SPORTSDAY

Danny Amendola is well-aware of the comparisons.

"I've been compared to Wes (Welker) from the day I set foot on Texas Tech's campus," he said. "From Day 1, I've said it's an honor. He's a great player. I'm going to stick by that statement.."

Four years ago, our own Rick "Goose" Gosselin rated Welker as one of the best players not to be invited to the combine. And perhaps that snub is one reason why Amendola's here in the first place.

Amendola's not going to shoot down that theory. Nor is he going to kill the idea that the two Red Raiders are alike.

"I've been told that by our coaches," Amendola said. "I feel like I play hard, and so does he. If the ball's going the other way, we're going to be over there, we're going to go until the whistle blows."

We played up Cal WR Lavelle Hawkins during the Senior Bowl. Turns out that wasn't necessary. He's more than happy to do it himself.

Hawkins just said he's a combination of Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, Steve Smith and several other high-level pros. If that's true, the Cowboys should definitely try and draft him.

A player who also bring kickoff return ability, Hawkins spent most of his career in Berkeley in the shadow of Golden Bear superstar DeSean Jackson. And he says he never felt like he was in the background. If he did, he probably wouldn't be comparing and contrasting his skills to those of Ocho-Cinco and the Original 81.

"A lot of things that we do are the same," Hawkins said, comparing his game to Jackson's. "DeSean's just a little bit faster, but I'm a lot quicker than DeSean."

Here's a five-cent scouting report -- Strengths: Confidence.

We've gathered some things up here, and started to recover after another long night at Shula's. If you go there, get the Cowboy steak. It's something else.

We've got a host of guests hitting the podium over the course of today, with Tom Coughlin slated to speak in about 20 minutes up there.

After some transcribing, I'll hit you with some interesting stuff. Just wait and see.

Todd Archer just passed along word that Zach Thomas is coming to Indy and will meet with the Cowboys brass today.

Thomas already has offers from the Saints and Patriots, whom he visited this week. We'll have more from here as it comes.

There's still a pretty good possibility that Thomas comes to Dallas next week, one of his reps told us yesterday, even with the meeting here in place.

I knew things were gonna be a little haywire today when the power strip I was using was ripped apart 20 minutes after getting into the convention center.

That wasn't my fault. But I'll take the blame for leaving my laptop in a locked conference hall and walking through the snow all the way back to my hotel before realizing I did it. Here's a few things that happened in between ...

-- I don't think it's real hard to get credentialed here. Seriously. The amount of media is way out of control, and I think that's the way the NFL wants it. Numbers in the media = Combine is a big deal = Ratings for NFL Network. Makes sense, right?

-- Ken Hamlin's tagging caught more than a few people off guard. Can't tell you how many times I was asked "Are you surprised that ..." in regards to Hamlin today. Of course, those questions all vanished when Randy Moss was not tagged. Anyone interested in teaming the "Other 81" with the "Original 81." One person who would be thrilled: This Blog's own Timmy Tabloid.

-- The salary cap, which will rise to $116 million this year, is a big issue too. Talking to agents and league people, there's a feeling that this could kill free agency at the very elite level, because so many teams now have the room to tag whomever they want. A staggering 10 players are now affixed with the franchise designation. That means almost a third of the league has a franchise player in its midst. My guess is that the PA isn't excited about this.

And with that, we'll see you guys in the morning. Things typically heat up on Friday, and Jerry and Wade arrive tomorrow, so keep it here throughout.

The Patriots announced today that they've hired Dom Capers as their secondary coach, replacing the deposed Joel Collier.

The Cowboys had Capers to Valley Ranch to speak about a position as a defensive assistant, but the coach pulled out of the running in loyalty to DC Brian Stewart, who worked for Capers in Houston.

I got a bunch of emails last week on the idea of the Cowboys using the transition tag on Flozell Adams. That didn't happen, and couldn't happen as soon as Dallas decided to drop the franchise designation on Ken Hamlin.

Another reason for not doing it? Simple. There's no reason to. The Steelers transitioned Max Starks today, and I'd have to ask why.

To me, and I believe a lot of people in the league, the transition tag has been rendered obsolete. Yes, it gives you matching rights. But those can be easily beaten with "poison pill" provisions that make it difficult or just flat-out impossible for a guy's original team to match.

That applies to the franchise tag too. The difference? The franchise tag has a compensation package (two first-rounders) that serves as a mighty effective deterrent. Since there's no such compensation latched to the transition designation, that tag is seen as nothing more than a minor inconvenience (see: Hutchinson, Steve) on the way to signing someone else's player.

The Panthers have released sixth-year RB Deshaun Foster, which puts another back on the market just as Jamal Lewis is coming off of it.

And that begs the question: Might it be worth signing a stop-gap veteran so you can address other needs with those two first-rounders? My guess is you all are fixated on the idea of getting skill players with those picks.

But cornerback is a need. Left tackle could be too, and this draft is lush with them. So it'll be interesting to see if the Cowboys inquire about Foster, who I'm betting they'd only have in Dallas on the cheap. We'll see.

We learned a minute ago what has been expected for weeks -- that the Patriots will not pick up the $8 million due in bonuses to Donte' Stallworth over the next eight days. That means that come Monday, the team will release the receiver.

This brings up an interesting situation, as agent Drew Rosenhaus is scehduled to meet with the Cowboys brass over the next few days. The guy we talked to was asked if Stallworth would be interested in Dallas and responded, "Sure would."

So there's another guy, and a burner to boot, that could provide the team with a nice complement to Terrell Owens.

Back in Houston, Jermichael Finley and Martellus Bennett played on the same AAU team. And they both had the same issue with that squad.

"We played on the same AAU team," Bennett said. "But I left the team because we weren't getting the right amount of gear. Nike wasn't showing us enough love. J-Mike and I, we were the underdogs on the team. We were always the ones who got all the put-back baskets and all the dunks and scored all the points. But we never got any love."

Hoops didn't end up writing the athletic ticket for either one of these guys. Bennett went to A&M on a football scholarship. Finley did the same at Texas.

And they both are here now, auditioning for the NFL. But that doesn't lessen the sting of how those dastardly AAU coaches shorted them back then. It wasn't just with the "gear" either. It was everything, really. Or at least that's Finley's assertion.

"We were really the best players on the team. And we weren't getting the ball enough. So we just quit the team," Finley said. "We saw everyone else getting gear, but me and Martellus were coming up short. On everything. Warm-up suits. Shoes. Socks."

So you could hardly blame these two for getting out of there.

It's been said that Marion Barber, a quiet, reserved guy off the field, plays football with a sense of anger.

Could the Cowboys benefit from pairing him with another ornery runner? Matt Forte, the super-productive Tulane tailback, explained his rage. Or maybe outrage would be a better way to put it.

Forte rushed for 2,127 yards and 23 touchdowns, on a 5.3-per carry average, as a senior this fall. And he wasn't happy that so people saw those numbers as shallow, because they came in Conference USA.

"I think that actually added some motivation to do some better things," Forte said. "People don't really recognize Tulane football as a big-time school. I had to come out and do something exceptional this year. It boils my blood that people downgrade just because it's Tulane, just because of the name of the school."

Arkansas RB Darren McFadden still has yet to make up his mind on whether he'll run here at the combine.

Word is, he still wants to. But he's deliberating on whether that's what's best for him.

Talked to someone in the know, and the case for running is simple. One, McFadden's plenty fast and will likely run a good time. And if he doesn't, he's got two months to make up for it. On the flip side, if he decides to simply run on his Pro Day, on March 25, then there will be less time to atone before draft day. Plus, if he runs a good time Sunday, then he never has to run it again. So take that for what it's worth.

I asked this person if he was simply building drama to the moment, a la Calvin Johnson, and they said no. He's simply hasn't made up his mind yet.

So it's done now. Ken Hamlin, and not Flozell Adams, has the franchise tag attached to his name.

