Bullet in Davis' thigh also a punch line
/ Associated Press
Posted: 2 hours ago
OXNARD, Calif. (AP) - Watching Dallas Cowboys safety Keith Davis go through training camp, you wouldn't know he's running around with a bullet lodged into his thigh from a freak shooting only a few weeks ago.
Well, there is one way you'd know - if you were close enough to hear his teammates tease him about it.
"We tell him, 'We're not going to the huddle because we don't know if we're coming back,"' cornerback Terence Newman said. "I've been trying to catch him asleep and dig (the bullet) out so I can put it on eBay. But every time I touch his leg, he wakes up.
"It's all just fun and games," Newman added. "He just laughs. He knows he was a victim, it could've happened to anybody. He's taking it real well."
Davis was driving on a Dallas highway early July 16 when he was hit by two shots from another car. One bullet grazed his head, the other became lodged in his thigh. He was hospitalized for only two days, returning to full strength in time to join his teammates for the start of training camp.
Davis later changed some of the details of the story he gave police - he was leaving a party, not driving home from visiting family in Louisiana so he could go to church. What mattered most to the Cowboys is that he truly was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and coach Bill Parcells said an investigation by NFL security verified that.
Still, the incident raised eyebrows because something similar happened to him three years ago.
Of course, that's also why he's being teased so much.
Davis takes it all in with his usual easy smile. Considering how much worse it could've been, why wouldn't he?
"I'm truly blessed to be out here," Davis said Monday. "I'm having fun. I feel fine. Everything's going well. No limits."
Parcells cut Davis after his 2003 shooting, in part because the coach had just arrived and was trying to set a tone. He'd told players to avoid dangerous places and Davis' incident occurred in the parking lot of a topless club.
Davis' roster spot is more secure this time. The team's top special teams player, he started 15 games at free safety last season and earlier this summer received a two-year contract worth roughly $3 million, including about $2 million in bonus and salary this season, after New Orleans tried prying him away with an offer sheet.
Still, Davis sees nothing special about his quick return to action.
"This is what I do," he said. "I mean, this is my job, to come out here and perform on the football field. Everybody has been very supportive, since Day 1. It's good to be out here, good to be playing football."
He's been playing well, too. He had several interceptions in the first few practices, then was all over the running game Monday morning; two of his hits even led to brief scuffles.
"That's what we expect him to do," fellow safety Roy Williams said.
Davis needs a big camp because Parcells has talked openly about free safety being up for grabs. Other candidates are veteran Marcus Coleman and rookie Pat Watkins, whose 6-foot-5 height intrigues Parcells.
"I think I know pretty much what I have with Keith," Parcells said. "He's an aggressive player. He's fought his way onto this team and I have respect for him."
After all the bullets he's dodged off the field, Davis figures he can handle this competition.
"I feel like if I go out there and do what I do, then I'll be fine," Davis said. "Nothing against the other guys, but I just go out there and do what I'm supposed to. I bust my tail every day doing the little things to make me a better football player."
Posted: 2 hours ago
OXNARD, Calif. (AP) - Watching Dallas Cowboys safety Keith Davis go through training camp, you wouldn't know he's running around with a bullet lodged into his thigh from a freak shooting only a few weeks ago.
Well, there is one way you'd know - if you were close enough to hear his teammates tease him about it.
"We tell him, 'We're not going to the huddle because we don't know if we're coming back,"' cornerback Terence Newman said. "I've been trying to catch him asleep and dig (the bullet) out so I can put it on eBay. But every time I touch his leg, he wakes up.
"It's all just fun and games," Newman added. "He just laughs. He knows he was a victim, it could've happened to anybody. He's taking it real well."
Davis was driving on a Dallas highway early July 16 when he was hit by two shots from another car. One bullet grazed his head, the other became lodged in his thigh. He was hospitalized for only two days, returning to full strength in time to join his teammates for the start of training camp.
Davis later changed some of the details of the story he gave police - he was leaving a party, not driving home from visiting family in Louisiana so he could go to church. What mattered most to the Cowboys is that he truly was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and coach Bill Parcells said an investigation by NFL security verified that.
Still, the incident raised eyebrows because something similar happened to him three years ago.
Of course, that's also why he's being teased so much.
Davis takes it all in with his usual easy smile. Considering how much worse it could've been, why wouldn't he?
"I'm truly blessed to be out here," Davis said Monday. "I'm having fun. I feel fine. Everything's going well. No limits."
Parcells cut Davis after his 2003 shooting, in part because the coach had just arrived and was trying to set a tone. He'd told players to avoid dangerous places and Davis' incident occurred in the parking lot of a topless club.
Davis' roster spot is more secure this time. The team's top special teams player, he started 15 games at free safety last season and earlier this summer received a two-year contract worth roughly $3 million, including about $2 million in bonus and salary this season, after New Orleans tried prying him away with an offer sheet.
Still, Davis sees nothing special about his quick return to action.
"This is what I do," he said. "I mean, this is my job, to come out here and perform on the football field. Everybody has been very supportive, since Day 1. It's good to be out here, good to be playing football."
He's been playing well, too. He had several interceptions in the first few practices, then was all over the running game Monday morning; two of his hits even led to brief scuffles.
"That's what we expect him to do," fellow safety Roy Williams said.
Davis needs a big camp because Parcells has talked openly about free safety being up for grabs. Other candidates are veteran Marcus Coleman and rookie Pat Watkins, whose 6-foot-5 height intrigues Parcells.
"I think I know pretty much what I have with Keith," Parcells said. "He's an aggressive player. He's fought his way onto this team and I have respect for him."
After all the bullets he's dodged off the field, Davis figures he can handle this competition.
"I feel like if I go out there and do what I do, then I'll be fine," Davis said. "Nothing against the other guys, but I just go out there and do what I'm supposed to. I bust my tail every day doing the little things to make me a better football player."
posted by The Gryphon at 10:27 PM
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