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IRVING, Texas – If we’ve learned anything about the Cowboys, it’s that they love their defensive line.

“We believe the defensive line is a strength,” became a default position for just about everybody in the organization during the NFL draft.

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But is it really?

When Monte Kiffin was in Tampa Bay, the strength of the defense was the line with Warren Sapp, Simeon Rice and Booger McFarland. Same for Rod Marinelli in Chicago when he had Julius Peppers, Henry Melton and Israel Idonije racking up sacks.

Take DeMarcus Ware out of the equation. He will continue to be one of the most dominant pass rushers in the NFL. The move from outside linebacker to defensive end will not be too much for him, but it has to be noted that he is coming off major shoulder surgery and has suffered some other nicks the last couple of seasons.

Anthony Spencer is a curious case. He had a career-high 11 sacks last year, but in his first five seasons he never had more than six in a season. One AFC personnel man believed Spencer’s sack boost came in part because he was moved around more than in the past. Bill Polian has said Spencer will be a great fit for this defense. If Spencer is consistently in the same spot opposite Ware, then does he go back to a six-sack player? And he is lighter than most strong-side defensive ends Kiffin and Marinelli have employed.

Jay Ratliff was a difference-maker at one point. He was a disruptive player, incredibly difficult to block and could get to the quarterback. Notice the past tense? Ratliff’s sack total has decreased in each of the last five years and he missed 10 games because of injuries last year. He turns 32 in August. Maybe he is the perfect fit to play the Sapp role here, but how much tread is left?

Jason Hatcher has never had more than 4.5 sacks in a season and he will be making a position switch. Are his numbers a product of the fact that 3-4 defensive ends just don’t have the opportunity to get after the quarterback? Perhaps. He turns 31 in July and is in the last year of his contract.

Tyrone Crawford did some nice things as a rookie but didn’t record a sack. Sean Lissemore had one sack but was slowed by an ankle injury. Kyle Wilber will move to defensive end from outside linebacker this year but has the look of a tweener. Then there’s Ben Bass, Robert Callaway and Ikponmowasa Igbinosun.

Kiffin and Marinelli apparently have told Jerry Jones & Co. that the defensive linemen on the roster will be just fine, given how the team went about the draft and has looked at free agency so far. Rob Ryan said the same thing to Jones about the talent on hand when he showed up two years ago; how did that work out?

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- Several current and former Dallas Cowboys players gathered Sunday night at the Gaylord Texas to support the Taste of the NFL: The Ultimate Cowboys Tailgate Party.

But this wasn't any normal party. Proceeds from the event went to the North Texas Food Bank. The Cowboys have raised more than $1 million and more than four million meals for needy families in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

The event was hosted by DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher.

"This means a lot," Hatcher said. "I've heard about this event in the eight years since I’ve been in the league. It’s one of those things I can relate to. I was one of those kids who would leave school in the summer and say, 'Man, I can’t get two meals.' That’s why I’m here today. I’ll put any time and effort I got into a situation like this I can relate to."

Among the current and former Cowboys in attendance: Nate Livings, Caleb McSurdy, Brandon Carr, Rob Callaway, Tony Casillas, Nate Newton, Preston Pearson and Daryl Johnston.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, defensive line coach Rod Marinelli and secondary coach Jerome Henderson also supported the event.

ESPN's pre-draft "On the Clock" series takes a look at the Dallas Cowboys. These are roundtable discussions with Mel Kiper, Jr., Trent Dilfer and Chris Mortensen that preview the draft for each team and discuss other issues as well. Mel identifies interior offensive line as the Cowboys' top draft priority, then lists playmaking safety, defensive tackle and running back as others. The good thing for the Cowboys, as the group points out, is that this year's draft is deep in all of those areas, and with a good draft the Cowboys should be able to improve their current roster in a way that impacts the 2013 season.

