Old Problem — Better Timing
Posted: July 31, 2005 @ 10:37 pm
The Cowboys are again staring at a tight end problem. Just two days after blocking TE Dan Campbell was lost for two weeks with appendicitis, TE Sean Ryan broke a foot and will be lost approximately six weeks. The team is hopeful he will return in time for the season opener against San Diego.
Though Campbell should return in time for the last three preseason games, the lack of depth at this key position is a major concern. Dallas likes to run two TE sets on offense and has no blocking TEs at the moment. Parcells noted the domino effect this would have in many situations, as the injuries also affect short yardage and goal line sets. The Cowboys plan to sign TE Mike Gomez as a “camp body.”
Given the importance Dallas places on tight ends, do not be surprised if the team begins shopping for another blocker there. The one bright side is that Dallas has time to address the problem. Last year, Campbell and Ryan were injured in the regular season, leaving the team with limited options, since the NFL’s trading deadline comes so early.
injury Update: The Cowboys’ Blog’s medical source offers some perspective on the tight end injuries. Our staff doctor — and he’s a real doctor, this isn’t for fun — tells me that Dan Campbell’s timetable will likely be two to three weeks rather than the one to two reported. “If the team identified the appendicitis early, [doctors] could remove the appendix with only two to three small incisions made for a scope,” he said. This cuts down on recovery time from the old procedure, which had to cut through abdominal muscle to reach the infection. “If this was a regular person, a conservative estimate would be four to six weeks. But with the degree of attention pro athletes get now, two weeks is possible.”
He was not so sanguine about Sean Ryan. He estimates the fracture would be healed in four weeks, but that Ryan would have to regain a lot of lost conditioning and would not likely be in top shape for the start of the season.
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i guess we couldnt go through this whole off season without some kind of injury. at least he should be back in time for the first game if he makes it.
Ryan might be ready in time for the season opener, but it will be really difficult for him to make the final roster, having missed all but one day of practice and every preseason game. Since he is down in the depth chart, it will be difficult to hold a roster slot open for him, if it does take him that long to get healthy.
On the other hand, he might still be eligible for the practice squad, and he could work his way back onto the 53-man roster that way.
Well this will definitely give Mr. Love all the opportunity in the world to make the team
Ryan may have ended up on the practice squad anyway, or have been cut. But I would have liked to see him have the chance to show us what he can do.
I have also heard that the TE they just signed, Gomez, has experience as a long snapper. Anyone know about this guy?
With our obvious lack of depth at TE, and Bill’s desire to run lots of two TE sets this year, Ryan a former 4th round pick will not be cut.
LT is coming to training camp to help ware out alil bit. they met at a autograph session in dallas, and BP asked him to come help him out a lil bit. i think thats real cool of LT to do so…
any1 here besides me hate joe theismann? most biased person towards the cowboys ever, hate him…
Yeah,
theismann is a dweeb, but I did like Bills response to him ragging on Bledsoe
here I’ll post it.
Top BILL-ing: “He had that Mack truck behind him named Riggins, remember that? John Riggins. So Joe (Theismann) was doing a little Ralph Kramden himself, to the best of my recollection, which is pretty vivid since I coached against him. They were handing it off quite a bit in those days.” - Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells on former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann’s comment that a “bus driver” at quarterback can only take a team so far.
that cracks me up
Why not put Love back at TE?
yah what an idiot, didnt he get monday night football starting next year? if so im watching with my mute on..
Cash,
Here is my thinking on why Ryan is in trouble. [By the way, he was a fifth-round choice, if that makes any difference.]
Ryan went into training camp in a battle with Brett Pierce for the third tight-end slot. The loser was unlikely to make the team. Tony Curtis also had a shot at this one position. While, Ryan was touted as having a good offseason (and I was personally rooting for him to get the job), Pierce was ahead of Ryan on the depth chart last year. Pierce was signed off of Baltimore’s practice squad last October 3, and spent the rest of the year on the roster, while Ryan wasn’t elevated from our practice squad until November 24.
Now, Ryan will miss all evaluation, and any chance to make some kind of impression under game conditions. Now, Pierce and Curtis are battling it out for that last TE slot. Assuming one of those two wins the job over the other, what do you think Parcells is going to do when it comes time for the final cutdown? Parcells has stated in the past that if a player doesn’t have a chance to show what he can do, because of injury, it is just one of those unfortunate things that happens. He can only go by what he has seen.
