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For months, Top Rank talked about putting on a July 14 pay-per-view card at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, but now it looks like the talk is over and there won't be a show.

Originally, Top Rank's Bob Arum said the card would be headlined by Mexican star Juan Manuel Marquez, who won an interim junior welterweight belt in April, and that junior featherweight titlist Nonito Donaire would fight in the co-feature.

Then Arum said Donaire wouldn't be on the card because the company would give him his own date (probably June 30 on HBO). Even without Donaire, Marquez would still headline, Arum said. But no deal had been finalized with a television company to distribute the event and Marquez had no opponent.

Top Rank was talking to HBO about working on the show, and Top Rank certainly could have done it on its own, but time is running short to mount a legitimate pay-per-view promotion.

Then came the usual steady stream of discussion about whom Marquez would fight. Junior welterweight titlist Lamont Peterson was originally mentioned, but he instead accepted a rematch with Amir Khan (which was supposed to have taken place last Saturday but was canceled when Peterson tested positive for a synthetic testosterone).

Other names were mentioned for Marquez: fellow Mexican star and future Hall of Famer Erik Morales (a fight I've wanted to see for about a decade), former titlist Zab Judah, former lightweight titlist Brandon Rios (coming off a gift decision against Richard Abril that most sane people thought was a very obvious Abril victory) and the utterly unknown Mercito Gesta, a talented Filipino lightweight who is, alas, nowhere near ready to face a fighter of Marquez's caliber.

In the end, after all the talk, Top Rank pulled the plug on the event Monday because Marquez elected not to fight on the pay-per-view. From what I hear from those around Marquez, the financial package wasn't to Marquez's liking. Plus, he didn't want to fight Rios, the opponent Top Rank wanted him to face.

Marquez had previously said he preferred a southpaw opponent (Judah and Gesta would have fit) in anticipation of a possible fourth fight with Manny Pacquiao, a left-hander, in the fall.

Now Marquez might instead wait to see what happens in the June 9 Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley Jr. fight. If Pacquiao wins, Marquez figures to be at the top of the list for Pacquiao's November opponent.

Arum had been in talks with Main Events' Kathy Duva about a Marquez-Judah fight, but according to Duva, Arum told her Monday that "Marquez has decided not to fight at all in July."

Zanfer Promotions, which has a promotional contract with Marquez but works closely with Top Rank, said it is possible Marquez could still fight this summer -- but in Mexico on July 21 or July 28, likely against a lesser opponent.

This is the third installment in ESPN Dallas' five-part series on things that went wrong for the Dallas Cowboys in 2011.

No. 3: Losing five fourth-quarter leads

It's amazing when you think about how this Cowboys season started -- a 27-24 loss to the New York Jets, and how it would set the tone for 2011. When the season was over, the Cowboys suffered eight total losses, but five came when they blew fourth-quarter leads.

Five.

Quarterback Tony Romo cost the team two games with fourth-quarter turnovers vs. the Jets. His interceptions helped the Detroit Lions rally from a 24-point deficit.

Rob Ryan's defense failed to contain Tom Brady and the Patriots, and the loss to the Arizona Cardinals might have been the worst.

Driving for a potential game-winning field goal, coach Jason Garrett mismanaged the game-clock and -- in a roundabout way -- iced his own kicker, Dan Bailey, by calling a timeout in the closing seconds of the play clock. Bailey would miss a 49-yarder, and Arizona went on to win, 19-13, in overtime.

Said outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware about that loss: "You just had a loss, [so] what are you going to do about it? The good teams, they come back from a tough loss like that and you really see the true team spirit and how teams come back from adversity. That really tells you the type of character we have on this team. We’re going to see that this week."

So what happened the following week? Against the New York Giants -- with a chance to put a stranglehold on the NFC East -- the Cowboys took a 34-22 lead with 5:41 left in the fourth quarter and went on to lose, 37-34.

At worse, if Dallas defeated Arizona, the odds of a getting wild-card berth and a division title would've been greater. But the loss all but kept Dallas out of the wild-card chase and put them in a winner-take-all game against the Giants in the regular-season finale.

When the season was over, Ware found out what type of team he's playing on: One that doesn't finish games.

IRVING, Texas -- The attendance drop at Cowboys Stadium became official on Saturday when the announced attendance was 84,834 to see the Cowboys play Philadelphia in what turned out to be a meaningless game.