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Fitzsimmons & Durrett discuss Tony Romo's contract extension and what it says about Jerry Jones. Listen

The discussion then turns to Dallas' new defensive coaches -- coordinator Monte Kiffin and line coach Rod Marinelli. Dilfer oozes respect for both men, having known them from their days in Tampa Bay, and puts forth a belief that Marinelli and Kiffin will make playmakers out of the players already on the Cowboys' defense. He thinks Rob Ryan's defense was "reaction-based" and that the new defensive coaches on the staff are more about forcing the action.

Mort throws a bit of cold water on that theory, pointing out the problems Kiffin had stopping Chip Kelly's Oregon offense while Kiffin was USC's defensive coordinator. But we will see, of course. The 4-3 makes sense for Dallas given its current defensive personnel, and if they can stay healthy this time and if one of the safeties they have on the roster (or someone they find in the draft) can become that playmaker, the defense should be better than people are giving it credit for.

To help preview who might be on the Dallas Cowboys’ board for the NFL draft, ESPNDallas.com has identified five players at five key positions that we’d like to learn more about. Along those lines, we’ve asked former Cowboys assistant coach Glenn “Stretch” Smith – the official scout of Galloway & Company – to study tape of each player and give his thoughts.

No. 5 defensive lineman: Sharrif Floyd

Position: Defensive tackle

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 297 pounds

School: Florida

Why he’s on the radar: To get Floyd, the Cowboys would have to trade up in the first round, like they did last year to acquire Morris Claiborne. It might be a high asking price, but Floyd could be the perfect fit in Monte Kiffin’s defense. He plays with power and moves well. There’s some thought Floyd might be too much of a tease, but line coach Rod Marinelli is considered one of the best in the business and should be able to get the most out of him.

Projection: First round

Stretch Truths: For a big man, Floyd has excellent speed and agility. He ran the 40 in 4.92 seconds. ... He is an excellent 3 technique in a 4-3 defense. ... This kid is a three-down player. ... Great hands. Can punch and shed. ... Gets penetration with a quick first step. ... Athletic, can change direction. ... His only weakness is he is a little high-cut and not a big bull-rush inside tackle.

PHOENIX -- If there's anybody who believes in new Cowboys defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, it's Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.

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ESPNDallas.com's Calvin Watkins joins Galloway & Company to discuss the latest from the NFL owners meetings, Tony Romo's contract situation and much more. Listen

Tomlin worked with Kiffin and defensive line coach Rod Marinelli in Tampa Bay.

"Monte is going to be great in particular, Monte in a combination with Rod, that's a lethal combination," said Tomlin, who worked with the duo from 2001 to 2005 as a defensive backs coach. "These guys are football purists. I imagine they're somewhere in the bowels of that facility right now, man, with trash cans talking about how to defend the A, B, C gap.

"I grew up professionally with those guys. They're special people. I wish them nothing but the best. I acknowledge if you're competing against them, you got your hands full for a lot of reasons. I've been blessed to be associated with those guys."

Kiffin encountered some lean years in the college game following his son, Lane, especially last season at USC. He resigned after the season and was open to a return to the NFL.

In some ways, Monte Kiffin might be back in his comfort zone in the NFL instead of college.

"I don't think Monte is ever out of his comfort zone," Tomlin joked. "If you asked me that when he was in L.A., he's in his comfort zone; if they're snapping a ball and he's got 11 to defend it, he's in his comfort zone."

Kiffin is changing the Cowboys' defense from a 3-4 alignment to a 4-3. The Cowboys believe they have the personnel to pull this off. They will move outside linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer to defensive end and move defensive end Jason Hatcher to defensive tackle alongside Jay Ratliff.

The linebackers remain the same in Sean Lee (middle) and Bruce Carter (weak side), but the strongside linebacker spot has to be filled. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones has pegged Kyle Wilber in that spot.

Tomlin doesn't believe the switch will be a problem for Kiffin and Marinelli.

"How those guys work, I really think it's insignificant when you talk about whether or not you got four guys with their hand on the ground or three guys with their hand on the ground," Tomlin said. "One thing that they're going to do is they're going to be fundamentally sound, their going to play responsible football and they're going to play extremely hard with the 11 men that they have. I look forward to watching their tape. I think there's a lot of people in the NFL looking forward to watching their tape. Those are the type of guys, when they put tape out there, it's food for all of us. It's going to be fun."

