- Messages
- 5,432
- Reaction score
- 0
Even at 38, Cowboys' Jon Kitna among NFL's top 10 rushing quarterbacks
11:39 PM CST on Tuesday, December 7, 2010
By GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
gfraley@dallasnews.com
IRVING – The Cowboys' home game against Philadelphia on Sunday night will feature two of the top 10 rushing quarterbacks in the NFL.
Philadelphia's Michael Vick leads all quarterbacks in rushing with 467 yards. Vick's standing is not surprising. He has run for as many as 1,039 yards in a season.
Cowboys starter Jon Kitna is tied with Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger and Detroit's Shaun Hill for 10th in quarterback rushing with 102 yards. Kitna's standing is surprising.
At age 38, Kitna is at a stage in his career when a quarterback is not expected to run. Minnesota's Brett Favre , 41, has run for 8 yards this season. Tennessee's Kerry Collins, 37, has run for 2 yards.
"Fear is a great motivator," Kitna said of his dashes.
Interim head coach Jason Garrett suggested another emotion is at work.
"Ever since he's been in this league, Jon's been scrapping and competing to prove that he can play," Garrett said. "He's certainly done that, but he still has some of that moxie that he came into the league with."
Of Kitna's 23 runs, only one was by design. Detroit was caught flat-footed as he went around end on a 29-yard scoring run.
Kitna was credited with three runs on bobbled snaps. The remaining 19 runs highlighted Kitna's ability to make good decisions on the run. In each instance, Kitna ran after determining a pass play would not work rather than risk a throw.
"He's been great about making positive plays and not giving up the ball," Garrett said.
Last yard proving hard to get: Garrett endorsed the recent play by the offensive line, saying its work has helped rejuvenate the running game. Despite that improvement, the Cowboys continue to have trouble gaining a yard when they need it most.
During the win at Indianapolis, the Cowboys failed to score on three plays from the Colts' 1-yard line. For the season, the Cowboys have only six touchdowns on 17 plays from the opponent's 1.
Garrett declined to say if he has a specific success rate in mind for plays from the opponent's 1, adding that he expects to score on each snap from close range. He prefers to run the ball from the 1.
The Cowboys have scored four touchdowns on 12 runs from the 1 by Marion Barber, Tashard Choice and Kitna. They are 2-for-5 on passes from that distance.
Bryant was Kitna's No. 2 target: Dez Bryant's season-ending ankle injury removes Kitna's second-favorite receiver from the offense.
In six-plus games after replacing injured Tony Romo, Kitna threw 44 passes to Bryant, and he caught 27. Only tight end Jason Witten has had more passes thrown to him (49) and more receptions (40) with Kitna running the offense.
A total of 10 players have caught at least one pass from Kitna, who said he has no reluctance to throw to any of his receivers. Garrett said he cannot determine in advance who will get more chances with Bryant out.
"The other guys will start to get more opportunities, and we'll just go from there," Garrett said of the no-Bryant offense. "We always try to put our guys in the best position that we can. We'll see what the different combinations are and we'll try to do that with them."
Briefly: Linebacker Sean Lee is among five players nominated for the league's rookie of the week award. Lee had two interceptions in the overtime win at Indianapolis. Voting is conducted on NFL.com. ... Rookie safety Danny McCray had two tackles on punt returns against the Colts, moving him into the league's top 10 for special teams tackles with 13. Teammate Sam Hurd is tied for fifth in the category with 15. ... Cornerback Mike Jenkins was credited with two passes defended in the Indianapolis win. He had none in the previous five games.
• • •
11:39 PM CST on Tuesday, December 7, 2010
By GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
gfraley@dallasnews.com
IRVING – The Cowboys' home game against Philadelphia on Sunday night will feature two of the top 10 rushing quarterbacks in the NFL.
Philadelphia's Michael Vick leads all quarterbacks in rushing with 467 yards. Vick's standing is not surprising. He has run for as many as 1,039 yards in a season.
Cowboys starter Jon Kitna is tied with Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger and Detroit's Shaun Hill for 10th in quarterback rushing with 102 yards. Kitna's standing is surprising.
At age 38, Kitna is at a stage in his career when a quarterback is not expected to run. Minnesota's Brett Favre , 41, has run for 8 yards this season. Tennessee's Kerry Collins, 37, has run for 2 yards.
"Fear is a great motivator," Kitna said of his dashes.
Interim head coach Jason Garrett suggested another emotion is at work.
"Ever since he's been in this league, Jon's been scrapping and competing to prove that he can play," Garrett said. "He's certainly done that, but he still has some of that moxie that he came into the league with."
Of Kitna's 23 runs, only one was by design. Detroit was caught flat-footed as he went around end on a 29-yard scoring run.
Kitna was credited with three runs on bobbled snaps. The remaining 19 runs highlighted Kitna's ability to make good decisions on the run. In each instance, Kitna ran after determining a pass play would not work rather than risk a throw.
"He's been great about making positive plays and not giving up the ball," Garrett said.
Last yard proving hard to get: Garrett endorsed the recent play by the offensive line, saying its work has helped rejuvenate the running game. Despite that improvement, the Cowboys continue to have trouble gaining a yard when they need it most.
During the win at Indianapolis, the Cowboys failed to score on three plays from the Colts' 1-yard line. For the season, the Cowboys have only six touchdowns on 17 plays from the opponent's 1.
Garrett declined to say if he has a specific success rate in mind for plays from the opponent's 1, adding that he expects to score on each snap from close range. He prefers to run the ball from the 1.
The Cowboys have scored four touchdowns on 12 runs from the 1 by Marion Barber, Tashard Choice and Kitna. They are 2-for-5 on passes from that distance.
Bryant was Kitna's No. 2 target: Dez Bryant's season-ending ankle injury removes Kitna's second-favorite receiver from the offense.
In six-plus games after replacing injured Tony Romo, Kitna threw 44 passes to Bryant, and he caught 27. Only tight end Jason Witten has had more passes thrown to him (49) and more receptions (40) with Kitna running the offense.
A total of 10 players have caught at least one pass from Kitna, who said he has no reluctance to throw to any of his receivers. Garrett said he cannot determine in advance who will get more chances with Bryant out.
"The other guys will start to get more opportunities, and we'll just go from there," Garrett said of the no-Bryant offense. "We always try to put our guys in the best position that we can. We'll see what the different combinations are and we'll try to do that with them."
Briefly: Linebacker Sean Lee is among five players nominated for the league's rookie of the week award. Lee had two interceptions in the overtime win at Indianapolis. Voting is conducted on NFL.com. ... Rookie safety Danny McCray had two tackles on punt returns against the Colts, moving him into the league's top 10 for special teams tackles with 13. Teammate Sam Hurd is tied for fifth in the category with 15. ... Cornerback Mike Jenkins was credited with two passes defended in the Indianapolis win. He had none in the previous five games.
• • •