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IRVING, Texas -- The easiest way to make it to the playoffs in the NFL is to win the division, but that does not figure to be easy for the Cowboys, considering the improvements the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins made and the presence of the defending Super Bowl champ New York Giants.

Two of the five key games the Cowboys face in 2012 come from the division in part because of what type of message victories would send. The other three come against playoff teams from 2011, in Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Atlanta.

Here goes:

Sept. 5 at NY Giants: The Cowboys opened and closed last season at MetLife Stadium, losing to the New York Jets and Giants, respectively. They get to open 2012 there on a Wednesday night against the Giants. A victory would not eliminate the odor of last year’s collapse, but it would put the Cowboys in the proper frame of mind in a first quarter of the season where they must finish at least 3-1. As they walked out of the stadium following the 31-14 loss to the Giants in January, the Cowboys promised the sting of losing out on a divisional championship game would motivate them throughout the offseason. They get an early chance to show just how much it will.

Nov. 4 at Atlanta: The Falcons figure to be playoff contenders and are difficult to beat inside the Georgia Dome. Matt Ryan has yet to win a playoff game, but he does not get the same label as Tony Romo, who has one playoff victory and is derided by a lot of pundits. Ryan has a number of talented players around him on offense in Julio Jones, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Turner. The defense has some holes to fill to get to the offense’s level, and that’s how the Cowboys can return home with a victory. When you’re looking for tiebreaker advantages late in the season, games like this are a must, as is the Week 4 meeting vs. Chicago.

Dec. 2 vs. Philadelphia: By the end of last season the Eagles were the best team in the NFC East, even if the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl. Philadelphia was doomed by a slow start, but they lit up the Cowboys twice in 2011. There was a pronounced difference in speed between these teams a year ago. I’m not sure LeSean McCoy was tackled up at Lincoln Financial Field. Romo was bounced after the first series from the rematch at Cowboys Stadium with a bruised hand because of the speed of Jason Babin’s pass rush. As has been the case around here for more than a decade, the Cowboys’ success depends on how they fare in December. With extra time to prepare for the Eagles following Thanksgiving, the Cowboys could be in position to kick off December with a win.

Dec. 16 vs. Pittsburgh: The Steelers are among the AFC’s big boys and the Cowboys have to show they can hang with the big boys, especially late in the season. In 2008, they went to Heinz Field needing a win and were dealt a 20-13 loss, thanks to a fourth-quarter collapse. The last time the Steelers visited the area came in 2004, and their fans took over Texas Stadium. You can only imagine the number of Pittsburgh fans that will be inside Cowboys Stadium for this game, and the $1.2 billion stadium has hardly been a homefield advantage for the Cowboys.

Dec. 23 vs. New Orleans: Sean Payton will likely be watching this one from his Westlake home because of his year-long suspension due to Bountygate. It would’ve been juicier had Bill Parcells taken over for Payton, but the former Cowboys coach chose to remain retired. But Drew Brees will be there and so will the Saints passing game. The Cowboys’ secondary fell apart at the tail end of 2011, contributing to a playoff-less season. The Cowboys changed coaches (Dave Campo out, Jerome Henderson in) and players (Terence Newman out, Brandon Carr in) just for these occasions. In 2009, the Cowboys won a late-season game against an undefeated Saints team and turned around their season at the Superdome. They might need to do that again at Cowboys Stadium in 2012.

The Cowboys tried to work out a long-term deal with outside linebacker Anthony Spencer the last few weeks but couldn't complete one, so instead of allowing him to hit the open market, the Cowboys placed the franchise tag on him.

Spencer will get a projected $8.8 million in base salary for the 2012 season, barring a sudden change in the franchise tag. (The officials numbers haven't been released yet.)

The Cowboys will continue to have an open dialogue with Spencer's agent Roosevelt Barnes.

Coach Jason Garrett is excited to have Spencer back to the Cowboys.

"You compare him to guys around the league who play his position, he's among the better outside linebackers in a 3-4 defense," Garrett said Monday. "So we had that ability to use the franchise tag and we're excited to use it in his situation and excited to have him back and be a part of what our defense is going to be."

It seems unfair to compare Spencer to fellow outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware. But in 2011, Spencer finished with six sacks, none the last four weeks. Based on the coaches' statistics, Spencer was credited with seven quarterback hurries the last four weeks as well and two tackles for loss, coming in the Philadelphia game on Dec. 24.

Spencer finished the season with 31 quarterback pressures and eight tackles for loss.

Garrett's comments about Spencer being among the best at his spot, strong side linebacker, is a good compliment.