Fifth in a a 10-part series breaking down the Cowboys' free-agency needs, position-by-position:

Defensive ends

Who’s on the roster: DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer (franchise tag), Tyrone Crawford, Ben Bass.

Analysis: Ware and Spencer will be moving from outside linebacker to defensive end in Monte Kiffin’s new scheme, but they are not completely unfamiliar spots since they had their hands on the ground as pass rushers in the nickel defenses. The difference will be the play-to-play grind of lining up against tackles, which could wear them down. Crawford showed some promise as a rookie in the 3-4 and plays with an energy that should help him get to the quarterback. The Cowboys have some flexibility with the players on their roster. Jason Hatcher, Sean Lissemore, Crawford and Bass could play tackle and end if needed.

NFL free agents of interest: Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Osi Umenyiora, Dwight Freeney, Israel Idonije, Amobi Okoye.

Need meter: 7. In the 3-4 scheme, a defense can never have enough linebackers. In the 4-3 scheme, you can never have enough pass rushers. New defensive line coach Rod Marinelli worked with Idonije and Okoye in Chicago and might want to bring them to the Cowboys. Neither will be break-the-bank free agents, which makes them a better fit, and they have the ability to get to the passer. Idonije had 7.5 sacks last year for the Bears and also has some position flexibility. Umenyiora and Freeney are situational pass rushers at this point in their careers. If they understand that, then they could be a fit. However, the price tag could be too steep.

This scouting combine story from Todd Archer tells us that the Dallas Cowboys were planning a switch from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense even before the 2012 season ended. According to coach Jason Garrett, they believe they have the right kind of personnel to make the switch:

"You just go through all those scenarios and at the end of it we felt good about, 'Hey, we can do this and it won't take us three years to do this,'" coach Jason Garrett said. "And we certainly want to continue to add pieces to it and make that defense better, but we felt good about the flexibility and versatility of the guys we already have."

Monte Kiffin and defensive line coach Rod Marinelli agreed with Garrett's analysis after they joined the staff. They used players such as Simeon Rice, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and Brian Urlacher as frames of reference for DeMarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, Sean Lee and Bruce Carter.

Well, yeah. I mean, if all of those guys at the end of that sentence play like all of the guys at the beginning of that sentence, then yeah, the Cowboys will really have something. But there are some "ifs," and most of them are tied to health. For instance, I think Lee can be a brilliant playmaking middle linebacker in a 4-3. But he has to stay on the field, and he's had trouble doing that. And then there's this later in the story from former Cowboys exec Jeff Ireland, comparing Ware to Cameron Wake, who moved from a 3-4 outside linebacker to a 4-3 end last year for Ireland's Dolphins:

"We felt like when Wake was in a three-point stance he probably was a better rusher than he was in a two-point stance," Ireland said. "I don't know that about DeMarcus. I'd have to study that, but I'm sure he's equally efficient in a three-point or two-point stance, so I don't think it will be that tough."

Ware is a very interesting part of all of this. Again, I don't think it's a question of his ability to perform effectively in a 4-3 but rather his ability to hold up physically while playing closer to the ball and mixing it up more directly with bigger offensive line bodies. Ware has shown some signs the past couple of years that his body could be beginning to break down, and if that is a trend and not an aberration, then a move like this isn't going to help with it.

This transition to the 4-3 is one of the very interesting stories of the Cowboys' offseason, so we'll continue to examine it as it goes along. I think they have the right kinds of players to pull it off, but a lot depends on who goes, who stays and who shows up to play it once the salary cap is straight and free agency and the draft have settled.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Dallas Cowboys were having internal discussions about a philosophical defensive change from the 3-4 scheme to the 4-3 even before last season ended.

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Herm Edwards joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the NFL combine and Cowboys' offseason. Edwards says Rod Marinelli is the key to the defense this season, not Monte Kiffin. He also talks about what it would be like to work for Jerry Jones. Listen

Not long after their season-ending loss to the Washington Redskins, the Cowboys looked at their defensive pieces to see if there was a way to make a smoother transition. And this came before Monte Kiffin was hired as defensive coordinator.

