SPORTSDAY

Sports Illustrated's Peter King, who picked the Cowboys to go to the Super Bowl, doesn't even consider them one of the league's top 15 today. Funny what three losses in four games (with the lone win an ugly one over the 0-fer Bengals) will do to a team's reputation.

There is speculation that the Cowboys and Lions could be working on a trade that would bring Jon Kitna to Valley Ranch.

I'd be stunned if such a deal went down before tomorrow's trading deadline.

1. By the time Kitna got anywhere close to comfortable with the Cowboys' offense, Tony Romo should be ready to return.

2. Kitna is banged up himself at the moment. He missed the Lions' loss to the Vikings yesterday with a back injury that's expected to keep him out another week or two.

3. I'm not sure Kitna, who made some rather critical comments about the Dallas defense a couple years ago, would be embraced in the Cowboys locker room.

I didn't even have time to blog about Kurt Warner's gift to the Cowboys before the Cardinals got the ball right back.

Flozell Adams has something to cuss about now. DE Bert Berry blew by him to bat the ball out of Tony Romo's hand from the blind side. You can complain about the QB not protecting the ball, but it's tough to blame him for that one.

UPDATE: Well, after looking at the replay, Romo did hold on to the ball for an awfully long time.
(Dallas Morning News photo by Michael Mulvey)

The Cardinals are punting after a third-down incompletion, but I'll bet the Cardinals would love to see Mike Jenkins covering Larry Fitzgerald on a regular basis.

The Arizona sideline wanted a flag on Jenkins for getting to Fitzgerald a little early. It didn't come, so Jenkins got to celebrate a little.

Or maybe we need to tap the brakes a bit on the Redskins emerging as an elite team in the NFC.

The Rams are about to walk out of Washington with a win. The Rams, dude!

I've only been able to watch bits and pieces of the game. After scanning the stats, I have no idea how St. Louis has a shot. But there they are, trailing by one and in field goal range with a minute remaining.

UPDATE: Rams win!

Great day for blog to go down, huh? You folks are probably interested in what's going on with Adam "Pacman" Jones. Now that Belo technology is cooperating, I'll fill you in.

In stunning news, the Cowboys don't plan to discipline Pacman, who practiced today. The Valley Ranch spin is that this fight with the bodyguard at the hotel was just horsing around that went a wee bit too far.

We'll see whether Roger Goodell buys that.

"I don't think there's any misunderstanding about the position that Adam has put himself," Sheriff Goodell said on ESPN radio. "I think he understands all that. I guess I could tell you that I'm disappointed we're even discussing this at this point."

Follow the jump for the press release from the Dallas police, who are now saying that the incident happened at about 11 p.m., not 1:30 a.m., as an officer said yesterday.

The Pacman era at Valley Ranch is most likely about to end or be put on hold for a little while after he threw some haymakers at a hotel. I just can't see tough-on-thugs Roger Goodell letting this one slide less than a month and a half after reinstating Mr. Jones.

"Adam knows how much emphasis I put on making sure that he makes good choices going forward, that he avoids situations where he can reflect poorly on himself, the Cowboys or the NFL," Goodell said earlier today, before news broke about Pacman's situation that reflects poorly on himself, the Cowboys and the NFL.

But it's not all bad news.

On the bright side, there isn't any need to waste jet fuel if the commish wants to have a face-to-face with Pacman to inform him of his penalty. Pacman conveniently got into a scrap with his bodyguard the day before Sheriff Goodell arrived for a planned Valley Ranch visit.

And Jerry Jones, who was well aware of the risk for a major PR embarrassment when the Cowboys traded for Pacman, will have another 2009 pick in his pocket. Per the terms of the trade with the Titans, the Cowboys will get Tennessee's fifth-round pick if Pacman misses any action because of off-field issues after reinstatement, which is pretty much a certainty at this point.

Wade Phillips was a few minutes late to his afternoon press conference, because Roger Goodell stopped by Valley Ranch to visit with the Cowboys.

No need to be alarmed. Sheriff Goodell didn't come down here to with a warrant for any of the Cowboys he's gotten to know so well over the last couple years. Matter of fact, Tank Johnson gave his good pal a standing ovation at the end of Goodell's talk to the team about league issues such as the collective bargaining agreement.

"He and Roger are buddies," Phillips said. "He calls him Roger. I call him Commissioner Goodell."

Goodell didn't chat with the Valley Ranch media, but Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News chatted with him in the Alamo City at a luncheon today. Follow the jump to see what the commish had to say about Adam "Pacman" Jones and other players who have been suspended.

The Cowboys winning at Lambeau Field was a lot more impressive before the Falcons accomplished the feat today.

The Cowboys reign at the top of the utterly meaningless, somewhat interesting power rankings is over.

Dallas fell from the top spot to No. 3 in the ESPN.com blogger poll, No. 5 in Vic Carucci's rankings on NFL.com and No. 5 in Michael Silver's Yahoo.com rankings.

The undefeated, defending Super Bowl champion Giants are No. 1 across the board, perhaps because they were so impressive the last two weeks while beating the Bengals in OT and enjoying their bye.

Linebacker Bobby Carpenter was on the ESPN show First Take this morning. No, he didn't cut the pony tail.

Carpenter was asked what did his teammates think about Terrell Owens' comments regarding needing the ball more following the Cowboys' loss to the Redskins.

"Everybody is upset and frustrated about it," Carpenter said. "I think he said it and guys view it and say, 'maybe that was a little bit out of line.' But at the same time everybody [knows] he's out there practicing everyday. Not many guys, 13 years in this league are putting the effort on the field every day in practice and that's something everyone in that locker room respects."

On Tuesday, the Cowboys' loss to the Redskins will get re-aired on NFL Network's NFL Replay at 8:30 p.m.

Before the Cowboys' game, Brett Favre's six touchdown performance will get re-aired at 7 p.m.

Jerry Jones made no secret of his search for a "wow" receiver to complement T.O. Detroit's Roy Williams tell Rick "Goose" Gosselin that he'd like to come back home to play in Texas.

Well, the Lions are awful again and Williams is in the final season of his contract, so Goose suggests that whoever the heck is running the team in Detroit might be willing to listen if a team offers a premium draft pick or two for Williams before the Oct. 14 trading deadline.

Should Jerry pick up the phone and give it a shot?

News of the day is starting fast around the NFL.

Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress has been suspended for two weeks for poor conduct.

Also, all you Lions fans rejoice. GM Matt Millen has been canned.

Rob Parker of the Detroit News writes about the Lions' ownership mess.

Barry Horn gives a glimpse of what ESPN has promised for its coverage of tonight's matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles on our new sports media blog.

Columnist Tim Cowlishaw does a little Monday morning quarterbacking on his blog.

Here's the AP story ...

HOUSTON -- Damage caused by Hurricane Ike will likely lead to the postponement of Monday night's NFL game at Reliant Stadium between the visiting Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans.

The storm tore chunks off the stadium's retractable roof and the damage can't be fixed in time to host the game, said Shea Guinn, the president and general manager of Reliant Park.

"There is no way this stadium will host a game on Monday night," Guinn said Saturday. "There are parts of the roof that are completely gone."

An official announcement was expected later Saturday, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.

"It certainly appears that the stadium is not going to be able to be used on Monday night," Aiello said.

The game, originally scheduled for Sunday, was moved to Monday earlier in the week as Ike approached the area.

The field is not scheduled to host another game until Oct. 5. If the game is postponed, it is unclear when it could be made up. The Texans' off week is Oct. 26, while Baltimore's is Nov. 6.

I've always been big on learning the intricacies of the rules, be it college or NFL football. I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Walt Anderson, an NFL referee and the Big 12 coordinator of officials, a few years ago and learned the six criteria of pass interference, what constitutes holding and just what is or is not a penalty.

Today the NFL sent an officiating video to the media that covers certain crazy rules that officials must remember when the game is on the line. Here are some questions that were covered. Let's see how well you know the rules. Answers after the jump.

Situation 1
A punt returner makes a fair catch signal after the ball hits the ground. What happens?
A: That's OK. It's still a live ball, and the return man can grab the ball and go.
B: That's illegal. It's a 5-yard penalty for an illegal signal, and the ball is dead.

Situation 2
On an onside kick, can a member of the receiving team jump up and bat the ball toward his own end zone? Can he bat the ball to a teammate behind him?
A: You bet he can bat it both ways.
B: No, he can't bat it forward. That's a 10-yard penalty. Batting backward is OK, though.
C: No, the player must make a legitimate attempt to grab the football.

Situation 3
If a player gets mad and takes a swing at another player but the punch misses, can that player still be ejected? Yes or no?

With Vince Young out, the Titans have signed former Buccaneer Chris Simms. He will back up Kerry Collins this week against the Bengals.

The Dallas Cowboys open with a 28-10 win on the road. Plenty of numbers for Cowboys fans to enjoy. Tony Romo goes 24-for-32 for 320 yards. Marion Barber scores twice and Cleveland's Derek Anderson musters just 114 passing yards. Also, three Cowboys receivers had more than 80 yards receiving each. Next up, the Philadelphia Eagles, who had the other blowout win of the day.

(Photo by Michael Ainsworth/Dallas Morning News)

Former Broncos GM Ted Sundquist will provide a scouting report for ProFootballTalk.com on the three most compelling games each week. Cowboys-Browns made the cut this weekend.

Click here to check it out.

We're about to board a plane to Cleveland. We might make a trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this evening, but I'll squeeze in some blogging at some point.

Julius Jones, who is rather miffed at the Cowboys coaches about being benched for the playoffs last year, thought he'd be a starter in Seattle. That won't be the case this week.

Maurice Morris, who isn't exactly in Marion Barber's class, will start for the Seahawks against the Bills on Sunday.

Goose is chatting live as we speak.

That's assuming that CB Evan Oglesby, who Baltimore picked up off waivers, sticks with the Ravens all season.

