It's not often that sport gets the chance to surprise in the modern era but news from the Munich Cowboys camp has certainly done that. The disappointment surrounding the injury to regular quarterback Patrick Carey, who will be out for 4 weeks with a broken clavicle, has the potential to put the brakes on a promising start (2-2-1) for Coach Craig's team. Step forward former University of Georgia quarterback and now offensive coordinator of the Cowboys, Blake Barnes.

Barnes has been the man calling the shots on the sidelines so far for the Cowboys but has now chosen to don his cleats and pads in an attempt to keep the Cowboys run going. Last week's thrilling 20-20 draw with the (Stuttgart) Scorpions left both sides feeling a little disappointed not to have picked up another W. The decision not to give part-time QB Markus Gaertner the chance to throw his arm shows the team's faith in Barnes' ability.

A high-school career that included 1,649 yards for 82 touchdowns and a rushing total of nearly 1,000 yards and 22 touchdowns suggests he may be even more versatile in the pocket than the man he is replacing. Sadly his career at UGA never took off and an arthroscopic knee surgery left him short of what may have been.

Having spent some time on the sidelines lately, he will be keen to shrug off the rust and drive a side forward once more. There's no doubt he knows the playbook and it will be intriguing to see how the offensive brain fares on his return to the field. An away trip on Saturday (kick-off 17.00 CET) to the Franken Knights, a side they have already beaten at home this season, will be the first opportunity for Barnes to shine.