Bryant Recovering Just Fine From His Ankle Injury

Sounds like Cowboys rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant is getting closer and closer to making it back to the field. ESPN says that Monday he made some big strides in his recovery from a right high-ankle sprain.

He has been ruled out of Saturday’s preseason game against the Texans, but on a positive not was running and cutting off his right foot for the first time since suffering the injury during a practice back on July 30th.
Head coach Wade Phillips said he does not expect Bryant to play during the preseason, but that decision hasn’t been made yet. “We’ll just wait and see,” Phillips said. “I know he wants to play and he feels better, but we still want to make sure that he’s healthy.”

Safety Net

OXNARD, Calif. - Michael Hamlin returned from a 10-day absence Monday just in time to replace injured strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh in the first-team defense.

Recovered from the concussion he sustained in the Cowboys' Aug. 12 preseason game against Oakland, Hamlin participated in a two-hour corrections practice at the River Ridge Complex and will start Saturday against Houston, head coach Wade Phillips said.

Sensabaugh is sidelined at least until the Sept. 12 regular-season opener with a shoulder subluxation suffered in this past Saturday's 16-14 win over San Diego. Before practice he tweeted (@GSensabaugh), "I should be ready by Washington. Rehab going great . . ."

Depending on Sensabaugh's progress, though, Hamlin could be the Week 1 starter next to free safety Alan Ball.

"It's a pretty good opportunity," Hamlin said. "Just get as many chances to go out there and show what I can do."

The entire safety position carries a similar attitude. Although Ball and Sensabaugh are the projected starters when healthy, the overall competition is as thick as any spot on the roster.

Ball, a converted cornerback who has added weight in the offseason, is out to prove he can be a full-time starter and handle the rigors of a 16-game season. Sensabaugh, who signed a one-year restricted tender, wants to earn a long-term extension.

Behind them, Hamlin wants to find a consistent role in the defense after playing primarily special teams last season. Fourth-round pick Akwasi Owusu-Ansah is making the transition from Division II. Undrafted rookies Barry Church and Danny McCray are pushing for jobs, and fifth-year veteran Pat Watkins has returned from a sore knee, aiming to keep his.

That's six safeties. The Cowboys kept five on last year's initial 53-man roster.

"It's going to be a pretty good battle right to the stretch with all of these guys," secondary coach Dave Campo said.

McCray and Church have impressed the coaching staff during the veterans' absences. McCray has been a special teams force - he had three tackles against the Chargers - and shown good instincts on defense. Church replaced Sensabaugh for four series in the first half against San Diego, making five tackles and an 80-yard fumble return that set up a Tony Romo touchdown pass near the end of the second quarter.

Church, Watkins and Hamlin will rotate at strong safety with Sensabaugh out. Hamlin and Watkins can play both strong and free safety, and although Watkins has 10 career starts, Hamlin gets the first crack against the Texans - the team's final road trip before they end their five week split training camp.

Hamlin entered training camp as a challenger to Ball, but he's big (6-2, 213) and versatile enough to play both positions. He played strong safety as a rookie last season, and although the two spots have varying coverages, Campo said they're virtually interchangeable.

Hamlin played in only six games last year, due in part to a broken wrist. But the Cowboys like his instincts and playmaking ability. At Clemson, he ranked second in school history with 18 takeaways (14 interceptions, four forced fumbles).

"Other than being out, he's done a nice job," Campo said. "I feel comfortable with him because he played some last year."

Campo has a good mix of youth and experience at the position, with one extra ingredient: competition. It should make all of his guys better these last two games.

"My main thing is to go out and give it all I got," Hamlin said. "No matter how everybody else is playing."

He'll get his chance Saturday.

by; Rob Phillips

DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer

Q&A Session 2-Minute Drill With ... Sean Lee

OXNARD, Calif. - While he had a few ups and downs rookie linebacker Sean Lee had a solid, if not impressive, NFL debut.

The Penn State alumnus recorded 13 total tackles Saturday night against the San Diego Chargers which is a good performance for any NFL linebacker - let alone a rookie.

"We say, well, he didn't do this and he didn't do that, he did make some mistakes, but that guy was all over the field," Wade Phillips said. "He made some plays a lot of people can't make."
Wade Phillips said Sean Lee doesn't make the same mistake twice and is expected to start next week and perhaps even the following week in place of Keith Brooking who will sit the rest of the preseason with a mild sprain of the AC joint in his right shoulder.

On the difference between the NFL game versus college:

LEE: It's a big difference. Some of those linemen I was going against were bigger and a lot faster. I remember one play on a toss, in college I would have been able to run past the guard, this time I had to really go. I took a false step and he was able to block me.

On talking to himself after plays:

 LEE: I've been trying for years to get rid of that. For me, when I make a mistake I usually know right off the bat what I have done. So I'm yelling at myself saying, "You knew what you had to do, why did you mess up". I probably should work on that. There are usually a few words that my mom wouldn't like along with it.

On being his biggest critic:

LEE: I've always been my biggest critic. I've always been hard on myself and I think that's why I have gotten better each year I've played.

On replacing Keith Brooking in the starting lineup:

 LEE: It's a good opportunity for me. You know "Brook" is going to be back playing great come the season but right now I have the chance to get a lot of reps, to get better and prepare myself for the season.

On how he played in Saturday's game:

 

LEE: I thought when I first got in a made a few plays and did well. I'll tell you, my conditioning needs to improve a little bit. As I got tired I got a little bit high (on leverage) and some of those linemen drove me out of holes.

On getting reps with the first team:

LEE: The speed of the game is a lot faster. You are playing against better players, guys who have been in the NFL for a while and it's tough. There is no room for a mistake, there is no room for false steps, there is no room for false reads. These guys are really talented.

Joseph Garcia

DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer