IRVING, Texas -- Justin Durant was as sick as anyone to see Sean Lee go down with a torn knee ligament in the first off-season practice for the Dallas Cowboys. To suggest the injury gives Durant an opportunity to be the starting middle linebacker sort of turns the eight-year veterans stomach. "It hurt me seriously to my core," Durant said of the left ACL injury that is likely to keep Lee out in 2014. "I just look at it as my trying to step up and fill some big shoes." Durant isnt the only option under consideration by the Cowboys, who still havent specified Lees injury or said how long they expect him to be sidelined. Fourth-round pick Anthony Hitchens wasnt far behind Durant for the start of the second week of off-season practice Monday, the same day Hitchens signed his rookie contract. And second-year player DeVonte Holloman worked off to the side, nursing a sore hamstring. If one of those three isnt at the centre of the Dallas defence in the season opener against San Francisco in about three months, it will probably be someone off the streets. The Cowboys arent in a hurry to decide. "I dont have timetables," linebackers coach Matt Eberflus said. "I really dont. Like I said, just working with whos on the grass." Durant and Holloman started the last three games of 2013 after Lee was sidelined by a neck injury. Durant made the first of those three starts before a hamstring injury sidelined him. Holloman took the last two, and had the first two sacks of his career in the season finale against Philadelphia. But Holloman hasnt made it the practice field this off-season because of a hamstring injury after the sixth-round pick missed seven games his rookie season with a neck problem. And he was drafted as an outside linebacker. "The reason hes valuable is hes got position flex," Eberflus said. "Where he fits in the lineup Im not sure yet. But hell decide that with his play." A year after coming to Dallas as a free agent who figured to be a backup, Durant finds himself by far the most experienced option to replace Lee. And that could mean a more vocal role for a guy who blended into the background his first year with the Cowboys. "Sean of course is a huge leader on our defence," said Durant, who has started 74 of 89 games in his first seven years. "Im going to be me but Im also going to step up and Im going step in and do some things sometimes." Hitchens was drafted a couple of rounds earlier than most projections, with Dallas thinking about insurance after Lee missed almost half the previous two seasons with injuries. The Cowboys didnt figure on having to cash in on that policy so quickly. "I just take it as this is my job and this is what they brought me in here for," Hitchens said. "I signed up for this. I usually dont look ahead." If hes looking ahead, coach Jason Garrett isnt saying. The coach wouldnt rule out a return in 2014 by Lee, who has missed 18 games in four seasons with hamstring, wrist, toe and neck injuries. "We feel like we have more guys to start with than we had last year at this time," Garrett said. "We want to be sure those guys get an opportunity to show us what they can do. Were also trying to find the best three linebackers." The Cowboys wont be settling on those three anytime soon. Kyle Seager Jersey . Scrivens stopped 48 shots and captain Andrew Ference scored in overtime as the Oilers pulled off a 4-3 upset of the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Seattle Mariners Gear . A spokeswoman for the NLRB says its "a very incremental move" and does not necessarily indicate the board is close to a finding in the case. NFL owners filed an unfair labour charge against the players union in February, arguing that the union was not negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement in good faith. http://www.baseballmarinersofficial.com/...sey-c-15/.Kraft says Goodell realized before seeing a video showing Baltimore running back Ray Rice striking his then fiance that domestic violence was very serious for society in general. Seattle Mariners Jerseys . Sizemore, who turned 29 on Jan. 4, has been limited to six games over the past two seasons because of an injured left knee that twice required surgery. He originally got hurt on Feb. 25, 2012, during a fielding drill in Oaklands first full-squad spring training workout and had surgery that March 21 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Nelson Cruz Jersey .Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seems to be leaning the fiscally responsible way.Let me put it like this: Its going to be a challenge, Jones said of re-signing both of Dallas biggest potential free agents. TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays dug themselves a massive hole, then almost managed to climb out Saturday against the Boston Red Sox. But when it was all over they had wasted another lead, seen another pitcher flame out on the mound and lost their fourth straight at home. After roughing up Clay Buchholz for three runs in the first inning, Toronto (11-13) found itself behind 6-3 after three innings as starter Brandon Morrow literally lost control. A late comeback by the Jays fell short as Boston (12-13) hung on for a 7-6 win. Morrow (1-2) walked a career-high eight of the 14 batters he faced before being pulled after 2 2/3 shocking innings before an announced crowd of 40,322 under the roof at the Rogers Centre. "Its not a good feeling when you can take the blame for the game and put it squarely on your shoulders," said Morrow, who made no excuses as he threw himself