He could be a valuable resource for the Ravens' offensive coaches and players the week they come to Texas Stadium. Of course, a whole bunch of inside info probably won't make much difference with Joe Flacco, Troy Smith or Todd Bouman under center.

We've got an NFL picks contest available this season. You'll go against other players, including SportsDay's selectors. There are weekly and end-of-season prizes for national winners.

First game is Thursday night.

FoxSports.com's Jay Glazer reports that Michael Strahan plans to stay retired.

"This has been one of the toughest nights of my life," Strahan said from Greece. "But after long deliberation and throwing around a million scenarios in my head for the past day, I think it's just best if I stay retired.

"I have gone back and forth on this because as a player you'll always want to play, you'll never lose that urge to be out there. But I could only do this if I could commit 100 percent, physically, mentally, emotionally and I can't do that. I've tried to convince myself and my body to give it one more year, but in the end I just don't think I could turn it on like I need to again."

Strahan and the team held discussions and he says the money was enough to do the deal. But in the end, it became a matter of whether or not he wanted to put his body through the rigors of another NFL season.

One of the primary reasons the Giants beat the Cowboys in the playoffs was because Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck dominated the second half. The Cowboys will only have to worry about Tuck this season.

It probably won't be in Dallas.

Around the Horn star Tim Cowlishaw elaborates in his new corner of cyberspace.

On a related note, it's been pointed out to me that Boldin doesn't fit the stretch-the-field description the Cowboys want in a WR to complement T.O. anyway. Compare Boldin's yards per catch last season to Patrick Crayton's for proof.

UPDATE: T-Cow is urging Jerry to get get Boldin now!!!

Columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor asks a question in his latest blog post: Do you want the Cowboys to sign Joe Horn?

I understand why folks kept asking whether Chris Henry might become a Cowboy. Valley Ranch has become a haven for the NFL's talented troublemakers, Jerry made it clear he wanted another playmaker at WR and Henry mentioned the Cowboys as one of his preferred destinations.

But it ain't gonna happen.

ESPN.com reports that Henry will re-sign with the Bengals as soon as today. The Cowboys never showed any interest in signing Adam "Pacman" Jones' former West Virginia running buddy.

ProFootballTalk.com directed me to an interesting tidbit on the Miami Herald's site.

It is true the Dallas Cowboys are mildly, and I do stress mildly, interested in quarterback John Beck. The Cowboys have winked, hand-signaled, called or e-mailed the Dolphins (however it is they do it) that they would be willing to part with a low-round draft pick for the second-year player.

Mild, in this case, might mean that "conditional" will be attached to any pick the Cowboys offer. Beck would be the Cowboys' third-string quarterback this season, although he might develop into a reliable backup for Tony Romo down the road and perhaps even a guy the Cowboys could flip for a pick or two in a few years.

Betcha Wade Phillips is up late putting the finishing touches on another extensive game plan for a preseason game against Denver.

You remember the Broncos getting their feathers ruffled because of some Cowboys blitzes last summer, right?

Well, I can't wait to see what ol' Wade cooks up this time to get meaningless revenge against the first team that canned him as head coach. I'd like to suggest that the Cowboys bust out the Patrick Crayton-to-Sam Hurd reverse pass. Oh, and while I'm all for defensive creativity, don't call any blitzes that leave Adam "Pacman" Jones alone on Brandon "No T.O." Marshall.

It's a shame that John Lynch recently departed Denver. Now who's going to hold the Cowboys to the unwritten preseason code of ethics?

Oh, well. I reckon that Lynch has plenty of NFL ethics issues to ponder after joining the Patriots.

With Brett Favre arriving in the Big Apple, the New York Jets didn't waste any time cutting ties with Chad Pennington.

What about Pennington as a backup to Tony Romo?

Forget it, says columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor.

Jerry Jones shot down any speculation about ex-Jets QB Chad Pennington coming to Dallas before it could really get started. Jerry told reporters after practice that the Cowboys have no interest in Pennington, who might wind up with a bunch of ex-Cowboys in Miami.

FoxSports.com's Jay Glazer got the scoop.

I see this as a good thing from the Cowboys' perspective. The future Hall of Famer is out of the NFC.

Here are the details just sent in a release from the Cowboys ...

The NFL and all 32 NFL clubs have created a fan code of conduct to help promote a positive fan environment at NFL stadiums, it was announced today.

The fan code of conduct is designed to set clear expectations and encourage a stadium environment that is enjoyable for all fans. Teams may add additional provisions to the standard code based on local circumstances or preferences. Each team will communicate its code of conduct during the preseason to season-ticket holders and fans through mailings, online, and in-stadium signage, and other messages.

"The in-stadium experience is critically important to the NFL, our clubs and our fans and it will be a major focus this season," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "We are committed to improving the fan experience in every way we can -- from the time fans arrive in the parking lot to when they depart the stadium. We want everyone to be able to come to our stadiums and enjoy the entire day."

My good pal Matt Mosley has a post up on ESPN.com's NFC East blog floating the possibility of the Cowboys trading for Carolina WR Steve Smith.

The line of thinking is that the Panthers are sick of Smith's antics, which most recently included a punch that broke Carolina DB Ken Lucas' nose, and the Cowboys have made it very, very clear that they'd love to have an elite receiver opposite T.O.

OK, so a deal would make sense, right? So what should Jerry give up to get Smith? Start with next year's first-round pick and add at least a piece or two if you want to be realistic.

UPDATE: ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas, who has covered the Panthers for years, totally shot this speculation down ... unless Smith screws up again.

Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel tells me former Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter is going to get a tryout this afternoon with the Miami Dolphins.

Wednesday, Micheal Irvin reported on his radio show that Carter would get a look down in Davie.

Wow. That's all we can say about that.

UPDATE: Here's the story from the Sun-Sentinel. "It's just a workout, a look-see. See what's happening," Tony Sparano said. "Jeff Ireland and Bill Parcells will do their due diligence on every player that's out there, one way or another to help this football team."

ANOTHER UPDATE: JJT's take.

There is absolutely, positively no doubt that the Cowboys' training camp will be a wild time.

You've got a team that hasn't won a playoff game in a decade but is considered by many the NFC favorite. You've got a head coach (coming off a 13-win season, in case you forgot) whose eventual replacement is on staff. You've got a celebrity quarterback who will put his golf clubs down and kiss his celebrity girlfriend good-bye to concentrate on football. T.O. will be there, filling up notebooks and providing soundbites, fresh off one of the best media-relations moves of all-time. The cornerback formerly known as Pacman will continue his image rehab while competing for a starting job. And on and on and on ...

Oh, yeah, and the Hard Knocks folks will be there to record every second. And the national media will surely flock to Oxnard. Just like Jerry likes it.

But anybody who believes that preseason drama hurts a team's title chances might want to take a look at last season's Super Bowl champs.

The Giants dealt with, among other things, Michael Strahan's cross-country holdout/retirement threats, retired RB Tiki Barber's war of words with Eli Manning (who had zero playoff wins under his belt at the time) and speculation that Tom Coughlin's head was on the chopping block.

So just enjoy all the sideshows for what they are: entertainment and excellent blog fodder, not obstacles to the Super Bowl.

With Jason Taylor going to D.C. and now Shockey headed to Nola, which team has put together the best offseason move?

1. Cowboys re-signing their key veterans and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.
2. Jason Taylor going to the Redskins.
3. Chad Johnson reporting to Bengals minicamp.
4. Brett Favre wanting to comeback.
5. Asante Samuel going to Philly.
6. Give us another.

To me, I think it's Jason Taylor going to Washington. The Redskins' pass rush just got better but Flo Adams handled Taylor in their only meeting last year.

FoxSports.com is reporting that the Giants have dealt disgruntled tight end Jeremy Shockey to the Saints for a second-and fifth-round pick.

More to come ...

UPDATE: The Saints are confirming the deal, which is pending league approval and contingent on Shockey passing a physical.

Mark Cuban grew up near Pittsburgh and once wore a Ben Roethlisberger jersey on the Late Show with David Letterman. Just don't expect to see him in the owners box for Steelers games.

Reports have surfaced that the NFL club may be for sale. Native son Cuban would seem to a possible buyer. Native son Cuban was among the names surfacing in early media speculation.

But he told CNBC's Darren Rovell that he wasn't interested, and questioned whether a small-market team could excel under the NFL's salary cap. Asked by e-mail Wednesday evening if that was his position, Cuban responded: "It is."

Dick Butkus, who played middle linebacker with a frenzied intensity for the Chicago Bears, has now joined the fight against steroid use, especially among young people. In his appearance today on ESPN, he talked about the growth in steroid use from his playing days. Butkus also mentioned Plano's Don Hooten, who knows all too well the dangers involved and has taken his fight nationally with testimony before Congress.

SI.com just created a neat way to drive down summer office productivity even more.

The website challenges readers to assemble an NFL roster using the 2008 salary cap of $116 million. SI offers rosters compiled by a couple of their guys and then provides the salary cap numbers for every player, if you want to build a roster of your own.

With the news that Dan Patrick will be reunited with Keith Olbermann on NBC's Football Night in America comes a bit of uncertainty. Will they be as funny or edgy as they were back in the '90s on SportsCenter? Hmmm.

Well, if they need any creative help, here are a few suggestions from their ESPN days to jumpstart interest.

DMN columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor weighed in on a possible Brett Favre return over the weekend.

Now's it's Peter King's turn. The SI.com columnist thinks that Favre will be back -- and the Packers won't be happy about it.

We are early in what I can guarantee will be a very tumultuous month in the recurring Brett Favre will-he-or-won't-he saga, and what I can tell you for sure is this: No. 4 wants to play football again, and the Green Bay Packers desperately do not want him to.

San Diego Times-Union columnist Tim Sullivan takes an unsentimental look at the life and death of Chargers strong safety Terrence Kiel.