In eight regular-season games, the Cowboys drew 680,087 fans, good for an average of 85,011. In the first year of the $1.2 billion stadium, 2009, the Cowboys averaged 89,757. In 2010, with a 6-10 team, the Cowboys averaged 87,047.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones was not concerned about the turnout Saturday.

“Well, we knew this game all year was one of our more challenging times,” Jones said. “Of course, the interest in this game perked that interest. We actually ended up with greater distributed tickets than I would have ever thought six weeks ago. I’m pretty pleased with the attendance in distributed tickets that we had here. I don’t have the exact number, but we approached 10,000 party passes for this game. When you think about it on Christmas Eve, that’s pretty good with the interest in this game.”

With a win next week at the New York Giants, the Cowboys will host their second playoff game at Cowboys Stadium. The first drew 92,951 for the wild-card win against the Eagles on Jan. 9, 2010.

In 2009, the Cowboys had four crowds of at least 90,000 (and two at more than 100,000). In 2010, they had three crowds of 90,000-plus. In 2011, they had one game with more than 90,000 with 92,952 on hand to see a 37-34 loss to the Giants on Dec. 11.

IRVING, Texas -- The NFL Owners meetings concluded Wednesday at Four Seasons Resort in Las Colinas, but the seating fiasco that occurred at Super Bowl XLV was not included on the agenda.

Roughly 1,250 fans with tickets were left without seats because the temporary seating was not cleared before kickoff, which resulted in a suit being brought against the league.

“We continue to work through the issues we had here last year, mostly looking forward and trying to make sure when we stage events as the NFL, we do it with a high standard and that fans that attend our game have a great experience,” commissioner Roger Goodell said. “That’s what people expect from the NFL and that’s what we expect from ourselves. We expect to deliver on that promise, starting with Indianapolis.”

The earliest a Super Bowl could return to North Texas would be 2016 for Super Bowl L. The bidding process takes place next May. Goodell has said in the past that Super Bowl L could be held at a new stadium in Los Angeles to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first game, which was played at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

“That’s for the ownership to decide,” Goodell said on the possibility of the game returning. “It’s a great stadium. It’s a great community. I presume they’ll make a bid in the future, and ownership will decide at that point.”

Wednesday's practice will be held at Cowboys Stadium because of rain at the team's Valley Ranch facility.

This provided a unique marketing opportunity for the franchise, which promoted its stadium tours on the official Cowboys Stadium Twitter account Wednesday morning.

"Come out to visit me today with a tour and get a SPECIAL BONUS! Watch my Boys practice!! Starts at 11:45!" the tweet read.

An enterprising person might be able to get the Patriots to pick up the tab for the tour.

Bill Barnwell of Grantland writes this morning you can't blame quarterback Tony Romo for the Cowboys 34-30 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Romo threw three second half interceptions that resulted in 21 points for the Lions and helped fuel their comeback.

Writes Barnwell: "Let's start with the idea that Romo somehow gifted the Lions 14 points by having two of his three interceptions returned for touchdowns. Go watch those plays again. It's one thing when a quarterback makes a terrible throw to the sideline and it gets jumped by an eager defender. That's a throw that invites a pick-six. The two interceptions that were returned for scores were both disappointing throws, but neither of them were totally on Romo."

It's not about finding fault in the interceptions, it's the decision making that bothers you with Romo. Of course, a pick-six can be attributed to any number of people, but offensive players, specifically wide receivers and running backs, are not taught to tackle. They are taught to avoid tacklers. Quarterbacks, in some cases, elude defensive players during returns to prevent getting hurt by a big hit. Offensive linemen, in some cases, are not athletic or fast enough to chase down a defensive back. Maybe a linebacker.

Romo's inability to protect the ball, something that is preached to him by coach Jason Garrett, is the issue here. Garrett is not a big stat guy, yet, he tells his team the opponents with the fewest turnovers win games.

Sunday afternoon the Cowboys had three turnovers and lost the game.

"The biggest thing we have to do in the ballgame is keep coaching and keep playing," Garrett said after the loss. "You can't do the things that allow you to lose a game like this. Again, I'm talking about the turnovers more than anything else. Then, within the game, you've got to keep looking for answers."

The answer is to stop committing turnovers. And on Sunday Romo didn't do that.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The roof is open at Cowboys Stadium and you have to wonder if there is some superstition involved.

