Good news for Cowboys, Glenn back at practice

IRVING, Texas (AP) - Cowboys receiver Terry Glenn went through some drills at practice for the first time all season Wednesday, a good indication the already dominant Dallas offense could have another weapon by the playoffs.

Glenn, out because of two knee operations, is not expected to play Sunday against the Eagles. He's more likely to make his season debut the following Saturday at Carolina or in the regular-season finale at Washington. If the Cowboys get a first-round bye, Glenn would have four weeks of practice before the first playoff game.
Coach Wade Phillips said he'd like to see Glenn be able to tolerate several practices in a row before using him in a game.

"It's a slow progression, certainly, but we want to be careful," Phillips said. "He didn't seem to be limping on his leg at all, so there were some positive signs from him being out there. He looked very quick. That was a good thing. ... (After practice) he was still smiling. That's my doctoring right there. If they're smiling, they're getting better."

Cornerback Terence Newman missed team drills Wednesday because of a sprained big toe on his right foot and a slight knee injury. They're new injuries, sustained this past Sunday, and not related to previous problems with his knee and heel.

He might be able to practice tomorrow so I'm not too discouraged," Phillips said. "But it may be a similar situation to what we've had all year, where he comes in as a sub guy instead of a starter."

Glenn was supposed to be Tony Romo's deep threat until he had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee during training camp. He was hurt again in his first practice back, leading to a second arthroscopic procedure in September. It wasn't a typical scope, though, which is why he's been so slow to return. At the time, he also was considering season-ending microfracture surgery.

Dallas has kept Glenn on the roster all season exactly for this scenario — a return just in time for the playoffs.

"Terry is an anomaly, he's a guy that really can't be covered one-on-one," Romo said. "We're going to see to what extent he comes back, obviously. If it's the old Terry Glenn, this guy is unbelievable. ... I like our offense a lot right now, obviously. With him coming back, I think that we add another dimension that helps us be even more explosive."

Glenn's return to practice had been expected for several days. He's been working out at team headquarters in recent weeks, and on Friday he ran routes and caught passes.

This time, he came out wearing a red Ohio State hat, a blue Cowboys sweatshirt and with his right leg tightly wrapped. He limbered up with teammates, then spoke with assistant trainer Britt Brown as individual drills began. Glenn then went to the end of the line as fellow receivers caught passes being lobbed by a coach. The next session required cuts off the line and he made them smoothly, with flashes of his great speed.

The Cowboys already have clinched the division title and can wrap up a first-round bye with a win Sunday at home against the Eagles. If Dallas wins and Green Bay loses at St. Louis, the Cowboys also would clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

Glenn caught 70 passes for 1,047 yards and six touchdowns last season, with his best days coming after Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe. So when Glenn went down in the preseason, it was expected to slow the Dallas offense.

The Cowboys have done just fine without him, though, leading the NFC in scoring and yards, and on pace to set club records in both categories. Still, they're eager to have him back.

"It'll be another guy for defensive teams to contend with," fellow receiver Terrell Owens said. "Everyone knows the impact Terry Glenn (can have) and once he gets out there and gets his feet underneath him, I'm sure he'll be back to his old self."

Although he's 33 and in his 12th season, Glenn - when healthy - is among the fastest players on the roster and perhaps Dallas' most well-rounded receiver.

Even at less than full strength he could hurt defenses that pay too much attention to Owens and Jason Witten. Of course, any extra attention paid to him would open things up for Owens and Witten.

Patrick Crayton has done a nice job filling in for Glenn as the No. 2 receiver and could keep that spot, with Glenn being the third receiver. Or perhaps they'll share both jobs. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett probably won't mind having to solve that problem.

"Terry's a phenomenal talent," Romo said. "Anything that he does, even if it's 80 percent of what he was before, he's still going to give you something good."

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Its Finally Over: Michael Vick gets Sentenced

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison Monday for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy that involved gambling and killing pit bulls.

The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback could have been sentenced up to five years by District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Vick was dressed in a black-and-white striped prison suit and apologized to the court and his family.
Hudson responded, "You need to apologize to the millions of young people who looked up to you."

"Yes, sir," Vick said.