The former Texas A&M standout who grew up in Lufkin died in a one-car accident Friday in San Diego. He was 27. This passage from Sullivan's column is especially interesting:

On Sept. 26, 2006, Kiel was arrested at the Chargers' complex and eventually pleaded guilty to felony drug charges resulting from the shipment of codeine-based prescription cough syrup.

Prosecutors concluded that Kiel's drug trafficking was the product of cash-flow problems exacerbated by his heavy losses at local casinos.

It's a holiday, but that doesn't mean we don't have to work. So, I called our fantasy guy, Ladd Biro, and asked him to give us some sleepers to look out for.

Here's Ladd's Nine Super Sleepers for the NFL season:

1. Jake Delhomme. You're No. 1 quarterback? No way. A solid backup when healthy? Absolutely. As long as he's upright, he's Top 10 material.

2. David Garrard. If Jacksonville makes even a modest shift to the passing game, Garrard has a chance to be special. His wide receivers are decent, he'll have top-notch run support, and he's had a solid year under his belt as a starter.

3. Laurence Maroney. No way Belichick airs it out like he did in '08. He has a great talent in his backfield who has always produced when given the chance. He'll get it again, propelling him near Top 5 running back status.

4. Kevin Smith. Will likely start Week 1 for a decent offense that's making a conscious decision to run better. Let others grab Darren McFadden and Matt Forte. You take the guy in the right place at the right time.

5. Rudi Johnson. Until last years hammy injury, Johnson was Mr. Consistent. The Bengals need a healthy RB to round out their offense, and there's every reason to believe he'll be the guy again. He can have 10 plus touchdowns and 1,200 rushing yards well within reach, making him a primo No. 2 running back.

In a letter to the NFL, former lineman Steve Courson said he was disappointed that more players haven't talked about their previous steroid use.

Here's a good story about it in the Baltimore Sun.

My man Tom Curran from NBC Sports.com tells us about some coaches on the hot seat for the 2008 season.

Check out what he says about Wade Phillips in his report.

It's the off-season and we're ranking the best players in the NFL. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports had the Top 50 a few weeks ago. We're not doing that, we got other stuff to do.

So, here's the Top Ten.

1. Tom Brady. Yeah, I know Brady didn't win a Super Bowl. But he did lead the Pats to a 16-0 regular season mark.

2. Peyton Manning. Came up short of Super Bowl repeat last season, but still one of the best at his position.

3. Shawne Merriman. Picked up 29 sacks the last two season and is a force on every play.

So says Cold Hard Football Facts, which ranked all 32 NFL franchises in a historical context. Makes for fun reading during this oh-so-slow time of the off-season.

The site makes the claim that America's Team is often overrated because of its media-darling status. But CHFF acknowledged that the Cowboys are behind the Packers by 1 yard -- the distance of Bart Starr's winning TD sneak in the Ice Bowl.

BLOGGER'S NOTE: In an attempt to fill the deadest time of offseason with something resembling meaningful football conversation, we'll run a series debating where each Cowboys positional unit ranks among their league peers.

It isn't difficult to make a case that the Cowboys have the premier offensive line in the game.

Dallas was the only team with three Pro Bowl offensive linemen last season. And those guys all went to Hawaii because of performance, not as the result of popularity contests. A Pro Football Weekly poll of coaches, scouts and executives ranked Andre Gurode as the league's top center, Leonard "Bigg" Davis as the No. 2 guards and Flozell Adams as the No. 3 tackle. (Marc Colombo was the No. 23 tackle. Kyle Kosier didn't make the cut of the top 24 guards.)

The Cowboys should also benefit from continuity despite coach Tony Sparano's departure to Miami. Hudson Hauck, one of the game's most respected OL coaches, inherits a unit that returns intact after Adams' re-signed.

What do the numbers say? Well, it's tough to judge offensive lines by stats, since they're so dependent on the performances of skill players. The fact that only the Patriots scored more points than the Cowboys certainly indicates that this line is pretty darn good.

CBSSports.com ranked the O-lines based on four stats: touchdowns per carry, yards per carry, yards per pass attempt and sacks allowed per pass attempt. The Cowboys were No. 3 behind New England and Green Bay in those rankings.

Footballoutsiders.com came up with several different statistical formulas to rank O-lines. The Cowboys were surprisingly average in the running game, ranking 14th in adjusted line yards and 12th in power (short-yardage) success.

And the Cowboys' line certainly didn't end the season on a high note, getting whipped by the Giants' dominant front four in the second half of the playoff loss.

OK, time to get to the rankings. Follow the jump for the top five offensive lines in the game.

We continue our offseason series on ranking the Cowboys against the rest of the NFL. (I think this is the title of our series. I need to ask Timmy).
So, today we look at the running backs.

Beat writers note: It's the offseason and yes, we're trying to find some stuff to make you look.

The top running attacks in the NFL:

1. Jacksonville. What can we say? We love the Jags running attack of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. The run game averaged 149.4 yards per game, second in the league. It's a great 1-2 punch and takes pressure off quarterback David Garrard.

2. Minnesota. The best running game in the league last season, 164.6 per game, is next. The Vikes have Mr. Adrian Peterson, yeah, it's like that. He gets a Mr. next to his name because he's that good. Chester Taylor is a strong third-down back but could be on the downside.

3. Pittsburgh. The Steelers live on the run game. Ever since Chuck Noll was running things. Willie Parker returns from his broken leg and if rookie Rashard Mendenhall becomes a complementary back, the Steelers might average more than 135.5 per game.

4. San Diego. When you have LT. That's enough said.

5. New England. The Patriots throw so much we sometimes forget they have a strong run attack with Laurence Maroney. Teams might try to shutdown the passing attack this season and if that happens, look out for Maroney.

BLOGGER'S NOTE: In an attempt to fill the deadest time of offseason with something resembling meaningful football conversation, we'll run a series debating where each Cowboys positional unit ranks among their league peers.

Depth will be strongly considered for every other position. Quarterback is the exception because Tony Romo's a durable dude and only one QB plays. Plus, it's much more fun to argue about which QBs are better than Romo than how bad off the Cowboys would be with Brad Johnson under center.

So, which quarterbacks are better than Romo? Per footballoutsiders.com's fancy DPAR formula, he was the league's sixth-best QB last season, behind Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, retired Brett Favre, Drew Brees and David Garrard. Carson Palmer, Matt Hasselbeck, Ben Roethlisberger and Jay Cutler round out the top 10. I mention that to provide a purely unbiased perspective.

Brady and P. Manning are on a tier of their own. You could make a case that Romo, who set franchise records in passing yards (4,211), TDs (36) and wins (tied at 13) last season, is atop the next tier. The big hole in that case: He's 0-2 in playoff games and didn't play particularly well in either loss.

There are two other QBs I'd take over Romo: Brees and Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger has a ring and is coming off his best statistical season (3,153 yards, 65.3 comp. pct., 32 TD, 11 INT). His stats would be much prettier if Pittsburgh weren't such a miserable place in the winter. Brees took the Saints to the NFC championship game a couple years ago and puts up eye-popping stats with a mediocre receiving corps. (The fact that he's a native Texan served as a tiebreaker.)

So here's the official top 5 QBs, according to this here blog:

1. Tom Brady
2. Peyton Manning
3. Ben Roethlisberger
4. Drew Brees
5. Tony Romo

Coach Albert "Einstein" Breer expressed the proper outrage at Mat McBriar not being included among the NFL's top five punters, per a Pro Football Weekly poll of scouts, coaches and executives across the league. But Breer fell short by simply telling you folks to feel free to argue Jason Witten being ranked No. 4 among tight ends.

There is not a better all-around tight end in football. None of the other elite receiving tight ends are in Witten's class as a blocker. And there are precious few tight ends in his class as a receiver.

Matter of fact, according to footballoutsiders.com's Defense-adjusted Points Above Replacement statistical formula, Witten and San Diego's Antonio Gates are in a class of their own. Gates led TEs with a DPAR of 33.7 last season. Witten was second at 31.7. And there's a big drop-off after that.

Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez was third at 23.9. Cleveland's Kellen Winslow Jr., the other TE considered better than Witten by the PFW poll participants, was fifth at 19.9. Winslow's catch percentage (55 percent) was the lowest of any TE who had at least 50 balls thrown his way.

You can debate whether Gates is such a versatile threat as a receiver that he helps the Chargers' running game as much as Witten does the Cowboys'. But the NFL's top tier of tight ends consists of those two guys.

The Bengals have refused to give in to Chad Johnson's trade demands. Ocho Cinco sure isn't giving up, fulfilling his contractual obligation by reporting to the team's mandatory minicamp but creating a whole bunch of headaches upon his arrival.

It's enough to make a level-headed guy like ESPN's John Clayton to advise Cincy to give up the fight and get Johnson out of town.

Though Johnson's strange arrival brought both comic relief to some of his teammates and heartburn to Bengals management, it also pointed to a lingering ailment the Bengals can't shake. The whole Johnson controversy is pulling this franchise backward. Because the Bengals won't honor his trade demands, Johnson is proving more trouble to Cincinnati than he's worth.

I didn't think I'd say this, but it's time for a trade -- even though I know it won't happen. Johnson's unhappiness is pulling the franchise backward. It took years for the Bengals to acknowledge that former talented malcontents Carl Pickens and Corey Dillon were destroying team morale before their departures.

It's reached that stage with Johnson. The Bengals have an ailment: Johnson's remaining a Bengal. It's time to fix the problem.

Ocho Cinco, of course, would be a welcome addition to the Valley Ranch Circus. Jerry said on draft day that he'd continue his search for a "wow" receiver, so you can certainly count on the Cowboys making a play for Johnson if the Bengals put him on the market.

It's never wise to bet against Jerry when it comes to making a high-profile deal. But it's at least as likely that the Cowboys would end up facing Ocho Cinco twice a season if he leaves Cincy.

The Redskins offered the Bengals two picks (a first-rounder this year and a third-rounder next year that could have escalated to a first-rounder) for Johnson before the draft. Would it be wise for Jerry to outbid little Danny Snyder?

