Associated Press
The NFL notebook …
IRVING, Texas ó Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who wants to play despite a broken pinkie on his throwing hand, practiced and threw passes to receivers Thursday.
Coach Wade Phillips didn’t rule out the possibility of Romo playing Sunday at St. Louis even though he said the quarterback was limited in practice Thursday and that Brad Johnson took most of the snaps.
“He threw the ball pretty well,” Phillips said. “Just throwing the ball isn’t all they do. … There’s some other factors that we’ll see as we go along here. We still have a couple of more days.”
BUCS
Retired Tampa Bay Buccaneers fullback Mike Alstott, arguably the most popular player in franchise history, will be honored during halftime of Sunday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
The six-time Pro Bowl selection retired this year after 12 seasons with the Bucs. He, along with Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and John Lynch, helped transform the team from a laughingstock into a Super Bowl champion.
COYOTE SKINS
Here’s another Jim Zorn hidden talent: The Washington Redskins coach can skin a coyote.
Already known as an avid outdoorsman ó mountain biking and kayaking top the list ó Zorn this week told the story of how he once dealt with an unfortunate distant relative of Wile E.
“I found roadkill coyote, put it in a bag, shoved it in my trunk,” Zorn said. “I thought, ‘A coyote kill, this is awesome.’ I took it outside, I hung it on a tree right on the waterfront ó beautiful waterfront house ó and I skinned it. It looked like a yard dog. People thought I was skinning my own dog.”
WELCOME BACK
Tony Dungy doesn’t have many fond memories of Lambeau Field.
In six seasons as the Tampa Bay head coach, he went 0-7 at Green Bay and still has never won as a head coach there. The first coach to beat all 32 NFL teams gets another shot Sunday when the Colts visit the Packers.
FANTASTIC FINISHES
Of the 88 games played in the NFL this season, 28, or 31.8 percent, have been decided by a fourth-quarter comeback. If that continues, it will be the highest percentage in NFL history, suprassing the 31.3 in 1989, when there were 70 of them.
Last week, five of the 14 games were decided in the final minute or in overtime.
CAMP HOPE
San Diego Chargers All-Pro cornerback Antonio Cromartie is helping raise money for Camp HOPE, a backcountry retreat for at-risk, abused and neglected children that was heavily damaged during the wildfires a year ago.
RAIDERS
OAKLAND, Calif. ó Raiders coach Tom Cable thinks opening up the passing game will get Oakland’s stagnant offense moving, and Cable isn’t ruling out a change at wide receiver.
Cable declined to say if Javon Walker and former UNC star Ronald Curry would remain in the Raiders’ starting lineup.