Alan Ball News

TOLEDO, OH: When are the Cowboys going to put Roy Williams on the bench and bring in Patrick Crayton? Since being demoted, every time he steps on the field he makes a play.

The Dallas Cowboys host the Oakland Raiders on their annual Thanksgiving Day game.

Alan Ball of the Dallas Cowboys, right, breaks up a pass for Louis Murphy of the Oakland Raiders on Thursday, November 26, 2009, in Arlington, Texas.

Here's what Express-News Cowboys beat writer Tom Orsborn says you should keep an eye on during today's game: 1. Tougher time for Tony: Thanksgiving Day has been delightful for Tony Romo since he became the Cowboys' starter in 2006.

In a forgettable November loss in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the Dallas Cowboys lost two key players to injury: Marc Colombo, right tackle--who will remain on the shelf for the remainder of the regular season with a broken fibula and a series of now-surgically-repaired ankle tendons--and Ken Hamlin , safety and vocal leader in the secondary, who will ...

Alan Ball has been a cornerback for most of his professional career. The Cowboys' third-year defensive back hadn't played safety since high school and some his freshman year at Illinois.

With a short week before Thursday's game with the Raiders, there isn't much time to be looking backward on the Cowboys' 7-6 win over Washington last Sunday.

Kickoff return specialist Allen Rossum #30 of the Dallas Cowboys is tackled by Coy Wire #52 of the Atlanta Falcons at Cowboys Stadium on October 25, 2009 in Arlington, Texas.

Last week I almost fell a sleep watching the Cowboys make a mess all over Lambeau Field.

Redskins at Cowboys TV, radio: Fox, DirecTV , WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350 Line: Cowboys by 11, O/U 41 1/2 Series: Cowboys lead 57-39-2. Last meeting: Cowboys won 14-10 on Nov.

When the Cowboys run Felix Jones didn't have a carry in his only game vs. Washington as a rookie.

BATON ROUGE, LA: Hi guys, my question is about Alan Ball. Do you think he's going to be able to succeed at free safety and hold up physically given he's about 20 pounds lighter than Ken Hamlin? Nick: Well if he's 20 pounds lighter, then he should be a lot quicker, too.

Communication is a big part of football, especially on the offensive line and secondary, and the Cowboys will be without two major components in Marc Colombo and Ken Hamlin.

"The exciting part of it is you've got another guy ready to go," Houck said. "He steps in.

As for any lingering effects from that dirty play, Gurode says there are none as he prepares to face Haynesworth in a regular-season game for the first time since the incident.

Veteran free safety Ken Hamlin could miss up to a month with a high ankle sprain suffered Sunday at Green Bay.Alan Ball or Pat Watkins will replace Hamlin this week against Washington.

Charles Woodson wouldn't let the Green Bay Packers ' season slip away. The veteran cornerback forced two fumbles and picked off a pass by Tony Romo on the goal line as Green Bay's defense finally played up to its potential against a big-time opponent, beating the Dallas Cowboys 17-7 on Sunday.

At the conclusion of last season's 44-6 loss at Philadelphia, the first order of business for the Cowboys was to fire special teams coordinator Bruce Read , who had failed miserably in his two seasons with the club.

As soon as the ball is snapped, you've got four hands in your face. You turn right, go left and even cut back to the middle, but there're still two players hitting you with everything they've got.

Perhaps lost in the Cowboys' important win against Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons this weekend was the quietly stellar performance of starting strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh.