EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys will likely be without a starting linebacker and key contributor at safety for the next two games, according to coach Brian Schottenheimer.DeMarvion Overshown, who handled the coach-to-player communication as the middle linebacker, could miss one to two weeks with a hamstring strain that knocked him out of the second half of Sunday's season-opening loss against the New York Giants.Safety Malik Hooker is scheduled to undergo surgery on a fractured forearm, but he will not go on injured reserve, which would knock him out for at least four games."It sounds like it's one that doesn't require as long of a period of time," Schottenheimer said Monday, "so we're hoping it's a two-week window."Schottenheimer indicated they will keep Caleb Downs in his role as a safety and slot player in passing situations, with P.J. Locke taking over the snaps Hooker would see in the sub package."Caleb's a guy that can move around, but we like him down near the line of scrimmage," Schottenheimer said.Replacing Overshown is a little trickier. The Cowboys mostly went with rookie Jaishawn Barham next to Dee Winters but mixed in Shemar James for a handful of snaps."We've got to move these guys around a little bit," Schottenheimer said. "Dee Winters is obviously most experienced of the group. Jaishawn got some valuable playtime [Sunday], did some good things, did some things that he needs to improve on. Shemar James is a valued member of our football team, very smart, very bright. And then obviously we've got some guys on practice squad that we've got elevations. Curtis Robinson is a veteran. He's played a lot of football in this league as well. And then Justin Barron's a guy we have a lot of high expectations for."It was an inauspicious debut for the Cowboys defensively under first-time coordinator Christian Parker, giving up 28 points, 394 yards and forcing just one punt. The Giants ran for 165 yards and converted 9-of-11 third-down tries, which limited the Cowboys' offense to just two second-half possessions."I have no question Christian Parker is the right guy for this job. He's an outstanding coach," Schottenheimer said. "He will learn from this, just like our young players are going to learn from this. We're going to play our young players this weekend too, and they're going to play better, and Christian's going to call a better game this week and feel better about it."
