Dez Bryant owns monkey? Tony Romo ready to practice? Just another day with Cowboys
IRVING, Texas — The best news for the reeling Dallas Cowboys is that quarterback Tony Romo will participate in portions of practice starting Wednesday, likely throwing off to the side.
Though coach Jason Garrett emphasized that Matt Cassel will continue to get first-team reps, it is the approaching return of Romo (broken collarbone), who can play no earlier than the Nov. 22 game at the Miami Dolphins, that gives the Cowboys (2-5) hope they can still win the middling NFC East even in the midst of a five-game losing streak.
But in the meantime, there continues to be no shortage of subplots at the team's Valley Ranch headquarters.
Garrett was asked Monday about the animal rights group PETA calling for authorities to investigate whether receiver Dez Bryant is in illegal possession of a baby monkey. Garrett declined to comment, saying only that he has not met Bryant’s monkey, Dallas Bryant, but that there is “visual evidence” that the monkey is real.
Bryant also made headlines Sunday, unleashing a loud, profanity-laced tirade directed at reporters near his locker after Dallas' 13-12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Bryant, who caught two passes for 12 yards after a seven-week layoff as he healed from a broken foot, was believed to be upset by tweets suggesting he'd made insensitive on-field comments as Seattle receiver Ricardo Lockette lay on the turf unconscious after a hit from Cowboys safety Jeff Heath during a Seahawks punt.
“Not once did I say, ‘That’s what you get,' " Bryant said Sunday. “I got on one knee and prayed for that man. Don’t put clips together and do that.”
At the end of the interview, Bryant began yelling at reporters to get away from him.
Monday, Garrett said Bryant, in general, is a “very passionate guy about life, about this football team, about the opportunity to play, all those things. ... He brings so much to your team. Again, you have to channel it and focus it the right way to bring the best out of you and everybody else. I think he’s improved greatly at that over the course of his career here.”
Elsewhere on the offense, Darren McFadden has established himself as the lead running back, first rushing for 152 yards against the New York Giants in Week 7 before amassing 64 rushing yards and 49 receiving yards against the Seahawks. Joseph Randle, who began the season as the starter, continues to be away from the team, and Garrett said “we’ll just take it day by day” when asked if Randle could practice Wednesday.
Randle is dealing with what Garrett termed a “personal issue” in addition to facing possible discipline from the league for a violation of the personal conduct policy stemming from an offseason incident.
Garrett was non-committal on whether Cassel, who threw for 97 yards against Seattle, would definitely start the next two games before Romo is slated to return, saying only that Cassel would start Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Cassel played well enough to win the game,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the Seattle loss.
“Now, we need to score touchdowns. It’s hard to think about winning without touchdowns.”
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Follow Eric Prisbell on Twitter @EricPrisbell
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