Talked to execs from both conference out in the hall about this over the last few hours, and most everyone said it made total sense. Here are some of the major reasons why:

1) The franchise number for safeties is $4.396 million, which in today's market is very affordable. On top of that, he's coming off a one-year, $1.75 million deal. Signing the tender, at this point, is considered a last resort, as the sides work to negotiate a long-term agreement. So the worst case scenario is that Hamlin signs the tender. In that case, the Cowboys will have gotten Hamlin, a Pro Bowl safety, for $6.146 million over two years. One executive called that "a steal."

Apparently, Texas-ex Jermichael Finley has the Packers in hot pursuit.

"Green Bay's on me real hard," is the way he actually put it. Of course, the Packers might want to make sure they can allot him the proper number of touches before drafting him.

Finley just finished up describing why he left Texas. It all started with the Oklahoma game, a big one for him. His four catches and 149 yards affirmed what he thought all along, and led him down the path of no collegiate return.

"That game showed that I needed the ball more," Finley said. "Texas couldn't do it, so I'm coming to the next level. And hopefully at the next level I'll get the ball more. Hopefully I get an offensive coordinator that'll get me the ball, some kind of way. It was against a great defense, a top-five defense, and I showed what I could do."

The Oklahoma game was frustrating, yes, but "I didn't let it get me down. I just kept on grinding it out, kept on doing what I needed to do," Finley says, finishing up a true story of triumph.

Call the NFC East the Division of Fortunate Assistants.

Up until this year, Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was the highest paid assistant in pro football and counterpart Al Saunders was right up there with him. Then, a few months ago, Jerry broke bank to keep Jason Garrett on board, at about $3 million per, and the Mara family followed suit to keep Steve Spagnuolo in the fold.

What in the name of Jim Johnson is going on here? We asked Giants owner John Mara.

"I can't complain about the escalating salaries because I guess I'm one of the causes of it, by signing Spagnuolo," Mara said. "But it is a concern when you see the numbers get that high, no question about it. We just felt like it was in our best interest to keep him. He did such a great job and the players responded to him. We were fortunate to get it done."

The NFL is clearly circling the wagons here, and trying to get Spygate to just go away. Seems they want congress out of their hair, and I don't think it's a stretch to say that the legal fees won't be real fun to pay if this thing drags out.

Need evidence? Bill Polian, the president of one of the Patriots' staunchest rivals (Colts) and someone who's been vocally critical of New England before, is lending his hand in support. While up there a minute ago with his competition committee mates (John Mara, Jeff Fisher, Ozzie Newsome, Rich McKay), and fresh out of a meeting on the subject, he said as much.

"The briefing took place this morning," Polian said, referencing a Spygate-related huddle. "The briefing was thorough, it was detailed, the process of arriving at the discipline was explained to us. That process was fair, detailed, efficient, and what was on the tapes was explained to us and what was in the notes was explained to us. And the reason why that information was done away with was explained to us.

"From my perspective, I can only speak for myself, that a thorough, fair, efficient process with lots of integrity. And they arrived at a disciplinary action that the commissioner thought was appropriate and that met with precedent, which oftentimes the commissioner is guided by. I think it's fair to say we're satisfied with the explanation, satisfied with what was done. At least, I am, anyway. And it's behind us."

That may be true for the competition committee. But something tells me that "it's behind us" should be used as a blanket statement.

I know some of you are wondering, and wanted a little more on Zach Thomas. So here's what we got, expanded from the bit in this morning's paper ...

As we reported, the Cowboys have a Tuesday meeting set up with Thomas and Drew Rosenhaus at Valley Ranch. But because of overwhelming demand for his client, Rosenhaus said that Thomas may make his way here to Indy, where he can meet with multiple teams, in which case the Dallas meeting might get moved up and held at the combine to save everyone the trouble.

Thomas has already visited the Patriots and Saints, and the Jets, Texans and Bills, among others, remain interested.

On a completely unrelated note, check DMN alum Matt Mosley's item on St. Xavier K Shane Longest. Starts out pretty normal, then takes a very sharp turn. I'd think that anyone who enjoys a check-up this much would raise questions in the minds of NFL execs.

The Cowboys won 13 games in 2007. But one game, I think, stands alone.

That'd be the Monday nighter in Buffalo in October, which was the second game I covered for the Morning News. The furious, come-from-behind Dallas win, by a 25-24 count, was one of the best games I've seen in person, period, from a pure entertainment standpoint.

And to me, it was the start of a string of strange, "did-you-see-that?" happenings that went in the Cowboys' favor. I thought it galvanized the team. You could say, too, that it did that for Buffalo, which won four straight games after the loss. Unless, that is, you talk to Dick Jauron about it.

"I heard somebody say that, I don't think it did. No," Jauron said flatly. "It was a devastating loss for us. They were a really good team. They were talking about setting an NFL record for scoring points. Our guys responded really well, and (the Cowboys) responded too. Very, very talented football team. They play the game hard. They're very good.

"But I don't think it had an galvanizing effect on us. It might've on them. Our guys are just a bunch of tough guys. No matter what happened in that game, I think they would've come back hard, practiced hard and played hard."

Just got done with a nice conversation with Giants GM Jerry Reese, a really pleasant guy. And I asked him, point blank, who the favorite in the NFC East is.

No subject will get a team official stammering like that one. Making even more of a loaded question is the fact that the division champ won 13 games, and another team in the division won the Super Bowl.

"In the NFC East? I don't that anyone's favored," Reese said. "You've got to go in and play well, and battle it out as you go. All the teams are good in the NFC East. Everybody probably thinks they're the favorite. Every team could win. I don't know that there's a favorite.

Pressed, Reese allowed that most people will likely look for the Giants to unseat the Cowboys.

"It's still early in the game," he cautioned. "Giants are probably the favorite, just because we won. But I don't think the Cowboys are afraid of us. I don't think the Redskins are afraid of us, I don't think the Eagles are afraid of us."

We're still working out some power source issues here, which arose after an outlet was dislodged from one of the five power strips serving the 7.2 million media members here today.

Lovie Smith was the first coach to speak and he continues to have a thing for Rex Grossman.

"Right now, Rex Grossman is an unrestricted free agent," Smith said. "We, of course, would like for him to come back."

There may be some people in Chicago that would argue with the "of course" part of that statement. But credit Lovie with sticking to his guns. He also said that keeping Bernard Berrian -- an unrestricted free agent and potential Cowboy target -- in the fold is "very important."

We're ready to get going here. It's 9:20 a.m. Eastern, which means a lot of you haven't gotten to "work" yet. And I haven't either yet, because things are quiet here in the convention center.

That should change in about 40 minutes, when Bears coach Lovie Smith kicks off a Thursday docket that includes Bills coach Dick Jauron, Steelers director of football ops Kevin Colbert, Jets coach Eric Mangini, and Niners GM Scot McCloughan and coach Mike Nolan. That's in addition to all the offensive linemen, tight ends and kickers that will be filtering through over the course of the day (so if there's anything you want out of those positions, be sure to let me know.)

And I'll be back soon. And constantly.

You can see it everywhere around here with team jackets and hats and bags. The League is starting to come to town.

And tomorrow, the combine will be rolling. So keep on clicking and we'll keep on posting and posting and posting some more.

By morning, we'll have prospects to talk to and scouts to grill. My goal is to have bosses of everyone who checks this thing out hating me by midday. Together, we can make this blog responsible for plummeting productivity in the DFW workforce over the next couple days.

Unless something strikes me tonight, I'll see you bright and early Thursday. Be ready, and make yourself unavailable to all those around you.

A lot of talk about video cameras and the New England Patriots here in Indianapolis. Looks like we have a running theme for this week.

Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the issue this afternoon, in a hotel atrium with a small group of reporters huddling around him. He said he'd still like to hunt down former Patriots video man Matt Walsh, the man who's insinuated that there's some incriminating evidence in his possession.

"We very much want to talk to him," Goodell. "We've made some progress on the conditions that he's asked for, on how he would speak to us, and what the conditions are with what he's going to be asked to do and what he wants us to be able to do when he makes his testimony. I very much want to see him. I expect that will happen shortly."

