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Bumpy Route
Pain An Issue, But Williams Listed As Probable

Rob Phillips - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
October 23, 2009 5:30 PM
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IRVING, Texas - Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips still has concerns about wide receiver Roy Williams' injured ribs, but Williams had full practice participation all week and is officially listed as "probable" for Sunday's game against the Falcons.

Williams damaged cartilage in three ribs Oct. 4 against the Broncos and sat out the Cowboys' pre-bye win over the Chiefs.

Phillips said Williams "hasn't missed a snap" in practice this week but still appears to be in pain at times. He likely would wear protective padding on Sunday.

"But he told me he wants to play and he feels like he can play," Phillips said. "I feel like he can play, but he's the only guy I'm worried about playing in this ball game that's been injured."

Williams said Thursday he expects to play "100 percent" against the Falcons, who have the NFL's 21st-ranked pass defense (241.0). Miles Austin is expected to start opposite Williams in place of Patrick Crayton.

"I'm good to go," Williams said. "I can get out of bed. I can do whatever you need me to do."

Williams' ribs could cause the Cowboys to activate rookie receiver Kevin Ogletree for the second consecutive game. The club already will likely have to deactivate a special teams coverage player to make room for new return specialist Allen Rossum on the 45-man game day roster.

Six other Cowboys' starters also are "probable" and expected to play: Running back Marion Barber (quad/thumb), right tackle Marc Colombo (ankle), right guard Leonard Davis (thumb), center Andre Gurode (knee), safety Gerald Sensabaugh (thumb) and linebacker DeMarcus Ware (foot).

Felix Ready

Officially "probable," running back Felix Jones is set to resume a normal workload Sunday in his first game since injuring his PCL Sept. 28 against the Panthers.

Phillips said Jones practiced without a knee brace Thursday and has "looked fast" in practice.

"I feel good about where Felix is," Phillips said. "I think he'll get back into his role, which could be quite a bit during the game."

Jones has averaged 7.3 offensive touches in three games this season.

Pressuring Ryan

Sacks won't come easily for the Cowboys' defense on Sunday. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been sacked only twice in five games.

The second-year starter consistently gets the ball out quickly with a variety of throws. Linebacker DeMarcus Ware said the defense still must try to make him uncomfortable in the pocket.

"The main thing is getting pressure in his face," Ware said. "Sacks are sort of overrated, but at the end of the day I think we've got to get pressure on him. We've got to let him know that we're there and find some way to make it work."

Fast Starts

Penalties and turnovers have stalled early Cowboys drives at times this season. The offense has scored only 26 first-quarter points this year.

Atlanta has started slowly as well, scoring only 24 first-quarter points. The two offenses each rank in the top 10 in average points, however (Cowboys 24.4; Falcons 24.6).

Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said the offense must capitalize on its red zone chances. The Cowboys are tied for 22nd, having scored seven touchdowns out of 15 trips inside the 20-yard line (46.7).

"You talk about penalties putting yourself in too many bad situations and just not capitalizing and scoring touchdowns down there - that's an area we've worked on," Witten said. "You have to get there first, but when we do, we have to take advantage of those."
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