By MICKEY SPAGNOLA

* While Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips was purposely vague over just who would replace his injured starters in Sunday’s game against the Redskins, he came clean at The Ranch after Wednesday’s practice. And just as we suspected, Doug Free will start at right tackle for the injured Marc Colombo and Alan Ball will fill in at free safety for Ken Hamlin. Those were logical choices since each has been the immediate backup at those two spots, Free the team’s only active backup tackle the first nine games of the season and Ball working with the first-team defense at free safety last week when Hamlin was nursing a sore groin. One other injury of note, kicker David Buehler only shagged balls at Wednesday’s workout, having suffered a sprained little toe on his right kicking foot, and place kicker Nick Folk continued to brush up on his kickoffs, something he’s done all year. Phillips, though, thinks Buehler might be well enough to at least handle kickoffs on Sunday, but might have to give up his duties on the punt and punt return teams.

* The 3-6 Redskins are not without their injury problems. Tight end Chris Cooley, a pain in the Cowboys’ backsides for several years, will still be out with a high ankle sprain and will find out on Monday if he will miss the rest of the season. Running back Clinton Portis is suffering the after-affects of a concussion, and not only did he miss practice but Washington head coach Jim Zorn is calling him “doubtful” for this game but went on to say, “I wouldn’t say that he is out, he was down with the doctors today and went through the regular procedures that we are trying to continue doing.” Zorn also said Portis wouldn’t automatically play Sunday even if he was cleared medically. “No I would be very cautious,” he said. “I would have to be convinced and he would have to be convinced that he could play.” Also missing practice were defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (ankle) and right tackle Mike Williams (ankle), both probably no better than questionable at this time.

* Here is all you need to know about this brouhaha over the Cowboys imbalance between running the ball and passing in the 17-7 loss to Green Bay. Because the Cowboys were behind, trailing 17-0, they attempted to throw the ball on the final 27 of their 58 plays in the game while playing catch-up in their two-minute offense. Plus, of the Cowboys’ 14 running plays for 61 yards, 11 of those runs only went 23 yards. That’s why Phillips was saying on Wednesday, “We couldn’t run against them and didn’t make the big plays” in the passing game, Roy Williams’ fumble after his 42-yard reception, Williams’ dropped pass at the Green Bay 40 and the pass interference call on Jason Witten wiping out the 22-yard pass to Tashard Choice at the Packers 35 prominent in his mind.

* And the final word on all this baloney about offensive coordinator Jason Garrett having brain lock, just remember the Cowboys are the fourth-ranked offense in the NFL, and the only teams better are 9-0 New Orleans, 6-3 New England and 9-0 Indianapolis. And only the Saints have more rushing yards than the Cowboys (21 a game). Garrett said what should have been obvious to most that “the circumstances in the game” caused the Cowboys to appear imbalanced in the end. Nuf said.

(Mickey Spagnola will be writing his thoughts on the Cowboys at least three days a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday – for KTBB.com throughout the season.)