Goodell said he's not surprised by Arlen Specter's steadfast pursuit of this case. An ancillary part of all this is the possibility that the league places an earpiece in a defensive player's helmet, the same way there's one in the quarterback's helmet, so it would be tougher to steal another team's calls.

DeAngelo Hall wasn't saying that he wanted to come to Dallas (though he didn't say he doesn't want to come to Dallas). And he's not the type to be PC just for the heck of it.

So I believed him today when he declared Brett Maxie a great addition to the Cowboys coaching staff. Maxie, who coach the secondary with Dave Campo, was Hall's secondary coach in Atlanta from 2004-06.

"I was fortunate enough to play under him for three years," Hall said. "Under him, I got my first and second Pro Bowl, so that says it all."

Even with the Bobby Petrino Era long since bagged, Hall could find his way out. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Falcons are weighing their options. And as such, Hall is keeping quiet on the possibility of a reunion with Maxie in Big D.

"That's all speculation right now," Hall said. "We'll talk about that later."

Hmmm ....

NFLPA Executive Director Gene Upshaw isn't exactly feeling froggy about where the long-standing labor peace the league has enjoyed is going.

In fact, he showed just about zero optimism when looking toward Nov. 8, which is looking more and more like the next watershed moment in the ongoing saga over the current CBA. That's when the owners can opt out of the deal, and it's looking like that's just what they'll do.

"Someone asked me morning, what's the biggest issue, why is this such a problem now?" Upshaw told us. "I said it's very easy. The owners feel as if they're giving the players too much and the players should give some back, so Jerry Jones and (Bob) Kraft and the rest of them can make more money. That's not happening."

The names "Jones" and "Kraft" were accidental, and just as easily could've been "Snyder" and "Lurie". Upshaw's saying what, really, is already known. Big-revenue owners feel the league's version of revenue sharing is simply too generous, and without revenue sharing to this level, it's difficult to have all the teams spending on the level the players want.

"As I told the players this fall, the owners don't like paying the players, but what they really dislike more than anything else is having to share with each other, as part of the revenue sharing," Upshaw says. "That is where the rub comes in. But there's not much we can do about that."

Apparently, my BlackBerry didn't cooperate with attempts to update Cowboys Blog earlier today. Tried to post twice, and it looks like I came up empty.

In there, we had the Colts giving Dallas Clark a six-year extension, per Bill Polian. And the glory of sitting in a hotel atrium waiting for a bunch of people with a whole bunch of earning power to emerge from ballrooms.

No high-level Cowboys personnel has arrived, but the Tuna Era Dolphins are out in force. Had nice conversations with new Miami GM Jeff Ireland and pro scouting director Brian Gaine, both of whom have been juggling the personal and professional aspects of moves to South Florida. And already on the clock.

We'll be back in a minute with some -- yes, I know this is what you've been pining for -- labor news.

Cowboys Blog is sitting here at Terminal A at DFW, waiting for a two-hour flight to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine. And for good reason too.

As we've been mentioning all week, this will be the one-stop destination for all Cowboys fans all week. We'll have the combine covered top-to-bottom, and pass along all kinds of other news that emerges from all the league people who will be out there. Plus, we've got a secret weapon on our side -- the best draft guy in the business, Rick "Goose" Gosselin.

Timmy Tabloid informed me a little while ago that I'm "on my own" today, so the updates could be sparse for a little while, since he's on his way somewhere else to continue coverage of some trade that happened yesterday. Apparently, this is a big day for the local basketball team. As for things that really matter, keep it here and I'll check back in when I land in Indy.

And if there's anything you're looking to learn from the combine, hit up the comments section and I'll do my best this week to siphon that information out for you.

Cowboys Bobby Carpenter and James Marten are 114 players taking part in the NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program, which will be held on four different college campuses over the course of the spring.

Carpenter is headed for the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, while Marten will be at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Workshops will also be held at the business schools at Harvard and Stanford.

The Kellogg program will focus "on developing and selling a brand and evaluating franchise opportunities," according to the NFL's release. The Wharton program will cover "a broad range of business topics, including financial analysis, entrepreneurship, real estate development, stock market investing, negotiation skills, risk management, and community reinvestment."

On the same day that Jason Kidd was outfitted in a brand new No. 2 jersey, signifying his second run as a Maverick, another Dallas sports celebrity got his own 2.

Cowboys RB Marion Barber was ranked second among restricted free agents by CBSSportsline.com's Pete Prisco. The veteran NFL scribe writes ...

The Cowboys will certainly put the high tender on Barber, which would mean a team would be forced to give up a first and a third for him. That won't happen. But what if they didn't give him the high tender? Some team might think he's worth just a first. The flip side is you'd be giving up a first-round pick for a runner who didn't even start in the regular season in 2007. That will be some tough justifying.

Only Browns QB Derek Anderson ranked above Barber, which is largely based on his position (he ain't going anywhere either, if you're wondering). DE Chris Canty comes in seventh on the list.

Cowboys Blog agrees with Prisco, and everyone else, that the Cowboys will tender Barber at the highest level. That means a $2.562 million offer, matching rights, and first- and third-round picks as compensation paid by any team trying to poach him. The belief here is the second-level tender -- which is set at $2.017 million and brings first-round pick compensation -- will be assigned to Canty. For all the tender levels, go here.

ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas has this look at the ultimate yield sign when it comes to getting overly excited about players' combine performance.

That would be former Eagles stud Mike Mamula. One guy who I'm pretty sure was left out of the story was well-known trainer (formerly of the Bruins and the U.S. women's hockey team) Mike Boyle, who runs his business out of Winchester, Mass. and has been one of most respected guys in that field for a long time.

Boyle trained a couple of my old high school teammates, and I know he readied a bunch of BC players, aside from just Mamula for the combine. All I know is his gym was no joke, his demeanor was intense and everyone came out of there stronger, faster and more explosive.

Of course, these days, that kind of thing has spawned a cottage industry. And since everyone's preparing for the combine in this fashion (including Cowboys Blog), revelations like Mamula are far less common, a dynamic that Yasinskas' story goes into great detail on.

There've been rumblings for a while now that Broncos WR Javon Walker may want out of Devner. In his mailbag, at denverpost.com, beat writer Mike Klis doesn't do much to ward off that talk.

The Broncos are offering both Javon and Travis (Henry) up for trade. The start of the trading period coincides with the beginning of free agency, which is 10 p.m. MST on Feb. 28. I wouldn't think there would be much of a market for Walker, and a deep draft class of running backs doesn't help Henry's value, either. Walker is due a $5.4 million option bonus on March 4, so the team will deal him by then, renegotiate a less expensive figure or waive him.

Walker would likely fit nicely into the offense, but the salary structure's another story. The bonus money due to the Galveston native (Yes, I had to go here to figure out it's a whole closer to Houston than Dallas) may make it hard to trade him, and if the Broncos are forced to cut him, then he may want to come to Dallas.

But to think he would take a discounted rate to play in his home state would be to ignore some pretty significant events in his past. To be fair, he has changed agents since then. Still, at this point, only this much seems clear -- both sides have pretty much settled on the fact that his days in Denver are done.

"He wants out," friend, former Packer teammate and current Viking safety Darren Sharper told the Post. "He's not happy. He wants the ball. He doesn't feel like he's part of the offense."

There's also the pesky little fact that Walker may need microfracture surgery down the line, an idea that's not new to many of you who follow Cowboy receivers. The upside? Well, he's notched 1,000 yards in two of his last four seasons and, if healthy, would provide a versatile presence and vertical threat opposite Terrell Owens.

Although it may seem silly that getting a job to play in pads and helmets can swing on what you do in shorts and sneakers, that'll be the case for plenty for plenty of college prospects this week at the scouting combine in Indy.

Todd McShay has come up with list of five players who have something prove at the RCA Dome, with Kansas CB and local product Aqib Talib placing third. Here's what he has to say about the Jayhawk, who may/may not be available when Dallas picks at 22.

