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Cowboys' Jason Garrett chides Marion Barber for 15-yard celebration penalty: 'It's not going to happen again'
12:24 AM CST on Monday, December 27, 2010
By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com
Jon Kitna has been there this season when the Cowboys need him most.
Quarterback Jon Kitna looks on after suffering a strained left oblique in the loss to Arizona . The injury may lead the Cowboys to give Stephen McGee his first NFL start.
Expecting him to be there one more time may be too much to ask.
A strained left oblique kept the quarterback on the sidelines for the second half of the team's loss to Arizona. The injury prevents Kitna from generating any sort of torque, a necessity for his position, and owner Jerry Jones has expressed pessimism that he will be able to return.
Stephen McGee is on track for his first NFL start when the Cowboys face the Philadelphia Eagles in the final game of the regular season. Even if Kitna could take the field in a backup role, does the team really want to put the 38-year-old quarterback in that position?
The answer is no. That's why the club has discussed adding Chris Greisen to the team's practice squad. The 34-year old veteran was a backup quarterback for the Desperados, the Cowboys excursion into the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1999 draft and has also played for the Milwaukee Iron of the AFL and the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League.
Greisen told the Green Bay Post-Gazette that he had been contacted by the Cowboys to come in for the final week of the regular season. The club can sign him to the practice squad to avoid a $25,000 transfer fee to the UFL, then move him to the active roster for the game.
No time to celebrate: Marion Barber ripped off his helmet to celebrate a 24-yard touchdown run that pulled the Cowboys within one point late in the third quarter.
In doing so, he joined right tackle Marc Colombo and receiver Sam Hurd in becoming the third Cowboys player this season slapped with a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebration.
"He was excited about it, I understand, but you lose games doing that," owner Jerry Jones said.
The penalty allowed the Cardinals to start their next drive on their own 41-yard line. The Cowboys defense forced a three-and-out to minimize the damage, but it didn't excuse the penalty.
Interim coach Jason Garrett used the word disappointing twice when asked about Barber's penalty.
"We talk about the importance of maintaining your poise and your composure in that situation, and he knows better," Garrett said. "It's not going to happen again."
Garrett's strategy: The Cowboys could have gone for the two-point conversion in an attempt to tie the score after Barber's touchdown run. Why didn't they?
Because Garrett believes it is more important to accumulate points as they come at that stage of the game and not try to force the issue.
"What happens when you start making those decisions is sometimes you get a little hasty and say, 'OK, if we get two here, that will tie us up,' " Garrett said.
"But typically, what happens when you have another quarter to play, there are a couple more scores and the whole thing kind of plays itself out a little bit."
Cowboys kickoff time moved: The start time of the Cowboys' game Sunday at Philadelphia, previously scheduled for noon, has been moved to 3:15 p.m.
12:24 AM CST on Monday, December 27, 2010
By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com
Jon Kitna has been there this season when the Cowboys need him most.
Quarterback Jon Kitna looks on after suffering a strained left oblique in the loss to Arizona . The injury may lead the Cowboys to give Stephen McGee his first NFL start.
Expecting him to be there one more time may be too much to ask.
A strained left oblique kept the quarterback on the sidelines for the second half of the team's loss to Arizona. The injury prevents Kitna from generating any sort of torque, a necessity for his position, and owner Jerry Jones has expressed pessimism that he will be able to return.
Stephen McGee is on track for his first NFL start when the Cowboys face the Philadelphia Eagles in the final game of the regular season. Even if Kitna could take the field in a backup role, does the team really want to put the 38-year-old quarterback in that position?
The answer is no. That's why the club has discussed adding Chris Greisen to the team's practice squad. The 34-year old veteran was a backup quarterback for the Desperados, the Cowboys excursion into the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1999 draft and has also played for the Milwaukee Iron of the AFL and the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League.
Greisen told the Green Bay Post-Gazette that he had been contacted by the Cowboys to come in for the final week of the regular season. The club can sign him to the practice squad to avoid a $25,000 transfer fee to the UFL, then move him to the active roster for the game.
No time to celebrate: Marion Barber ripped off his helmet to celebrate a 24-yard touchdown run that pulled the Cowboys within one point late in the third quarter.
In doing so, he joined right tackle Marc Colombo and receiver Sam Hurd in becoming the third Cowboys player this season slapped with a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebration.
"He was excited about it, I understand, but you lose games doing that," owner Jerry Jones said.
The penalty allowed the Cardinals to start their next drive on their own 41-yard line. The Cowboys defense forced a three-and-out to minimize the damage, but it didn't excuse the penalty.
Interim coach Jason Garrett used the word disappointing twice when asked about Barber's penalty.
"We talk about the importance of maintaining your poise and your composure in that situation, and he knows better," Garrett said. "It's not going to happen again."
Garrett's strategy: The Cowboys could have gone for the two-point conversion in an attempt to tie the score after Barber's touchdown run. Why didn't they?
Because Garrett believes it is more important to accumulate points as they come at that stage of the game and not try to force the issue.
"What happens when you start making those decisions is sometimes you get a little hasty and say, 'OK, if we get two here, that will tie us up,' " Garrett said.
"But typically, what happens when you have another quarter to play, there are a couple more scores and the whole thing kind of plays itself out a little bit."
Cowboys kickoff time moved: The start time of the Cowboys' game Sunday at Philadelphia, previously scheduled for noon, has been moved to 3:15 p.m.