Vick acknowledged he used "poor judgment" and added, "I'm willing to deal with the consequences and accept responsibility for my actions."

Before the hearing started, Michael Vick's brother, Marcus Vick, sat with his right arm around their mother, comforting her as she buried her head in her hands and wept.

Vick pleaded guilty in August, admitting he bankrolled the "Bad Newz Kennels" dogfighting operation and helped kill six to eight dogs.

In a plea agreement, he admitted bankrolling the dogfighting ring on his 15-acre property in rural southeastern Virginia and helping kill pit bulls that did not perform well in test fights. He also admitted providing money for bets on the fights but said he never shared in any winnings.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank called the sentencing "another step in his legal journey.

"This is a difficult day for Michael's family and for a lot of us, including many of our players and fans who have been emotionally invested in Michael over the years," Blank added.

"We sincerely hope that Michael will use this time to continue to focus his efforts on making positive changes in his life, and we wish him well in that regard."

Terence Newman threatens John Kitna

IRVING, Texas (AP) - Dallas Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman has been put on notice by the NFL after indicating his desire for revenge on Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna.

Posted on Newman's locker Thursday was a letter he received from the NFL after making comments about Kitna during a satellite radio interview. Newman refused comment to reporters when he walked through the locker room.
"Be advised that your comments will now compel us to carefully monitor your activities in this weekend's Cowboys-Lions game," read part of the letter signed by Ray Anderson, NFL executive vice president for football operations. "As you know, flagrant fouls may subject a player not only to fines, but to suspension as well. So conduct yourself accordingly."

Kitna threw four touchdown passes in the regular-season finale in Dallas last year to end a 3-13 season for Detroit. In an interview the following week with a radio station in Seattle, where the Cowboys had to go for the playoffs, Kitna called out the Dallas defense, specifically linebacker Bradie James.

The Cowboys (11-1), who have already clinched another playoff spot this season, play at Detroit on Sunday. Kitna's bulletin-board remarks from January have been widely discussed.

While Newman hasn't spoken to local media this week, he issued what amounted to a warning for Kitna during an interview Tuesday on Sirius NFL Radio.

"Basically what it boils down to is you've got to watch what you say. Your mouth can't write checks that your (expletive) can't cash. That's what it comes down to," Newman said. "Everybody's going to see those quotes. He better just hope I don't blitz off the edge, because I've got 15, 25, 30 (thousand dollars), however much it would be for a fine. I've got that much for one fine. Revenge will be sweet definitely."

In the NFL letter to Newman, Anderson wrote those comments were "thoughtless and irresponsible" and "contrary to all the NFL stands for."

On Monday, when the Cowboys returned to practice from a three-day weekend following their victory over Green Bay, James was already talking about facing Kitna and the Lions.

"It has been circled on my calendar the whole year, and here we are and I'm looking forward to it," James said. "Y'all can ask me about Jon Kitna every day from here on out the rest of my life and I will get fired up. ... He talked like we weren't ever going to play them again. We're going to be ready."

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SEAN TAYLOR MURDER: Suspects have criminal past and myspace pages

By Beverly Francis, Wink News

Fort Myers- Eric Rivera's Myspace page says it all. The page is filled with pictures showing Rivera's obsession with money, surrounded by stacks of one hundred dollar bills.Sheriff's records show in the past couple of months, Rivera has been charged with multiple felonies, the most recent, less than two months ago.

Most of the charges involve drugs and weapons, but Rivera isn't the only one to have a past with police.We discovered all four suspects in the Sean Taylor case have criminal histories.Before his recent arrest, records show 20-year-old Venjah Hunte racked up several drug charges, and there are at least two drug-related felonies on 18-year-old Charles Wardlow's record.

As for Jason Mitchell, he's never been arrested for drugs, but has had his share of apperances in front of a judge.Like Rivera, Mitchell too has a love for money that's apparent on his Myspace page.Now investigators must prove if that desire for wealth is connected to the death of an NFL star.

Worst time-out in history

Move over Chris Webber Baltimore blew a victory by calling a timeout just before a 4th down play that would have stopped the Patriots and won the game.