LaMarr Woodley plays Spencer's position in the Pittsburgh Steelers' version of the 3-4. Last season, Woodley had nine sacks and 11 quarterback pressures. Woodley played in just 10 games because of hamstring problems and his nine sacks came in the first eight weeks of the season.

San Diego's Travis LaBoy finished with one sack, six quarterback pressures and three tackles for loss in 14 games.

It's just a small sampling of what other outside linebackers do in comparison to Spencer.

"If you watch Spence play down-in-and-down out when he plays the run and he rushes the passer or covers in the passing game he does things really well and he does them easily," Garrett said. "We look at production and we look at how he produces week in and week out and it's more than just sacks. It's like some of the other things I was talking about. He shows up in games. He was an outstanding player on our team [in] two or three of the wins we had this year. A guy who shows up on defense, a guy who shows up on special teams -- he blocked a field goal. He's just one of those guys that's productive and production happens in a lot of different ways."

It wasn’t enough to win, but the Cowboys’ wide receiving corps provided a glimpse of how potent it can be against the Giants.

With Miles Austin back in the mix, the Cowboys’ wide receivers accounted for 250 yards and three touchdowns, with Austin, Laurent Robinson and Dez Bryant each scoring once.

Austin is a two-time Pro Bowler with a $54 million contract, but he’s been the Cowboys’ third most productive wide receiver this season, in large part because he’s missed six games due to hamstring injuries. Robinson and Bryant both have chances to finish with 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown seasons.

“I feel like without a doubt that we are the best receiving corps in the league,” Bryant said.

That’s debatable. There are other receiving corps that can make the same claim, including the one that won Sunday night at Cowboys Stadium. But the Cowboys’ trio is at least in the conversation if Austin can stay healthy.

Here’s how the Cowboys’ wideouts compare to the other elite receiving corps in the league:

COWBOYS
Laurent Robinson – 46 catches, 763 yards, 8 TD
Dez Bryant – 47 catches, 756 yards, 8 TD
Miles Austin – 32 catches, 466 yards, 5 TD

GIANTS
Victor Cruz – 68 catches, 1,150 yards, 7 TD
Hakeem Nicks – 65 catches, 1,023 yards, 6 TD
Mario Manningham -- 36 catches, 466 yards, 4 TD

STEELERS
Mike Wallace – 62 catches, 1,034 yards, 8 TD
Antonio Brown – 55 catches, 925 yards, 2 TD
Hines Ward – 37 catches, 325 yards, 2 TD

PACKERS
Jordy Nelson – 51 catches, 957 yards, 10 TD
Greg Jennings – 67 catches, 949 yards, 9 TD
James Jones – 26 catches, 479 yards, 5 TD
Donald Driver – 31 catches, 357 yards, 4 TD

IRVING, Texas -- When Ray Horton was the secondary coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season numerous teams wanted his services, including the Cowboys.

The Cowboys wanted to hire Horton for the same position, and he was open to joining them unless a better opportunity presented itself.

The Arizona Cardinals hired Horton as their defensive coordinator following Super Bowl XLV.

"We were in the process of trying to hire [a defensive coordinator]," Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said, "and I wanted to talk to those guys in Pittsburgh and they were all the way at the end of the Super Bowl so it was kind of of dicey having to wait. But I felt pretty good because I had coached a number of years with Ray in Pittsburgh and felt like we had a good relationship. So when we had the opportunity I was certainly glad to get him."

Coaching in the NFL is hard. Very hard.

Jason Garrett's first task as Cowboys interim coach last season was to change what the man who signs his checks called, "a losing culture."

Garrett did.

He praised practice squad players so they could practice harder, held players accountable if they made mistakes and forced the team to wear shoulder pads on Wednesdays.

Things worked out. After a 1-7 start, the Cowboys finished 6-10 and had three road wins under Garrett.

His next challenge is to have the Cowboys ready to go without having any players to coach because of the lockout, which could last months regardless of Wednesday's ruling by a judge in Minneapolis.

He has a plan in place, and he'll implement it when the players return. But whether or not that plan works is uncertain.

Garrett continues to seek advice of successful coaches. This summer, he sought out Duke's Mike Krzyzewski.

ESPN.com's NFL bloggers ranked the top 10 coaches in the game, and the Patriots' Bill Belichick is No. 1 on the list. I was surprised at how much respect Steelers coach Mike Tomlin got (No. 2), but it was deserving because he's been to two Super Bowls in his brief time on the job and dealt with losing his star quarterback for the first month of the 2010 season.