"You just go through all those scenarios and at the end of it we felt good about, 'Hey, we can do this and it won't take us three years to do this,'" coach Jason Garrett said. "And we certainly want to continue to add pieces to it and make that defense better, but we felt good about the flexibility and versatility of the guys we already have."

Kiffin and defensive line coach Rod Marinelli agreed with Garrett's analysis after they joined the staff. They used players such as Simeon Rice, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and Brian Urlacher as frames of reference for DeMarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, Sean Lee and Bruce Carter.

But it's one thing to feel good about the pieces. It's another thing to know if the pieces will actually work.

Read more about the move to the 4-3 here.

ESPN analyst and former NFL head coach Herm Edwards, as usual, had some strong opinions about what the Dallas Cowboys should do to try and fix their problems during an appearance on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM's "Fitzsimmons and Durrett."

Here's what he had to say ...

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Herm Edwards joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the NFL combine and Cowboys' offseason. Edwards says Rod Marinelli is the key to the defense this season, not Monte Kiffin. He also talks about what it would be like to work for Jerry Jones. Listen

On the play-calling conundrum:

“If I’m Jason Garrett, I’m calling the plays. That’s Jason Garrett’s strength. That’s what he does. That’s why he was hired, because he was a good play-caller. Let’s not lose sight of that now. By the way, he is the head coach: 'I get to call the shots.' Now what’s Jerry going to do, fire him because he wants to call the plays, ‘OK, then fire me. I’m calling the plays.’ ...

“He sits there with the whistle, with the hat. He stands out in front of the media and has to talk after the game – before Jerry gets to them. And the players know. And that’s the hard part because you don’t give the head coach a lot of authority. You’re taking his authority away.

"Coaches know. And here’s the problem: When you’re winning, it goes unseen. When you start losing, guess what? Those coaches are talking about, ‘Well, Jerry hired me. I’m Jerry’s guy.’ All that conversation gets going when you’re losing. Players start pointing fingers. That’s part of it too. We don’t see it right now because it’s the off-season. But I’ll tell you what, you get off to a slow start, and you start losing games at the end when you’re trying to make a playoff run, all that stuff will come out. I guarantee you, we’ll be talking about that.”

On the offseason changes to the coaching staff:

“Rod Marinelli is going to do a lot of the hard work. I think he’s one of the best defensive line coaches in the National Football League. That was a great hire, when he hired Rod. That was the key to me. That was the whole key for Monte (Kiffin) because Rod knows the system as well as Monte. Monte will tweak some things and do some things. But Rod Marinelli will have a big hand on this defense along with Monte.”

INDIANAPOLIS – Traditionally on the Saturday night of the NFL scouting combine the Cowboys have their staff dinner at St. Elmo Steakhouse in Indianapolis.

As much as the Cowboys are learning about the draftable players, they are also learning about themselves.

The Cowboys have six new assistant coaches with various ties to Jason Garrett: defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, wide receivers coach Derek Dooley, running backs coach Gary Brown and assistant offensive line coach Frank Pollack. Kiffin, Marinelli and Bisaccia were together for years in Tampa Bay before joining the Cowboys.

“It’s really good just to spend time with them, both in football if football environments but also in these kinds of environments,” Garrett said. “Get to know them more, see interaction among those guys. I got a good feel for those guys myself but you got to make sure everybody else is feeling that chemistry and developing that chemistry that is so important on the staff. We hired really good guys. They are good people. They love football. They love teaching football. We are trying to get on the same page. It has been a fun couple of weeks.”

INDIANAPOLIS – With workouts commencing today at the NFL scouting combine, the Cowboys could find themselves in an enviable position in April because their needs seem to match up with the strengths of the draft.

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Todd Archer joins Galloway & Company to discuss who the Cowboys should draft in the first round and how far the team can go with Tony Romo at quarterback. Listen

The Cowboys have what would appear to have early-round draft needs on the defensive and offensive lines, as well as safety.

