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SAN DIEGO -- They don’t make them like they used to.

That’s the sentiment of San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, and his counterpart, the Dallas Cowboys’ Jason Witten.

Both arrived in the NFL in 2003, and a decade later, the duo sits No. 2 and No. 3 in receptions among active leaders for tight ends behind future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez of the Atlanta Falcons.

Gates' and Witten’s teams will face each other for perhaps the final time in their impressive careers when Dallas travels to Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday.

“They’re very talented,” San Diego coach Mike McCoy said. “They’re different in their own ways. I think they’re the quarterback’s best friend. They have a lot of confidence in how they play the game and what they do, and the way they run routes and everything, but they’re very good football players.

“It’s great to have guys like that, weapons you know. Regardless of what the situation is, whether it’s in the red area, whether it’s third down, when the game’s on the line, it’s a guy that you know you can count on.”

Gonzalez is the active leader in receptions with 1,253 catches in 17 seasons. Witten is No. 5 on the list with 822 catches, and Gates is No. 12 with 657 catches.

According to Gates, what makes he and a handful of other tight ends different than more athletic players coming into the league is they are the complete package. They can dominate as a blocker in the run game or beat a defender down the seam of the defense in the passing game.

“It’s a mutual relationship where the respect is there,” Gates said about Witten. “Granted, he’s always been an NFC guy, and I was always an AFC guy. He’s more a traditional, true tight end that can catch the ball.

“Some of these guys are receivers who they’ve converted to tight ends. But when I think of Jason, I think of a true tight end -- a guy who fits the position.”

Between them, Gates and Witten have earned invitations to 16 Pro Bowls -- eight apiece. Witten said those weekends in Hawaii provided opportunities for the two to swap stories and trade secrets. Specifically, Gates played for six seasons under former Chargers coach Nor Turner, who served as a mentor for Dallas coach Jason Garrett.

“Over the years it’s been interesting, because Norv and Jason’s are very similar systems and we can pick each other’s brains about that, so you’re kind of talking the same language,” Witten said. “You’re always competing against him, but it’s somebody you definitely have a lot of respect for. I don’t know about the box score, but you take a peek at the film every once in a while and see what kinds of plays they’re running.”

At 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds, the 33-year-old Gates was a standout basketball player at Kent State, but chose to purse football in the pros, signing with the Chargers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2003.

Gates’ size, agility and athleticism help him create mismatches against opposing defenses in the red zone. His 84 touchdowns rank second-most among tight ends in NFL history behind Gonzalez (104).

“Obviously he was a basketball player and has great feel and athletic ability,” Witten said. “At the end of the day it’s all about body and leverage. I think he understands, just like I do, that those are the matchups you want to create -- whether it’s on a linebacker or a safety, how do you use that leverage and your quarterbacks have confidence in you. I think Philip (Rivers) has a lot of confidence in him, quite like Tony (Romo) and I.”

At 6-6 and 261 pounds, Witten was a third-round selection in 2003 by the Cowboys out of Tennessee. The 31-year-old Witten is the Cowboys all-time receptions leader, and has developed a reputation for reliable hands, polished route running and a knack for making the big play.

“Football is very important to him,” Garrett said about Witten. “His attention to detail is as good as anybody I’ve been around in my career. Nothing is too small to make sure he gets right. He goes about it that way in meetings and in walk-throughs on the practice field. There’s no secret behind his success. He works very hard at it. He’s a talented guy, and you put those two things together, you can be a consistently good player, as he is.”

While Gates believes the number of players who can do everything required of a tight end is dwindling, giving way to more athletic pass catchers built like big receivers, he understands that fans will see two of the best to ever do it in San Diego on Sunday.

“We’re different in a sense of what he’s able to do help his team, as opposed to what I’m able to contribute,” Gates said. “But I have so much respect for him because he’s still able to make it happen, and contribute to help his team win football games."

ESPN Dallas Cowboys reporter Todd Archer contributed to this story.