Terrell Owens is frustrated about being placed in the NFL's "reasonable cause" testing program for two main reasons: 1) He doesn't like the negative connotation; 2) He doesn't think he did anything wrong.

T.O. borrowed his buddy Bill Parcells' line by saying about the situation, "It is what it is."

And here's what it is: He'll have to deal with the hassle of peeing into a cup under the watchful eye of a league employee much more often than most players.

"I have no worries," T.O. said. "They can test me 1,000 times. I know that I don't use illegal stuff, so I'm good."

QB Chris Simms believes his days with the Bucs are done. He hopes that becomes official pronto.

"I feel like I'm being held hostage," Simms told the St. Petersburg Times. "I hate that all this has happened. I love Tampa. My family loves it here. But I've been quiet long enough. I feel like it's time to let everybody know why I'm not out there."

If you want to read Simms ripping Jon Gruden, click the link above. I'll get right to the point about why this matters to the Cowboys.

Jerry Jones hinted on draft weekend that the Cowboys would like to add a veteran QB to the mix behind Tony Romo. The 27-year-old Simms, who wasn't bad as a starter before suffering a spleen injury, would certainly be an intriguing option, especially if he arrived before training camp. He could be a solid backup who still has the potential to develop, which means the Cowboys could flip him for a draft pick or two down the road.

Here's a statement from Terrell Owens via his publicists about being placed in the "reasonable cause" testing program.

"This was a communication problem involving cell phone numbers. It was openly discussed and cleared up in a meeting that I had at the NFL Office last week. I have been in the NFL for over 12 years and have never had a positive test for substance of any kind. That includes tests that took place as recently as last month. The matter was resolved to everyone's satisfaction last Tuesday, and everyone has moved on."

The big question: Can T.O. turn this into an endorsement opportunity with a cell phone company?

The Cowboys just released a statement from Jerry Jones on Terrell Owens being placed in the "reasonable cause" testing program.

This was a procedural matter that was resolved last week.

We were aware of all of the facts prior to Terrell's meeting in New York, and we had no resevations about extending his contract. We make those decisions based upon our knowledge of a player over the course of his entire career.

We signed Terrell to the new contract, because there are no issues with Terrell.

The NFL couldn't track down T.O. to pee in a cup recently, so he'll have to do so a lot more often or be subjected to suspension. You can read the technical stuff about T.O. being placed in the "reasonable cause" testing program despite never coming up positive in this story by Todd Archer and Calvin Watkins.

If this subject interests you, I strongly recommend Redskins TE Chris Cooley's humorous blog post about the NFL's drug testing program. How could you not be drawn in by his first sentence?

How do I end up in a bathroom stall at the Borgata with my pants around my ankles while a man named Bill stares at my penis?

FB Lorenzo Neal has paved the way for several 1,000-yard backs, and he wouldn't mind adding Marion "The Barbarian" Barber to the list.

From Michael Silver's yahoo.com column:

Released in February by the San Diego Chargers, for whom the bruising fullback spent the previous five seasons clearing holes for record-setting halfback LaDainian Tomlinson, Neal, 37, isn't ready to call it a career. Made expendable in San Diego because of coach Norv Turner's preference for H-backs and blocking tight ends, as well as the organization's regard for fifth-year fullback Andrew Pinnock, Neal is hoping to hook on with a team that values a traditional power running attack. He lists the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers among his desired destinations.

"I don't know how that guy can still be on the street," says a high-ranking front-office executive for an NFC team. "If you want someone who can light up a defender on an 'iso' block, that's your guy."

Echoed another NFC team's general manager, which is not in the market for a fullback: "I know one thing - the guy can still block."

Neal ranks right up there with Moose Johnston among the best blocking fullbacks of all-time, but I refuse to lobby for a roster addition that would take playing time away from Deon "Cricket" Anderson.

Got some Sunday trivia for you guys.

In 1999, the Cowboys lost two players to the Cleveland Browns in the expansion draft. Who were they?

Here's a hint. You can look it up. Or show you're true Cowboys roots and just guess. Answer will be later in the day.

Here's the biggest surprise of the offseason, Jeremy Sockey is upset.

My boy Ohm Youngmisuk of the New York Daily News talks to an unhappy tight end.

As the offseason enters its middle stages we ask: What were the Cowboys' best offseason decisions?

Trading for Pacman Jones. The Cowboys gave up a fourth-round pick and no guaranteed money for the top-flight cornerback.

Re-signing Flozell Adams. Flo Adams is considered one of the top left tackles in the game and the Cowboys kept him from the open market with a long-term deal.

Signing Zach Thomas. The veteran inside linebacker is a heavy tackler who's impressed his teammates with speed and smarts.

Maybe something isn't wrong with Tom Brady's ankle. Well, according to the Boston Globe, and we thank Profootballtalk.com for posting this, Brady's ankle is fine.

We think.

Here's a version of the transcript posted by the Globe:

How is the ankle and were you able to participate in the off season program as much as you have in the past? "The ankle feels great. Yeah. It feels really good. I've been able to do pretty much everything. I'm still slow. I still can't jump. I still don't lift very much. That hasn't changed."

So, maybe the ankle is not hurt. Or is it really? Maybe it's the Pats playing mind games with the media. Or maybe the media messed something up.

I'm sure many of the Cowboys fans out there will be happy to hear this but Pats QB Tom Brady, the best in the business, is still having problems with that ankle of his.

He first injured it, not against the Cowboys, but against San Diego in the postseason.

If I'm the Pats I would be a little concerned. Yeah, it's only a veteran minicamp in early June, but you have to wonder just how long this ankle problem will last.

Cedric Benson, a former Texas star, and current Bears running back, is in trouble again.

If you remember he was beaten up by the cops near his boat a few weeks ago. This time he was arrested and charged with drunken driving in downtown Austin.

Former Steelers defensive end Dwight White has died after surgery at a Pittsburgh hospital. He was 58.

White, who helped the Steelers to four championships in the 1970s, attended Madison High School in Dallas.

Eagles Notes about rookie wideout DeSean Jackson.

CP and Jason Fabini miss practice with the Redskins.

The Giants.com guys talk about the secondary in a nice little video.

We're not going to rank the top 32 teams in the league like Goose did on Sunday.

But let's rank the Top 10 teams as we start the month of June and training camp another, what, six to seven weeks away.

WATKINS POWER RANKINGS

1. New England. Pats lost Asante Samuel, but return the best offense in the league including start wide receiver Randy Moss. We wonder if the Super Bowl loss to the Giants will take an effect during the 2008 season.

2. Indianapolis. The Colts battled health issues last season and there's a chance wideout Marvin Harrison (gun incident in Philly and knees) might not play this season. He's working out with the team, but we'll see in July.

3. New York Giants. The defending champs might have the league's best pass rush. Eli Manning emerged as a star in this league with his Super Bowl victory. But we wonder if the Giants can overcome a slow start in 2008 like it did last season.

Jason Taylor met with the Miami media today and insisted that he had not demanded a trade. But me made it pretty clear that he wouldn't mind if his days as a Dolphin were over.

"I want to win in '08. That's what I want to do," Taylor said. "And I've told the Dolphins from Day 1 that was my intention. My intentions right now are to play one more year. I've tried to give the Dolphins the opportunity, if they wanted to do something and move me, then I was OK with that. If they can get value for me, then do that. That was the conversation we had behind closed doors a long time ago."

Taylor also mentioned that his longtime teammate/brother-in-law Zach Thomas' departure was disappointing. Could they reunite at Valley Ranch? You can't rule anything out as long as Jerry is the ringmaster around these parts.

Our own Hall of Famer, Rick "Goose" Gosselin, has released his annual offseason power rankings. And he puts the Cowboys third, behind only the two dominant teams of this decade, the Patriots and Colts, and atop the NFC.

Let's face it - the Cowboys should have been in the Super Bowl last year. For 17 weeks they were the best team in the NFC. They owned a record 13 Pro Bowlers and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But the Cowboys haven't won a post-season game in 11 years. You must win in January before you can win in February. December also has been a mystery for this team, with a 4-5 record in the Tony Romo era. Talent-wise, the Cowboys rank with the Patriots and Colts. But the two AFC teams have proven they can win in the pressure situations. The Cowboys haven't.

Goose's column accompanying the rankings focuses on the stability at the quarterback position among the Top 10.

I thought it'd be interesting too to take these rankings and see which division is toughest. Goose agrees with my assertion that the AFC South is football's most difficult circuit, with the NFC East a close second. Here's how the numbers come out after power ranking the divisions (adding the teams' rankings) ...

1) AFC South -- 37
2) NFC East -- 38
3) AFC North -- 57
4) NFC North -- 66
t-5) AFC East -- 77
t-5) NFC South -- 77
7) AFC West -- 82
8) NFC West -- 84

At least NFL Network reporter Adam Schefter thinks so. He mentioned Dallas as one of five potential destinations for the disgruntled Dolphins pass rusher/Dancing With the Stars stud.

» Dallas -- Of all the potential landing spots, none is more intriguing than Dallas. It is a longshot, granted, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones never can be ruled out. The Cowboys have debated the merits of trading for Taylor and they already hold additional draft picks in 2009 -- Cleveland's in the third round, Detroit's in the fourth. Dallas could decide to package picks and/or a disgruntled player such as defensive end Greg Ellis or safety Roy Williams that former Cowboys coach Bill Parcells knows well. Dallas knows its loaded at defensive end now with Ellis, DeMarcus Ware and last year's first-round pick, Anthony Spencer. But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones never bypasses big-name, talented players such as Taylor. He has thought about the possibility of Taylor in Dallas and, despite the long odds, could wind up taking action.

(Pretend that Schefter wrote outside linebacker instead of defensive end.)

Todd Archer explained some of the salary-cap complexities of an Ellis-for-Taylor trade yesterday. And that's what this would have to be.

