IRVING (AP) — Cowboys coach Jason Garrett talked about some good things that happened for Dallas in its last game. And owner Jerry Jones said during his weekly radio show that his team could be evolving into one that can compete for a championship this season.
Wait, aren't these the same Cowboys who have lost three of their last four games and are at the bottom of the NFC East?
"There were a lot of things to feel good about. There are no moral victories as we know," Garrett said Wednesday. "But there were some positive things we can build on and there were certainly a lot to correct as well."
The Cowboys (2-3) did pile up 481 total yards, their most in two years, and matched a franchise record with 79 offensive plays while holding the ball for 40 minutes at Baltimore. They had an 18-play drive of 110 yards, overcoming 30 yards in penalties, for a touchdown in the final minute. After missing a tying 2-point conversion try, they recovered an onside kick and had a chance at a winning field goal.
The bottom line, though, is Dallas lost to the Ravens and now has the same record it had at this point last season, when the Cowboys finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
"We need a victory, bad," fullback Lawrence Vickers said. "This is very critical to get this win."
Dallas plays Sunday at Carolina (1-4), the only NFC team other than the Cowboys that hasn't yet scored 100 points this season.
That 31-29 loss at Baltimore is eerily similar to what happened last October. Like this year, the Cowboys were coming off their bye week when they lost a close road game against one of the AFC's best teams (20-16 at New England) and then played a struggling team the next week.
After Carolina, the Cowboys play their only home game in a six-week stretch — a rematch against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, who have won four of five since losing the season opener to Dallas.
During his appearance Tuesday on KRLD-FM, Jones said the Cowboys played physical at Baltimore and "did things that we can win with in the future."
The owner, who turned 70 on Saturday, also reiterated what he has said all year about the Giants becoming Super Bowl champions after winning only nine games in the regular season.
"We don't have time to have a bad time here. We've got to have some wins to make sure we're in the hunt," Jones said. "We know that you want your team as healthy and as in sync as it can be as we get on into the end of the season.
"We know that we've played one division game and won it. We've got those guys, the Giants, coming back in here. We know that's going to be a big game for us," he said. "All of those things give us a chance to take a team that is evolving into, if you look at this plusses (Sunday), evolving into a team that can compete for the championship. Not next year, this year."
Then Jones emphasized that he indeed was talking about this season.
"I'm not into everybody getting better, learning for years to come," Jones said. "It's this year."
When asked about those comments, Garrett called Jones an outstanding owner and said the team appreciates everything he does. The coach then said his team's focus was solely on preparing to play Carolina.
"He believes in us, just like we believe in ourselves," Vickers said about Jones. "Whatever happens this week, that's what I'm focused on. At the same time, when you hear your owner talking about things, that's good and enlightening."
Notes: K Dan Bailey says he's moving forward and trying to forget as quickly as possible the missed 51-yard field goal attempt at Baltimore that he hooked just left of the upright. "I didn't miss it by much," he said Wednesday. That came after the Cowboys managed only a 1-yard pass with 26 seconds and one timeout left. Asked if an extra 5 yards would have made the difference, Bailey responded, "Maybe. I don't know." ... CB Mike Jenkins, who had an MRI on Monday after he banged up his surgically repaired right shoulder against Baltimore, wasn't listed on the practice report Wednesday. That indicates he is OK.
Texans' offense struggled in first loss of season
HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans scored at least 27 points in each of their first four games, all impressive victories.
The offense hasn't operated quite as smoothly in the last two games, and looked sloppy in Sunday night's 42-24 loss to Green Bay.
Matt Schaub was sacked three times and threw two interceptions, Arian Foster was held to 29 yards rushing and the Texans (5-1) mustered only 321 yards overall.
"It was just overall frustration that we really didn't get anything going," Schaub said. "We played a good team, and we didn't play up to our standard and our level of expectation that we have for ourselves in this building. We've got to go out there this week and get back to what we do best."
Next up is Baltimore (5-1), which stifled Houston's offense in two wins last season. Schaub was sacked four times in a 29-14 loss to the Ravens during the regular season, and Baltimore intercepted three passes in a 20-13 victory in the playoffs.
"We've played each other a lot over the past couple of years," Schaub said. "There's some familiarity there. You've got to execute the plan, and execute the plays against what they're doing."
