Phil Costa (American football)
Encyclopedia
Phil Costa is an American football
center
and guard
for the Dallas Cowboys
of the National Football League
. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cowboys after he went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft
.
Cotsta played high school football
at Holy Cross High School, where he was a starting guard who played in every game during his three seasons on the team. He played college football
at Maryland
.
after he was not drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft. He was the 4th string center, with Kyle Kosier
and Travis Bright
ahead of him, but when Kosier got hurt and Bright struggled, Costa became the primary backup center. He impressed the coaching staff and made the opening day 53-man roster.
He performed well during the 2011 training camp and preseason, before suffering a strained right posterior cruciate ligament
on August 24, 2011. After contract restructuring negotiations fell through, five time Pro Bowl
center Andre Gurode
was cut before the fourth preseason game in 2011, and Costa became the starting center.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
and guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
for the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cowboys after he went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
.
Cotsta played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Holy Cross High School, where he was a starting guard who played in every game during his three seasons on the team. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Maryland
Maryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
.
Dallas Cowboys
Costa signed with the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
after he was not drafted in the 2010 NFL Draft. He was the 4th string center, with Kyle Kosier
Kyle Kosier
Kyle Blaine Kosier is an American football guard for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.He was originally selected with the 37th pick of the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft out of Arizona State University. He has also played for the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco...
and Travis Bright
Travis Bright
Travis Bright is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was signed an undrafted free agent in 2009 by the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at BYU.-High school career:...
ahead of him, but when Kosier got hurt and Bright struggled, Costa became the primary backup center. He impressed the coaching staff and made the opening day 53-man roster.
He performed well during the 2011 training camp and preseason, before suffering a strained right posterior cruciate ligament
Posterior cruciate ligament
The posterior cruciate ligament is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It connects the posterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the medial condyle of the femur...
on August 24, 2011. After contract restructuring negotiations fell through, five time Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
center Andre Gurode
Andre Gurode
-Dallas Cowboys:Gurode was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft as a center.Gurode was selected to help shore up the center position and started fast by becoming the first rookie in club history to start at center on opening day....
was cut before the fourth preseason game in 2011, and Costa became the starting center.