The Associated Press | Posted: Thursday, October 30, 2008 11:00 pm
IRVING, Texas -- Cowboys tight end Jason Witten feels every breath he takes because of a broken rib. Sleeping is difficult and doctors have told him that it could be three or four weeks before his side will feel any better.
Yet, Witten still hopes to play Sunday against the NFC East-leading and rival New York Giants.
"I hope I can get out there and help," Witten said in the locker room Thursday before practice. "It's a big game obviously, and do my part."
During the early portion of practice open to reporters, Witten was in shorts and doing conditioning drills on the side with a team trainer. It was the second day in a row he didn't practice.
Witten, the NFC leader with 46 catches, said he would like to get some practice reps this week, but still described himself as a game-time decision. Coach Wade Phillips agreed, saying a decision on Witten would come later in the week.
"They've told me they were going to discuss it. It depends how good I tell them I'm feeling. But they've been great to work with," Witten said. "Obviously the doc wanted to talk to me about it as it gets closer here. We'll see how it goes."
The Cowboys (5-3), who had lost three of four games before their 13-9 victory Sunday over Tampa Bay, are already without quarterback Tony Romo (broken pinkie), guard Kyle Kosier (foot), and rookie running back Felix Jones on offense, and several injured defenders. Cornerback Anthony Henry (thigh) and linebacker Anthony Spencer (hamstring) were full participants in practice Thursday. Phillips said it appeared both would play against the Giants.
• Vikings' Williams anxious for first game of season: The waiting game for Madieu Williams is almost over.
After missing two and a half months with an injured neck, the safety is poised to make his debut with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday against the Houston Texans.
Williams signed a six-year deal in the offseason that could be worth as much as $33 million, including $12 million in guaranteed money. The offer lured him away from Cincinnati and made him one of the richest safeties in the league.
But he developed a nerve problem in his neck early in training camp and has yet to play a down in purple.
The Vikings eagerly await the addition of a veteran and one of the prizes of their free-agent class to their defensive backfield.
"We have been hoping and looking forward to the day that we can get him on the field and it looks like we are real close to seeing that accomplished now that the doctors have given him clearance coming off that bye," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said Thursday.
The team still isn't sure what they'll get from Williams after such a long layoff. Frazier wasn't ready to say if Williams will start or if they will keep rookie Tyrell Johnson with the first unit.
Neck injuries are one of the most sensitive ailments for a football player. While Frazier was quick to point out that Williams is showing no ill effects in practice, the team will watch closely to see how he reacts in a game.
• Weight-loss pill StarCaps suspends shipments: The makers of an over-the-counter weight-loss pill have suspended shipments following accusations the product contains but does not list an ingredient banned by the NFL.
"We've received notice of the problem with the NFL," the makers of StarCaps said in a statement released by e-mail Thursday. The statement added that the company is "taking all necessary steps to ensure that our customers receive product that is safe and effective."
Saints players Jamar Nesbit and Deuce McAllister say they tested positive for the diuretic Bumetanide after using StarCaps. Nesbit, who filed suit against StarCaps this week, already served a four-game suspension. McAllister is among six to eight players under investigation by the league for taking a diuretic, which the NFL considers a masking agent for steroids.
A person familiar with the case provided the number of players involved and spoke on condition of anonymity because the players are appealing.
While temporarily suspending shipments and new sales on its Web site, the company stopped short of issuing a recall. StarCaps attorney Marc Ullman, with the firm Ullman, Shapiro & Ullman in New York, said a recall would be premature until the company received results from lab tests that should be completed in a week or two.
"If the product is adulterated with this substance, it's not something we knew about or wanted to have happen and we need to get to the bottom of what's going on here," Ullman said. "Obviously, we hope our test results indicate there's no contamination."
Ullman said he is unaware of any previous consumer complaints about the pills, which he said are aimed at women and have been on the market for about 20 years.
However, a study published in the November/December 2007 issue of the Journal of Analytical Toxicology found traces of Bumetanide in urine tests of people who took StarCaps.
Performed by the Center for Human Toxicology at the University of Utah, the study found "unregulated dietary supplements may put consumers at risk for unwitting consumption of prescription medications, and that it is possible for athletes to inadvertently test positive for Bumetanide and face disciplinary actions."
McAllister and two other Saints, defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant, all are appealing possible four-game suspensions they could face as first-time violators of the NFL's drug policy.
The attorney handling their consolidated appeal, David Cornwell, compared StarCaps' move to suspend shipments to "closing the barn door after the horse has bolted."
• Judge sayd Vick must appear in person for plea: Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick won't be allowed to plead guilty to dogfighting charges by videoconference, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Vick's lawyers had requested that he be allowed to enter the plea from federal prison in Leavenworth, Kan., where he is serving a two-year term since admitting he bankrolled a dogfighting operation and helped execute dogs.
But citing high public interest in the case, Surry County Circuit Judge Samuel Campbell said it would be better for Vick to appear in person.
"I know from my conversations with Mike and, more importantly, his family that he's looking forward to getting this behind him," said Lawrence Woodward, an attorney for the former Virginia Tech and Atlanta Falcons star.
Prosecutor Gerald Poindexter preferred that Vick's plea wait until his release from federal prison. He objected to the video conferencing motion on grounds that it has never been used in Virginia and he didn't want the county to set a precedent.
Vick, 28, is set to enter his plea on Nov. 25. Under the terms of his plea deal, he would receive only a suspended sentence and a year of probation. If he is able to resolve the state dogfighting and animal cruelty charges, he would be eligible to transfer to a halfway house for the final six months of his term, according to court papers.