You can't bring in Taylor and keep Ellis. It'd simply create too much drama. If Ellis is all worked up about splitting reps with Anthony Spencer, just imagine how he'd feel if the Cowboys added one of the league's best players at his position.

Plus, as we've gone over before on this here blog, the Cowboys need Roy Williams this season. They simply don't have enough depth at safety to send him packing.

I'm sure Bill Parcells would try to pry a pick or two from the Cowboys, but Trader Jerry has big plans for those extra picks. He talked on draft Sunday about bundling a bunch of them together to move up for an elite receiver next year.

Terrell Owens busted out his soapbox when asked about the NFL's issues with the Collective Bargaining Agreement. He pointed out that football is the only major pro sport that doesn't give players guaranteed contracts, and he has a problem with that.

"There's not enough players to really speak up and have each other's back to kind of back some of these things up," T.O. said. "I hear a lot of players complain and gripe about the fact that we don't have guaranteed contracts. It's not like the money isn't out there. ...

"It's a situation where I think players should really just stand up for what we believe in instead of just chirping amongst ourselves about what isn't done and what should be done."

I know it's hard for folks to feel sympathy about multimillionaires' financial issues, but T.O. makes a pretty good point. The NFL makes more money than any other pro sports league. Football takes a tougher physical toll on the players' bodies than any other major sport. As a result, it'd be hard to blame players for demanding guaranteed contracts while the CBA is getting reworked.

"I think there is player loyalty, but sometimes I don't think there's any team loyalty to it, especially when guys have contracts that are about to expire," T.O. said. "Teams can cut them at any given time. They have a back-loaded contract, and they don't want to pay that player that money, then they cut them. It's not a good situation."

Here's a clip that's guaranteed to be shown on SportsCenter this evening. Tank Johnson stared straight into ESPN's camera and delivered the following line:

"Roger, please let him play. From Tank. Thanks, buddy."

Tank, of course, was referring to Sheriff Goodell's decision on whether to reinstate Pacman Jones.

Tank talked for several minutes about how he relates to Pacman's predicament and hopes he can help him make the transition from knucklehead to solid NFL citizen. Tank credited the Cowboys' support group, headed by Jerry Jones and Calvin Hill, for helping him grow up after his legal issues became too much for the Bears.

"The maturation process is slower for some," Tank said. "But once you reach that point, it's kind of the point of no return. You don't digress. You keep going forward."

Tank has seen signs that Pacman has reached that point. The Cowboys sure hope so.

The Cowboys have made no secret of the fact that they're in the market for a playmaking WR to put opposite T.O. Joe Horn has made no secret of the fact that he wants the heck out of Atlanta.

Do we have a match or what?

If the Cowboys add Horn to the Valley Ranch Circus, they would probably have the most quotable receiver corps in NFL history. Horn could definitely help T.O. come up with a few more creative end zone dances, and he'd be pure gold on Hard Knocks.

Pretty much the only negative I can come up with is the strong possibility that Horn, a former Pro Bowler, is washed up (27 catches, 243 yards, 1 TD last season).

Cowboys rookie Martellus Bennett is a quote machine, but he has a long, long way to go to beat out Washington's Chris Cooley for the honor of the NFC East's funniest tight end. Cooley has become such a blogging sensation that he's a weekly contributor to Yahoo's Shutdown Corner.

Cooley has been cranking out Pro Bowl-caliber stuff on his personal blog for some time now. Check out this snippet from a recent post taking questions from fans:

Who would win in a tag team match between Chris and Christy and Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson?

The tag team match would start off with Christy and Jessica in the ring. Someone would come out of the stands with a cooler of beer and a couple of stools for Tony and I. We would proceed to sit ringside and high-five while clothes were furiously ripped off. In my world the match would end in Jes tapping out to a vicious choke hold, and I wouldn't be surprised if Christy dropped an elbow on her before she poured beer all over herself to celebrate.

FYI: Christy is the gal who will become Mrs. Cooley later this month and recently posed for Maxim.

Timmy Tabloid's favorite quarterback is at it again.

After trying his hand at it last year, and earlier this offseason, Jon "10 wins" Kitna is putting on his forecaster's hat once more.

"Our expectation is we will be disappointed if we don't win 10 games," he told the Detroit Free Press, with the Lions holding their first Organized Team Activities session in Allen Park, Mich. "Because that will mean we're not in the playoffs ... I can't make it any simpler than that. Anybody who says that's not their expectations level is unfortunately not that much of a competitor."

In the story, Kitna also declares himself the starting quarterback and team leader of the Lions, relegating Drew Stanton -- whom I liked quite a bit coming out of Michigan State -- to a reserve role.

The Cowboys have announced that Jerry Jones will have a noontime "announcement" tomorrow for us at Valley Ranch.

I'm guessing there are some high-fives being exchanged in the Gotham offices of HBO right now.

Ready for "Hard Knocks"?

With Calvin's story out on HBO chronicling what should be an interesting training camp, I thought it would be interesting to go ahead and take a look at what teams in these situations have done in the past.

The 2008 Cowboys will be the fourth "Hard Knocks" team, joining the '01 Ravens, the '07 Chiefs, and - as all of you know - the 2002 Cowboys of Campo. The 2004 Jaguars were in a similar situation, only on a show with a different name. That summer, Jacksonville allowed the NFL Network in on its camp, in Hard Knocks-like production tagged "Jaguars Summer."

Here's what transpired in the past ...

2001 Ravens: The show was highlighted by a prank war between Tony Siragusa and Shannon Sharpe. And lowlighted by a torn ACL suffered by Jamal Lewis. In the end, the defending Super Bowl champs went 10-6 and lost in the second round of the playoffs, a year after going 12-4 and winning it all.

2002 Cowboys: The trip to Sea World was probably the biggest happening of a pretty uneventful show. The Cowboys finished 5-11 for the third straight season, so it'd be hard to blame the failures of that season on a bunch of camera crews.

Our buddy Alex Marvez of Foxsports.com has gone through the post-draft needs for all 32 teams.

And he's worried, just slightly, that the big top covering Jerry's circus may have grown too large. A problem? He doesn't fully believe that Pacman's problems are behind him.

Pressing need: Preparing for the onslaught of media that will swarm Cowboys training camp if recently acquired cornerback Pacman Jones is reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Players and coaches will be asked ad nauseum about Jones in the upcoming months. But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes that distraction is a small price to pay for a player of Jones' talent.

Possible solution: Jones doesn't say or do anything stupid if reinstated and fades into the background a la Tank Johnson. Of course, history indicates that probably won't be the case.

Some dude named StreetCred, who's got a blog at Foxsports.com, is saying that the Cowboys got hosed by the NFL's schedule arrangers.

And I'm not seeing it. Here's his case on why Dallas was dealt the fourth worst hand league-wide by the league. ...

4) Dallas Cowboys - The Cowboys are naturally going to have a tough schedule seeing that they were one of 3 teams that made the playoffs in their own division. Furthermore, the Eagles were 8-8 and signed the biggest free agent in the offseason in Samuel. Still, the Cowboys have a brutal stretch in the middle of the season. 8) Tampa Bay, 9) at NY Giants, 11) at Washington, 12) San Francisco, 13) Seattle, 14) at Pittsburgh, 15) NY Giants.

That would be 6 playoff opponents in 7 weeks for the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys overall schedule had a winning percentage of .523 in 2007. The Cowboys had a 13-3 record in 2007 and potentially added 4 key pieces on draft weekend to go along with Zach Thomas. They did what they needed to do to keep pace. However, they will not be able to have the lapses they had at the end of the season in 2007, otherwise their schedule is strong enough to make them pay in 2008.

First off, I don't know just how "brutal" that stretch is. I'm not a big believer in Tampa, and they get the 49ers leading into the annual Thanksgiving Day game, which against a good Seattle team that's no juggernaut. Plus, the bye's in the middle of that run.

I actually think the Cowboys were cut plenty of breaks. First of all, they don't have to play on the road in back-to-back weekends, save for one occassion. And that one -- an Arizona-St. Louis turn -- ain't exactly a backbreaker.

Also, the way this thing sets up, they've got the chance to race out of the gate and start 7-1 or 8-1, and play with the house's money from there. I do think the December portion of the schedule's difficult. But all in all, I think the idea they got screwed is just silly.

In this week's Monday Morning Quarterback, SI.com's Peter King puts together his first 1-32 ranking of NFL teams.

The Cowboys come in fourth, behind the Patriots, Colts and Jaguars, and ahead of the Chargers and Giants. Here's what King said ...

4) Dallas. The Cowboys still need a receiver; the thought of Patrick Crayton playing crunch-time minutes in a playoff game has to be a nightmare to any Cowboy fan. But there's not much else they need to win the NFC.

I'm assuming Pacman Jones will be reinstated, though I have no inside information; and if he does play, he'll be a huge threat on the other side of Terence Newman. If he doesn't, rookie Mike Jenkins' development will have to progress faster than Wade Phillips would like. Otherwise, the Cowboys haven't changed much. Explosive offense with a power running game, pressure defense with what could be a much better secondary. That's how you win in the NFL.

Wade Phillips thinks a lot of Felix Jones. Seriously.

Today, a reporter asked the coach whether Tashard Choice's running style compares at all to Marion Barber's. Phillips said it was tough to put a rookie up against a Pro Bowler.

And then he compared his first-round pick, Felix himself, to a Hall of Famer.

"When I saw him on tape, he runs a lot like Thurman Thomas did," Phillips said. "His feet are close to the ground so he can cut quickly. And he sees people. He has great vision in my opinion, we'll see how it all works out. He sees the safety over here if he's coming. When he running with the ball over here, he sees people over there.

"I think he's special in that area. He can do all the other things, he can make people miss, he can accelerate, all the things that really good backs do. But his vision is special."

This is what we've got for you today ...