The Dallas Cowboys are 1-0 in the stadium with the roof open and the doors closed in the stadium’s brief history. The victory came Dec. 19, 2010, against … the Washington Redskins.

The Cowboys won that day, 33-30, with Jon Kitna throwing for 305 yards and two touchdowns.

The players went through early pre-game warm-ups with the roof closed, but as the teams came out for the full workout before kickoff the roof was opened.

Here are the key matchups for the Dallas Cowboys' Monday Night Football contest against the Washington Redskins:

Cowboys OT Doug Free vs. Redskins OLB Brian Orakpo: After playing one of his poorest games since he was named a starter two years ago, Free has the opportunity to put the 49ers game behind him and lock up with one of the NFL's young rising stars in Orakpo.

Last week, Free was as off balance as I had ever seen him at tackle. His punch and footwork was off to the point where I was surprised that Justin Smith wasn't more of a factor. The Redskins have two nice rushers in Orakpo and rookie Ryan Kerrigan but Orakpo is the more explosive of the two, and that is what Free will have to deal with.

Orakpo works to get the edge on you first but is athletic enough to adjust in mid-rush. Free needs to be careful not TO allow Orakpo to set him up to the outside getting all his weight on that left foot, then working back inside to take a run at the quarterback.

Again, Free struggled last week when he had to adjust quickly. In studying the Redskins-Cardinals matchup, Arizona got hurt most when it used a back or tight end to handle Orakpo. This doesn't work scheme-wise, and don't expect Jason Garrett and the staff to make that as part of the game plan.

PODCAST
Bryan Broaddus, the official scout of ESPN Dallas, joins Ben and Skin to preview the Monday night matchup between the Cowboys and Redskins. Listen

I don't see Free playing poorly two weeks in a row, but Orakpo is the type of player who can make you look bad if you don't handle him the right way.

Cowboys nickel CB Alan Ball vs. Redskins WR Santana Moss: Of all the matchups for the Cowboys defense Monday night, this is the one that might be the most important.

When Rob Ryan plays nickel, the adjustment that he will make is putting Ball in as the slot corner to cover Moss. Last week against the 49ers, Ball played inside while Frank Walker took his spot at left corner on the outside. Ball wasn't bad in the second half but in the first he had struggles when having to deal with Ted Ginn Jr. and Josh Morgan.

The biggest problem I see with Ball is that he will play way too cautious. There are times when he allows too much space between himself and the receiver. He has the quickness to drive on the ball but he doesn't always do it.

Moss is a handful because of his skill set. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan likes to move him all over the formation, trying to create mismatches to convert third downs. Moss is a fearless player and will go inside or outside. He will find away to catch the football.

When you watch the Redskins play, you can see the confidence that Rex Grossman has in trying to get the ball in Moss' direction. This is a battle that the Cowboys can't lose or handle poorly if they are to get off the field on third down.

Cowboys TE Jason Witten vs. Redskins S Reed Doughty and OJ Atogwe: The situation at receiver as Garrett would put it is truly day to day.

Miles Austin is out with a hamstring injury and Dez Bryant is trying to work through a thigh injury that hasn't allowed him to practice for the last two weeks. Friday was the first day that the trainers allowed Bryant to even attempt to put weight on the injury. He still has two days to try and get ready for Washington.

Even if Bryant is able to go, Witten is going to once again play a key role in how this offense will function, much like he did last week against the 49ers. The real problem here is that the Redskins will not allow Witten to beat them, so he should see some special coverage schemes from defensive coordinator Jim Haslett.

Of the two Redskins safeties, Doughty will struggle the most in coverage. He doesn't run well enough to hang with Witten down the field or in routes, so Atogwe could draw that assignment. Against the 49ers, Witten was able to make plays by releases from in line or the normal tight end spot against a Cover 2 look. Look for the Redskins not to respect the other Cowboys receivers other than Bryant and try to make it difficult on Witten to get open.

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys have moved their practice to Cowboys Stadium this morning after rain forced the cancellation of a planned workout at Valley Ranch.

The workout will be at 9:30 a.m. and is closed to the public. Fans can get a peek at the session if they purchase tickets to take a tour of the stadium.

The Cowboys’ next scheduled practice at Valley Ranch will be Thursday against San Diego, which is also closed to the public. The teams will practice Friday at the stadium leading up to their preseason game on Aug. 21.

