SAN ANTONIO – It’s a topic the Cowboys didn’t want to touch: How would Brett Favre’s retirement affect the Cowboys’ road to the Super Bowl?

“I haven’t thought about that,” Tony Romo said, avoiding the subject like it was a blitzing linebacker. “I can’t think about another team and what they’re doing at camp and things of that nature. I know Brett on a personal level, so I’m happy for him, but we’re worried about us getting better.”

Other Cowboys offered politically correct answers about how the Vikings had a lot of talented players who would pick up the slack if Favre stays home in Mississippi.

It’s wise for the Cowboys to avoid offering an honest opinion. They can’t possibly believe that Tarvaris Jackson is capable of quarterbacking a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

The Cowboys have an Oct. 17 date in Minnesota. It’d make no sense to provide bulletin-board material for arguably the NFL’s best running back or front four that dominated the Cowboys in January. The Favre-less Vikings went 10-6 in 2008, so the Minnesota trip would still be far from a gimme game.

But Favre is the guy that vaulted the Vikings from a playoff team to an NFC heavyweight. Without him, Minnesota is on a tier beneath the Cowboys and Packers among challengers to the Saints’ throne.

And there’s another good reason for the Cowboys to shy away from questions about the impact of Favre’s absence.

“It’s like Groundhog Day with him, isn’t it?” Patrick Crayton said. “I’m not buying it at all, man. They still got what, a month left in training camp? Give him about a week and a half. He’ll change his mind.”

If Favre stays on the farm for the regular season opener, then the Cowboys’ road to the Super Bowl will be a little bit easier.