IRVING, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys tight end Gavin Escobar grew up around an hour from San Diego, so he knew he would be shelling out some money this week for tickets to Sunday’s game against the Chargers.

The official count was 20 earlier in the week.

“My family’s going to be able to come to the game. A lot of my family, actually,” Escobar said. “It’s going to be quite a few tickets. But I’m used to playing in that stadium, so it’ll be nice.”

Escobar, who played three seasons at San Diego State and called Qualcomm Stadium home, will not have to answer one question that was sure to come his way before last week’s game against the St. Louis Rams: When are you going to score your first touchdown?

Escobar scored his first career touchdown on a 24-yard pass from Tony Romo in the third quarter of the 31-7 win, but he dropped the football. He was grateful one of the members of the equipment staff got it for him after the game.

“I was so excited I didn’t know what to do,” Escobar said. “I’ve got to work on my celebration, that’s for sure.”

It could have been Escobar’s second touchdown of the game. He failed to get his second foot down in bounds after a fade pass from Romo. In the season opener against the New York Giants he lost a shoe making a cut in which he could have scored a touchdown, too.

“That one, I was pretty bummed that happened,” Escobar said. “And I’ve got to work on getting my feet in. … It’s not something we work on a lot as tight ends, but me being a guy who can be thrown out there to catch fades, it’s something I maybe I have to take more time to practice on my own time. It’s just thinking about once you get one foot in just make sure the other foot is in front of that one.”

IRVING, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant might be without some of his main partners in the offense with Miles Austin (hamstring) and Dwayne Harris (hip) nursing injuries ahead of Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers.

It could lead the Chargers to attack Bryant with double coverages, something the Giants did in Week 1. Bryant then saw single coverage in Week 2 loss to Kansas City, and a mixture in last week's victory over St. Louis.

The Chargers last week against Tennessee played off coverage, leading to some big plays. The Chargers' pass defense is ranked last in the NFL, allowing 340.7 yards per game, and they are the only team in the NFL that has allowed more than 1,000 passing yards.

Bryant could be poised for a big day.

"I don’t really pay attention to it," Bryant said after Thursday's practice, referring to the Chargers' pass-defense rankings. "We go out and practice and watch them on film and try to see their weakness and attack them."

Bryant has practiced without too much difficulty the last two days from a physical standpoint. He was dealing with a sore back last week, but treatment from the team massage therapist has worked out any issues and he wasn't listed on the injury report this week.

If Bryant does feel good, that's a good sign for the Cowboys, who need one of their main offensive threats healthy. Through three games, Bryant is tied for 24th in receptions (17) and tied for 32nd in receiving yards (201).

"It feels great and I've had two full days of practices underneath my belt and it feels good to get 100 [percent]," Bryant said. "[It's] not always good when you don’t feel that good, [you] just stay on top of it."

IRVING, Texas – DeMarcus Ware is feeling better, but the Dallas Cowboys defensive end was limited in practice because of a stinger for the second straight day.

Ware will play Sunday against the San Diego Chargers, but the Cowboys want to limit his contact during the week.

Receivers Miles Austin and Dwayne Harris missed their second straight day of practice because of hamstring and hip injuries, however, Harris did some light jogging on the side.

Linebacker Ernie Sims took part in his second straight full practice and looks like he will be available after missing the previous two games with a groin injury.

IRVING, Texas -- In Dan Bailey, the Dallas Cowboys believe they have one of the best kickers in the NFL. Punter Chris Jones earned the team’s special teams’ player of the week honor from the 31-7 win against the St. Louis Rams.

But the evaluation process never ends.

The Cowboys worked out former SMU kicker and punter Matt Szymanski on Thursday.

He spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012. In two years at SMU, Szymanski averaged a little more than 41 yards per punt, made 18 of 28 field goal attempts and had 20 touchbacks.

IRVING, Texas -- Getting to 3-1 on a young NFL season is no means to celebrate, but it’s been a hard record for the Dallas Cowboys to achieve in recent years.

The last time the Cowboys started off 3-1 came in 2008.