The Cowboys will put all remaining single-game tickets for home games on sale to the general public beginning Friday at 10:00 a.m.

The team says the number of seats available is very limited. Prices will range from $99-$239.

Tickets can be purchased through at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000.

According to the San Antonio Express-News, the Cowboys have tentatively set training camp dates for San Antonio.

The first practice is scheduled for July 29 at the Alamodome.

Mike Sawaya, who is in charge of the city's convention, sports and entertainment facilities, told the paper team officials would bring in equipment July 25 with the annual pep rally/concert to start training camp scheduled for July 28. The dome has been reserved until Aug. 13.

Now, all of this is tentative because the league is currently in a lockout and there's no way of knowing when it will end. The longer the lockout continues, especially if it lasts deep into July, the further camp gets pushed back. There's also a chance that if the lockout goes into late August, the Cowboys could just hold training camp at Valley Ranch. Some NFL teams, including the Baltimore Ravens, have decided against holding public training camps and have moved the practices to team facilities.

The Cowboys are in the final year of their five-year contract with the city of San Antonio and have held some prelminiary talks with city officals about getting a new deal. But the labor mess has prevented talks from getting serious.

"We have not finalized any plans regarding our training camp for this year at this time," Cowboys team spokesperson Rich Dalrymple said Sunday night.

With the lockout entering the month of July, we know you guys have some questions about it. Maybe you might have questions about the Cowboys.

We're working on a mailbag, so if you got something here's your chance to ask.

Go here to ask a question and I might answer it.

IRVING, Texas -- According to a report in the Sports Business Journal, New Meadowlands Stadium could have a new name in 2011: MetLife Stadium

The deal could pay between $17-18 million per year, which is less than the original hope of $30 million per year. The proposed stadium in Los Angeles has a deal with Farmers Insurance that could be worth $700 million over 30 years.

All of this brings us to Cowboys Stadium.

About to enter its third season, the Cowboys are still looking for a naming rights partner. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones has said in the past that there have been talks with companies about possible deals and has always been optimistic one would come in the future.

Say Company X ponies up the money for a deal, would you still call it Cowboys Stadium despite a name change? There have been so many high-profile events there in such a short time that it is as if the branding is permanent. When Ameriquest added its name to The Ballpark a few years ago, we still called it The Ballpark.

IRVING, Texas -- On Wednesday, Baltimore announced it would host training camp at its practice facility and not at McDaniel College because of the prolonged lockout and the likelihood that training camp will be shorter than normal.

The Cowboys have said they would hold camp at the Alamodome in San Antonio this summer and not make the trek to Oxnard, Calif. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones did not rule out split camps in the future, however, this is the last year of the agreement between the Cowboys and San Antonio.

What if a new collective bargaining agreement comes together in the middle of July and camps start in August? Would it make sense to go to the Alamodome only for a couple of weeks?

From an economic standpoint, I can see the Cowboys wanting to go to the Alamodome because of the ability to sell t-shirts and the like. It would also mean they could go somewhere else in 2012. From a football standpoint, it might be wiser to hold camp at Valley Ranch and have select practices at Cowboys Stadium in order to give the fans a few of their team. Because of a lack of parking and stands, fans would not be allowed to watch practices at Valley Ranch.

With Jason Garrett holding his first training camp with a new defensive staff, I'd lean more to having camp at Valley Ranch.

IRVING, Texas -- Our fine NFL writers at the Mothership continued their rankings today by going through the toughest venues in the league.

Not surprisingly Cowboys Stadium is not in the top 10. Not only that, it wasn't even among the 14 stadiums to receive at least one vote. Lambeau Field checked in at No. 1, followed by Heinz Field. The only NFC East venue on the list was Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field at No. 9.

For all of the bells and whistles inside the $1.2 billion joint, Cowboys Stadium is not an intimidating place, even when the crowd swells to more than 100,000. It gets loud on occasion (the wild-card win vs. the Eagles was probably the loudest for a Cowboys game) but too often the fans seem distracted by the digital board.

Last year the Cowboys were 2-6 at home. In 2009, they were 7-2 at home, including the playoff game.

Texas Stadium, despite its history and the successful teams it housed, was not an intimidating place to play either. I never got the sense that teams dreaded coming into the old barn.

And now at Cowboys Stadium I get the sense that the fans inside don’t want to be the first ones to muddy up the place so they are way too prim and proper.