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Bench Warmer
The injury bug hit two Dallas Cowboys starters Wednesday, and the status of another is in doubt.
Coach Wade Phillips said running back Marion Barber has a fractured left thumb and outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware has a stress fracture in his left foot.
Wide receiver Roy E. Williams is still recovering from three bruised ribs, and Phillips said he's not sure about his status.
All three players practiced in the rain on Wednesday with no major issues, but Phillips said he wanted to see how Williams felt after practice before committing him to the starting lineup.
Williams was sore after Monday's practice, and that raised a concern.
If Williams, who missed the game at Kansas City, is out, expect Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin to start agaisnt the Atlanta Falcons.
The biggest concern among the injuries is that Barber is banged up again.
Since being named the starter last season, Barber has battled toe, thigh and now a thumb injury. In 2007, the year he was a backup to Julius Jones, Barber rushed for 975 yards and 10 touchdowns on 204 carries. He missed no games because of injury.
In 2008, his first season as a starter, Barber battled a toe injury that forced him to miss one game and limited his ability to make plays toward the end of the year. He rushed for just 15 yards in the last three weeks of the 2008 season.
Phillips said he wasn't concerned about Barber's durability.
"I'm looking at the future, and he had legitimate injuries and he can get injured in this league," Phillips said. "And it wasn't the same thing, and it's possible to get banged up and he hasn't missed anything with the [thumb], whether its an injury or not. He didn't miss a game, and he's not going to miss a game. If you miss him for games and its the same thing every time, then you worry about those things."
As for Ware, Phillips said he should be fine and that the injury has nothing to do with him having just two sacks through five games this season.
"It's been bothering him for a couple of weeks and his foot was sore," Phillips said. "But he played the last game and he did alright, I thought, and he's been playing well. It's not a major injury, its one you can play with."
Coach Wade Phillips said running back Marion Barber has a fractured left thumb and outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware has a stress fracture in his left foot.
Wide receiver Roy E. Williams is still recovering from three bruised ribs, and Phillips said he's not sure about his status.
All three players practiced in the rain on Wednesday with no major issues, but Phillips said he wanted to see how Williams felt after practice before committing him to the starting lineup.
Williams was sore after Monday's practice, and that raised a concern.
If Williams, who missed the game at Kansas City, is out, expect Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin to start agaisnt the Atlanta Falcons.
The biggest concern among the injuries is that Barber is banged up again.
Since being named the starter last season, Barber has battled toe, thigh and now a thumb injury. In 2007, the year he was a backup to Julius Jones, Barber rushed for 975 yards and 10 touchdowns on 204 carries. He missed no games because of injury.
In 2008, his first season as a starter, Barber battled a toe injury that forced him to miss one game and limited his ability to make plays toward the end of the year. He rushed for just 15 yards in the last three weeks of the 2008 season.
Phillips said he wasn't concerned about Barber's durability.
"I'm looking at the future, and he had legitimate injuries and he can get injured in this league," Phillips said. "And it wasn't the same thing, and it's possible to get banged up and he hasn't missed anything with the [thumb], whether its an injury or not. He didn't miss a game, and he's not going to miss a game. If you miss him for games and its the same thing every time, then you worry about those things."
As for Ware, Phillips said he should be fine and that the injury has nothing to do with him having just two sacks through five games this season.
"It's been bothering him for a couple of weeks and his foot was sore," Phillips said. "But he played the last game and he did alright, I thought, and he's been playing well. It's not a major injury, its one you can play with."