Talib is in the mix to become the first cornerback selected in the draft. His size, natural athleticism and versatility as a playmaker are attractive. On the flip side, it also doesn't take much film study to realize that Talib is a gambler. He was able to make up for a lot of sins in college because he was faster than most other players. That won't be the case in the NFL, but Talib at least needs to verify that he's fast enough to recover from the occasional mistake. In addition to a 40 time in the 4.4s, scouts will be looking to see if the bigger cornerback has enough change-of-direction quickness in the shuttles. Ideally, Talib will run the short-shuttle in the low 4-second area, the long-shuttle in the low 11-second area and the three-cone drill in the mid to high 6-second area.

According to the NFL Network's Adam Schefter, the Patriots have offered veteran LB Zach Thomas a contract, which would presumably mean that he's passed a physical in New England.

Today's visit in Foxboro, Mass. was the first on Thomas' tour. The Cowboys have shown an interest in Thomas, and head coach Wade Phillips has shown his affection for the ex-Texas Tech star in the past.

The question now is whether Thomas makes it out of the Boston area as a free agent. Schefter has him visiting New Orleans tomorrow, and the Cowboys were slated to visit with him after the combine.

Considering that Thomas did extensive work in researching all these teams, it would seem he may take some time to make a decision. But that all could depend on how convincing the Patriots are. If he did indeed pass a physical, that is certainly significant, given the concussion issues he grappled with during 2007.

According to the NFL Network's Adam Schefter, the Bears have released WR Muhsin Muhammad, adding to a receiver market that already looks lush.

Donte' Stallworth could be cut by the Patriots, with $8 million in bonus money due in two installments at the end of the month, while Cincinnati's Chad Johnson and the Lions' Roy Williams have both been the subject of trade rumors. And then there's Randy Moss and his expiring contract, though he very well could be franchised.

All of this is interesting for a Cowboys team that will likely go looking to bolster its receiving corps. Dallas will have around $10 million to spend in free agency, and has to deal with its own restricted free agents, like Marion Barber and Chris Canty. That could make it difficult to spend at the highest level here, but cap numbers can be massaged through renogitiating and restructuring contracts.

Should be an interesting time here in the next few weeks.

Just so you know, we're making this week all about the draft here on Cowboys Blog. And if you don't like it today, you're sure going to have problems when I get to Indy in mid-week and start marinating this blog with every nugget imaginable to come out of there.

Anyway, when I was messing around on the internet earlier today, I bumped into ESPN.com's draft coverage from 2005, '06 and '07. So I thought it'd be interesting with some time passed, to take another look at how those draft classes were viewed as they were assembled.

Follow the jump for Mel Kiper's review of the last three Cowboy drafts, and then our assessment, with the pretty big advantage of hindsight in our corner.

Foxsports.com's John Czarnecki detailed his Top 10 questions for the NFL offseason, and No. 7 concerned your Cowboys.

The spin from the players and coaches is all on next season, but weren't the Cowboys the biggest playoff collapse of the year? The Cowboys haven't won a playoff game since 1996 and owner Jerry Jones is building a magnificent new stadium with the same old trophies. Jones has invested a lot in Tony Romo and T.O. and now offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who is viewed at Wade Phillips' replacement if Dallas doesn't win something this season. On the outside, this is viewed as one big happy family, but you have to figure that Jones needs a big playoff run to sell all those pricey new seats. Otherwise, he could go ballistic.

If by go ballistic, Czar means "start firing people", I'd agree. But that, of course, seems to go without saying these days.

The Patriots will host free-agent linebacker Zach Thomas today, according to a source.

Thomas is also slated to visit the Saints and Cowboys. Thomas played for Nick Saban, a close friend of Patriots coach Bill Belichick, and Belichick's been known for poaching players with experience under Saban, both from LSU and the Dolphins.

Todd's post below will illustrate Wade Phillips' fondness for his fellow Texan Thomas. So now, the 34-year-old seems to have a bit of a market for himself.

Judd Garrett, the brother of Cowboys assistants Jason and John Garrett, has been given a paid year off by the St. Louis Rams in the aftermath of his wife's death last summer.

Class move by the Rams. The 40-year-old Garrett has four kids, aged 9-15, so there are obvious reasons for him sitting out the 2008 season in what has to be an unbelievably difficult time for the family.

"You want the best for everybody in these situations. In his position, it's not the best thing for him to be away from his family," Rams coach Scott Linehan said. "I told him he wasn't going to have a coaching position. We could've reassigned him to work somewhere in the organization, but as I thought about it, I thought the best thing would be to let him know that we'll take care of the contract, so he has that and can take the year to kind of get things squared away."

Interesting story here from Jana Walls, in the pages of American Way (one of those magazines you get on American Airlines), on Cowboys CB Alan Ball, the team's final pick in the 2007 draft.

It details a player on the fringes of the NFL making it through the final cut, only to be whacked the next day. Ball, of course, spent most of the season on the practice squad, before being signed to the active roster in December. The story focus on the journey from draft day to September, and provides insight into the fight for jobs in pro football.

"We liked him all along. He's gotten better and better," Wade Phillips told American Way. "You see him making plays against the Terrell Owenses of the world and you go, 'Wow.' He competes. We certainly didn't want to lose him."

Then go right here, where Friend of This Blog and ESPN.com's own Mike Sando takes a look at the Redskins' wild spending patterns.

Sando details the situation that somehow has Washington over a salary cap that's seen a 44 percent hike over the last five years.

A big reason for it is the $128 million in dead money -- cash counting against the cap after a player's release from prorated salary-cap figures -- that the team has built since 1994. In Dan Snyder's nine years at the helm, the Redskins have averaged $13.2 million in dead money per season, according to Sando's sources.

Pretty unbelievable, to say the least. Say this for Snyder, though: This spending, even if it's not been prudent often, does show that he, unlike some other owners, is willing to do whatever it takes to win.

Ex-Dolphins LB Zach Thomas spoke with Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, and outlined the criteria he'll use in picking a new team.

''It has to be a winning team first,'' he said. ``I've got to fit the scheme. I'm looking at a team with a group of good guys. I'm looking at the place because I will be living there. And I'm looking to see what their quarterback situation is because you need a good quarterback and a good offense to win.''

The Chargers, Colts and Patriots were named in the story, in addition to the Cowboys, as teams he'd be interested in joining. A source told us that the Saints are very interested as well.

So how does Dallas fit what Thomas is looking for? Well, the winning team and good guys part is covered. Ditto for the quarterback situation. And the fact that he's a native Texan probably makes "living" part of the equation palpable for Thomas.

The scheme may be the biggest question, because while it seems like he could fit the Cowboys defense, it may not be as ideal as other ones. But know this: Thomas will have a pretty good idea on that by the time he signs somewhere. According to Salguero's story, Thomas has broken down all 16 games for nine different teams and studied each defense's scheme intently, to try and figure out where he'd fit best.

I don't really think much more needs to be written about Zach Thomas' "ability" after seeing that video, which should immediately be inducted into the White Guy Dancing Hall of Fame, alongside curator Mark Madsen. And it has to have the Cowboys excited too, since the team liked "Soulja Boy" so much that Terrell Owens and Sam Hurd choregraphed a touchdown celebration around the song back in November.

So how would Thomas the player fit in? From a scheme standpoint, he's spent parts of the last three years, under coaches like Dom Capers and Nick Saban, in 3-4 fronts, so the idea that he's strictly a 4-3 "Mike" linebacker isn't quite accurate.

He's a sideline-to-sideline pursuit player, though, which means he's at his best when he can run free to the ball. Playing in a 3-4 will force him to take on blocks a bit more, though it's not the Parcells big-boy 3-4 that would mean taking on guards every other down.

The question is how much Thomas has left in the tank, and whether you can rely on him to stay healthy for 16 games. The Cowboys already have some built-in depth on the inside, and they'd probably try to use Thomas on the weak-side, where Akin Ayodele and Kevin Burnett play, and next to Bradie James. He could fit there as an early-down run player. But counting on him being much more than that, at his age and with his injury history, would probably be a mistake.