Schaub, Foster and Andre Johnson were back healthy at the start of the season, and the offense got rolling again. The running game had some early issues, but seemed fine when Foster rushed for 152 yards in a 23-17 win over the New York Jets on Oct. 8.
The Texans then finished with only 90 yards rushing against Green Bay. Houston still ranks sixth in rushing (134.2 yards per game) and leads the NFL in average possession time (34 minutes, 54 seconds).
Baltimore's banged-up defense may offer the perfect remedy — the Ravens rank 26th against the run (136.5 yards per game) and in total defense (396.7 yards per game).
"Well, certainly we need to do things better," offensive coordinator Rick Dennison said. "Nobody's in panic mode at this point. Our running game will be fine."
Houston was forced to throw after the Packers jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and a 21-10 lead at halftime.
"We can do better up front," coach Gary Kubiak said. "We can run better, all of those things, call it better. We got ourselves caught in a different type of football game than we want to play. The end result is we're not running the ball very good at all. It's not going to change how we believe and what we think we have to do to win. We've just got to look really hard at it and hopefully change it this week."
Schaub, meanwhile, has had two forgettable games after two of the best performances of his career. He threw four touchdown passes in Denver on Sept. 23, then completed 71 percent of his throws with two more TDs in a 38-14 win over Tennessee on Sept. 30.
He completed 14 of 28 passes and threw an interception in the win over the Jets, and was sacked on each of the Texans' first two drives against Green Bay, setting the tone for a humbling home loss.
Kubiak came out of the Green Bay game mostly worried about the hits Schaub took. The right side of the offensive line, with two new starters, has been a concern since training camp and Kubiak says the whole group needs to improve.
"I don't look at the right side and the left side. I'm looking at the offensive line," Kubiak said. "We didn't protect the quarterback good enough across the board. That's up front. That's the running backs. Matt took a lot of shots."
Left tackle Duane Brown said the Packers attacked with some blitzes that the Texans hadn't seen yet this season. Getting everyone back on the same page is the priority leading up to Sunday's game.
"A lot of stuff we saw on film, we thought we would get," Brown said. "But the way they timed their blitzes, it was kind of hard for us to get flush blocks and sustain our blocks. We just kind of got out of sync with our backs. That's something we've got to focus on this week."
Notes: CB Johnathan Joseph sat out practice with a groin injury. Kubiak said Joseph's status for Sunday's game will be "an end of the week decision," but he was optimistic that Joseph would play. ... Kubiak said RB Ben Tate "had a really good day" as he continues to work his way back from a toe injury. ... The Texans placed DE Tim Jamison on injured reserve with an Achilles injury, and signed rookie DE David Hunter from the practice squad. Hunter played collegiately at nearby Houston.
-- Chris Duncan
Overall
Top two teams in NFC West face off
NEW YORK (AP) — NFC Worst? Not anymore. That was so 2010. Here in 2012, the NFC West is the best division in all of pro football.
And the two best teams in the division, the San Francisco 49ers (No. 5 in the AP Pro32) and Seattle Seahawks (No. 9) face off in the city by the bay on Thursday night.
Even though they come off their worst performance of the season in a 23-3 home loss to the Giants, the Niners are 7-point favorites — despite the Seahawks coming off a stirring comeback victory against New England.
You've got to dust yourself off and ride," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Right now we have no choice. We have to get to Seattle right quick. We've got a football fight coming."
Much of that fight figures to be on the ground. Marshawn Lynch leads the NFC in rushing and is third in the league with 549 yards. Last year, he gained 107 against the 49ers and snapped San Francisco's string of 36 successive games not allowing a 100-yard gainer.
"Their running game is the bread and butter of their offense," Niners defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. "And everything works off of that. He's one of the best backs in the league. He's the best back we played last year by far. He broke more tackles than any back we played against last year. He broke the most against us."
For Seattle to pull slightly ahead in the NFC West race — the Seahawks, 49ers and Cardinals are all 4-2; the Rams are 3-3 — it must stymie the 49ers' running game. Frank Gore has 470 yards rushing and a 5.4-yard average, better than Lynch's 4.3.
With the way Alex Smith struggled against a Giants defense that hadn't been all that impressive beforehand, the Seahawks could present a huge challenge to San Francisco's passing attack at Candlestick Park.
