Pro football: Packers secondary may take a hit vs. Cowboys
Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer
Charles Woodson's right toe injury could put a crimp in the Green Bay Packers' plans to turn Thursday's showdown with the Dallas Cowboys into a major jam session. That's jam as in what Woodson and fellow corner Al Harris like to do to receivers at the line of scrimmage.
"They are going to play man to man," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said. "They are going to test you man to man. They are going to bump you and grab you and do all those things on the line of scrimmage that they can do to try and throw off your timing. They do a great job of that."
Woodson, who sustained the injury while returning a punt in the Packers' 37-26 Thanksgiving Day victory over Detroit, did not practice Sunday.
Two other Green Bay starters — right tackle Mark Tauscher (ankle) and defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (ankle) — also missed the workout.
The status for the three is uncertain. Packers coach Mike McCarthy did not address injuries while speaking with the media.
Only one Dallas starter was held out. Phillips said receiver Patrick Crayton, who missed the 34-3 Thanksgiving Day pounding of the New York Jets with a sprained left ankle, may practice today.
"He wasn't ready," Phillips said.
The Packers play man coverage because Woodson and Harris are big, physical defenders who excel at the strategy.
Woodson has a team-high four interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown.
Harris, who played at Texas A&M-Kingsville, hasn't missed a game since the start of the 1998 season and is one of the league's most physical defensive backs.
"We have faced people who have played man to man," Phillips said. "But I don't know whether we have faced two really good corners like that."
The Cowboys receivers will work with their position coach, Ray Sherman, on techniques to aid them in slipping off the line cleanly.
"That is what Ray Sherman works on all the time," Phillips said. "We have some good receivers. Some of our guys are hard to bump."
That's especially true of the 6-foot-3, 218-pound Terrell Owens, whose size and speed often give him the upper hand in one-on-one situations.
Both of Owens' TD receptions in the 31-20 victory over the New York Giants on Nov. 12 came on plays in which defenders tried to jam him while in man coverage.
"I've faced both of those guys (Woodson and Harris) before," Owens said. "I know what to expect, so I'm going to plan accordingly."
Notebook: Packers quarterback Brett Favre says there's a simple explanation for why he's 0-8 at Texas Stadium. "Every time we played, for the most part, they've had a damn good football team," Favre said via conference call. "Most of the times we lost down there, it was in the playoffs. Good thing was they went on to win the Super Bowl (in two of those seasons). We hope that's different this year. I know they're playing as well as they were back then." ... The Cowboys and Packers sit atop the NFC with 10-1 records. Many NFL analysts believe the winner of Thursday's clash will advance to the Super Bowl. ... Dallas won Super Bowls in 1993 and 1995 after beating Green Bay in the divisional round and the NFC Championship game, respectively. The Cowboys also beat the Packers in the divisional round in 1994 but lost the next week to San Francisco in the conference title game.
Express-News Staff Writer
Charles Woodson's right toe injury could put a crimp in the Green Bay Packers' plans to turn Thursday's showdown with the Dallas Cowboys into a major jam session. That's jam as in what Woodson and fellow corner Al Harris like to do to receivers at the line of scrimmage.
"They are going to play man to man," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said. "They are going to test you man to man. They are going to bump you and grab you and do all those things on the line of scrimmage that they can do to try and throw off your timing. They do a great job of that."
Woodson, who sustained the injury while returning a punt in the Packers' 37-26 Thanksgiving Day victory over Detroit, did not practice Sunday.
Two other Green Bay starters — right tackle Mark Tauscher (ankle) and defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (ankle) — also missed the workout.
The status for the three is uncertain. Packers coach Mike McCarthy did not address injuries while speaking with the media.
Only one Dallas starter was held out. Phillips said receiver Patrick Crayton, who missed the 34-3 Thanksgiving Day pounding of the New York Jets with a sprained left ankle, may practice today.
"He wasn't ready," Phillips said.
The Packers play man coverage because Woodson and Harris are big, physical defenders who excel at the strategy.
Woodson has a team-high four interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown.
Harris, who played at Texas A&M-Kingsville, hasn't missed a game since the start of the 1998 season and is one of the league's most physical defensive backs.
"We have faced people who have played man to man," Phillips said. "But I don't know whether we have faced two really good corners like that."
The Cowboys receivers will work with their position coach, Ray Sherman, on techniques to aid them in slipping off the line cleanly.
"That is what Ray Sherman works on all the time," Phillips said. "We have some good receivers. Some of our guys are hard to bump."
That's especially true of the 6-foot-3, 218-pound Terrell Owens, whose size and speed often give him the upper hand in one-on-one situations.
Both of Owens' TD receptions in the 31-20 victory over the New York Giants on Nov. 12 came on plays in which defenders tried to jam him while in man coverage.
"I've faced both of those guys (Woodson and Harris) before," Owens said. "I know what to expect, so I'm going to plan accordingly."
Notebook: Packers quarterback Brett Favre says there's a simple explanation for why he's 0-8 at Texas Stadium. "Every time we played, for the most part, they've had a damn good football team," Favre said via conference call. "Most of the times we lost down there, it was in the playoffs. Good thing was they went on to win the Super Bowl (in two of those seasons). We hope that's different this year. I know they're playing as well as they were back then." ... The Cowboys and Packers sit atop the NFC with 10-1 records. Many NFL analysts believe the winner of Thursday's clash will advance to the Super Bowl. ... Dallas won Super Bowls in 1993 and 1995 after beating Green Bay in the divisional round and the NFC Championship game, respectively. The Cowboys also beat the Packers in the divisional round in 1994 but lost the next week to San Francisco in the conference title game.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:39 PM
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