And if we provide you guys anymore of these on this dreary Friday, feel free to poke your own eyes out with forks.

This one's from Pete Prisco at CBS Sportsline and, if you want me to be honest, is quite a bit more reputable than what Tim put up earlier from MSNBC.com. I'll let you decide if I'm right on that. Here's the Cowboys picks ...

22) Dallas Cowboys -- Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois: They will let Julius Jones go and Marion Barber is a restricted free agent. If they don't deal for McFadden, this could be a good get.

28) Dallas Cowboys -- Limas Sweed, WR, Texas: They need to find a young receiver to develop with Terrell Owens getting up in the years. It can't hurt to take the state player.

No need to reiterate my strong feelings on Mendenhall, which have been posted repeatedly here.

I'll just leave it to say that I think he'd be a steal at 22. And for all those people that want to bash the "level of competition" he faced in the Big Ten (where players may not be as fast, but are bigger and more rugged than anywhere), I ask you this question -- Who's the guy these Cowboys are ready to pay top dollar for at tailback? And where did he go to school? What conference is that in? OK.

Friend of This Blog Alex Marvez, senior NFL writer at Foxsports.com, offers up his take of the state of the NFC East right here.

And he points out one fact that we haven't somehow addressed here -- how much cap space the Cowboys have (in the $13 million range) versus the breathing room the Giants possess ($21 million). That's just one reason Alex's outlook for the Giants is "excellent" while for the Cowboys it's merely "very good" (Eagles are "good" and the Redskins are "fair", in case you're wondering.) Here's his take on Dallas ...

The Cowboys must find a way to recapture the good mojo the team enjoyed through the first 13 weeks of last season. Otherwise, head coach Wade Phillips could be making way for offensive coordinator Jason Garrett in 2009.

That probably just about sums it up, even if I'd argue that the turning point was halftime of the Packers game, a full game-and-a-half before Marvez says the 'Boys lost their "mojo."

When he talked to a horde of us media types yesterday, Cowboys RT Marc Colombo emphasized the importance of continuity up front to illustrate one reason why keeping Flozell Adams on board is vital.

Here's another one: What the Cowboys are up against. Some may see the Giants as some flash-in-the-pan champion. Colombo doesn't, and it's chiefly because of a defensive line that's capable of carrying a team.

"They're an unbelievable defensive line and they can create pressure with just four people," Colombo said. "And when you can create pressure with just four people - two defensive ends and a 3-technique (tackle) who's a defensive end (Justin Tuck) - you've got a shot at winning every game."

And another mock draft, this one from Friend of This Blog Don Banks at SI.com.

Banks projects the Cowboys tabbing Arkansas tailback Felix Jones with the 22nd overall pick, then taking rising Tennessee State CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie at 28. Here's what was about the picks on the SI site.

22. Cowboys -- Arkansas RB Felix Jones: If the Cowboys don't package their two No. 1's in an effort to move up and take Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, maybe they'll sit tight and settle for the Hogs' other play-making rusher. Jones would replace Julius Jones, and become the new half of the Marion Barber-Jones backfield tandem.

28. Cowboys -- Tennessee State CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: The Cowboys need someone solid opposite cornerback Terence Newman, and the likes of Anthony Henry and Jacques Reeves really isn't getting it done. Rodgers-Cromartie had a great Senior Bowl showing despite his small-school label, and the success of his cousin, San Diego's Antonio Cromartie, also adds to the first-round buzz he has generated in recent weeks.

It says here that Jones wouldn't mind this scenario playing out. "It'd be an honor to wear the star on my helmet," he told us yesterday in McKinney.

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.

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."

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."

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.

ESPN.com's K.C. Joyner points to eight players as the most overrated in the NFL, and not one Cowboy appears on the list.

There are two Patriots there, and one NFC East player: Giants TE Jeremy Shockey. The player Shockey lit up in New Jersey in November, Roy Williams, is normally a regular of these types of things, but he missed the cut for this one.

What is interesting is how the Cowboys had 13 Pro Bowlers, five more than any other team in the league, and couldn't find a way to put someone on this list. Guess that speaks well for the guys who made the trip to Hawaii from DFW.

Because I know everyone and their brother is interested in this year's cast of draft-eligible backs, here's a fairly off-common-perception take from the NFL Network's Mike Mayock. He ranks the top tailbacks available and Arkansas dynamo Darren McFadden is not on top.

Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall is, and readers of this blog know well how much I think of the kid, even if he did torch my Buckeyes. So yes, I'm on board with Mayock's idea that Mendenhall will be a more complete pro back, and more capable of carrying a running game than McFadden will be.

Here's Mayock's Top 5:

1. Mendenhall
2. McFadden
3. Jonathan Stewart, Oregon
4. Felix Jones, Arkansas
5. Chris Johnson, East Carolina

Follow the jump for an update (3:25 p.m.), with Mayock's top 20 players overall, a list McFadden doesn't make.

CBS Sportsline's Pete Prisco has gone to the pains of ranking the Top 32 free agents on the market, and three Cowboys appear in the group. Here's what Prisco says about each of them:

6) Flozell Adams, T, Dallas Cowboys: After a so-so year in 2006, he played well last season. Was it a money push? The Cowboys would love to have him back, but only at the right price.

13) Ken Hamlin, S, Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys signed him to a one-year deal and he responded with a Pro Bowl season. That's cashing in. He is a big hitter who played better against the pass last season than he did when he was with Seattle.

27) Julius Jones, RB, Dallas Cowboys: He lost his starting job by season's end to Marion Barber. The Cowboys will let Jones walk. Can he be a decent starter? Yes. But if he's asking for mega-money he might be in for a shock.

Follow the jump for more ...

The Football Scientist over at ESPN.com, K.C. Joyner, offers up this piece on free-agent cornerbacks, which follows up on my post this morning nicely.

He's advocating here that the Patriots may choose to pursue an extension for the more cost effective Randall Gay -- whom I believe strongly, based on my knowledge of the situation, is determined to test the free-agent market -- rather than resign Asante Samuel.

Joyner cites metrics that indicate that Marcus Trufant had a better 2007 than Samuel, and that Gay was very comparable. It's an interesting read for anyone (which probably includes all Cowboy fans) looking forward to the Cowboys augmenting their cornerback corps.

The ninth 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: Alan Ball, Anthony Henry, Terence Newman

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: Nate Jones, Jacques Reeves

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: None

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: Evan Oglesby

TOP NAMES ON FREE AGENT MARKET: Nnamdi Asomugha (Raiders), Drayton Florence (Chargers), Randall Gay (Patriots), Asante Samuel (Patriots), Marcus Trufant (Seahawks)
* — Restricted FA

TOP DRAFT NAMES: Mike Jenkins (South Florida), Chevis Jackson (LSU), Leodis McKelvin (Troy), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Tennessee State), Aqib Talib (Kansas)

ESPN.com's Mike Sando, of Hashmarks fame, took notice of our taking notice of his omission of Wade Phillips from his coaching column.

I'd agree wholeheartedly with Mike -- who shares the Hashmarks throne with Cowboys Blog alum Matt Mosley -- that Wade doesn't deserve to be lumped in with the hanging-by-a-thread set of NFL coaches. It's only fair that Phillips gets credit for a four-game improvement over the team's 2006 performance.

But judging by Jerry Jones' actions over the last month, as detailed by our esteemed columnist JJT, I think it's fair to say that an escape route has been paved by ownership that will make a transition to Jason Garrett easy.

Now, Wade's got his shot to make it happen and keep the job. Still, it's important to know that windows of opportunity are short in the NFL, even for a roster as rich as the Cowboys' is now, and Jerry's never been hesistant with his trigger finger. And while the expectations that are carried with being coach of this franchise couldn't be higher, and play into this, it's not just here that successful regular seasons become irrelevant with playoff failure.

