Sunday, October 29, 2006

Williams fined $10,000 & Watkins stays behind on trip to Charlotte

Notebook: Williams collared by NFL

01:53 AM CST on Sunday, October 29, 2006

TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – For the second straight week and the third time this season, Cowboys safety Roy Williams was fined by the NFL.

The league docked Williams $10,000 for a horse-collar tackle on New York Giants running back Tiki Barber on Monday. No penalty was called on the play.

Williams was fined $7,500 for a hit two weeks ago on Houston receiver Kevin Walter and another $7,500 for a hit on Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich in the opener.

The league also fined defensive ends Phillip Daniels of Washington and Ray Edwards of Minnesota $5,000 each for what was considered illegal or excessive contact against quarterbacks in last week's games, according to ESPN.com.

■ FS Watkins stays behind: For the first time this season, rookie Patrick Watkins will not be the Cowboys' free safety.

Watkins did not make the trip to Charlotte on Saturday, which should make veteran Marcus Coleman the starter.

Watkins has struggled to make plays on deep balls, including a 50-yard touchdown catch last week by Plaxico Burress.

Coleman missed the first four games because of a suspension and was released when he came back. He re-signed with the Cowboys last week and saw action on special teams.