SAN ANTONIO -- Jeff Robinson, the deep snapper signed to solve one of the Dallas Cowboys' biggest problems, has a torn right knee ligament and is expected to miss the season.

	Robinson

Robinson said Wednesday that he expects to have surgery in about a month to repair the torn ACL. The recovery time after surgery would be about six months.

"The loss of Jeff is a serious setback,'' said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Robinson, also a backup tight end, was injured during a pass blocking drill Tuesday, the same day the Cowboys found out they had lost receiver Raghib Ismail because of a huge herniated disk in his neck.

Jones and Robinson both said it was unlikely that the snapper would bypass surgery and try to play this season with the torn ligament.

"I know some people function without an ACL and that sort of thing,'' Robinson said. "But I can't imagine with what my legs take that that would be a good idea.''

Jones said he was trying to contact two veteran snappers as possible replacements. He also knows that more options could become available next week when NFL teams have to make roster cuts.

James Whalen, another backup tight end, handled most of the deep snapping duties during the team's only practice Wednesday. Many of his attempts were erratic.

The Cowboys turned Whalen into a backup snapper just before the start of camp. If he makes the team, it would be more for his role in the offense and elsewhere on special teams.

Robinson was considered by many as the NFL's best deep snapper when the Cowboys signed him to a $4.8 million, four-year contract during the offseason.

The Cowboys gave Robinson, who played the last five seasons with St. Louis and was the Rams' special teams captain, an $850,000 signing bonus. The base salary was $650,000 this season and $1.1 million in each of the next three years.

The 32-year-old Robinson has never missed a game in his nine NFL seasons.

"I took a lot of pride that I haven't missed a game,'' Robinson said. "I know I was mainly a long snapper and didn't play a lot, but just like I proved here, you can get hurt anytime in this game. I've been tempting fate for a long time.''

When Dallas was strapped by salary cap issues, 14-year veteran Dale Hellestrae was released for cheaper, inexperienced options in 2001, Randy Chevrier and Mike Solwold.

The Cowboys paid for that with a team record and NFL-high six kicks blocked last season. They also lost field goal kicker Tim Seder the second half of the season when he was injured after a botched snap.

Notes
The Cowboys canceled their afternoon practice and went as a team to Sea World. ... Ismail had surgery Wednesday in Dallas during which the herniated disk was removed and the two vertebrae surrounding it were fused. The team didn't have an immediate update on his condition. ... Coach Dave Campo wouldn't commit to who would replace Ismail in the starting lineup, but rookie Antonio Bryant again got most of the work opposite Joey Galloway in practice.