In San Diego, it happened last year. Marty Schottenheimer was fired after a 14-2 regular season. This year, the Chargers went 11-5. And a round further in the playoffs. Ask anyone in Chargerland which one they'd rather have, and the response you'll get is the same as it would be in Dallas.

Over at the always entertaining D.C. Sports Bog, Washingtonpost.com's Dan Steinberg chronicles the reasons why Jim Fassel feels he didn't get the Redskins job.

Primary among them is the presence of bloggers.

"When I got the New York Giants job I remember telling my family that, 'You know, you cannot hold the lead in these jobs in major markets,'" Fassel told the John Thompson Show on Sports Talk 980 in Washington. "Because you've got bloggers, and they're saying, 'No, this isn't the right guy, and that ain't the right guy,' and you can't hold the lead, because you are going to take the hit. I mean, when you're the lead dog, you're going to take the hit."

In a nutshell, look at it like this: Fassel believes that the length of the coaching search, and his early entry as a name into it, opened his candidacy to criticism. But if that's the case, wouldn't it be fair to blame the Redskins themselves for waffling? Or maybe the deliberate nature of the search should've told Fassel from the beginning that the Redskins were never sold on him.

Or how about this -- if the Redskins are really listening to/reading all this stuff, and using it as another advisor in the search, aren't they going about it the wrong way anyway? Bottom line: If Fassel's right, then that club needs to seriously evaluate the way it's doing business. I'm off to check if Timmy Tabloid was hurt by these comments, and we'll see if we can get a response posted by him ASAP.

The Cowboys enter the off-season with five potentially restricted free agents. They are ...

RB Marion Barber
C/G Joe Berger
DE Chris Canty
LS L.P. Ladouceur
RB Tyson Thompson

The Cowboys have until Feb. 28 to place tender offers on those players. Doing so gives Dallas matching rights on each player, and compensation is based on the amount offered. Here are the four tiers of tenders:

$927,000 -- draft-level compensation
$1.47 million -- second-round pick
$2.017 million -- first-round pick
$2.562 million -- first- and third-round picks

Draft-level compensation is defined as a pick corresponding with where each player was originally drafted. That means the $927,000 tender would merit fourth-pick compensation for Barber and Canty, a sixth-round pick for Berger, and no compensation for Ladouceur or Thompson.

Chances are, Barber and Canty will be tendered at the highest level, effectively taking both off the market. If any of the other three are tendered, it would likely be at the lowest level. If they are not tendered, they become unrestricted free agents. Just so we're clear on that.

ESPN.com's Mike Sando has an interesting breakdown of the state of coaching in the NFL. And apparently, he hasn't been listening to all of you.

Category 1 in Sando's piece in "On the hot seat." Leading the way there is Cincinnati's Marvin Lewis, who Sando says is one of just two coaches since 1996 to be given a sixth year on the job without winning playoff game. Two other coaches are in this at-risk group: San Francisco's Mike Nolan and Carolina's John Fox.

Noticeably missing was your own Wade Phillips, who did make the "Second chances pay off" group, though this technically is his third chance. The others in that group, all of whom were fired from previous head coaching jobs: Mike Shanahan, Bill Belichick, Tony Dungy, Tom Coughlin, Dick Jauron and Norv Turner. There are four Super Bowl champions in that group, for the record.

With the expected of hire of Brett Maxie, the Cowboys continue to diversify their coaching staff, with the new guys coming from varying backgrounds.

For all the talk about "Capers guys" and "Garrett guys" and "Wade guys", Maxie seems to be, more than anything else, a "Jim Mora guy." The former NFL defensive back was an assistant under Mora when the now-Seahawks head-coach-in-waiting was DC in San Francisco and at the helm in Atlanta. Maxie was with the Niners from 1999-2003, then the Falcons from 2004-06, before working under Cam Cameron and Dom Capers last year in Miami.

If there is one common thread on the new hires, it is Capers. Dave Campo, whom Maxie will work in the secondary with, is the only man on the defensive side of the ball who didn't work for him at one time. Defensive coordinator Brian Stewart, line coach Todd Grantham and linebackers coach Reggie Herring were Capers assistants in Houston.

None of the new position coach have any experience working with Phillips. But Phillips did say a couple weeks back that many of Capers' zone-blitz concepts, developed during his "Blitzburgh" days, are used in his defense, so there is carryover in the schemes.

Well, that was interesting. And now, the 2007 football season's officially over.

I will say this, at no point of the Pro Bowl was I as bored as I was during the four minutes of NASCAR I had to sit through waiting for the NFL broadcast to start. Watching people run into each other is a lot more fun than watching people drive around in circles, I'll tell you that.

We'll be back to serious business tomorrow.

Adrian Peterson's the MVP, so that means Terrell Owens, with more than 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns, isn't.

Let's all hope that Jeff Garcia sticks up for his old teammate during the postgame media session.

And we wait to see if Terrell Owens is the MVP.

My guess is no. But maybe that's just because I'm not the Cowboys homer that Timmy Tabloid is.

Adrian Peterson probably just put away the MVP award, along with the game, with that touchdown run.

And yes, Timmy Tabloid points out he's a Texas native. So proud, in fact, that he ran off to Oklahoma for college.

Wonder if T.O. will be upset when the Pride of Palenstine gets that trophy, less than an hour after he put himself in the driver's seat.

Tony Siragusa is making sure to carry the mic with his right hand every single time he's on camera.

Why? Couldn't be because his Super Bowl ring is parked on the middle finger of that hand, could it?

I feel like I'm becoming friends with that ring. It's gotten more camera time than just about anything else.

When the AFC was leading 24-7, Terrell Owens was thinking T.J. Houshmandzadeh was going to be MVP. No more.

"They were up earlier," T.O. told Brian Baldinger. "I thought TJ was in the driver’s seat for the MVP, but we switched."

He then called it a "changing of the guard." Earlier, Baldinger asked him if he could tack on a third touchdown for posterity.

"Not a problem," T.O. said, before adding that it didn't matter who the quarterback was.

So Terrell Owens and Jeff Garcia did cross paths after their touchdown hookup.

Nothing exciting to report. A handshake and half-hearted pat on the back from each guy to the other.

I would rather had A) a reconciliation or B) a cold encounter. Instead, we got a whole lot of awkwardness.

Someone needs to be fired over this! Jeff Garcia throws a touchdown pass to Terrell Owens, and the cameras don't even follow T.O. back to the bench.

Come on!

From what we did see, Garcia left the field like a thief driving away from a bank robbery. But thanks to FOX, we can't confirm that. On another note, yes, that was Antonio Cromartie in coverage.

Terrell Owens had some questions in the past on Jeff Garcia's off-the-field decision-making, but I guessing he had no problem with getting the ball there.

Funny thing, if you watched, was that Garcia immediately turned his head for the playcall, and Owens nonchalantly returned to the huddle.

Now, I've finally got something to root for -- a Garcia-to-TO touchdown. Would there be an awkward hug? Or would that make T.O. nervous? Stay tuned.

This Antonio Cromartie pick wasn't from Tony Romo, but there were five Cowboys on the field to see just what kind of corner he is.

And probably one owner/GM cringing along with the play.

Wonder if Wade Phillips got the shakes on that kickoff return -- with Devin Hester throwing the ball back across the field to the Cowboys own Jason Witten. The Tennessee native's catch-and-run was mighty reminiscent of Kevin Dyson's runback that became the Music City Miracle.

No touchdown this time, but they did get the ball to midfield, down 30-28.

I can see Wade yelling "Forward lateral! Forward lateral!" on instinct alone.

For one reason or another, FOX sideline reporter Tony Siragusa is wearing his Super Bowl ring, from 2000 with the Ravens, on his middle finger.

Not sure if this is some kind of salute to anyone, but it certainly looks a little awkward. And it seems like no mistake that the hand-trophy keeps making into camera shots.

Where's the excitement!?!? The NFC just came back from a 24-7 deficit to make it 28-27.

And it does seem like things are picking on the field just a bit, evidenced by Asante Samuel knocking Larry Fitzgerald into tomorrow, and all the holding that wasn't called on Adrian Peterson's touchdown run.