Three times in the past four seasons they had opportunities to get to 3-1, but lost to the Denver Broncos in 2009, the Detroit Lions in 2011 and the Chicago Bears in 2012.

The Lions’ loss came after the Cowboys blew a 27-3 lead. Last season’s loss to the Bears was highlighted by five Tony Romo interceptions.

“Since I’ve been here we’ve had shots to go 3-1 and we’ve had some tough losses,” said linebacker Sean Lee, who joined the Cowboys in 2010. “We have to find a way to build that consistency and we understand that it’s building throughout the year and stacking games together is what the great teams do. That’s what we have to do.”

The Cowboys’ next chance to get to 3-1 comes Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. With the rest of the NFC East off to a poor start (the Philadelphia Eagles are the only other division team with a win), a win Sunday would do wonders for the Cowboys’ confidence.

“You’re only worried about yourself but this is when you get separation,” tight end Jason Witten said. “We’ve found ourselves the past two years playing for divisions in Week 17 but you always look back and say, ‘If we had that one,’ or ‘If we had that game early on in the season.’ That’s the way it always is. Every team has that. We’re just trying to create an atmosphere and a mindset of, ‘Let’s go do that.’ I think we’re all tired of talking and we know the results have got to happen. It’s not anything we can just say. We’ve got to see the results.”

But even 3-1 doesn’t guarantee long-term success.

The Cowboys finished 9-7 in 2008 and missed the playoffs.

IRVING, Texas -- Generally injury anniversaries are not celebrated, but Dallas Cowboys safety Barry Church knew he passed a milestone last week against the St. Louis Rams.

In the third game of the 2012 season, his first as a starter, Church suffered a torn Achilles against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his season ended.

Last week Church made it through his third game without any issues. In fact he broke up a career-high three passes in the 31-7 win against the St. Louis Rams.

“I didn’t even notice it, really,” Church said. “Hopefully I can make it through the whole season now.”

Church has 14 tackles, a tackle for loss, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble so far, according to the Cowboys' stats.

“I feel like I’m quicker for some reason,” Church said. “I don’t know. Maybe they put something in there?"

In his Achilles?

“Magic dust or something,” he said. “I feel like I’m just reading the offense a lot faster than I was last year and that makes it look like I’m moving a lot faster.”

He credits the athletic training staff for getting him healthy, but he credits Monte Kiffin’s new scheme.

“It’s a lot simpler than last year, so as players we’re not having to think as much,” Church said. “We’re just locked in on what we have to do and that allows us to play a lot faster.”

IRVING, Texas -- On Wednesday, reporters surrounded Dallas Cowboys defensive end George Selvie as if he had just returned from Mars or something.

There were all sorts of questions about his becoming the full-time starter with Anthony Spencer out for the season because of knee surgery.

A few lockers down stood defensive tackle Nick Hayden talking to a smaller group about his role in the Cowboys' 4-3 defense. For the attention Selvie has received the first three weeks of the season, Hayden has also burst onto the scene.

With Jay Ratliff on the PUP still recovering from groin injuries, Hayden has stepped in and played well.

"When I came in, I just wanted to work my butt off," Hayden said. "I had no expectations. I knew we had a great D-line. I just kept working each game and my opportunity finally came, and [I'm] starting right now."

The Cowboys hope Ratliff will return at some point this season, but Hayden has proved he's more than capable of playing this position. How long he can continue to play at this level is uncertain, but he has a comfort level in this scheme.

He played it for 44 games at Wisconsin, where he had 132 tackles and 10 sacks. He was a sixth-round draft pick by Carolina in 2008 and spent the bulk of the season on the practice squad. He got limited playing time with the Panthers before starting 10 games in 2010. He never had more than one sack in a season during three years in Carolina. He was cut by the Panthers prior to training camp in 2011, and Cincinnati signed him in December 2011.

But in 2012, he suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Bengals' training camp and was waived injured. Hayden waited for another team to sign him last year but none did, so he just kept working out until the Cowboys signed him last February.

