Baxter possibly out for the season; Walker out for 7-10 days

This really sucks. I liked Jarrod. With the offensive line in shambles, this is not good news at all.






Injuries take toll during loss

Baxter could be lost for season

By JOSEPH DUARTE

IRVING -- The Texans walked off the field at Texas Stadium dejected Friday night after a 34-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

That was the good news.

Starting fullback Jarrod Baxter needed the aid of crutches to walk to the team bus after the game.

Pro Bowl defensive end Gary Walker had his left shoulder in a sling.

Both will be re-evaluated today, but the sting of the 28-point loss may be felt for some time.

Baxter suffered a sprained arch in his left foot and is expected to miss significant time, possibly the entire season. Walker is hopeful he will be out only seven to 10 days.

"Jarrod could be the most serious," coach Dom Capers said.

Baxter, who started 10 games as a rookie last season, suffered the injury during the third quarter when he was hit by a pair of Dallas defenders near the Texans bench.

"One went high, and one went low," Baxter said. "My foot rolled in the turf and twisted like wringing out a rag."

Baxter, whose role with the Texans was mostly as a blocker out of the backfield and on special teams, said he did not receive a clear answer from the medical staff about the extent of his injury. He will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging test in Houston.

Baxter hinted that there could be ligament damage in the foot, which in most cases would end his season.

"Coming off the field I was thinking it would hopefully walk off," Baxter said. "After a few minutes, it didn't, and they had to look at it. I tried to get an answer out of them (on how long I would be out) but they wouldn't tell me. I really hope I won't be out a long time."

If Baxter is forced to miss significant time, Moran Norris will take over the starting fullback job. Last season, Norris played in 13 games, mostly on special teams, for the Texans after being claimed off waivers from New Orleans in mid-September.

Walker injured his left shoulder on the third play of the second quarter. He remained in the game four more plays when, attempting to make a play on Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter, he landed on the shoulder and fell to his knees. Walker remained on the ground, writhing in pain for a few minutes before walking off.

"Hopefully it's only a sprain and I'll only have to be out about a week," Walker said. "That's what I'm hoping for. I don't want to miss too much time. They'll look at it (today) and make a judgement."

Walker injured his groin during minicamp last year and was forced to sit out most of training camp. He recovered to start all 16 games at left defensive end and earned a second consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl.

Cornerback/return specialist Darrick Vaughn also suffered a sprained shoulder in the loss.

The Texans have been besieged by injuries throughout camp. Running back Domanick Davis (broken hand), center Steve McKinney (sprained knee), cornerback Aaron Glenn (hamstring), free safety Travares Tillman (fractured forearm), guard Ryan Schau (knee infection) and tight end Bennie Joppru (groin) have missed significant practice time. Free safety Matt Stevens missed Friday's game with soreness in his right knee.

"We have a lot of injuries, but that's the way football is," Walker said. "If you're not a starter, you're only one play away from being a starter. And if you're third team, you're two plays away from being a starter. Everybody has to be ready to play, because you never know when you're going to have an injury."