Goose was interviewing Peyton Manning. My bad on that one. Yes, it was Brian Baldinger.

We're fighting through. This guy can actually be somewhat entertaining. Sort of.

Tony Romo just spoke with Tony Sirgusa on the sideline, and said Packers coach Mike McCarthy left it up to him on whether he wanted to go out for the drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Terrell Owens.

"Coach kinda asked me, 'Do you want to go one more?' I said, 'Yeah, I'll go one more, don't want to leave with a sour taste,'" Romo said. "T.O. did a great job, got open, it's been a great week."

We'll be back for the second half.

Every time I watch this game, there's some injury replacement who jumps out at me.

And my "Hey, what's he doing here?" for today is Colts safety Antoine Bethea. I had no clue he was invited.

Of course, with a couple hundred guys coming out of this whole process with the tag "Pro Bowler" I guess I shouldn't be surprised. ... Hey, the NFC just pulled to within six! That's what happens when there's a Massachusetts native at quarterback.

It's probably bad form that the 13 Cowboys here are performing the way they are, considering that there's just one player from the Giants on their team. Tony Romo and Terrell Owens did just bounce back to convert a fourth down and connect for a touchdown. Here's the ugliness of the rest of it:

-- Two drops by Owens.

-- One drop by Jason Witten.

-- Fumble by DeMarcus Ware, who mistakenly identified himself as Gale Sayers on a kickoff return.

-- Interception by Tony Romo (though that was facilitated by Chris Cooley).

-- False start by Flozell Adams on a fourth down.

-- Unsightly squib kick by Nick Folk to start the game.

This is what was supposed to happen last week, with an AFC team bludgeoning an NFC team.

Somehow, I don't think it's any consolation to the good people back where I'm from.

DeMarcus Ware just provided picture perfect coverage on Browns TE Kellen Winslow to force the field goal, atoning for his gaffe on the kickoff.

Wonder if he can give Roy Williams some pointers?

Not doubt, DeMarcus Ware was looking for his Sportscenter moment there.

And he actually looked decent running the ball until it started to jiggle loose. From there, it was disastrous.

Maybe when he realized he wasn't going to score, he was just looking to get a few more snaps, which giving the ball back to the AFC has done for him.

On his first three plays, Tony Romo looked his January self. And then, after the fake punt, he looked more like November Romo.

I wonder how the FOX cameras haven't found Jessica yet. She's there and, I'd guess, she's not making herself scarce.

Look out once they spot her. The over/under on shots might be set in the triple-digits.

Do we really need a reminder every 13 seconds that these are the best players in the league (with the exception, of course, of the guys who bowed out because of "injury")?

No, we don't. It's like these guys are begging us to stick around. Geez.

On another note, the AFC just sliced its way down the field behind Peyton Manning's golden right arm. Problem No. 3245 with the Pro Bowl: Players like DeMarcus Ware. He's being used as a 4-3 stack outside linebacker, when he'd be an end if he played in such a scheme. And because of the tight rules on blitzing, we don't get to see him do what he does best.

I know most people around here don't like the Redskins much, but nice touch there by the NFL, making Washington's Chris Samuels, Chris Cooley and Ethan Albright the NFC tri-captains.

All three are wearing 21, in honor of Sean Taylor, and it's nice that the tribute got a little bit of camera time there.

Are Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston. The FOX commentators are going through their obiligatory "Hey, it's still football" pregame talk.

I just heard Moose say how physical the Pro Bowl is "at times." So what is at other times? I mean, if it's still football, shouldn't it be physical at all times? I'm confused.

Waiting for the Pro Bowl to start means that NASCAR has been on in my place for about four minutes now, which sets a new mark for any TV owned by me.

I'll never get those minutes back!

Timmy, you here?

There was talk that the Cowboys may try to get into the Hall of Fame Game, the NFL's preseason opener, in 2008.

Well, forget that. Word just came across that Jim Zorn will make his D.C. sideline debut in Canton, leading the Redskins against the Colts. The game will be held August 3, so that means after today, it'll be nearly six months until you can check out an NFL game of any kind again. Yet another reason to check back at Cowboys Blog all afternoon, for our Pro Bowl bonanza.

The Redskins are a natural choice for that game, given that Darrell Green and Art Monk are going in, as is Emmitt Thomas, who was part of two world title coaching staffs in D.C. And their selection pretty much eliminated the Cowboys from consideration, since the two play in the same division.

The question is this: Will we be yapping at the level it takes an NFL player to get Hawaii? Or like they (ahem) play when they're there?

You'll have to check back here with Timmy Tabloid and me, and maybe Lucky and Archer too, to find out.

Making the Pro Bowl entertaining is probably about the most daunting challenge that Cowboys Blog has ever faced. We'll try, so check back in a half-hour to watch us A) shine or B) fall on our collective face. Only one thing is for sure: There will be no Tale of the Tape on this one.

We're three days into the 15-day window for teams to place the franchise tag on players, and so far, only one player -- Eagles TE L.J. Smith -- has officially been slapped with the designation.

Surely, more are coming. Oakland CB Nnamdi Asomugha and Tennessee DT Albert Haynesworth are expected to get it, and Seattle CB Marcus Trufant, Arizona LB Karlos Dansby and New England WR Randy Moss could too. As could Cowboys OT Flozell Adams.

I'm on record as saying there'd be plenty of benefit to tagging Adams, not the least of which would be buying a year to further develop the team's young tackles and identify a long-term answer at the position. It's costly, yes, at $9 million (I had the number wrong earlier this week, since I believed the 20 percent raise applied to players tagged in back-to-back years). And most players aren't exactly thrilled when they get hit with the tag, so there's that issue.

How do these things usually work out? The answers vary, as detailed by Paul Kuharsky of the Tennessean this week. Follow the jump for the results of Kuharsky's study of the 30 franchise tags handed out since 2004, involving 24 players.

Former Troy teammates DeMarcus Ware and Osi Umenyiora just joined Rich Eisen and Marshall Faulk on the NFL Total Access set, and Ware had a special message for his old buddy.

"I’m happy for him, because he’s my boy," Ware said. "But I feel like they stole that ring from us."

Umenyiora was quick to offer up a consolation -- "They’re playing their Super Bowl tomorrow," he responded, alluding to the Cowboys baker's dozen in Hawaii. Ware was in Arizona last week, before Umenyiora won his, and he knew what was coming after it went down.

"I knew I’d be the first person he’d call after the game. And right after the game, 10 minutes after the game was over, he calls me," Ware said. "He called me and said, ‘Do you know what it feels like be a champion?’ I said no. He’s like, ‘Guess what? I am one.’"

In other gripping Pro Bowl news, we just spotted Terrell Owens wearing an Eagles visor during the NFC walkthrough. Stop the presses!

Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has done what Jerry Jones thought about about doing last year -- taking a promising quarterbacks coach and promoting him right through the coordinator level.

The OC that Snyder hired just two weeks ago, Jim Zorn, is now Washington's head coach. Unbelievable. Remember, it was just a year ago that Jones hired then-Dolphins QB coach Jason Garrett before hiring Wade Phillips. Indications were he considered making Garrett head coach then, prior to deciding to tab Phillips.

Zorn's considerably older than Garrett, at 54, and joined Mike Holmgren's staff the same year (2001) that Matt Hasselbeck came in a trade from Green Bay. Hasselbeck became a Pro Bowler, and Zorn, a former Seattle quarterback himself, built his reputation on No. 8's development.

Not sure what this means for the Cowboys' competition, but credit Snyder with making a gutsy decision, rather than taking the safer route of hiring someone like Jim Fassel.

Over at the Sporting News, Mike Florio has 10 predictions for the NFL offseason. And one has Cowboys owner/GM playing the role of aggressor.

Prognostication No. 7 holds that "Jerry Jones will make a big splash". While Florio does address the Darren McFadden rumors, there's another potential bombshell he has in mind.

