SPORTSDAY

While we have reason to believe no Cowboy will be designated as a "franchise player" in 2008, I would caution our own "Lucky" that history is a dangerous guide in these matters.

Earlier today, the Cardinals tagged linebacker Karlos Dansby, by tendering him at $8.065 million. He becomes the second player hit with the designation -- Eagles TE L.J. Smith being the other -- this offseason. And there will surely be plenty more (Allen, Asomugha, Haynesworth, Trufant, etc.)

The significance of it, from a Cowboys perspective? The last time Cardinals franchised a player was in 2002, when they tagged safety Kwame Lassiter. That also happened to be the same year Dallas used the tag on Flozell Adams.

Ok, let's clear the air on something.

The Cowboys are not going franchise anyone. Why would they? It's not in their makeup. Now they did it a few years ago with Flo Adams, but have no plans on doing it now.
So, let's stop this “The Cowboys could franchise this guy or that guy”.
It's not going to happen.

There's been talk on the blog that Ken Hamlin could leave the Cowboys for someplace else.
Sure he can. But Hamlin would prefer to remain in Dallas.

The Cowboys kept one of their better special teams players off the free-agent market, re-signing long snapper L.P. Ladouceur to a five-year deal.

Ladouceur was scheduled to be a restricted free agent at the end of the month.

Ladouceur joined the Cowboys in 2005 after snapping woes early that season, and he has been nearly flawless since. He had three special teams tackles in 2007. He will earn base salaries of $520,000, $620,000, $635,000, $650,000 and $790,000 through the life of the deal.

Cowboys RT Marc Colombo's never been known for making outlandish statements. In fact, he doesn't say a lot publicly at all.

So when he says something, you listen. And his words were particularly strong this morning at the Michael Johnson Performance Center, when he was questioned on the importance of keeping prospective free agent and his bookend Flozell Adams on board.

"Show me a better tackle," Colombo said. "I think he’s the best pass blocking left tackle in all of football. I’m hoping they do (re-sign him), because he’s a good friend of mine and it keeps the offensive line together. He’s the only one now that’s free. If they can sign him, it’s huge."

There remains the option of slapping the franchise tag on him. The deadline for that is a week from today. The cost would be a one-year, $9 million tender.

"He’s an unbelievable left tackle and I think he had one of the best years he’s ever had here last year," Colombo added. "He has plenty of years left, and he goes out every week and shuts down unbelievable defensive ends. That’s all you can ask for in a left tackle."

As Albert and Tim continue to fight about Darren McFadden - or D-Mac as some tragically un-hip young people try to call him in an attempt to be hip - I will fill you in on some other scenes from the Michael Johnson Performance Center:

**Cowboys right tackle Marc Colombo and linebacker Akin Ayodele made appearances at the center to talk to the handful of draft prospects about what to expect for the NFL Scouting Combine that begins next week in Indianapolis.

Colombo told the players about his trip to Indy and being all geared up to do his weightlifting test only to be wisked away to the hospital for an MRI. Six hours later he returned to the RCA Dome worn down and dog tired. He still lifted but did not do as well as he wanted.

"You have to expect the unexpected," said Colombo, who was a first-round pick by Chicago in 2002.

**Former Cowboy Tyson Walter was working out at the facility. He finished last season with Green Bay as a reserve.

**Former Ranger outfielder Laynce Nix was in attendance. The guy has the build of a middle linebacker. Just ripped.

**The facility is state-of-the-art. It has a track, an artificial turf surface, a weight room and small basketball court. The center welcomes athletes of all ages for specialized training. For more info go to www.michaeljohnsonperformance.com.

A special thanks goes out to JJT for sticking up for the truth, and clearing up any confusion created by the hard-of-hearing Timmy Tabloid.

But his won't be the final word on Darren McFadden. We have more, much more from him today. And I know he's been a bit of a lightning rod on Cowboys Blog, so I'll provide you with some of that material here.

McFadden, of course, hasn't had the chance to interview with any teams yet, since the only opportunity to would've been at the Senior Bowl, which he wasn't eligible for (being a junior and all.) One of the interesting things D-Mac had to say actually came from just that -- his class standing -- when he was asked if there were any regrets he had in leaving Fayetteville a year early.

"The Heisman Trophy," McFadden said. "That’s the only thing. I felt like I did everything I could to win a Heisman. But the only thing I could do was play ball, let the voters take care of everything else."

