Christine Michael Getting First Team Reps

It’s looking increasingly likely that Christine Michael will make his Dallas Cowboys debut on Sunday in New Orleans.

Michael hasn’t been active for a game since being traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Cowboys a few weeks ago, but he has been taking first team reps in practice this week, which seems to suggest he’ll play in Sunday night’s matchup with the Saints at the Superdome.

“It feels good. First-team reps always feel good,” Michael said, per Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Just looking to go in there and help contribute as much as possible. It’s outstanding to get those reps and I feel good about it. Physically I feel like I’ve been ready. It’s a lot of plays. I had to get my plays down, which have been coming along pretty well. Study pretty much every day. I get in my books every day. But for the most part, man, just looking to go out there and have fun.”

Michael is the most physically imposing of the Cowboys’ options at running back and, the thought is, he could be used as a battering ram against defenses who load the box in order to stop the run--as the Falcons did with great success last week.

“I think he brings a different style,” said running backs coach Gary Brown. “He is more a short squatty, power-type back with good feet and good explosion. You would like to have a guy with that type of build to take on that eighth man to make him miss or run over him. If you are a good running team, you are going to get eight in the box. You got to be able to have that back to make that guy miss. It will be a nice little mix for us.”