While Cowboys tight end Jason Witten was able to play most of the game against the Giants last Wednesday, it was apparent his lacerated spleen injury, and having to wear a protective harness made him less than 100 percent for the season opener.
He also caught just two passes for 10 yards -- another sign the seven-time Pro Bowler wasn’t quite right. But with 10 days of rest between games, Witten said he’s improving vastly and expects to be close to 100 percent by Sunday’s kickoff (3:05 p.m. CT) in Seattle.
“It’s there,” Witten said of the pain. “There’s no question in that, but I feel like the more and more now with practice and getting out there, I’ll get back to my normal self here this week.”
The best part for Witten is that he feels the serious nature of the injury is probably behind him. He was asked directly if he is “out of the woods” when it comes to re-injuring the spleen or making the situation worse.
“I think I am,” Witten said. “I guess you can never say never as far as always being 100 percent sure, but I think it’s one of those deals where you don’t know when those situations are going to come up.
"I’ve got padding there. I’m going to do those things, but the good news is unlike an ankle or a hamstring, where it can linger for weeks, this is something (where) I feel good when I’m out there practicing and running around. I don’t see any setbacks that will get in the way here and (I can) go back to being the normal self, get to practice and get the stuff going for a big week this week.”
Ratliff misses practice: Defensive tackle Jay Ratliff’s chances of playing Sunday took a hit when he missed Wednesday’s practice with a high-ankle sprain he suffered on Aug. 25. Ratliff has not practiced since the injury. He was not on the field during the open-media portion of Wednesday’s full-padded practice. Josh Brent will start his second strraiht game if Ratliff can’t go.
Encouraging signs for Sensabaugh: Safety Gerald Sensabaugh missed Monday’s walkthrough with what he termed “concussion-like symptoms” and he was limited for Wednesday’s practice. But the starting free safety was at least on the field in uniform and participated in some light drills before conditioning work. Coach Jason Garrett sounded encouraged with Sensabaugh’s development and responsiveness from the concussion he suffered late in the Giants game Sept. 5.
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