Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo to rest against Minnesota
By CLARENCE E. HILL JR.
chill@star-telegram.com
IRVING — Tony Romo will not play in the final preseason game against Minnesota on Thursday at Texas Stadium.
Romo said he has begun preparing for the regular-season opener Sept. 7 against Cleveland.
"It just allows you to get a chance to get a little bit of a head start on the opponent," Romo said Tuesday. "For us, that’s Cleveland. We’ve been working on them this week. The juices are flowing just because you know the first game is coming."
It was Romo’s first comments to the media in a week.
Romo said that talking to the media about the Cowboys’ performance in practice doesn’t always make sense to him.
"It’s preseason. You’re just trying to get better," said Romo, who is on one of six regional covers for Sports Illustrated that hit the streets today. "But you’re always judged when you get out there in front of the cameras."
Like Romo, wide receiver Terrell Owens is ready for the season opener. He likely will not play much, if at all, against the Vikings.
"I’m like a lot of the rookies, not actually getting a lot of reps, but really trying to be mentally prepared and taking mental reps," Owens said. "During the course of these last couple of days here, the offense is going to get our work in against the Browns and then we’re going to exit and let them handle the Minnesota game."
Bartel’s showcase
Grapevine product Richard Bartel is expected to start at quarterback Thursday and play extensively as the Cowboys rest many first-teamers.
Hall talk
Despite speculation that Jason Witten is destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the tight end knows he has much more to do in the NFL before that talk gets serious.
"I think I’ve got to win much more before that," Witten said. "We’re all judged by how much you win."
Bennett watch
Rookie tight end Martellus Bennett isn’t ready to be fully taken under Jason Witten’s wing.
Though Witten said Bennett is improving, he thinks the former Texas A&M star needs to comprehend the overall pro game before he has a breakthrough on the field.
"He has to understand this is his job," Witten said. "That’s the next step for him. Sometimes you don’t really realize that."
Witten said sometimes it’s easy for a player to get caught up in his own hype and confidence during his rookie year. For now, Witten is waiting and watching.
"I’m going to let him figure it out first," Witten said. "There was a time when I had to learn on my own."
Briefly
Pat McQuistan continued to run with the first team at left guard in place of the injured Kyle Kosier. McQuistan is competing with Joe Berger and Cory Procter for the starting job. All three will get snaps against the Vikings.
Cornerback Terence Newman had a good practice in his second day back on the field since suffering a groin injury July 28. He participated in the entire practice for the first time and had an interception.
Rookie defensive end Marcus Dixon will play Thursday after missing the first three games with a bad back. Dixon will be hard-pressed to make an impression before final cuts Saturday.
Rookie cornerback Mike Jenkins will be one of the team’s primary kickoff returners against the Vikings.
Minnesota quarterbacks Tarvaris Jackson and Gus Frerotte will not play against Dallas. Backups Brooks Bollinger and John David Booty will see most of the action.
Correspondent Ricky Treon contributed to this report.
chill@star-telegram.com
IRVING — Tony Romo will not play in the final preseason game against Minnesota on Thursday at Texas Stadium.
Romo said he has begun preparing for the regular-season opener Sept. 7 against Cleveland.
"It just allows you to get a chance to get a little bit of a head start on the opponent," Romo said Tuesday. "For us, that’s Cleveland. We’ve been working on them this week. The juices are flowing just because you know the first game is coming."
It was Romo’s first comments to the media in a week.
Romo said that talking to the media about the Cowboys’ performance in practice doesn’t always make sense to him.
"It’s preseason. You’re just trying to get better," said Romo, who is on one of six regional covers for Sports Illustrated that hit the streets today. "But you’re always judged when you get out there in front of the cameras."
Like Romo, wide receiver Terrell Owens is ready for the season opener. He likely will not play much, if at all, against the Vikings.
"I’m like a lot of the rookies, not actually getting a lot of reps, but really trying to be mentally prepared and taking mental reps," Owens said. "During the course of these last couple of days here, the offense is going to get our work in against the Browns and then we’re going to exit and let them handle the Minnesota game."
Bartel’s showcase
Grapevine product Richard Bartel is expected to start at quarterback Thursday and play extensively as the Cowboys rest many first-teamers.
Hall talk
Despite speculation that Jason Witten is destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the tight end knows he has much more to do in the NFL before that talk gets serious.
"I think I’ve got to win much more before that," Witten said. "We’re all judged by how much you win."
Bennett watch
Rookie tight end Martellus Bennett isn’t ready to be fully taken under Jason Witten’s wing.
Though Witten said Bennett is improving, he thinks the former Texas A&M star needs to comprehend the overall pro game before he has a breakthrough on the field.
"He has to understand this is his job," Witten said. "That’s the next step for him. Sometimes you don’t really realize that."
Witten said sometimes it’s easy for a player to get caught up in his own hype and confidence during his rookie year. For now, Witten is waiting and watching.
"I’m going to let him figure it out first," Witten said. "There was a time when I had to learn on my own."
Briefly
Pat McQuistan continued to run with the first team at left guard in place of the injured Kyle Kosier. McQuistan is competing with Joe Berger and Cory Procter for the starting job. All three will get snaps against the Vikings.
Cornerback Terence Newman had a good practice in his second day back on the field since suffering a groin injury July 28. He participated in the entire practice for the first time and had an interception.
Rookie defensive end Marcus Dixon will play Thursday after missing the first three games with a bad back. Dixon will be hard-pressed to make an impression before final cuts Saturday.
Rookie cornerback Mike Jenkins will be one of the team’s primary kickoff returners against the Vikings.
Minnesota quarterbacks Tarvaris Jackson and Gus Frerotte will not play against Dallas. Backups Brooks Bollinger and John David Booty will see most of the action.
Correspondent Ricky Treon contributed to this report.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:23 PM
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