Friday, September 25, 1998

Warren eager to return Sunday

By JAIME ARON

Associated Press

IRVING - In eight seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, Chris Warren never missed more than two games. A groin injury has forced him to miss his first three games with the Dallas Cowboys and the wait has really gotten to him.

"It feels like I've missed half the season," Warren said.

The end is finally in sight. Warren practiced Thursday for the second straight day and will make his Dallas debut Sunday against Oakland. He could even start if Emmitt Smith hasn't recovered from a groin injury of his own.

Smith's problem isn't as severe as Warren's was, but it kept him out of the second half of Monday night's 31-7 victory over the New York Giants. He practiced Thursday for the first time this week, but coach Chan Gailey still isn't sure whether Smith or Warren will be the starter Sunday.

"We'll make that decision Friday or Saturday," Gailey said.

Gailey said Warren will definitely be Dallas' third-down back against the Raiders.

"I know I can add something to the offense," said Warren, who has rushed for 6,706 yards and 44 touchdowns and caught 194 passes for 1,342 yards and three more scores in his career. "The way I feel now, I don't see why not. I'm pretty much ready to go."

The Seahawks released Warren, their all-time leading rusher, in March. Several teams were interested in him and he could have made more than the $2 million over three years Dallas is giving him.

But Warren signed with the Cowboys because "it just felt right for me to be playing here." He liked the team's winning tradition and he was especially happy to be reunited with Clarence Shelmon, his position coach the last six years in Seattle who happened to have just been hired by Dallas.

Warren, 30, understood the Cowboys wanted him as a backup to Smith, especially on third downs, where his receiving skills would give Troy Aikman another option. He made it known he was not coming here to try to take Smith's job away.

Things were going great until Aug. 11, when Warren strained his groin during a meaningless scrimmage against the New Orleans Saints. He rested for a few weeks, then tried coming back in the final exhibition game against Jacksonville. He ended up reaggravating the injury.

"It affected me. I was ready to go. I felt I had a good camp, I felt good about the team and about what Chan was doing," Warren said. "That was tough, but it's something you have to deal with."

It wasn't easy. Warren went to the season opener, at home against Arizona, but he found it hard to watch. He didn't join the team on the road for games against Denver and New York.

Trainers told him to rest on game days off, but instead of slouching on the sofa he continued pushing himself.

"I was working out, but they didn't know it," he said. "I was just doing little stuff, extra stretching and light jogging. It wasn't anything they told me I couldn't do. ...

"The way I feel is that you're going to get better just from treatment here. There are some things you have to do that trainers and coaches don't tell you. It's just like studying the playbook. They don't tell you to go home and study this play and that play, but there are things you do on you're own that's part of being a professional."

Warren was supposed be out up to six weeks, but his extra work has made a difference. Thursday marked four weeks since he went down.

"I know my body better than anybody else," Warren said. "Four-to-six weeks was just a timetable. This is the fourth week, so I'm right on time."

Warren said that once he gets on the field he won't fear another setback.

"You're a step slower even if you're just thinking about it," he said. "I've done my rehab and everything to get back where I am now. If something else happens, I'll just have to live with it."