on his sword. "I came in with one goal and that was to pitch late in the game and keep us in it. I let down the team in a big way today." Twice he was rescued by double plays before the bottom fell out in a six-run Boston third that saw Toronto pitching coach Pete Walker ejected for back-chat to home-plate umpire Jeff Kellogg. "Its embarrassing to not be able to command your fastball," said Morrow, who said physically he was fine. "I had decent command of the other stuff." The first walk of the afternoon, to Red Sox leadoff batter Dustin Pedroia, was the 100th Jays free pass this season. Toronto pitchers issued nine walks on the day, with David Ortiz the recipient of three. "Weve been walking way too many guys all year," said manager John Gibbons. "Thats unlike us. Weve got some strike-throwers." A.J. Pierzynski hit his eighth career grand slam to power the Red Sox offence before Toronto staged a nail-biting late comeback. The Jays sent eight men to the plate and scored twice in the eighth before leaving the bases loaded. Jose Bautista, facing closer Koji Uehara, then opened the ninth with his seventh homer of the year -- and 175th as a Jay -- to cut the lead to 7-6. Dioner Navarro and Brett Lawrie singled, around a Colby Rasmus strikeout, to keep the drive alive. But Edwin Encarnacion flied out to end the rally and give Uehara his fifth save. "All year long those guys have been battling," said Gibbons. "Thats all you can ask for as a manager, that they dont pack it in." Over the last four losses, Toronto has given up 36 runs on 47 hits and 22 walks. The Jays allowed their opponents off the hook in three of those games, with the Orioles staging comebacks Wednesday and Thursday. Buchholz (1-2) survived a three-run first to help Boston to its seventh win in 11 games. He gave up three runs in seven innings on six hits, three strikeouts and two walks. Buchholz threw 105 pitches, 67 for strikes. Juan Francisco homered for Toronto, his second blast in as many days, to greet Boston reliever Junichi Tazawa in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Encarnacion then singled home Navarro to make it 7-5 as Tazawa gave up his first runs of the season. Chris Capuano came on with men on first andd third and one out.dddddddddddd He struck out Jonathan Diaz but walked Jose Reyes after a 10-pitch showdown to load the bases. Uehara then induced Cabrera to pop up to shallow left field. On a strange day Toronto outhit Boston 13-5, left 11 men on base to the Red Soxs four, and lost. "Weve been struggling in certain areas, its no secret," said Gibbons, refusing to point the finger at one element of his team. "But were going to get better." Morrow has failed to last six innings in four of his five starts this season, as well as nine of his last 14 dating back to last season. His descent into the pitching mire was swift Saturday. Only five of Morrows 14 pitches in the first were strikes. He was 11-for-31 after two innings and 25-for-66 when he was removed in favour of Chad Jenkins in the third. Morrow wouldve been living only marginally more dangerously if he was juggling chainsaws on the mound. With two out in the third Morrow walked four straight and was removed, with the Jays somewhat amazingly still leading 3-1. Two balls later, Pierzynski slammed the grand slam homer off the newly recalled Jenkins, who promptly gave up a solo shot to Will Middlebrooks for a 6-3 Boston lead. It was the second homer of the season for both. "We took advantage of a high number of walks," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "One of the things we do well is not expand the strike zone and that was the case again today." Morrows outing marked the 11th time a Jays pitcher has given up eight or more walks in a game. The club record is nine, by four different pitchers (Pat Hentgen, Jim Clancy, Chris Carpenter and Jesse Jefferson). Consecutive doubles by Mike Carp and Grady Sizemore in the fifth extended the Boston lead to 7-3 and chased Jenkins in favour of Aaron Loup. Buchholz also had trouble finding the strike zone in the first and paid for it after issuing a leadoff walk to Reyes. The Jays shortstop was running on Cabreras single and came home on Bautistas deep single to left-centre. Cabrera scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0 with no outs. Bautista, who extended his on-base streak 24 games, came home on Navarros deep single to right to make it 3-0. The Red Sox starter threw 26 pitches in the first, with just 13 for strikes. He faced just three batters in the second but needed a successful challenge to remove Reyes, who had been called safe on an infield hit. Buchholz walked two with two out in the third but escaped damage and ended up blanking the Jays for six straight innings. He had gone winless in his first four starts for the first time of his career. But, despite the rocky opening the trip to Toronto proved to be a tonic for the 29-year-old right-hander. Buchholz arrived with a 9-5 career mark and 2.44 earned-run average against Toronto and was 7-2 with a 1.09 ERA in 10 starts at the Rogers Centre. Toronto used six pitchers, with Loup, Brett Cecil, Steve Delabar and Sergio Santos helping douse the fire set by Morrow and Jenkins. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, on his bobblehead day, is scheduled to pitch Sunday against Boston left-hander Jon Lester in the series finale. Cheap Jerseys StoreChina JerseysWhite NFL Jerseys CheapWholesale Jerseys Free ShippingYouth NFL Jerseys CheapWholesale Stitched JerseysChina NFL Gear ' ' '