Cowboys move on at center with Frederick on their mind
FRISCO, TEXAS » A year ago, Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Joe Looney grabbed the spotlight during training camp as the prankster who took the field in star running back Ezekiel Elliott’s jersey, his cover blown by the gut sticking out under No. 21.
Now that Looney has become the starting center under the serious circumstances of Travis Frederick’s battle against a rare neurological disorder, the career backup plans to keep his sense of humor.
“Things are still the same,” Looney said Thursday, almost exactly a year after a similar throng of reporters surrounded his locker to discuss his antics in practice at team headquarters.
“Football is a game. And I’m going to come out here and have fun every day doing it. Sometimes it’s not going to be perfect. But at the end of the day, this is a game and I’ve got to enjoy it.”
Looney and the rest of the Cowboys will have Frederick on their mind as they prepare to start the regular season. The 27-year-old Frederick will likely miss the visit to Carolina on Sept. 9 and any number of games after that.
The Cowboys simply don’t know how long Frederick will be out as he undergoes treatment for Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an auto-immune condition that causes the body to attack a network of nerves around the brain and spinal cord.
Weakness is one of the primary symptoms, in some cases signaled by burning sensations similar to what football players call “stingers,” usually injuries around the neck. That’s what Frederick was describing to the team when the Cowboys were still in California for training camp.
Frederick was cleared by a specialist in the Los Angeles area over concerns about his neck. But symptoms persisted after the Cowboys returned to Texas. He got the diagnosis this week and was in his third day of treatment Thursday. Dallas center Travis Frederick (72) defends as quarterback Dak Prescott (4) prepares to pass last year.
The 2016 All-Pro said in a statement issued by the team that treatment will continue for several days. And while Frederick and his teammates are optimistic he will return soon, nobody can say when.
Most people recover from even the most severe cases of the disease, but some will continue to have some degree of weakness, according to the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
“It’s tough,” said 2014 All-Pro guard Zack Martin, one of Frederick’s best friends on the team. “During training camp, he really didn’t know what was going on. He was kind of telling us how he was feeling. It’s tough that he didn’t know until a couple of days ago.”
Lions bolster LB position in trade for Harold with 49ers
ALLEN PARK, MICH. » The Detroit Lions bolstered their depth at linebacker by acquiring Eli Harold in a trade with San Francisco.
Detroit gave the 49ers a draft pick, which was not disclosed, in exchange for Harold. The Lions made room for him by waiving defensive lineman JoJo Wicker.
Detroit lost Steve Longa, a backup linebacker and key player on special teams, last week with a season-ending knee injury.
Harold started 24 games for San Francisco and played in 48 games
over three seasons. He played in every game last season, starting 10, and had 34 tackles and two sacks.
Cowboys’ Andrie, who played in Ice Bowl, dies at 78
DALLAS » George Andrie, the former Dallas Cowboys defensive end who scored a touchdown in the Ice Bowl game against Green Bay in
1967, has died. He was 78.
He died Tuesday at his home in Woodway, Texas. Andrie’s family has said he suffered from dementia.
Andrie was among the former players who sued the NFL over claims that the league knew repeated head blows could lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease.
Andrie was part of the “Doomsday Defense” that included Hall of Famer Bob Lilly and fellow starters Willie Townes and Jethro Pugh. He led the Cowboys in sacks four straight seasons from 1964-67 and was an All-Pro in 1969. That was the last of five straight Pro Bowls, a record for a Dallas defensive end.
The temperature was 15 below in Green Bay when the Packers and Cowboys played for a spot in the second Super Bowl. Andrie picked up a fumble by Bart Starr and ran
7 yards for a touchdown with Green Bay leading 14-0. The Packers won
21-17 on Starr’s quarterback sneak in the final seconds.