beneficial even if he's not practicing the Cowboys' own plays.
There's no substitute for daily reps. Sure, McGee got some valuable preseason action, but in training camp he had limited third-team snaps, often against the first-team defense. Besides a couple of games, it's not as much summer work as you might think.
And there's also something to be gained by knowing he's one snap away, not three-deep on the depth chart. It narrows the weekly focus for even the most diligent players.
"I think you prepare yourself even more knowing there's a chance," McGee said.
This has been good for him, even though it comes at the unfortunate price of losing the team's offensive catalyst.
Considering how durable Romo has been for the majority of his career, and assuming Kitna's back next year, this might be the only chance to get a regular-season look at McGee, even if it's a quarter or half. But he'd have to be ready for that challenge in the coaches' eyes, just like Bill Parcells' reluctance to play Romo until it was time.
Will there be time for Romo this year? We'll see.
Garrett rightfully doesn't deal in hypotheticals, but what if Romo returned to rally the Cowboys past Philadelphia in the season finale? Could that be a needed exclamation point for a frustrating year? Could that provide some sort of momentum for this team heading into 2011?
Some agree. Some disagree.
That's what makes it a good debate in early December.