Then again, the Niners need to prove something to themselves — and to the rest of the league. 49ERS, 27-14
No. 21 New York Jets (plus 10 1/2) at No. 8 New England: Patriots are angry at themselves — and they always are angry with the Jets. BEST BET: PATRIOTS, 37-13
No. 15 Pittsburgh (minus 2 1/2) at No. 20 at Cincinnati: Two of the NFL's most disappointing teams. Go with the hosts. UPSET SPECIAL: BENGALS, 21-20
No. 19 Dallas (minus 1 1/2) at No. 28 Carolina: Two more of the NFL's most disappointing teams. Breaking tradition, go with the visitors. COWBOYS, 27-24
No. 32 Jacksonville (plus 4) at No. 29 Oakland: Two of the NFL's worst teams. Go with the visitors. JAGUARS, 16-14
No. 23 New Orleans (minus 2 1/2) at No. 25 Tampa Bay: One more time — one last time? — going to believe in the Saints. SAINTS, 30-24
No. 3 Baltimore (plus 6) at No. 4 Houston: Take Ray Lewis away from Ravens' linebacking corps and Brian Cushing from Texans' LBs and ... RAVENS, 28-27
No. 7 Green Bay (minus 5 1/2) at No. 22 St. Louis: Pack really stepped up at Houston, but Rams are no pushover, especially at home. PACKERS, 27-23
No. 18 Detroit (plus 5) at No. 6 Chicago, Monday night: Impressed by Lions' comeback win at Philly? We're not. BEARS, 30-20
No. 13 Washington (plus 6 1/2) at No. 2 New York Giants: Giants showed their true mettle by manhandling 49ers. But Redskins give them trouble. GIANTS, 28-26
No. 27 Tennessee (plus 3) at No. 24 Buffalo: Both teams pretty much were handed wins last week. Bills gladly accept another gift. BILLS, 26-22
No. 14 Arizona (plus 6) at No. 11 Minnesota: Spread looks somewhat high. Vikes running game the difference. VIKINGS, 19-16
No. 30 Cleveland (plus 3) at No. 26 Indianapolis: New owner means, uh, not much for Browns this week. COLTS, 17-16
2012 RECORD: Against spread: 7-7 (35-54-2). Straight up: 7-7 (50-41). Best Bet: 3-2-1 against spread, 5-1 straight up. Upset special: 4-2 against spread, 3-3 straight up.
-- Barry Wilner
Say, does this jersey make me look fat?
The NFL's new form-fitting uniforms are a big hit, especially among players with sculpted physiques.
"It makes you look like you're playing out there with nothing on," Denver Broncos safety Rahim Moore said. "It makes you feel like you're free, like you're wearing a napkin it's so thin."
That's precisely the problem for players who don't have the Adonis-like bodies. The shrink-wrap fit of the new lightweight, body-contoured uniforms doesn't look so flattering on the jelly-belly linemen.
"Big guys don't like it when they fit well. We don't like the tight stuff," 314-pound New York Giants guard Chris Snee said. "You know, stuff's falling all over, your stomach is hanging out."
Still, Snee is like many other players with beefier bodies or swollen stomachs who say they, too, like the new uniforms, because there's less material for opponents to grab.
Most of the league's huskier players don't seem too worried about appearances anyway.
"If you're going to put a lineman in it, there's not too much you can do with a tight jersey and tight pants," said B.J. Raji, the Green Bay Packers' 334-pound defensive tackle.
New York Jets tackle Austin Howard, who packs 333 pounds on his 6-foot-7 frame, called the new Nike uniforms "a little more trendy, I guess you can say."
"They're a little tight, a little snug, but they've always been a little tight," he said. "They were even like that last year, but these have different material so you don't sweat like you would with the other ones. I mean, you can't wring them out. It kind of just rolls off. The old jerseys, you would sweat and they would weigh you down."
Justin Bannan, a 305-pound defensive lineman for the Broncos, said he was thrilled when Nike, whose apparel he wore at the University of Colorado, signed a five-year partnership in April with the NFL, which had been outfitted by Reebok for the last decade.
Even though he looks like a guy trying to fit into his old tux for his 20-year high school reunion, Bannan said he wears a smaller-sized jersey anyway to try to thwart grabby offensive linemen.
"It doesn't look good on us. I look like a fat you-know-what, but it is what it is, nothing I can do about it," Bannan said. "I try to get mine as tight as possible because they hold so bad. It's just the way it is."