I thought Washington's Mike Shanahan (tied for 10th) got too much respect. He messed up the Redskins' entire season with questionable decisions. Yes, Shanahan is a brilliant mind, but the man hasn't won anything of significance since Terrell Davis and John Elway were still playing.

Still, this is an excellent list -- and Garrett can be on there one day. But he has to get to a Super Bowl or at least push this Cowboys team to the NFC title game within three years. If that happens, expect Garrett to be the head coach in Dallas for a long time.

Not only are the Cowboys about to hire a defensive line coach, Brian Baker, but it appears the team is also trying to get Steelers secondary coach Ray Horton.

According to a source, the team would like to hire Horton, who spent four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the defensive backs coach.

Horton, however, is a candidate to become the defensive coordinator with Arizona and according to the Arizona Republic could be hired by the Cardinals as soon as Wednesday.

Before the Cowboys hired Rob Ryan as their defensive coordinator, Horton's name surfaced as a possible candidate. Horton said last week he did not speak with the Cowboys but was hopeful he would get a chance to become a defensive coordinator, something he's never done before.

Dave Campo is currently the Cowboys secondary coach but it's undetermined what role he would have with the organization if Horton is hired.

Jerry Jones said last month that all the coaches that attended the Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala., would be retained, and that included Campo.

Two of the most storied franchises in the NFL -- the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers -- square off today for Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium.

The ESPN Dallas crew will be on hand live from Arlington, Texas beginning at 4:30 p.m. CT, as will several of ESPN's NFL experts and analysts.

The Steelers meet the press during Super Bowl Media Day at Cowboys Stadium.

FORT WORTH -- Flozell Adams didn't talk with reporters much when he played with the Cowboys for 12 years.

He grumbled at times and offered some off-the-record comments from time-to-time. But when it came for something insightful, you didn't get much.

But Adams talked with reporters on Monday about how he was let go by the Cowboys last season. The team wanted to move Doug Free from right tackle to left tackle and to do so it had to let Adams go.

There are no hard feelings.

"It's one of the things with the game. Whether you’re a rookie an old vet it's going to happen eventually," Adams said. "I just did what I had to do and picked a team I wanted to go to. I wasn’t crying or anything like that or boo-hooing. I was like 'OK, that's it. It's time to move to the next level,' and that’s what I did."

Adams said he still speaks to some of his old teammates and exchanges text messages with Free.

"I talk to Doug and he did a pretty good job this year. I taught him well," Adams said. "I always watched their games whenever I can and just look at him and hopefully he won. Sometimes he messed up and I would text him and say 'You know you're not supposed to do that.'''

Adams went from playing for Jerry Jones, one of the NFL's more visible owners, to the Rooney family, among the more reserved owners.

"They have different styles," Adams said. "They're both great organizations and I like being with the Cowboys and I like being here. It's a two-way street going in the same direction."

FORT WORTH -- Former Cowboys tackle Flozell Adams, who now plays for the Steelers, got a little present before leaving Pittsburgh this morning.

Adams' fellow offensive linemen wore throwback Michigan State jerseys to honor him.

The Steelers players did the same thing for former running back Jerome Bettis when the Steelers beat Seattle in Super Bowl XL. Bettis, a Detroit native, was playing in his last game.

"They all told me they wished they had went to Michigan State," Adams said Monday. "And I was like, 'Hey if you want to go back and get your graduates [degree] I know some people up there still.' "

Adams had no clue his teammates were going to wear his No. 76, his college number, before the team got on a plane to North Texas. Several players were still wearing the Michigan State jersey when the team were at the team hotel.

"It's special for them to come up with the throwbacks," Adams said. "And for all the guys to wear it it feels kinda good and I'm grateful for it."

Adams played 12 seasons with the Cowboys and went to the postseason six times, winning just once with no Super Bowl appearances. When the Cowboys released Adams, he was hoping to play for a contending team and when injuries occurred to the Steelers offensive line, things opened up.

"Going through all the years and making the playoffs and not advancing any further you totally disappointed," Adams said. "You don't want to sit at home and watch it on television and other guys that you beat are making it to the Super Bowl. It just makes you want to work harder and do everything you need to do and fortunately it happened this year."

The Cowboys’ front office can be criticized for a lot of things. The decision to cut Flozell Adams ranks far, far down the list.

Adams is making a triumphant return to Cowboys Stadium on Sunday as the Steelers’ starting right tackle for Super Bowl XLV. That doesn’t mean the Cowboys made a mistake by letting Flo go after a dozen years in Dallas.

The Cowboys made the right call to give the 35-year-old Adams’ left tackle job to Doug Free, who is their youngest and best offensive lineman.

