Pat Watkins News

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.

Right tackle Marc Colombo will undergo surgery today to repair torn ligaments in his ankle, the result of the hit that fractured his left fibula during Sunday's 17-7 loss to Green Bay , reports the Dallas Morning News' Todd Archer .

With Ken Hamlin 's timeline for return officially set at 2-4 weeks, the Cowboys are left to figure out how to replace the former Pro Bowler, who last missed a game in 2005, after a late-night donnybrook on the streets of Seattle led to a stop sign being bashed over the free safety's cranium.

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

The Cowboys will be without starting FS Ken Hamlin, who suffered a high ankle sprain against the Packers, for 3-4 weeks.

Pat Watkins got a double dose of DeSean Jackson's speed during the defense and special teams meetings at Valley Ranch.

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.

Deon Anderson knew things would be different from the moment he met Joe DeCamillis.

The Cowboys had some injury concerns going into Sunday's game against the Falcons, but all of their ailing players came out of the game just fine except for their newest acquisition.

The Cowboys began preparations for slumping Seattle with their first "Victory Monday" of the season.

Despite the success of New York Giants receiver Steve Smith against Gerald Sensabaugh, the Cowboys hope their safety's return from an injured thumb will make a difference against Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez.

Coming off possibly the most productive bye week in memory, Tashard Choice , DeMarcus Ware and Pat Watkins took time to visit students at a local middle school as a part of a United Way initiative Play 60, aimed at keeping kids in shape and in school, reports the Dallas Morning News .

Once again, the Cowboys were on the move. If it's raining outside, or has rained or is about to rain, this football team is usually somewhere other than Valley Ranch.

Although starting center Andre Gurode has made progress this week, the Cowboys won't have key offensive players Roy Williams and Felix Jones this Sunday at Kansas City.

ORE CITY, TX: Ever since Ken Hamlin signed the big contract his play has been subpar.

Dallas Cowboys safety Gerald Sensabaugh will not play Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Cowboys left Denver with two banged-up starters and will face the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday without them.

Safety Gerald Sensabaugh will have his broken right thumb surgically repaired and could miss up to four weeks.

Safety Gerald Sensabaugh suffered a broken thumb in the first half and did not return.