10:30 A.M. -12:00 P.M. -- Practice (open to media/closed to public)
12:15 P.M. -1:30 P.M. -- Locker Room Open to Media
1:30 P.M. -2:00 P.M. -- Coach Phillips Press Conference
2:45 P.M. -3:45 P.M. -- Practice (open to media/closed to public)

We'll have updates throughout.

New DE Marcus Dixon -- whose story has been well-chronicled around here lately -- addressed the media for the first time. And when asked if he wishes he could just erase the bad times he's been through from his life, he actually said no.

"I'm one of those guys who doesn't dwell on the past," Dixon said. "I don't even think about it like that. I'm just using it as a building block moving forward.

"(Here), it's another chapter in the book, with the best organization around. I'm ready to move on."

Dixon said he had indications that, had the incident not happened, he'd have been a fifth- or sixth-round pick. And when you consider he'd probably have landed at a football factory in that case, rather than an FCS (nee I-AA) school like Hampton, he may been even a hotter prospect.

"In the back of my mind I thought, 'OK, you got that case, is there going to be a red flag on you,'" Dixon said. "Even though you might have no character issues, there still might be a red flag."

Broncos QB Jay Cutler has been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, which caused him to lose 35 pounds last season and will force lifestyle adjustments.

Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson can related. He played most of a 19-year career with the sickness. And he's here to tell Cutler it can be done.

"It's a major adjustment, really, in your lifestyle," Wilson said. "You've got to balance exercise and insulin and you diet. Those three things, it's about getting to a proper insulin level. It'll be an adjustment, as soon as you start taking those insulin shots.

"The main thing you've got to have is control. If you're in control, it shouldn't prevent you from having success. I played 15 of my 19 years with diabetes."

Wilson said the timing of Cutler discovering the diabetes is, actually, pretty fortunate. The remainder of the offseason will give the QB time to adjust,

Here are a couple things from the afternoon session ...

1) Bradford makes play: Stanford product Mark Bradford, the hero of the Cardinal's shocker over USC last week, got Orlando Scandrick crossed up on a double move and hauled in a ball 60 yards downfield on a skinny post. That passed for the play of the day in a short practice.

2) Scandrick looks solid: To me, the Boise State CB was the best defensive back on the field today, when you put both the sessions together. He sticks with receivers, and has the athleticism and explosiveness to drive on the ball. Outside the Bradford catch -- which came with Scandrick right there with him, even after he got beat -- the former Bronco had a big day.

3) Jenkins bounces back: After a rough start this morning, first-round pick Mike Jenkins was solid this afternoon. It's not likely he was suddenly Champ Bailey out there and, a lot of the time, he was playing 8-10 yards off the receiver, which made it tough to defend the slants and shorter out-cuts. But he was close on everything. He still is a step late quite a bit, though.

4) Amendola slides back: By the time Danny Amendola finally dropped a ball, it was actually surprising to see. He shouted, "Son of a gun!" (And that's not even cleaned up) into the air, and that set off a little bit of a bad streak for the Tech-ex. He dropped a couple more, and fell down on a route after that, so this afternoon wasn't quite as strong as this morning.

5) Bartel's big day: OK, I wasn't watching him that closely -- I tend to discount what QBs do with no pass rush in their face -- but from what I did see, and what people around, like Archer, were saying, Richard Bartel played well today.

In the pages of today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Clare Farnswoth reports on Julius Jones' happiness in his new place. And disdain for his old spot.

Jones, it appears, much prefers the Pacific Northwest.

"This was definitely the best fit for me," said Jones, sporting a mohawk and flashing a smile.

But the ultimate hook was shaped like a Q.

"I love playing here," he said. "The atmosphere, it's 10 times better than Dallas.

"It's intimidating. Before the game, raising the 12th Man flag, and then the 12th Man. It's a lot. It gives you the chills."

Archer rose the possibility of Texas-ex Chris Simms coming to Dallas as a backup a couple days ago, and the chances may have gotten racheted up another notch with the Bucs' signing of Nebraska QB Sam Keller.

That give Tampa, count 'em, eight quarterbacks on the payroll, though Jake Plummer is retired. And with the NFL Europe exemptions -- which allow teams to bring extra guys to camp -- a thing of the past, it's hard to believe that none of them will be moved before summer.

For now, Brad Johnson's the backup and Richard Bartel's third string. But don't take the Cowboys out of the market for a signal-caller yet. They made a run at Colorado State QB Caleb Hanie this week and very well could've pounced on USC QB John David Booty had he been available in Round 5, evidence that they wouldn't mind adding another arm.

All this makes rookie camp, slated for Friday and Saturday, a pretty big deal for Bartel.

Just got done perusing this story on quarterback controversies by James Walker at ESPN.com, and one thing that stuck out to me was the calm around the NFC East at the position.

In the story, three divisions don't have a team warranting mention -- that one, and the AFC South and West. Which probably explains the NFC East's rise back to prominence. So what division is steadiest at the most important position?

Glad you asked. Here's what each group looks like (with prohibitive starters listed) ...

NFC East: Jason Campbell, Redskins; Eli Manning, Giants; Donovan McNabb, Eagles; Tony Romo, Cowboys

NFC North: Rex Grossman, Bears; Tarvaris Jackson, Vikings; Jon Kitna, Lions; Aaron Rodgers, Packers

OK, first of all, the important news of the Giants' visit to the White House: Jeremy Shockey wasn't there. Neither were Michael Strahan, Antonio Pierce or Osi Umenyiora. But the beneficiary of Al Davis losing his mind -- new Raider Gibril Wilson -- was.

Now ... according to our pal Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, President Bush had some fun with Eli Manning, meeting with him privately before the ceremony, and then had some fun at Tony Romo's expense. Here's the damage ...

"It's good to be up here with the Super Bowl MVP, Eli Manning," President Bush said. "We have a few things in common. Eli has a father and a brother in the same business he's in. Sometimes the press are skeptical."

While talking about the Giants' win over Dallas in the playoffs, President Bush, the native Texan and, I think, Cowboys fan, said "We're going to send Jessica Simpson to the Democrat National Convention."

Bush is actually a native of Connecticut, but the rest of that is, in the words of Timmy Tabloid, pure blog gold. And who would've thought the leader of the free world would be providing that?

As we speak, former Texas Gov. George W. Bush -- who's actually not a native Texan (he was born in Giants Country in Connecticut) -- is welcoming the World Championship team from Gotham to the White House.

But I really couldn't care less about that whole dog-and-pony show. What I really want to see is whether Jeremy Shockey hopped on the NYC-to-DC shuttle or not.

Shockey, you'll remember, skipped the parade for the champions through the Canyon of Heroes, two days after an epic show of luxury-suite alcohol consumption that may have left him too hungover to attend. The former Pro Bowler failed to get himself jettisoned during the draft, so it looks like he might just be stuck with the ringbearers.

I'm just interested to see whether he's back on board, or still off the wagon (sorry, couldn't resist). We'll pass along an update as soon as we can find out.

Some people may have thought that the Cardinals third-round selection of Early Doucet on Sunday was a sign of the club bracing to deal Anquan Boldin.

Not true! The team continues to swear up and down, per this story on the club's Web site, that Boldin's not going anywhere.

"We took the best player available and the one that would have the biggest impact on our team at this point," GM Rod Graves said. "I understand people trying to connect the dots but we fully expect Anquan Boldin playing with us.

"Our anticipation is to have a dynamic group of receivers with Early competing and Larry and Anquan there. ... We are not interested in trading Anquan Boldin."

A big part of Detroit Free Press columnist Drew Sharp's job is bashing Lions boss Matt Millen. And Sharp thinks Millen made another dumb decision by not working out a deal with Jerry to make Texas Roy Williams a Cowboy.

If they're saying they simply weren't interested in moving Williams, they're stupid.

It's strongly believed around league executive circles that Dallas was strongly pursuing Williams to serve as a receiving compliment to Terrell Owens. The Cowboys had two first round selections Saturday, the lowest at 28th.

They blew it a year ago when they didn't recognize that Calvin Johnson's greatest value to the Lions' long-term ills was trading him to Atlanta for what would have given the Lions four of the first 44 players in the draft - four opportunities to draft four immediate starters and potentially move this organization out of its competitive quagmire.

Instead, they opted for flash - keeping the receiver and selecting a project quarterback and defensive end in the second round.

If Millen changes his mind after reading the column, I'm sure Jerry would be more than happy to take his call. You know, the Cowboys do have a couple extra picks in next year's draft. And Mr. Millen, Bobby Carpenter just might be a nice fit in that 4-3 scheme of yours.

On a semi-related note, it was very gracious of Jerry to tell reporters over the weekend that you can't solely blame Bill Parcells for drafting Carpenter.

No guarantees they'll make this pick. But here's what's left in Goose's Top 100 ...

49. Kansas OT Anthony Collins
52. Penn State CB Justin King
61. BYU OLB Bryan Kehl
66. Wake Forest DE Jeremy Thompson
83. Boise State CB Orlando Scandrick

85. Southern Cal QB John David Booty
86. Florida State DT Andre Fluellen
90. Texas A&M DT Joseph Bryant
91. UConn CB Tyvon Branch
92. Kentucky WR Keenan Burton

94. Georgia Tech RB Tashard Choice
95. Maryland DT Dre Moore
97. Southern Cal RB Chauncey Washington
99. Kentucky QB Andre Woodson
100. Virginia OLB Xavier Adibi

Anquan Boldin is not making an Ocho Cinco-like production out of his desire to get traded, but his agent has informed the Cardinals that Boldin would like to be moved. And, according to the Arizona Republic, the Cardinals have informed Bolding that he's not going anywhere.

"Obviously, because of those rumors, a few teams have called to inquire," Graves said, "and my response has been consistent with everyone: We're not interested in trading him."

The trade talk is more than just rumor, however. Boldin wants a new contract in the neighborhood of Fitzgerald's. Boldin's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, recently asked the team if it would be willing to trade his client, according to Cardinals officials.