It could be argued that the Cowboys would have been better off cutting Marc Colombo, the line’s weakest link this season, and moving Adams to the right side. But you can’t assume that Adams, a five-time Pro Bowler with a lot of pride, would have willingly accepted the position change. And it’s completely ignoring the financial part of the equation.

The Cowboys would have had to pay Adams a total of $7.5 million last season, including the roster bonus that was due right after he was released. Colombo made $4.14 million. The Cowboys kept the tackle who was way overpaid instead of the tackle who was way, way overpaid.

The Steelers were desperate for a veteran offensive tackle when they signed Adams this summer after Willie Colon suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon. Adams made a much more reasonable $2.5 million this season, a salary he earned with his solid performance.

Adams has problems in pass protection, even on the right side, ranking 22nd in the NFL with 6.5 sacks allowed this season, according to Stats Inc. (Colombo allowed 9.5.) He’ll need a whole lot of help when matched up against Green Bay’s Clay Matthews.

However, the Steelers’ running game is at its best when Rashard Mendenhall ran behind Adams. Pittsburgh averaged 5.9 yards per carry behind the right tackle, which ranked second in the league, according to ESPN Stats and Information. The Cowboys were a middle-of-the-pack team running behind right tackle, averaging 4.0 yards per carry.

Give Adams credit for playing a key role for the AFC champions. He’s earned the right to puff out his chest as he returns to the Metroplex, with his Pittsburgh linemates celebrating their arrival by wearing Adams’ green Michigan State jerseys.

But the Cowboys wouldn’t have been much, if any, better if they had kept Adams. They still wouldn’t have been a playoff team.

And right tackle would still rank near the top of their offseason needs.

FORT WORTH -- Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward was dressed as a Cowboy when he arrived here for a chat with reporters.

Ward, the veteran wide receiver, wore a black Cowboys hat, a Western-styled black shirt and black cowboys boots with designer jeans.

When asked would it be cool to win a Super Bowl in the home of the Cowboys given the rivalry between the teams he said, "I don't think we want to win it just because we're in Cowboys Stadium. It would be cool just to win it just to win it. To win three Super Bowls for a lot of guys on this team, to win our organization's seventh Super Bowl."

The Cowboys have played the Steelers three times in the Super Bowl. Dallas lost SB X and XIII but won XXX. The was the Cowboys' last Super Bowl victory.

"It's kind of ironic the history between the Cowboys and the Steelers over the years," Ward said. "I'm pretty sure a lot of Dallas fans don't want to see Pittsburgh win the Super Bowl on their home field. That's a motivation but I don't think that's the main motivation for guys to try and win it on Cowboys turf. We win it, we want to win it for ourselves for our city of Pittsburgh and for our organization."

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially touched down in the Lone Star State. And they are not heading home until the conclusion of Super Bowl XLV on Feb. 6 against the Green Bay Packers.

Pittsburgh's team plane arrived at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport at approximately 11:30 p.m. CT Monday. The Steelers then loaded several buses, along with a police motorcade, on their way to their headquarters in Fort Worth.

PITTSBURGH -- Offensive tackle Flozell Adams spent the majority of his career with the Dallas Cowboys. But that was the last team he cared to talk about on Wednesday.

"I'm a Steeler," Adams said, dodging any questions in the locker room about Dallas. "So that's how we roll."

After a dozen years with the Cowboys, Adams is the starting right tackle for the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers, who will play the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium.

"It would mean just as much, if not more, for me to win it for Flozell," Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "To go back to Dallas and he's never had a chance to go to a Super Bowl. To get to play in one, and it's in Dallas, I want to win one for him as much as I do myself."

MOBILE, Ala. -- While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is sad his team won't be playing in the Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium on Feb. 6, he said he is proud of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers.

The Steelers will make their eight trip to the big game, tying the Cowboys for the most trips, and this is the Packers' fifth trip.

"Great tradition. Outstanding teams," Jones said after watching a practice at the Senior Bowl on Monday. "I had hoped it would be matchups that would be notable and in its own way, with what the Packers are about and what the Steelers are about, it makes a great game. If you’re in my shoes right now as far as the Cowboys Stadium is concerned, I’m really proud that they’re going to be there. I’m proud for North Texas."

The Super Bowl will have at least one small market team playing for the third consecutive year.

Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, New Orleans and now Green Bay have played in the game. Arizona is considered a large market and lost to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLIII.

But this Super Bowl has two of the NFL's more storied franchies in the Steelers and Packers.

"It would have been hard for me to draw it up any better," Jones said.