Nike spokesman Brian Strong said the new "Nike Elite 51" uniform that features such things as zoned mesh ventilation and materials to help increase range of motion weren't designed with just the svelte guys in mind.
"The thing is we understand that the linemen are part of the game, too, so we built the Elite 51 uniform in a variety of sizes, a variety of cuts with players of all shapes and sizes in mind," Strong said. "So, the idea is to enhance performance across the board. And when we say it's built for speed, it's not just built for speed among the running backs corps. We really did look to enhance performance and design for all football players."
Strong said the shrink-wrap element of the jersey is "about reducing grab points. So, essentially we're trying to enhance performance of the athlete. If we can make him just a little more elusive from that opponent, that's really what we're looking for."
Statistics show they could be happening.
Sacks are up slightly this year, with 415 league-wide so far, the most through Week 6 since there were 431 in 2000 and 10 more than there were at this point last season, according to STATS LLC.
Holding penalties are, well, holding steady.
"In my confines, offensive linemen will still find a way to hold you. You know what I mean? It's not like that's going to change," Raji said. "Throughout the game, one of those guys will still find a way to hold."
Taking out the first three weeks of the season to account for games officiated by replacements during the league's lockout of its regular crews, there have been 88 offensive holding penalties called over the last three weeks, and 68 of those were accepted.
Going back to 2006, STATS said the average numbers in Weeks 4-6 were 83 flags thrown and 68 accepted.
Some players say Nike still has some work to do, though.
Baltimore Ravens 335-pound defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said Nike "has to adjust some things. The stuff tears a lot more easily, I think. Other than that, they're good. They're not too tight. I love it tight because there's less grabbing. Other than the fact they keep tearing a lot, it's fine."
Dolphins linebacker Kevin Burnett said he likes the jerseys but not the pants and said his Nike shoes come apart easily. His teammate, 312-pound defensive tackle Randy Starks, loves the shoes.
"I go by looks. You look good, you feel good, you play good," Starks said. "These look nice."
Nike said it's always looking for ways to improve.
"Nothing specific for upcoming seasons just yet but it's in our nature to continue to innovate," Strong said. "We'll always accept athlete feedback."
Giants receiver Victor Cruz, who owns a clothing company called Young Whales, is a fan of the new jerseys, which he said repel precipitation and perspiration better "so it doesn't get as heavy" as the Reebok jerseys did.
As a fashion "expert," Cruz laughed at the notion of the burly guys up front wondering, "Does this jersey make me look fat?"
"It's not too pleasing to the eye sometimes, but it's better than the stuff they had last year," Cruz said. "Actually, they look pretty decent. The cleats have some color in them and they look coordinated. It's a good look for them, a changeup."
-- Arnie Stapleton
Vilma practices, his Saints' teammates encouraged
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — As the Saints began their pre-practice stretch on Wednesday, receiver Lance Moore hopped up, looked over at linebacker Jonathan Vilma, and hollered, "Glad you're back! We missed you!" while the entire team offered a round of applause.
"Hello!" Vilma responded with a smile, still seated on the field, one leg pulled over another.
Vilma then did something he had yet to do in 2012: practice.
And it was obvious the Saints were pulling for him to be ready to play this Sunday in Tampa Bay, which might be his only chance to get back on the field this season if his bounty suspension, currently on appeal, winds up going back into effect in a week or so.
"Vilma continues to fight for what's right and a fair process which I think is extremely justified," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. "The fact that he was out there practicing today, it just kind of puts a smile on everybody's face knowing what he's been through and having the opportunity to get him back."
Vilma did not work with the first team, but also did not wear any kind of brace or sleeve on his surgically repaired left knee, which has been another obstacle to his return.
"He's back," safety Malcolm Jenkins said. "He's doing a bunch of extra stuff, too, to make sure he's ready as far as conditioning and things like that. But he's ready to play. I know he's been champing at the bit and this is his opportunity this week and I know he'll be ready."
Vilma had several offseason procedures done on his knee, which had slowed him last season and sidelined him five games. He even traveled to Germany to see a specialist in platelet rich plasma therapy, a relatively new blood-spinning technique also used by Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.
Vilma's initial season-long suspension was handed down in May and went into effect in July after his initial appeal was rejected. That suspension lasted through training camp before being vacated by a three-member appeal panel that instructed Commissioner Roger Goodell to start the disciplinary process again and clarify his reasons for suspending Vilma and three others — Saints defensive end Will Smith, free-agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove and Cleveland linebacker Scott Fujita — in connection with New Orleans' cash-for-hits bounty pool.