The Cardinals said no, nor do they plan to allow Rosenhaus to seek a trade.

Marvin Lewis initially shot down a report that the Redskins offered their first-rounder and a conditional 2009 pick for Chad Johnson. And just a few hours later, he verified Chris Mortensen's original assertion.

"Once I actually read what was reported, I have to be truthful and say that the story is accurate," Lewis told ESPN. "Unfortunately, I didn't read it until after our press conference."

What's interesting about the report is that it mentions that Cincinnati informed the Cowboys that Johnson would not be available. The Eagles, too.

So if there's an arms race for a big-time receiver, it seems that it's being waged in the NFC East almost exclusively.

ESPN.com's Matt Mosley, a card-carrying member of the Cowboys Blog alumni association, sat down with two-time former Cowboy running back Herschel Walker. And Walker had quite a few interesting things to say.

In response to the idea that his Dissociative Identity Disorder and resulting book, "Breaking Free", might be part of an elaborate money grab, Walker said this ...

"I don't need money. "I have a company that's very successful."

More bizarre was how he reacted to questions about playing Russian Roulette. "To me, it's the ultimate game," he said. "You win or lose."

Head over to Hashmarks for the full rundown on this sad story.

Just hours after Drew Rosenhaus climbed to the mountaintop and declared that all talks involving rockstar tight end Jeremy Shockey will remain "between Jeremy and the New York Giants", the Star-Ledger brought us this ...

Shockey told the Giants in December he wanted a changed role in the offense or a trade to another team, according to a person familiar with discussions between Shockey, the Giants' coaching staff and front office. The person, who requested anonymity because he isn't authorized to speak on behalf of Shockey or the Giants, said Shockey threatened to sit out the upcoming season if neither request was granted.

Shockey, 27, who suffered a broken fibula in a Dec. 16 loss to the Redskins, feels his career is being cut short by all the blocking he has been asked to do since Tom Coughlin became coach of the Giants in 2004. While blocking is an integral part of a tight end's job description, Shockey believes he was more effective as a receiver under former coach Jim Fassel and offensive coordinator Sean Payton, now the coach of the New Orleans Saints, who are interested in trading for Shockey.

Asking a tight end to block? What were the Giants thinking?!?!?

This doesn't exactly qualify as huge news -- it is a Saturday in April (and not that one) -- but the idea of LaDainian Tomlinson playing in preseason games has gotten me excited.

Why? Well, the Cowboys open their preseason in San Diego on Aug. 9. And when I saw the schedule come out, I immediately shot down anyone who uttered the phrase "LT". He never plays in the preseason. Until, perhaps, now.

Tomlinson said he's been frustrated by slow starts to the regular season, and added that: "Maybe that's a part of not playing in the preseason; maybe it's not. Who knows? Maybe I might get a chance to run a little bit in the preseason."

I'd implore anyone who hasn't seen this guy in person to do it. Put it on your list, and pray you can find a way to get it done before he loses a step (which can happen in an instant with tailbacks).

Tomlinson's one of the rare athletes who just looks different in person. I can't really explain it well enough to do it justice. His burst looks more explosive, his cuts sharper, his second gear more stunning, his sense of anticipation more precise ... He just looks like he's playing and seeing things at a different speed than everyone else. For some reason, you have to see it in person to believe it. So if you get that chance -- even if it is for only five carries -- take advantage.

And that's enough exhibition talk for today.

Let me start this out by saying that I think Chad Johnson would be an unbelievable addition to the Cowboys roster. And for more than one reason.

The obvious is that he's a Top 5 receiver. I don't think that's arguable. His explosiveness, his "sudden-ness" off the line and in and out of his breaks, his preparation and approach to film study and passion for the game, and the fact that he's capable of running all the routes on the tree ... Well, I think it all makes him as dangerous a wideout as there is in football.

The other, larger point here: Where a lot of people see a malcontent, and although he might have a little bit of a screw loose, I see a player who cares deeply about winning. Further, I've covered guys in the past who's biggest problems were not disciplinary, but with the losing culture they were in before. And almost without exception, once they got in a winning culture, everything was fine. If the Cowboys can provide that atmosphere, then I think he'd be great here.

Now, for the reason it won't happen, I'll turn to Mark Curnutte of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Trading Johnson would slam an $8.03 million cap hit on the Bengals in 2008. Which is, indeed, a prohibitive amount of dead money.

So root for this happen, and don't hold your breath.

Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones has a sly way about him. As such, it should come as no surprise that he had a ready-made answer when asked about the possibility of dealing for a veteran receiver with one of the team's first-round picks.

So Jerry, would you consider a deal for Anquan Boldin, Roy Williams or Chad Johnson?

"Yes," he deadpanned, before filling a brief silence with a smile and a wink.

Maybe that should get you excited. Maybe it shouldn't.

CB Pacman Jones might be a little less worried about staging a PR campaign today, if he caught wind of anything that commissioner Roger Goodell told the media or the masses at the SMU Athletic Forum.

Goodell has been happy to hear what Jones has had to say over the last few weeks, while also assuredly adding that his actions are more important than his words.

"I'm encouraged by some of the things I'm hearing but I will meet with him before training camp starts to gage personally some of things he's doing," Goodell told us. "I will keep in touch with our people that are monitoring his progress."

There was no certain word on reinstatement. But the buzz phrase we kept hearing on that was "before the start of training camp." Translation: Don't hold your breath on it happening anytime soon.

"One of the issues I rose with Adam was I want to see a sustained period of time where he conducts himself the way an NFL player should conduct himself," the commish said. "That's why I gave him the opportunity to participate with the Titans immediately after the season. He had a hiccup. He had some thing that I didn't think reflect well on the league or himself, so I took that right away from him. At some point, I may reconsider that."

That "hiccup" came when Jones was accused of hitting a woman at an Atlanta strip club three months ago. Before the incident, the commissioner had granted Jones access to work out at the club's facility.

Chad Johnson wants to make something real clear: He doesn't plan to put on that orange-and-black striped helmet again.

"I want to be traded before the draft, and if that doesn't happen, I want to be traded as soon as possible,'' Johnson told ESPN's John Clayton. "I don't intend on reporting to anything.''

Hey, Bengals, how would you like the 28th overall pick?

I'm blatantly stealing this idea from my old colleague John Tomase over at the Boston Herald. Here is a look at the Cowboys' record against each of their 2008 opponents ...

HOME AND AWAY

EAGLES (H: 9/15; A: 12/28)
Cowboys all-time record: 54-43
The last time: Eagles 10, Cowboys 6 (12/16/07)

GIANTS (H: 12/14; A: 11/2)
Cowboys all-time record: 54-36-2
The last time: Giants 21, Cowboys 17 (1/13/08)

REDSKINS (H: 9/28; A: 11/16)
Cowboys all-time record: 56-38-2
The last time: Redskins 27, Cowboys 6 (12/30/07)

What will the Cowboys' record be in 2008?

Vote in our survey.

Here are the prime-time NFL slates ...

NBC
* -- all games at 7:15 p.m. unless noted
Sept. 4 -- Washington Redskins at New York Giants
Sept. 7 -- Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts
Sept. 14 -- Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns
Sept. 21 -- Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers
Sept. 28 -- Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears
Oct. 5 -- Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars
Oct. 12 -- New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers
Oct. 19 -- Seattle Seahawks at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Nov. 2 -- New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts
Nov. 9 -- New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
Nov. 16 -- Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins
Nov. 23 -- Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers
Nov. 30 -- Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
Dec. 7 -- New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
Dec. 14 -- New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Dec. 21 -- San Diego Chargers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dec. 28 -- TBD
(All games from Week 11 on are subject to flex scheduling; No prime-timer listed for Oct. 26, which could have something to do with the election. Correction: One reader pointed out that the lack of an Oct. 26 game is because of the World Series, which is correct, and an annual thing, although I don't like football ever moving aside for that scratch-and-spit sport. Sorry about posting that in haste.)

A few personal notes about the schedule. Glad to be going to Green Bay in September rather than December. However, sad we won't see Brett Favre anymore.

Also, hate night games.The Cowboys have five of them, especially two in September. Deadline pressures, less time in the locker room and coming home late are the reasons why I hate them. You come home really late if you hang out with Al B. Sure after a game.
Also, excited about seeing Chad Johnson and the Bengals on Oct. 5. Pacman vs. Ocho Cinco. Great matchup. Wonder if T.O. will put a sign up in his locker before the game like he did last season before the big matchup with Moss.

I'm as excited as anyone about the NFL schedule coming out today. Which means I'm probably a little too excited about the NFL schedule coming out today.

But I will preach one thing here -- restraint. Trying to assess how tough each slate is might seem like a good idea right now. It's not. Things change, and change quickly in the NFL.

On the day the Cowboys' 2007 schedule came out, you could look at its final six games as a murderous stretch. The toughest games there? Probably home dates against the Jets and Eagles, and the trip to Carolina. And -- who knew? -- none of those teams made the playoffs, while the game against Green Bay, a little bit of a 'blah' game in there, wound up being for home field.

Similarly, back-to-back games at the Bears and against the Rams looked like a strong early season test, one team being the defending NFC champion and the other a Super Bowl darkhorse. Months later, those wins wound up being part of the "So just who have the Cowboys beaten?" argument.

For right now, the Cowboys seem to have drawn the second toughest AFC division (North) and the weakest NFC division (West) on their schedule. But things can change quickly. Say the Browns slip back into irrelevance, or the Steelers have a couple of key injuries. Or maybe the Cardinals emerge as a contender or the 49ers bounce back from a horrid 2007. And what if the Packers and Bucs really slip after winning their divisions last fall?

All the variables tell you this: As much as you might think you know now, there's really no telling how tough a schedule this really is.

The NFL will release the 2008 schedule tomorrow at 1 p.m. What we know, so far, is who is on it for the Cowboys. Those opponents are ...

