Anthony Spencer News

Christmas came early when it was announced that the Cowboys would play the Raiders on Thanksgiving.A They did not disappoint.A In this league you have to beat the inferior teams, and they did just that yesterday.A The offense got rolling with a remarkable five plays over 40 yards.A Miles Austin and Jason Witten each went over 100 yards receiving.A ...

Greg Ellis' homecoming had a dismal ending on Thursday. Ellis stayed on the bench during the second half of Oakland's 24-7 loss to the Cowboys because of swelling in the right leg.

For the most part, the Dallas Cowboys locker room was a happy place on Thursday afternoon.

Luers assistant Kyle Lindsay, shown in 1999, helped lead the Knights to three titles.

Miles Austin couldn't stop smiling, soaking up the cheers as he stared at himself on the giant video screens over the field.

Greg Ellis had 201/2 sacks for Dallas the last two seasons. So why will he line up at end today in Oakland's 4-3 alignment instead of outside linebacker in the Cowboys' 3-4 scheme? Dallas saved $4.15 million in cap space when it cut Ellis in June, but he suggested this week the decision came down to coach Wade Phillips wanting to go with his guy.

OAKLAND RAIDERS at DALLAS OPENING LINE - Cowboys by 14 RECORD VS. SPREAD - Oakland 5-5; Dallas 5-5 SERIES RECORD - Raiders lead 6-3 LAST MEETING - Raiders beat Cowboys 19-13, Oct.

Kool and the Gang's Celebration blared over the Cowboys Stadium's loudspeakers after Sunday's game.

The Dallas Cowboys' defense has finally gained a closer's mentality. Earlier in the season, the Cowboys struggled to stop teams from driving late.

I like to prod ol' Uncle Wade but, let's face, his fixed defense is the reason there's hope in Cowboyville.

We spent all week talking about the Cowboys' running game. Did they abandon the run last week? Should they run it more? Is this really a running football team? At the end of the day, or let's just say the end of the week now, it really didn't matter.

After drawing criticism all week for his play calling in a loss to the Green Bay Packers , Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett produced a much more balanced approach against the Washington Redskins .

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys were awful on offense for a second straight week.

Betts apparently got hurt on a hard tackle by Bradie James at the end of a 2-yard gain midway through the first quarter Sunday.

The Cowboys' secondary has lost its chief communicator, free safety Ken Hamlin, for two-to-four weeks with a high ankle sprain he suffered in Sunday's 17-7 loss to the Packers.

Just spoke with Redskins executive vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato on the phone.

Cowboys tight end Jason Witten is caught in a sudden flurry of penalties. Witten has been called for three penalties - two for pass interference, one for a false start - in the last two games.

Green Bay cornerback Charles Woodson Woodson was dominant. He had nine tackles, one sack, two tackles for a loss, one interception, one pass defensed and two forced fumbles.

By CHAREAN WILLIAMS, JEFF CAPLAN, and CLARENCE E. HILL JR. sports@star-telegram.com Midpoint grades B Rush offense: The Cowboys are eighth in the league in rushing, averaging 138 yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry.

Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *OK, so let it be known that my buddy and Ticket founding father Mike Rhyner has been/is calling for a Cowboys' appearance in this year's Super Bowl.