Best in East? Redskins not Cowboys by simple fact (PA SportsTicker)
By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer
When the Cowboys line up for the first offensive play Sunday against the Redskins, Doug Free knows all eyes will likely be on him.
Alan Ball has been a cornerback for most of his professional career. The Cowboys' third-year defensive back hadn't played safety since high school and some his freshman year at Illinois.
Cowboys rookie kickoff specialist David Buehler won't let an injured right pinky toe keep him out of a critical division game against the Redskins.
So after looking at the Green Bay game again, I think it was a blip on the radar. Green Bay needed to save their season a lot more than the Cowboys needed a win. Am I wrong about this, or do you think the team is about to trend downward?
ALLEN PARK, Mich. - The Detroit Lions put safety Marquand Manuel on injured reserve Wednesday because of a shoulder injury and signed defensive back DeAngelo Smith.
On Wednesday, while defending his alleged disinterest in the running game, Jason Garrett said something that absolutely begged the question.
Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips usually likes to withhold information that pertains to new wrinkles or lineups, especially early in the week.
Starting free safety Ken Hamlin will miss a few weeks with a high ankle sprain, but the Cowboys also got good news in their secondary Wednesday when starting cornerback Mike Jenkins participated in the full practice.
Plastic surgery fixed the physical scars on Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode's forehead after he was cleated in the face by Albert Haynesworth three years ago. As for any lingering effects from that dirty play, Gurode says there are none as he prepares to face Haynesworth in a regular-season game for the first time since the incident.
IRVING, Texas - Plastic surgery fixed the physical scars on Dallas Cowboys centre Andre Gurode's forehead after he was cleated in the face by Albert Haynesworth three years ago.
The Dallas Cowboys are planning to make a change on the offensive line to cover for injured right tackle Marc Colombo. Doug Free is expected to make his first career start Sunday against Washington in place of Colombo, who has started 57 consecutive games. Colombo had surgery Monday, a day after he broke his left leg and suffered ligament damage in
OWINGS MILLS, Md. - The Baltimore Ravens have signed kicker Billy Cundiff, who once enjoyed success with the Dallas Cowboys and was perfect in a brief stint with Cleveland this season.
This game won't be easy. Dallas has a lot of injuries, and Washington can exploit them. The Cowboys have to be totally focused this week or it could be a long day for them.
The grind of a 16-game season. A difficult road loss to the Packers. The prospect of two more games in the next nine days.
We've said this before. We'll probably say it down the road, but let's try it again for emphasis:
If it really was the case, as some people have suggested, and the Cowboys took the 4-4 Packers lightly, they should have learned their lesson. In the NFL, anybody can beat anybody.
Do you think the Cowboys got a little too relaxed with their win streak and got caught up in the hype that started to buzz around the team? Jerry Jones mentioned that this team wouldn't fall into that trap.
The bye week turned into a bonanza for the New York Giants.
GREEN BAY, Wis. - In a miserable tailspin one week, solid playoff contenders the next.
It happens to everybody, and maybe the Cowboys are a bit lucky their number didn't come up sooner.
Game on.
During a game, a team has limited options.
The Cowboys' secondary has lost its chief communicator, free safety Ken Hamlin, for two-to-four weeks with a high ankle sprain he suffered in Sunday's 17-7 loss to the Packers.
When the Dallas offense disappeared in Green Bay, so did a four-game winning streak. Now the Cowboys have to get another run going without two starters. At least they won't have to wait long. Thanksgiving looms next week, which means the annual three-games-in-12-days stretch comes at a good time for an offense that wants to eliminate the stench