That's not the only power play Jones might make. With wide receiver Randy Moss hitting the open market Feb. 29 -- unless the Patriots use the franchise tag on him -- hauling in the single-season touchdown receptions leader would create a compelling Texas tandem of Terrell Owens and Moss.

There is only one football, though, and that could create a problem. Likewise, Jones would have to give Owens, who is entering the final year of his contract, a big raise to ensure there would be no locker-room rivalry.

My feeling is that this offseason will probably be more about tweaking than turning heads. But if you really want to look at the Moss possibility, a couple things need to be considered.

First, the Patriots have to franchise Moss to keep him off the open market, because he can not receive an extension, per NFL rules, until free agency starts since his deal was renegotiated at the time of his trade from Oakland. Which means there's increased motivation for New England to tag Moss. Second, Moss has always had a chip on his shoulder over the Cowboys passing on him in the 1998 draft, although that's something that surely could be worked out.

So while the story above is more speculative than anything else, I'll turn this idea over to you: Do you want the "Other 81" joining the "Original 81" at Valley Ranch?

In the wake of spying allegations directed at the Patriots resurfacing last weekend, the league is considering a change that would work to cut off avenues to stealing signals.

According to Washington Post NFL writer Mark Maske, the league will discuss placing receivers in defensive players' helmets, the same way they have them in quarterbacks' helmets, to allow coaches to call plays without signaling. The report indicates that the idea was proposed last spring and fell two votes short of passing, which brings optimism, in the wake of Spygate, that it will pass at the owners meetings in Palm Beach, Fla. in March.

"That should push this [approval of the proposal] over the top," one owner told Maske. "If there are no defensive signals, there's nothing to steal and nothing to videotape. I'm sure the league will want this and that should get it done."

The problem with this, and Maske raised it in his story, is that most teams substitute freely defensively, perhaps making it difficult to identify a player to give the receiver to. It would seem most natural to put the radio in the helmet of the "Mike" linebacker, who generally calls the front.

In Dallas, that would be Bradie James, who comes off the field when the defense goes into most of its nickel and dime looks. So who do you give the receiver to? Maybe Terence Newman or Ken Hamlin? And does it wind up being a guy at a different position on each team? Therein, lies the problem -- it'd be much tougher to set protocol than it is offensively, where you simply give the radio to the quarterback.

The fourth 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: T Marc Colombo, G Leonard Davis, T Doug Free, C Andre Gurode, G Kyle Kosier, T James Marten, T Pat McQuistan

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: T Flozell Adams

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: C/G Joe Berger

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: C/G Cory Procter

TOP NAMES ON FREE AGENT MARKET: Adams, G Ruben Brown (Bears), G Alan Faneca (Steelers), T Jordan Gross (Panthers), T Max Starks (Steelers)
* — Restricted FA

TOP DRAFT NAMES: T Sam Baker (Southern Cal), T Ryan Clady (Boise State), T Jake Long (Michigan), T Jeffrey Otah (Pitt), T Chris Williams (Vanderbilt)

ESPN's Todd McShay has his latest mock draft up (Insider subscription required), and he's got Cowboys owner GM/owner grabbing an Arkansas running back in the first round.

No, not that one. It's Felix Jones here. McShay projects that selection at 28, with Dallas taking USC tackle Sam Baker at 22. Here's what the ESPN draft guru says about the Cowboys taking Arkansas' "other" tailback:

If owner Jerry Jones can't strike a deal for McFadden, he could settle for Arkansas' other first-round running back prospect. Felix Jones is a speedster who could complement current Dallas RB Marion Barber well and provide a home run threat in the return game.

McShay has BC QB Matt Ryan (Dolphins), Virginia DE Chris Long (Rams), Arkansas RB Darren McFadden (Falcons), LSU DT Glenn Dorsey (Raiders) and Michigan OT Jake Long (Chiefs) going 1-5.

Anyone looking for the Cowboys to make a splash and bring in a name free agent to pair with Terence Newman at corner might want to forget about it.

There are three standout guys on the free-agent market at that position: Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha, New England's Asante Samuel and Seattle's Marcus Trufant. Asomugha seems destined for the franchise tag. Trufant could get it too, if Seattle lets kicker Josh Brown walk. And if you want Samuel -- who can't be tagged, per a clause that agent Alonzo Shavers negotiated into his one-year pact last August -- the jumping off point will probably have to be in the range of the eight-year, $80 million deal that Nate Clements got from the Niners last year.

Plus, with a Newman extension on the horizon, it seems like even making a run at one of those three, and tossing numbers around wildly, could poison the waters with the Cowboys' own Pro Bowler. And the truth is, after those three, there's a considerable drop-off in quality on the market.

A couple guys to keep an eye on: San Diego's Drayton Florence and New England's Randall Gay. Both are young, and will come infinitely cheaper than the elite. Florence has experience with Wade Phillips, while Gay brings the versatility to play inside, outside and even at safety. So there's merit -- and given their lower price tags, drawbacks -- with each.

I don't feel the same way about Paul Zimmerman that Timmy Tabloid does, in all his short-mindedness.

But MacMahon's theory on Dr. Z being anti-Cowboy gained some more steam today. Unless, you consider Troy Aikman anti-Cowboy, and I know some of you do.

In his annual ranking on broadcasters at SI.com, Z takes the Dallas icon to task, giving the Aikman-Buck tandem a 2-star (out of 5) rating. Here's his take on Troy:

Neither Buck nor Aikman is concerned with telling you much about defense, who made the tackle, who forced the play, etc., and the production style is to get off a play so quickly that you can't even see the uniform numbers of the people involved. Thus, it is always with a sinking heart that I approach a game this team is working, if I happen to be especially interested in it.

Aikman is very good in breaking down, right, matters of pass and catch, although he's too nice. Well, what the hell, he always was a nice guy, and I certainly didn't complain when he was playing and he made my job so much easier. But gosh, if I hear him say, "You are exactly right, Joe," one more time, I'm going to find someone innocent to yell at.

A lot of people would look at the final score of this year’s Super Bowl – Giants 17, Patriots 14 – and think it may have been an uneven, sloppy game. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was well-played, highly competitive and one with a thrilling ending.

Here’s what we culled from the tape (and if you don’t want to read it, feel free to scroll down):

 There are many layers to the affect the Giants defensive line had on Sunday’s game. But start with perhaps the most impactful component – The ability to handle Kevin Faulk. All year, and really in the past, Faulk has been invaluable as a checkdown option, and a way to deal with a strong pass-rush or press coverage on the perimeter. The Giants’ pass rush, first and foremost, forced the Patriots to keep Faulk into block quite a bit. And from there, they covered him well (even if he had seven catches). One way of doing it was sending a linebacker up the middle. Faulk would pick the blitz, and then the ’backer (often Antonio Pierce) wouldn’t let him peel off to where Tom Brady could get him the ball. When the Giants did let Faulk release, there was often a defensive back, and not a linebacker, waiting for him. The result? By taking away an option underneath through coverage, the rush got an extra split-second to get there. The bottom line is that the Giants wouldn’t let Faulk kill them, the way he did the Jaguars and Chargers, and that was debilitating for the struggling pass protection.

Where Eli Manning's 34 throws went on Sunday (With the Hail Mary at the end of the first half counted out) ...

WR PLAXICO BURRESS
Thrown to: 9 (3 first half/6 second half)
Final Stats: 2 catches, 27 yards, TD (1-14/1-13, TD)
Drops: 1

WR STEVE SMITH
Thrown to: 8 (6 first half/2 second half)
Final Stats: 5 catches, 50 yards (3-21/2-29)
Drops: 2

Where Tom Brady's 48 throws went on Sunday ...

WR WES WELKER
Thrown to: 15 (2 first half/13 second half)
Final Stats: 11 catches, 102 yards (2-17/9-85)
Drops: 0

WR RANDY MOSS
Thrown to: 12 (3 first half/9 second half)
Final Stats: 5 catch, 62 yards (1-18/4-44)
Drops: 0