"It's definitely tough to sit out. You don't know when this game is going to end," he said. "I know I'm good enough to play in this league. I don't know for how long, but as long as I keep going as I am right now, just keep getting better each week, and good things to come."

One of the things Hayden has done to maintain his status in the starting lineup is hustle. Defensive line coach Rod Marinelli awards hustle points for players who chase after ball carriers. The thinking is that the more defenders who are going to the ball, the greater the chance of a forced fumble.

Last week against St. Louis, Hayden, after rushing the quarterback, turned around and ran after speedy wide receiver Tavon Austin, a man with 4.3 speed.

"He’s a good, solid nose tackle who plays hard every snap," coach Jason Garrett said of Hayden. "He knows what he’s doing and he continues to get better, too."

IRVING, Texas -- Running back by committee has been a term used for years, but the Dallas Cowboys might introduce wide receiver by committee if Miles Austin is unable to play Sunday against the San Diego Chargers because of a hamstring strain.

Austin is missing his second straight day of practice, and coach Jason Garrett said the team is taking Austin’s situation day by day.

Terrance Williams has played 97 snaps in the first three games and has five catches for 60 yards. Dwayne Harris has played 27 snaps and has four catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. Cole Beasley was inactive the first two games, but played six snaps against the St. Louis Rams.

“We have a lot of confidence in those guys,” Garrett said. “Sometimes you do it by play. Sometimes you do it when one guy needs a little bit of a break during the game. Other times you do it kind of by personnel packages. We’ve done it that way in the past, and we suspect we’ll do it that way again.”

IRVING, Texas -- Defensive end DeMarcus Ware returned to practice Thursday with the Dallas Cowboys not in pads.

The Cowboys decided to keep Ware out of team drills in Wednesday’s padded practice so he could avoid contact because of a recurring problem with stingers. He went through individual drills in his helmet before doing work on the side.

After Sunday’s game Ware said he returned to the padding he wore last year when he did not suffer a stinger and hopes that will cure the issue he has had the first three games of the season.

“We just want to make sure we don’t go backwards on that,” coach Jason Garrett said. “He’s been able to play really effectively in the games. That’s just the way we’re handling it now. Hopefully it gets better and we won’t have to do that throughout the year.”

Wide receivers Miles Austin (hamstring) and Dwayne Harris (hip) were sitting out practice for the second straight day. Harris was able to do some running on the side, but Austin did not.

IRVING, Texas – For a couple of weeks, Drake Nevis was a member of the San Diego Chargers. He’s been with the Dallas Cowboys since Tuesday.

The Chargers play a 3-4 and Nevis played nose tackle. The Cowboys play a 4-3 and Nevis will play defensive tackle, so he has had to unlearn some things.

“Different style, but it’s something I’ve been a part of,” Nevis said. “It’s just a matter of repetition and getting it back.”

He played the 4-3 at LSU and as a rookie with the Indianapolis Colts, but has been out of position for a little while.

“He’s one of those guys that demonstrated a lot of ability to come off the ball and explosiveness when he was in college,” coach Jason Garrett said. “Oftentimes these defensive linemen get into systems that really suit them or maybe don’t suit them quite as much. We feel like playing in this scheme we can get him back to playing the way he played in college, coming off the ball, playing with good leverage and being a destructive force, both in the run game and pass game.”

At 310 pounds, Nevis gives the Cowboys a more traditional one-technique to play behind Nick Hayden. How long will it take for Nevis to be ready?

“Prayerfully, as quick as possible,” Nevis said. “Just a matter of getting back used to the weather and just go from there.”

IRVING, Texas -- In the late stages of training-camp practices in 2012, the Dallas Cowboys visited the San Diego Chargers for a few days to scrimmage.

The most eventful event of these sessions occurred between Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick and Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. During a two-minute drill, Rivers scored a touchdown and spiked the ball.

It drew the ire of Scandrick, who said something.

On Sunday, the Chargers and Cowboys meet again. But Scandrick and Rivers are playing nice. In fact, there's now a mutual respect between them.