Because of his rehabilitation, Vilma was placed on the Saints' physically unable to perform list when his initial suspension was lifted, a move that saved the Saints a roster spot and also prevented Vilma from practicing or playing during the first six weeks of the regular season.
The suspensions were reissued last week and promptly appealed by all four players, with appeal hearings set for next Tuesday at NFL headquarters in New York. Vilma remains suspended for the season and Smith for four games. Hargrove's was reduced from eight to seven games and Fujita from three to one.
Vilma did not make himself available for comment while the locker room at Saints headquarters was opened to reporters on Wednesday afternoon. However, his teammates had plenty to say about how he looked and what it would mean to get him back on the field.
"Having him on the sideline when he wasn't suited up was one thing," linebacker Jonathan Casillas said. "Now, suited up, ready to go, maybe get some plays here and there ... It's definitely good to have him out there. He's always been that energy on the defensive side of the ball that we needed."
For the past four seasons, Vilma was a defensive captain and starting middle linebacker, making all the defensive calls on the field. Now the Saints have a new defense under first-year coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Vilma has now practiced in the scheme only once, although he has been numerous defensive meetings.
"It's Jonathan Vilma. He's one of best football players in the National Football League. He's an instinctive player and he's been in all the meetings for the entire time he's been on PUP, allowing him to see what's going on, understand the schemes," interim head coach Aaron Kromer said. "All we can do as see as it goes on, but I would expect Jon would come back quickly because he's Jon Vilma. ... He does look healthy."
Kromer and Spagnuolo have said they can find a spot for Vilma, even if Curtis Lofton remains at starting middle linebacker. Lofton said he also is confident he and Vilma will have good chemistry on the field.
"You can't have too many great football players out on the football field," Lofton said. "You can't have too many leaders and too many communicators on the field at once.
"He's been the leader of the defense," Lofton added. "Having him back out there, seeing his face, seeing him in pads knowing everything he's been through and is going through and worked so hard to come back on the football field, it adds extra energy. Guys are excited and I'm excited to play with him."
Notes: Three players missed practice on Wednesday, including two linebackers, David Hawthorne (right hamstring) and Scott Shanle (illness). TE Jimmy Graham (right ankle) also was out. ... CB Jabari Greer (right groin) and RG Jahri Evans (left big toe) were limited.
-- Brett Martel
NFL responds to Vilma, NFLPA lawsuits
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The NFL is again urging a federal judge to avoid interfering in Commissioner Roger Goodell's efforts to discipline four players for the Saints' cash-for-hits bounty pool.
In a response Wednesday to papers the players filed earlier this week, the NFL says its collective bargaining agreement with the players' union gives Goodell the power to handle discipline involving conduct detrimental to football "at his discretion."
U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan is considering the players' request to overturn varying suspensions to Saints linebacker Jon Vilma (full season), Saints defensive end Will Smith (four games), free agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove (seven games) and Cleveland linebacker Scott Fujita (one game).
The players also want Berrigan to appoint a "neutral arbitrator" to handle any discipline in the matter.
The NFL argues that the players' request "turns the CBA (and the law) on its head."
"The parties agreed to "trust in (the Commissioner's) personal judgment," the papers filed by the NFL said.
The players have argued Goodell's public comments about the matter, dating to before he had even disciplined to the players, prove he cannot be impartial, and therefore has violated the players' industrial due process rights, which are also an inherent part the league's labor deal.
The NFL responded that the standard to prove partiality for an arbitrator within the framework of a labor agreement is much higher than for a judge in a court case. The league cited case law stating, "Nothing in the parties' contract requires arbitrators to arrive with empty heads."
The NFL also argued its evidence in the bounty matter is strong enough to justify the commissioner's actions, whether he was partial to one side or not.
"When all of the circumstances are considered, it is clear that the reasonable observer would not have to conclude that ... the outcome is due to 'bias,'" the NFL said. "The circumstances here include the fact that Plaintiffs do not dispute that the Saints program offered incentives for cart-offs and knockouts, and that cart-offs and knockouts were plays in which an opposing player was disabled or injured, at least temporarily.
"Not disputing that this program existed, Plaintiffs should not be heard to complain that an adverse appeal decision would have to be due to bias."
-- Brett Martel
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