Just so there's no misinterpretation. Here's what Darren McFadden actually said this morning as I stood five feet away, "My intention is to run at the combine, but no final decision has been made."
That should clear up any ambiguity.

My apologies for misinterpreting mushmouth Albert "Einstein" Breer this morning. I wrongly assumed he was giving me some news.

But now that we've established that Darren McFadden may or may not run at the combine, let me point out that Jerry's chit-chat with D-Mac at the college awards ceremony was not their "one and only face-to-face meeting."

Here's an excerpt from another face-to-face meeting between Jerry and his beloved Hog RB:

Cowboys owner and proud Arkansas alumnus Jerry Jones stopped by Friday at SMU to watch the Razorbacks' preparations for the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic and to brag on his new $1 billion-plus stadium that will eventually house the bowl.

He watched practice from the sidelines and chit-chatted with acclaimed running back Darren McFadden.

Maybe Einstein ought to get off the Patriots message boards every once in a while and read the newspaper that employs him.

If you folks need me, I'll be on the Mavs blog (shameless plug).

Apparently, Timmy Tabloid wasn't listening when I was on the phone with him this morning. Maybe he was too wrapped in the latest issue of OK! magazine or trolling perezhilton.com or something.

Whatever the case may be, Darren McFadden did not say he would not run at the combine. He said, in fact, that he wants to.

But he says he simply hasn't decided yet on whether that's best yet or not.

After his morning workout at the Michael Johnson Performance Center, Arkansas RB Darren McFadden met with the press, and detailed the one and only face-to-face meeting he had with fellow Hog Jerry Jones.

It was at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show in December in Orlando, and McFadden left both impressed with and with an impression from Jones.

"He’s a great guy," McFadden said. "I feel like if he had it his way, he would pick me and have me as a running back for him. But the draft works funny."

Rumors have had just that happening -- with Jones supposedly ready to pay a king's ransom to position the Cowboys to take McFadden.

"I’ve heard so many rumors about what’s going on with the draft, I just try not to pay attention to any of it anymore," McFadden said. "You have to block it out, because if you don’t, it’ll take control of you, getting caught up in where you want to go and where you think you should go. You try to block it out and focus on getting better out here."

And McFadden added that he'd make the most of any situation he was put in.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis might break little Danny Snyder's heart.

"They can stop the presses, quit killing trees and move on to other things," Lewis said, defending Johnson despite the wide receiver's critical comments about the team. "There is, at no point, anyone in the Bengals organization who has ever uttered anything about trading Chad Johnson. Nor will he be traded."

Albert "Einstein" Breer called to breathlessly report that Arkansas RB Darren McFadden said he won't run at the scouting combine and hasn't decided whether he'll do any physical activities.

Einstein is spending the morning at the Michael Johnson Performance Center in McKinney. Former Denton Ryan star DT Derek Lokey, an All-Big 12 performer at Texas, headlines a group working out there with the track legend to prepare for the draft. McFadden and fellow Hogs RB Felix Jones are also there.

More from Einstein to come on the Michael Johnson experience.

There were all sorts of rumors coming out of the Senior Bowl that Marcus Spears and Bobby Carpenter were on the trade block.

Well, Spears' agents thought that as well. They called the Cowboys during the Senior Bowl and asked was there any truth to the rumors.
Dallas, according to Spears' agents, said the defensive end is not going anywhere.

As for Carpenter, I remember Wade Phillips saying toward the end of the season that maybe he might have been a little too hard on the second-year man from Ohio State. Carpenter played poorly in the last preseason game at Minnesota. And that game was the basis to which Phillips and probalby the rest of the defensive staff viewed Carpenter.

Maybe Dallas gives Carpenter another chance to prove himself this season. For now, he's staying.

The 10th installment in an 11-part series assessing each position on the Cowboys roster (Be sure to follow the jump for analysis) ...

PLAYERS SIGNED THROUGH 2008: Roy Williams, Pat Watkins, Courtney Brown

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: Ken Hamlin, Keith Davis

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None

TOP FREE AGENT NAMES: Hamlin, FS Gibril Wilson (Giants), *FS O.J. Atogwe (Rams), SS Sammy Knight (Jacksonville), FS Deke Cooper (Panthers)
* -- Restricted

TOP DRAFT NAMES: FS Kenny Phillips (Miami, Fla.), FS Marcus Griffin (Texas), FS Quentin Demps (UTEP), SS DaJuan Morgan (NC State), SS Craig Steltz (LSU)