HOME
Giants
Philadelphia
Washington
San Francisco
Seattle
Tampa Bay
Baltimore
Cincinnati

AWAY
Giants
Philadelphia
Washington
Arizona
Green Bay
St. Louis
Cleveland
Pittsburgh

Rumors have circulated that the Cowboys will open in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon, September the 7th. We do know it won't be the Giants or Redskins (they open against each other in the Thursday night season kickoff game), nor will it be Green Bay (who opens on Monday night).

Spoke with Cowboys LB Akin Ayodele at tonight's Taste of the NFL event. And while he's reluctant to speak directly about any looming competition at WILB with Zach Thomas, he did say that he's excited to get going and seemed very upbeat.

"It's always a part of the game - being competitive and competing every year," Ayodele said. "It's part of the game. It's what you do."

Ayodele's been a participant in the team's offseason program and has gotten to work some already with new linebackers coach Reggie Herring.

"It's kind of new, but Reggie worked me out coming out (of college), so I've had some background with him," he said. "It's going to be great, I can already tell. Just from the first couple weeks, I can tell we're going to learn a lot from Reggie.

In general, Ayodele said that "The offseason's going good, it's going real good. Just started the teaching sessions and we're working on getting in shape, just trying to get back in the groove of things. Guys are ready to get back."

Maybe there's some sentiment that Eli Manning really matured when Jeremy Shockey went down in November, a thought buoyed by the quarterback's improved game management skills, decision-making and play under durress after that injury.

But Eli swears that thinking's not coming from him. And he made that clear to This Blog's friend and the New York Daily News' own Ohm Youngmisuk.

"When I have talked to him I said I am excited about this season and what we can become as a team and our connection," Manning told the Daily News. "I don't think we have reached our potential in the tandem that we can become. The thing I am excited about is I see room for improvement in all areas."

Those comments came in lockstep with the Post's report that Shockey won't be dealt. So maybe Manning doesn't have much of a choice in this matter anyway. For now, he's saying all the right things.

"I hope he understands we would like him back," Manning said of Shockey. "He is a tremendous player and he helps our offense and our team out when he is out there."

Veteran NFL scribe John Czarnecki of FOXSports.com wonders if the league's ideal of parity will be tossed aside in a couple years time.

This, of course, is all about the option the owners have to opt out of the CBA in November and pending cap-free year of 2010 that would follow it. Again, Jerry Jones is front and center. And again, it is reiterated that he's steadfast in saying he will not turn into the George Steinbrenner of the gridiron.

Still, if you read what a couple owners say in Czar's piece, it may not matter. It looks like teams could use this as an impetus to slash-and-burn, so the Cowboys simply staying at their current spending levels would consitute their inclusion as a big-money team, which they clearly are.

"If I spend $40 or $50 million less on player salaries that year, I can start to get a handle on my franchise debt," one NFC owner said. "I think many of us who are in the middle of the economic ladder will curtail player spending and try to get our own houses in order. I guess a lot of us were either naive or didn't see the future very well when we agreed to this deal."

It's a scary thought, that owners are employing this train of thought. But not as scary for the Cowboys as it is for so many other teams.

It appears that WWE announcer Jim Ross' report that the Giants were trading Jeremy Shockey to the Saints was wrong.

The New York Post reports that all indications are that Shockey will be a Giant against next season.

The Giants turned down the Saints - who reportedly offered a second-round draft pick plus safety Roman Harper - and general manager Jerry Reese insists Shockey is not on the trading block. Shockey on Dec. 16 fractured his left fibula and suffered ligament damage to his left ankle, and while he was mending from surgery, the Giants staged one of the most remarkable postseason runs in NFL history.

Cowboys fans might consider this good news. Eli Manning is saying nice things about the tight end who set the Super Bowl record for drinks consumed, but it's probably not a coincidence that Peyton's little bro morphed into a star after Shockey went down.

ESPN.com's Mike Sando has this look at the ripple effect caused by the quarterbacks taken atop the 1998 draft, and particularly the fallout from Ryan Leaf's flameout in San Diego.

Amazingly enough, only 13 of the 30 first-rounders from that year are still in the league, three of whom are unsigned at this point. I'll give you the list, which includes the Cowboys' Greg Ellis, but not before warning you that seeing these guys on a 10-year list will make you feel pretty freakin' old.

Colts QB Peyton Manning (1st overall)
Packers CB Charles Woodson (4th overall)
Cowboys OLB Greg Ellis (8th overall)
Jaguars RB Fred Taylor (9th overall)
Eagles OT Tra Thomas (11th overall)
Falcons LB Keith Brooking (12th overall)
Free agent LB Takeo Spikes (13th overall)
Free agent LB Brian Simmons (17th overall)
Dolphins DL Voniie Holliday (19th overall)
Patriots WR Randy Moss (21st overall)
Free agent S Donovan Darius (25th overall)
Jets G Alan Faneca (26th overall)
Giants CB R.W. McQuarters (28th overall)

Here's another number on Ellis for you -- he's one of just five guys on that list to still be with the team that drafted him. The lesson? Remember, when people say before the draft, "You can plug him in and he'll start 10 years for you," to be careful about believing them.

The founder of This Blog, Matt Mosley, offers up his thoughts on the latest round of labor issues, these from within the union, and sticks up for fellow Lake Highlands guy Matt Stover.

In Mosley's post, there's this statement from NFLPA Gene Upshaw, clearly infuriated by the email distributed by Stover: "Matt Stover has no clue. Whoever is pulling his chain is doing a disservice to the union. I could understand the idea that they need to get rid of me if I wasn't doing a good job but, shoot, the owners are mad because they think I've done too good of a job."

Wow, if you don't say so yourself.

For years, the NFL's players association was known as the spine-like-a-jellyfish branch of professional sports unions.

Now the league's union powers are getting tough, and apparently that's not working either.

Ravens kicker Matt Stover, a former all-district receiver and kicker at Lake Highlands High, penned a lengthy email calling for the removal of the PA's executive director, Gene Upshaw. In fact, I just received said email.

Pretty strong stuff. Follow the jump -- and continue to pray that labor doom is not on the NFL horizon -- for the full text. ...

One thing I try never to do in covering football is tell someone when to retire. But I do know a lot of people think that Brett Favre should've given up football three or four years ago, a sentiment that fell flat in the quarterback's 2007 revival.

In that spirit, and with all the lessons learned from that, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio has put together this list of 10 players who "should" retire. Two Cowboys are in the Top 4, getting edged out by Jason Taylor, who's now Bill Parcells' problem. Here's the Dallas contigent ...

2) Zach Thomas, ILB, Dallas Cowboys: I'm not a neurologist (and have not played one on television or stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night, or ever). The fact that being in a fender-bender caused Thomas to develop post-concussion syndrome tells me he has had his brain box busted a few times too many. Maybe he should be the one Dancing with the Stars -- it's a better outcome than regularly seeing them. (New Orleans Saints middle linebacker Dan Morgan and St. Louis Rams quarterback Trent Green fall into this category as well, but without the fender-bender. It would have been easy to make them No. 3 and No. 4 on the list with "See Zach Thomas" as the explanation, but I get paid by the word. Yes. I do. By the word. Punctuation. Too.)

4) Brad Johnson, QB, Dallas Cowboys: With Vinny Testaverde finally packing it in, Johnson now is the official over-the-hill quarterback with the arm strength of a Tyrannosaurus. Johnson was dreadful in his final season as a starter with the Minnesota Vikings; if Tony Romo ever gets hurt, the team facing the Cowboys can confidently replace its safeties with nose tackles.

In a continuing public relations distaster for the Morgantown campus of West Virginia University, the Bengals have decided to wash their hands of another 'Neer.

Running back Quincy Wilson did run afoul of the law, though it'd be a little unfair to paint him as a bad guy for a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a wedding party. Unless, of course, he was in fact the gunman. Otherwise, it doesn't sound like what he did was that bad at all, and certainly not something an NFL team would normally view as a firable offense.

Of course, these are the Bengals. And maybe they really are trying to clean up their image.

It appears thumbing through the roster for WVU alums, and then striking their name from said list is just the way to get started with that.

Cowboys OLB Greg Ellis has been nominated as one of five finalists for the Halas Award, annually given to the one who overcame the most in the NFL to succeed as voted on by the Pro Football Writers Association.

Our fearless PFWA leader and veteran NFL scribe Alex Marvez, now at Foxsports.com, has touted this as one of the strongest groups he's ever seen. Here's how the ballot introduces each of the candidates (follow the jump to read the whole thing) ...

Eli Manning, Giants quarterback: Playing under intense scrutiny in the largest media market, Manning got hot in the last half of the season and led his team to three postseason victories on the road and into the Super Bowl. He played the best games of his career when they mattered most.

Kevin Everett, Bills tight end: In the opener, Everett sustained a fracture and dislocation of his cervical spine that his doctors characterized as "life-threatening" the day after the injury, and stated it is likely to leave him with permanent neurological impairment. However, on September 11, 2007, Everett showed significant movement in his arms and legs, which led doctors to speculate that he may eventually be able to walk again. Everett walked in public for the first time at Ralph Wilson Stadium before the home finale against the New York Giants on December 23, 2007.

Former NFL lineman Ross Tucker, who was with the Cowboys briefly in 2002, penned this outstanding column over at SI.com that looks at the degree of difficulty of each position along the offensive front.

In order, in Tucker's mind, the positions go like this: Left tackle, right tackle, right guard, left guard, center. Pretty interesting reasoning too, with the right side positions considered challenging because most sliding and help blocking goes to the left.

I was a little surprised to see center ranked last, considering that the position is usually the one saddled with making calls and protection adjustments, plus is often asked to "clean the pocket", which is basically the task of directing traffic post-snap on passing plays. But who am I to argue?

The guard argument was interesting too, since most of the league's premier guards play on the left. Of the six guards elected to the Pro Bowl this year, four played on the left, with the Cowboys' Leonard Davis and Philly's Shawn Andrews the exceptions.