“We just got out of eight days of draft meetings and preset our board as we come down here and feel this is, at least in my opinion, one of the strongest defensive tackle classes that have come out in a while,” Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman said.

There could be as many as a dozen defensive lineman selected in the first round, and the Cowboys have a need with their move to the 4-3 under new coordinator Monte Kiffin. Pass rush is at a premium because Kiffin and defensive line coach Rod Marinelli would rather be able to bring pressure with four players than have to blitz.

On the offensive line, the Cowboys could be looking for tackle, guard and center help and there are players who will fit at all three spots, including Oklahoma’s Lane Johnson, Alabama’s D.J. Fluker, North Carolina’s Jonathan Cooper and Alabama’s Barrett Jones who could be had in the top three rounds.

Chicago general manager Phil Emery said he sees up to five safeties who can become starters.

“There are five or six starters in this class at safety,” Emery said, “and that’s rare to me.”

IRVING, Texas – Of all of the introductions to the Cowboys’ assistant coaches Thursday, the most impressive was defensive line coach Rod Marinelli.

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Ben & Skin discuss the Cowboys assistant coaches' press conference at Valley Ranch. Listen

Some might find that strange considering Marinelli was the head coach in Detroit when the Lions went 0-16, but there is no doubt in my mind that Marinelli is the key defensive hire.

There was almost a sense that Monte Kiffin and Marinelli are in reality co-coordinators, even if Marinelli carries just the defensive line designation. With the departure of Jimmy Robinson to a consultant role, the assistant head coach title is now open.

“He’s something now,” Kiffin said of Marinelli. “He’s an icon now. Believe it.”

Tampa Bay’s run to the Super Bowl under Jon Gruden was forged by its defense, led by Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch and Ronde Barber. On Thursday, Kiffin mentioned Marinelli’s work with guys like Greg Spires and Chartric Darby, castoffs from other teams turned key players with the Buccaneers.

“You can ask any of those guys ... when you come to work, you had better bring a lunch pail with Rod Marinelli,” Kiffin said. “And like Rod says, and we all say it, it starts up front. 'You get a hard hat, let’s go! Get after that quarterback, OK?' ”

Kiffin and Marinelli were together for 10 years in Tampa Bay. The chance to reunite with the Cowboys was something Marinelli couldn’t pass up.

“There’s a bond and a floor, I should say, of a belief that there’s no compromise on, and we understand that,” Marinelli said. “There are things maybe you do differently here and there over the course of the year. But that foundation, the fundamentals of what we do, is the core belief for us, that kind of unites us. That’s why I wanted to be a part of this and be back with him.”

IRVING, Texas – For a 5-11 football team, the 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers must have had one heck of a training camp.

Former fourth-string quarterback Jason Garrett talked about that camp for much of his 27-minute soliloquy that opened his Wednesday press conference at Valley Ranch. Garrett regaled reporters with anecdotes about defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin’s attention to detail, defensive line coach Rod Marinelli’s “gimpy swagger” and special teams coordinator Rich Bisacia’s something or another.

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Immediately after the Jason Garrett news conference ends, Randy Galloway and Matt Mosley are joined by Glen "Stretch" Smith and Chuck Cooperstein to analyze each and every question/answer. Listen

Frankly, by the time Garrett got around to discussing Bisaccia, he might as well have been Charlie Brown’s teacher. At that point, my focus was on wondering how a man could talk that long without taking a sip of water or saying anything interesting.

Oh, and there was still the eager anticipation of Garrett announcing the offensive play-caller next season … which he eventually promised would happen at some point before the preseason opener. It apparently takes eight days to decide to change defensive schemes but eight months to figure out who should call offensive plays.

But let’s get back to that glorious Bucs camp, which Garrett called his “football grad school.” Garrett, who was cut at the end of the preseason and returned to the roster for less than a month in midseason, clearly wanted to emphasize his ties to the most accomplished additions to the Cowboys’ coaching staff this offseason.

