and threw a 19-yard touchdown pass. Brady Quinn, playing in place of Derek Anderson, who has been out since sustaining a concussion 10 days ago, finished 7 of 9 for 65 yards in his two series. TITANS 23, PACKERS 21 GREEN BAY, Wis. — Vince Young was 13 for 27 for 134 yards passing and ran 3 times for 57 yards playing just the first half as Tennessee beat Green Bay.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers took the rest of the night off after throwing a 68-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings on his first snap, just after the opening kickoff. DOLPHINS 14, SAINTS 10 NEW ORLEANS — Ronnie Brown returned from a thumb injury and rushed 12 times for 47 yards and powered his way into the end zone on a 1-yard run as Miami beat New Orleans. BUCCANEERS 16, TEXANS 6 HOUSTON — Dexter Jackson, a secondround draft pick from Appalachian State, returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter as Tampa Bay beat Houston.
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