Phillips gets win in Dallas debut
Tony Romo and Keith Davis kept Wade Phillips smiling throughout his first game coaching the Dallas Cowboys.
The replacement for Bill Parcells, Phillips was jovial as ever taking his place on the home sideline at Texas Stadium in Irving long before kickoff. His mood only improved seeing Romo complete 10 of 11 passes while leading two long scoring drives and watching Davis intercept a tipped pass and return it 41 yards for a touchdown in a 23-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night.
Of course, this is only preseason so don’t read too much into things. But Phillips and the Cowboys will take it – and the Colts surely won’t be bothered by it. Indianapolis went 1-3 in the preseason last year and wound up winning the Super Bowl. The Colts were 0-5 in 2005 exhibition games then won their first 13 regular-season games.
Lions beat Bengals
At Detroit, Calvin Johnson showed a glimpse of what’s to come from the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft.
Johnson caught two passes for 45 yards late in the first half to set up a score and the Detroit Lions rallied late to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 27-26 in the exhibition opener for both teams.
The 6-foot-5, 239-pound receiver displayed his speed and savvy on his first catch, sprinting and settling into a spot behind a cornerback and in front of a safety. On the next play, Johnson used his body and leaping ability to shield first-round pick Leon Hall for a 21-yard reception that was the second and final ball thrown to him.
Ayanbadejo suspended 4 games
Chicago Bears fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo said he might sue the maker of an over-the-counter supplement after the NFL suspended him for the first four regular-season games without pay for violating the league’s policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.
The suspension begins Sept. 1 and ends following the game against Detroit on Sept. 30. He is eligible to participate in preseason games and practices.
Ayanbadejo insisted he did not take steroids, did not knowingly “infringe on the rules of the NFL performance-enhancing drug policy” and that he had passed “60-plus drug tests and never failed one.”
“I’ve never had a problem at any level – collegiately, in the NFL,” he said.
Ayanbadejo said he used a product called Max LMG, which decreases estrogen levels and boosts testosterone, for three weeks in January.
Around the league
Browns linebacker Willie McGinest was scheduled to have back surgery and will miss at least six weeks, another blow to a Cleveland team decimated by major injuries the past few seasons. McGinest, who has made 159 starts during a 13-year NFL career, was to have the operation in Los Angeles. … The Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed six-time Pro Bowl fullback Mike Alstott on injured reserve with a neck problem. Alstott said it is not related to a career-threatening injury that required surgery in 2003. … All-Pro guard Shawn Andrews is out indefinitely and tight end L.J. Smith aggravated a sports hernia, adding to the list of injured Philadelphia Eagles. Andrews is bothered by a right ankle injury, the same one he hurt in Week 1 of his rookie season in 2004. He saw a specialist Wednesday, then returned to camp with a walking boot and crutches.