The Cowboys report
Dallas Dominates in Big “D” as preseason winds down
Aug 28, 2019, 6:21 am
Jason Garret and the Cowboys are close to clinching. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
The Dallas Cowboys won their second preseason game Saturday night by defeating the Houston Texans in a 34-0 rout.
For the first time this preseason the Cowboys didn't score on their opening possession, but that didn't matter because the defense controlled the game the whole way through. After the Cowboy offense went three and out to start the game, the starting defense sacked Deshaun Watson, which caused a fumble that was recovered by the Cowboys. On the Texans' next possession, the Cowboys blocked a punt that got returned for a touchdown.The Dallas defense ended up with eight sacks, four turnovers and only allowed 135 yards.They were led by defensive end Taco Charlton who finished the day with three tackles and two sacks.
On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Dak Prescott didn't start off great. He missed three of his first four pass attempts but quickly overcame it when he found 2nd year receiver Michael Gallup for a 12 yard touchdown to put the Cowboys up 7-0. There is clearly a good bond between Prescott and Gallup, and when you add Amari Cooper into the mix the Dallas passing offense could be one of the best in the league.
With superstar Ezekiel Elliott still holding out for a new contract, rookie Tony Pollard took the starting running back spot and looked great doing it. He had six carries for 26 yards and two catches for 10 yards.H is best play was a 24 yard screen pass that he took down to the Houston 2 yard line but it was called back for holding. The Cowboys look to be in good shape with Pollard in the lineup if Zeke continues to hold out.
With the dress rehearsal in the books, it seems the Cowboys are ready for the regular season to commence.
3 things to watch for
1.Running backs (J. Chunn or A. Morris): With Tony Pollard being the clear #1 RB until Zeke returns, Jordan Chunn and Alfred Morris will be playing the majority of the game this upcoming week and it will good to see who might grab the #2 RB spot.
2.Quarterbacks (C. Rush or M. White): Mike White finally had a good showing this past week and is still batting with Cooper Rush for the back QB role. As of now, I think Rush is leading the way.
3.Kicker Brett Maher: Was perfect for the game, he was 2/2 on his field goal attempts and made all four of his extra points. He seems to finally be settling in. Let's see if he can keep it up.
Coming Up
The Dallas Cowboys (2-1) will be playing their preseason finale at home in AT&T stadium against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) on Thursday Aug. 29 at 7:00pm Central time. None of the starters are expected to play for either team as both teams will be preparing for the regular season to begin.
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Here's why Astros GM says the team will be buyers at the deadline
Jun 5, 2024, 4:17 pm
Houston starters Cristian Javier and José Urquidy are both scheduled to have right elbow surgery, a big blow to an Astros team trying to rebound after a terrible start to the season.
General manager Dana Brown made the announcement Wednesday, saying Urquidy will have surgery Wednesday while Javier's is set for Thursday.
“Right now, they are both having an elbow surgery,” Brown said. “We’re not sure to the extent of it, but Tommy John is certainly a possibility talking with both of them.”
Both players will miss the entire season and would miss part of next season if Tommy John surgery is needed, with the typical recovery from the ulnar collateral ligament replacement surgery taking 12-18 months.
Recovery from internal brace, which uses artificial material to make the repair, has allowed pitchers to return to the majors in as little as nine months.
The Astros already were dealing with injuries to their rotation, with starters Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers not pitching yet this season because of injuries and not expected to return until after the All-Star break.
But Brown said he believes the Astros' rotation, which is led by Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez, will be just fine despite the injuries because Hunter Brown, Spencer Arrighetti and Ronel Blanco have filled in nicely.
“Losing Urquidy and Javier is tough, but thank God, we have the young kids stepping up and they’re starting to throw the ball well,” Brown said. “So I think our rotation's pretty good right now. You never want to lose those type of arms, but there’s no panic because our guys are really throwing well.”
Houston, which has reached the AL Championship Series in each of the last seven seasons, entered Wednesday's games in third place in the AL West with a 28-34 record.
Brown said the injuries won't change how he approaches things leading up to the trade deadline on July 30.
“We’re always in the market for pitching because of reasons like this,” he said. “I’ve been in baseball for 34 years and I know how long and how tough the season is. It’s a grind of 162 and so we’re always in the market of claiming pitchers... and we’re always trying to add to the depth. And so it’s business as usual, we don’t wait until things fall apart before we find answers.”
Urquidy hasn’t pitched this season after straining his right forearm in spring training. He appeared close to coming off the injured list before he left a rehabilitation start for Triple-A Sugar Land with right elbow inflammation on May 24.
The 29-year-old had Tommy John surgery in 2017 and made his big league debut two years later. He was 3-3 with a 5.29 ERA in 10 starts and six relief appearances last season.
In five major league seasons, Urquidy is 27-16 with a 3.98 ERA in 70 starts and nine relief appearances.
Javier was 3-1 with a 3.89 ERA in seven starts for Houston this season. He was placed on the injured list with right forearm discomfort on May 24.
The 27-year-old is 33-18 with a 3.59 ERA in 116 career appearances with 82 starts over five MLB seasons.
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This story has been corrected to show that the elbow surgery Javier and Urquidy are both facing might not be Tommy John surgery.