This isn’t Jason Witten we are talking about here. Witten, who has shown plenty in the past, would be given the benefit of the doubt. Ryan, who has done next to nothing, will not. You just can’t reserve a slot for a late-round draft pick who has shown little in game play. Not when the slot is third-string tight end.
About Theisman’s comments (and this goes for Spagnola, too).
What he fails to realize is that nowhere in Bill Parcells’ Rules of Quarterback Play is there a clause that says a ‘bus driver’ quarterback can’t (or doesn’t) make plays. In fact, Quincy Carter, whom Parcells deliberately reined in, made plays. Anyone who doubts this should rerun the tape of the Monday Night game against the Giants. Obviously, if it is third-and-twelve, we are not going to be handing it off to Julius on an off-tackle plunge. The quarterback will have to make a play!
What will be affected, of course, will be the game plans. They will be mostly ground-oriented and risk-avoiding. But, that won’t prevent us from taking an occasional shot down field, or putting the onus on the quarterback when game conditions dictate doing so … ‘bus driver’ quarterback or not.
These people act like Bill Parcells had never coached a football team before, and doesn’t know what is required to win games. That’s their problem, not his.
As far as Sean Ryan, when I heard Bill speak, it he talked about it being “good” that he’d only be out 4 to 5 weeks. Doesn’t sound like a guy who was in trouble of making the roster. Plus if they cut him while he’s injured they have to pay out an injury settlement.
Hey Mike,
Yah I hate Theissman, always have. Idiot to the nth degree. When the ‘Boys play on Monday night I’ll have my mute on too! Too bad LT didn’t break his lips instead of his legs! LOL!
Cash,
Do you really think that Sean Ryan had a roster slot won going into this training camp? It was my understanding that the third TE slot was open to competition.
I didn’t say anything about cutting Ryan while he is injured. I am going strictly by the reports that have him ready for the first game. Obviously, if he is ready to play sooner or later, that would change the situation. If he is ready sooner, he would get some chance (albeit abbreviated) to show something prior to the final cut. If it takes longer for him to rehab his foot, they probably will give him an injury settlement, so they can go into the first game fully staffed.
Again, when the final cuts are made, it appears that Parcells will be forced to choose between a player whom he has been able to observe all through camp and preseason, and one whom he has not seen at all. Parcells has faced this problem before. He has publicly stated that he is forced to go with the player he has seen play. Michael Wiley is an example of a player who lost out because of injury in camp. BJ Tucker is another. If I remember correctly, Tucker (a 6th-round pick) was hampered by hamstring problems all through the 2003 preseason. Neither Wiley nor Tucker survived the final cuts.
Frankly, I hope that I am wrong here. I liked Ryan when he was drafted and still do. I have no such feeling for the other candidates. I just don’t see another outcome here.
james,
lol now thats pretty funny, and true…
Bill,
If the decision is hard as you say, and he is still injured he can be put on the PUP or Injured reserved. He won’t be cut is all I’m saying.
Cash,
I hope you are right about Ryan.
I don’t think Ryan can be put on PUP, though. I believe a player has to be placed on the PUP (active) list at the start (and only at the start) of training camp, to be eligible for the PUP (inactive) list at the final cutdown. Once training camp starts, if a player becomes injured, and is still injured at the time of the final cutdown, the choices are IR, hold the roster spot open until he recovers, or give him an injury settlement.
There is a reason we don’t hear that much about the PUP list. It is very restrictive and few players are actually on it once the season starts. If it were not so restrictive, teams would certainly make a lot more use of it than they do. There are a lot of players whose injuries will only keep them out of the lineup for a few weeks at the beginning of the year. Teams would love to make use of the PUP, and only lose them for 6 weeks, rather than place them on IR, and lose them for the year. Unfortunately, that is not legal.
i thought if he stayed on the pup list by august 30th then your inactive for 6 games with an open roster spot. i didnt think it matters but i could be wrong.
through august 30th i should say.
Mike,
I believe you are correct about that. I think that is the date for final cutdowns this year, which is the deciding point for someone being on PUP during the regular season.
What I am saying is that to get on PUP in the first place, you have to be placed there just before training camp starts. So, there is no way that Ryan can be placed on PUP any more for 2005.
That’s what they did with Woodson last year. After the 6 weeks, the Cowboys had a window in which they could have activated Woodson. [I don't remember how many weeks that window is.] But, Woodson was never healthy enough to play, so they placed him on IR.
This year, they placed Allen on PUP at the beginning of training camp. Now, he has been taken off PUP and is practicing with the team. He can no longer go back on PUP this year.
ahhh ok my bad. you might be correct on that i deffinetely dont know that.