"We had some fun, that guy, we talked after the practice and I kinda picked his brain a little bit and see what he was thinking because it was preseason," Scandrick said. "I just like to talk to the quarterbacks to see what they're thinking so I can get a better understanding of what their reads are so it can give me a better understanding of how to defend things."

Scandrick and Rivers both have played well in the first three weeks of the season. Scandrick has taken the starting job from an injured Morris Claiborne, and Rivers is second in the NFL in passer rating (116.2) and tied for second in touchdown passes (eight).

"I love Philip," Scandrick said. "Just from over the years competing with him, practicing with him, I love that guy, man. I got the world of respect for him. For a lot of years, 10 years for him, outside of his rookie year, nine of those years have been on his back. He's a stand-up guy, he takes so much of accountability. I remember watching him at North Carolina State when I was a kid, and now I'm playing against him. He's about as outstanding as they come, he's smart, he's tough and he's competitive."

Said Rivers of Scandrick: "He’s a heck of a competitor. He can play at the outside corner position, obviously, and he’s a real crafty guy there in the slot when he plays the nickel. I best describe him as 'a football player,' which means he’s just a complete player. He’s so competitive. He has a knack for making plays and he plays the ball well. He’s certainly a big contributor for them. I know with [Cowboys have] Claiborne and [Brandon] Carr, but he’s also been outside and he comes in the nickel and third-down situations, so he’s a solid player for him."

Getting into the head of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is apparently the key to the San Diego Chargers' game plan this week.

“We know that once he’s rattled and whatnot, it’s easy to take him out of the game,” Chargers defensive end Corey Liuget said, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

That’s a pretty bold statement from a member of a defense that ranks dead last in the NFL against the pass and has forced a grand total of one turnover in three games. San Diego is allowing an average of 340.7 passing yards per game, having failed to rattle Philadelphia’s Michael Vick or Tennessee’s Jake Locker the past two weeks.

Romo, whose turnovers have tended to come in bunches over the course of his career, has steered clear of catastrophic errors during the Cowboys’ 2-1 start. He has committed two turnovers -- a fumble after a sack, and an interception caused by rookie receiver Terrance Williams running the wrong route after an audible.

To hear Liuget tell it, Romo has benefited from a dumbed-down Dallas offense this season.

“It’s a simple offense,” Liuget said, according to the Union-Tribune. “They don’t do too many plays. The key is to definitely hit Romo early and try to take Romo out of the game and put the ball in [DeMarco Murray's] hands.”

Rest assured that putting the ball in Murray’s hands will be a big part of the Cowboys’ plan after he rushed for 175 yards on 26 carries in the Week 3 victory over St. Louis. After all, the Chargers also rank 28th among rushing defenses, allowing 130 yards per game and 5.1 per carry.

If Romo is rattled, it certainly won’t be by anything he studies in the film room this week.

IRVING, Texas -- Penalties have been an issue for the Dallas Cowboys for years, no matter who has been the head coach.

Slowly Jason Garrett appears to have tightened the strings a little bit.

Through three games, the Cowboys have been penalized 16 times for 139 yards. Only nine teams have fewer penalties than the Cowboys through three games.

It might not sound like much, but it’s great progress. Through three games last year, the Cowboys had 31 penalties for 238 yards on their way to 117 penalties for 853 yards. The Cowboys have not been this penalty-free, so to speak, through the first three games of a season since 2001.

In that year they had 13 penalties for 109 yards in an 0-3 start that turned into a 5-11 finish.

Defensively the Cowboys have four penalties. Doug Free, who led the NFL with 15 penalties a year ago, has yet to draw a flag this season.

“We are making an emphasis on it,” coach Jason Garrett said. “We understand those things don’t help you. They hurt you. Again, you never want to take a team’s aggressiveness away from them, but we just have to minimize those types of plays. We have to take care of the ball better. We have to minimize the penalties and not beat ourselves. It’s a big emphasis for our football team. We have done a pretty good job of it so far. We have to get better though.”