Monday, September 14, 1998

Aikman breaks collarbone, out 4 to 8 weeks

By RICK FOLSTAD

Scripps Howard News Service

DENVER - It was the one change Chan Gailey didn't want to see in his new offense.

When Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman slid to the grass in the second quarter of Sunday's game at Mile High Stadium, he was late getting up. When he did, the Cowboys saw their best chance for returning to the playoffs walking slowly to the sideline in obvious pain.

Aikman was replaced by backup Jason Garrett, and X-rays showed the veteran quarterback had suffered a broken left collarbone. Aikman is expected to miss four to eight weeks.

For Gailey, it was the worst news a first-year head coach in the NFL could get.

"I hate to use the word devastating," Gailey said following a 42-23 loss to the Denver Broncos. "It hurts our football team. He's an all-time great player and you can't lose an all-time great player without hurting your team. But you have to go on. They're not going to cancel the games because we have an injury. "

The tough injury is even tougher for Aikman because he likes what Gailey has brought to the Cowboys.

"It's very frustrating," the quarterback said, his left arm cradled under his jacket. "I like what we've been doing on offense and I liked what we were doing on offense (Sunday). But the team moves on and the other guys will. step up. And I'm not out for the whole year "

Aikman said he wasn't sure when the injury occurred, whether it was when he went down or when Broncos linebacker Bill Romanowski fell on him.

"It was a freak injury," Aikman said. "The scrambling was not by design. But that's the nature of the sport."

Gailey said he doesn't like to see his quarterback scramble, but he understands it's easy for a player to get caught up in the heat of battle.

"He was trying to make a first down," Gailey said.

After replacing Barry Switzer as coach before the start of the season, Gailey revamped the Cowboys offense. One of his changes was the addition of the shotgun formation, which allows Aikman more freedom.

Now Garrett, a sixth-year player out of Princeton, will have to keep the Cowboys in the hunt for the postseason until Aikman comes back.

"Jason is a sharp guy," Aikman said. "He understands what we're doing and he's not a newcomer, and that really helps. "

In his two-plus quarters of play, Garrett completed 14 of 19 passes for 113 yards.

"There's an experience factor," Gailey said in comparing the two quarterbacks. "And there's arm strength. But we'll ask him to do some of the same things.

"Productively speaking, it seemed like things went fairly well. (Garrett) missed some things he probably wouldn't have missed if he had been taking more (repetitions) at practice, and it cost us a touchdown. "

Jerry Jones, the Cowboys owner and general manager, said he plans to stick with Garrett and third-string quarterback Mike Quinn.

"I do not see us bringing in another quarterback," Jones said. "The way I see it, they (Garrett and Quinn) are No. 1 and No. 2. And there is also a salary cap consideration.

"It's a challenge," he said of playing without Aikman. "This early in the season, it's a challenge that we can take on and build with. I believe that very much."

(Rick Folstad writes for Rocky Mountain News in Denver.)