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Thursday, August 17, 2000

Receiver depth a question for Cowboys
McGarity, Tucker, Brazzell competing for spots on Dallas roster
By Jaime Aron
Associated Press
WICHITA FALLS- Jeff Ogden has missed all of Dallas Cowboys training camp with injuries and Jason Tucker has been out most of the time. Injury rehab has limited James McKnight.
   Wane McGarity and Chris Brazzell haven't completely capitalized on the extra playing time. While both have made some big plays, they've also had some bad ones.
   As a result, the Cowboys go into their final two preseason games still trying to figure out which receivers will join Joey Galloway and Raghib Ismail on the final roster and how they'll all be used.
   "Those guys not at the top of the depth chart, they're all fighting for playing time and for jobs," coach Dave Campo said Wednesday. "Some of it has to do with the package system that you have - who is going to be doing what, when.
   "There are some guys that are going to be good slot receivers, there's going to be others who are good outside and there are guys who can do both. That's how you shape the number of receivers that you keep."
   The Cowboys opened last season with seven receivers, two more than the previous year, and ended up needing them all - and then some. Dallas had so many injuries that Alvin Harper came out of retirement for a few games.
   This season, six appears a likely start, with Ogden the odd-man out. If there's a seventh it would be Darran Hall, who is primarily a kickoff returner. He leads the team with an average of 34.4 yards per return, including a 62-yarder.
   Tucker was the team's top kickoff returner last season and made great strides as a receiver after being the final player to make the squad in training camp. His numbers last season are even more impressive considering he played with bone spurs in both big toes that were removed in the off-season.
   Tucker has been slow to recover and a groin injury has made things worse. Campo said he hopes Tucker will see his first preseason action in the final game next Thursday against St. Louis.
   "I have a real good feeling for Jason Tucker from what he did last year," Campo said. "I don't have as good a feeling about Jeff Ogden at this point because his season wasn't as good last year."
   Ogden, a longshot who made the team in camp two years ago, seemed to have rebounded from a mediocre 1999 with a strong season in NFL Europe. A foot problem he brought into camp limited him early, then an injury to the other foot set him back once the initial pain healed.
   "Jeff has fallen farther and farther behind just because of the fact he's not out there and there's no set timetable as to when he will," Campo said. "I'm hoping he'll be out there next week and get ready for St. Louis and at least get on the field and do some things.
   "He also has a track record, though. We've seen what he's done in NFL Europe and also with us, so, we're a little more lenient in holding and waiting and hoping he can get out there and show something relatively quickly."
   Any doubts about McKnight's status ended Sunday when he caught four passes for 89 yards. It was his first game action since being acquired last summer from Seattle because of a knee injury suffered early in last year's camp.
   "I think he was excited to be out there and do as well as he did and feel comfortable and know that if he's open the quarterbacks will try to get the ball to him," Campo said.
   McGarity, a fourth-round pick last year, has made some nice catches this preseason but also has his share of drops. Ditto for Brazzell, who became the seventh receiver last year when he was claimed off waivers just before the opener.
   McGarity has tried adding to his value by returning punts (three for just 7 yards, compared to three for 33 for Hall). He's also begun practicing as the holder on field goals.
   "Wane showed enough to me last year that I would feel that he has a chance to get playing time," Campo said.
   The Cowboys were first interested in Brazzell for his special teams skills, then began using him more as a receiver when the injury bug bit. His five preseason catches are second to Galloway for the team lead, but he'd be No. 1 without all his drops.
   But Brazzell remains a solid special teams contributor and showed those same instincts Sunday when he chased a defender who was returning a fumble, lunged at him from behind and caused another fumble, which Dallas recovered.
   The roster will be cut to 65 players by next Wednesday and, four days later, to 53.
   NOTES: Dallas signed QB Charlie Puleri on Wednesday to make sure they have enough arms against Denver. Randall Cunningham has been slowed by bursitis in his right shoulder and Paul Justin has missed practice with an elbow problem. Puleri was with the Cowboys earlier this summer, but Clint Stoerner beat him out for a training-camp job. . . . Justin's injury makes it even more likely that Stoerner will be the third quarterback, assuming Dallas keeps three. "If they were both coming in with the same backgrounds, you'd say (Stoerner) has clearly outplayed him. But we've seen Paul play in the NFL." . . . To make room for Puleri, TE Chris Smith was waived after just a few days on the roster. . . . Campo said that although Emmitt Smith will likely miss his fourth straight preseason game with injuries, the running back would be able to play through the pain if it was the regular season.

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