This was the most painful game I have watched in a long time. Three times the Patriots were stopped on 4th down and got bailed out by BS calls.

Patriots win by default. Im going to go throw up now.

College football ranks go crazy over the weekend

Just when you thought you knew who was going to play in the National Championship, the top teams on the list lose, and throw even more confusion into the system. Everyone is going to have the complaints, but I would have liked to have seen Hawaii play for the title (even if they would get stomped). Hell, they're undefeated, why not?

Any who, here are the games and schedules for the college bowl games.

San Diego Co. Credit Union Poinsettia Dec. 20
9 p.m. San Diego, Calif. Utah vs. Navy ESPN

R&L Carriers New Orleans Dec. 21
8 p.m. New Orleans, La. Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis ESPN2

PapaJohn's.com Dec. 22
1 p.m. Birmingham, Ala. Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss ESPN2

New Mexico Dec. 22
4:30 p.m. Albuquerque, N.M. New Mexico vs. Nevada ESPN

Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Dec. 22
8 p.m. Las Vegas, Nev. BYU vs. UCLA ESPN

Sheraton Hawaii Dec. 23
8 p.m. Honolulu, Hawaii East Carolina vs. Boise State ESPN

Motor City Dec. 26
7:30 p.m. Detroit, Mich. Purdue vs. Central Michigan ESPN

Pacific Life Holiday Dec. 27
8 p.m. San Diego, Calif. Texas vs. Arizona State ESPN

Champs Sports Dec. 28
5 p.m. Orlando, Fla. Boston College vs. Michigan State ESPN

Texas Dec. 28
8 p.m. Houston, Texas TCU vs. Houston NFL

Emerald Dec. 28
8:30 p.m. San Francisco, Calif. Maryland vs. Oregon State ESPN

Meineke Car Care Dec. 29
1 p.m. Charlotte, N.C. Wake Forest vs. Connecticut ESPN

AutoZone Liberty Dec. 29
4:30 p.m. Memphis, Tenn. UCF vs. Mississippi State ESPN

Alamo Dec. 29
8 p.m. San Antonio, Texas Penn State vs. Texas A&M ESPN

Petro Sun Independence Dec. 30
8 p.m. Shreveport, La. Colorado vs. Alabama ESPN

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Dec. 31
12:30 p.m. Fort Worth, Texas Air Force vs. California ESPN

Sun Dec. 31
2 p.m. El Paso, Texas South Florida vs. Oregon CBS

Humanitarian Dec. 31
2 p.m. Boise, Idaho Georgia Tech vs. Fresno State ESPN2

Gaylord Hotels Music City Dec. 31
4 p.m. Nashville, Tenn. Kentucky vs. Florida State ESPN

Chick-fil-A Dec. 31
7:30 p.m. Atlanta, Ga. Auburn vs. Clemson ESPN

Insight Dec. 31
TBA Tempe, Ariz. Indiana vs. Oklahoma State NFL

Outback Jan. 1
11 a.m. Tampa, Fla. Wisconsin vs. Tennessee ESPN

AT&T Cotton Jan. 1
11:30 a.m. Dallas, Texas Missouri vs. Arkansas FOX

Gator Jan. 1
1 p.m. Jacksonville, Fla. Virginia vs. Texas Tech CBS

Capital One Jan. 1
1 p.m. Orlando, Fla. Michigan vs. Florida ABC

Rose presented by Citi Jan. 1
4:30 p.m. Pasadena, Calif. USC vs. Illinois ABC

Allstate Sugar Jan. 1
8:30 p.m. New Orleans, La. Hawaii vs. Georgia FOX

Tostitos Fiesta Jan. 2
8 p.m. Glendale, Ariz. Oklahoma vs. West Virginia FOX

FedEx Orange Jan. 3
8 p.m. Miami, Fla. Virginia Tech vs. Kansas FOX

International Jan. 5
12 p.m. Toronto, Canada Rutgers vs. Ball State ESPN2

GMAC Jan. 6
8 p.m. Mobile, Ala. Tulsa vs. Bowling Green ESPN

BCS National Championship Jan. 7
8 p.m. New Orleans, La. Ohio State vs. LSU FOX