In other words, Garrett tried as hard as possible to convince people there are no puppet strings attached to him, never mind the appearance that he’s been twisting in them for the last six weeks.

Garrett took a much more subtle approach than screaming that these weren’t just Jerry hires that potentially set the stage for Tampa-exes Jon Gruden or Lovie Smith to replace him. Garrett called the coaching changes “collective decisions.”

“One of the great things about this organization since I’ve been here is the communication between me as the head coach and the ownership and the decision-makers is really strong, and it’s always been strong,” Garrett said. “We’ve had great back-and-forth about a lot of the decisions we’ve made. We made a lot of personnel decisions through the years. We’ve made a number of staff decisions through the years and these were no different.”

His older brother, John, the former tight ends coach and passing game coordinator, being forced out seemed a bit different. But Garrett explained that “we felt like the best opportunity for him to grow was not to be here.” He didn’t mention that it was also the only opportunity for John, who landed in Tampa Bay as the receivers coach, to remain employed.

To be fair, Garrett dug in enough to prevent Jerry from hiring a playcaller from outside the organization. However, his stubborn hesitance to officially hand over the play-calling responsibilities to Bill Callahan smacks of a head coach desperate to hold on to what little real authority he has left.

The one really firm answer Garrett gave was a “yes” when asked whether picking a playcaller would ultimately be his decision. That didn’t necessarily make it believable.

The perception remains that Jerry stripped Garrett of his authority during this uncomfortable offseason. The in-house videos Jerry shot last week, claiming all the offseason decisions were Garrett’s, didn’t change that. Nor did Garrett’s nearly hour-long meeting with the media, when he repeatedly danced around the one important issue expected to be resolved Wednesday.

“Well, Jerry Jones is the owner and GM of the team,” Garrett said. “As far I can tell, there’s an owner and GM in 31 other cities. I know since I’ve been here as the head coach, he and I have had a really good relationship. We talk about a lot of different issues regarding personnel, scheme, what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, what we’ve been doing and what we’re doing now and where we wanna go. We’ve had very candid conversations, and this offseason has been no different.

“And I have great respect for him as a football person and the owner and GM of this football team and our relationship. The lines of communication are open and we make collective decisions here and decisions we feel are in the best interest of the Cowboys.”

There’s an owner and a GM for every NFL team. Preferably, they’re two different people. But there’s only one Jerry.

Garrett knew that when he turned down better jobs to stay here as Wade Phillips’ successor, benefiting from the Jerry-bred dysfunction. He’s dealing with the downside after a pair of mediocre seasons that have made him as expendable as a fourth-string quarterback in training camp.

At least Jerry Jones is trying to hide the strings he attached to his head coach.

Jerry at least recognizes that the perception that he’s turned Jason Garrett into a puppet after two seasons with no playoff bids is a problem. Jerry cares enough to be aggressively defensive, insisting in an in-house interview posted on the team’s website that Garrett is the guy calling the shots when it comes to who calls the Cowboys’ offensive plays next season.

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It’s transparent spin control – and remember Jerry’s favorite line: “Just because I say it doesn’t make it so” – but it’s at least a little tangible proof that Jerry’s power trip has some limits. And it shows some awareness that publicly stripping Garrett of any semblance of authority would be an awful thing for an owner/general manager to do.

Of course, this is probably too little, too late, much like many of Garrett’s halftime adjustments after his offense stumbled out of the gate.

Perhaps there is a kernel of truth to Jerry’s spin. It sounds as if Garrett gets to pick the Cowboys’ next play-caller, as long as it’s not him again, which essentially means he can prevent an interim coach candidate from being added to his staff.

But only a fool would believe that it was Garrett’s idea to give up play-calling. He made it clear the day after the Cowboys’ 8-8 season ended that he believed the “status quo” was in the Cowboys’ best interests. He suddenly became more open-minded on the subject a couple of days later, coincidentally after Jerry went on his radio show and strongly hinted that a change was coming after six disappointing years with Garrett calling plays.

You think Garrett’s good buddies and old teammates such as Troy Aikman and Daryl "Moose" Johnston would be critical of taking play-calling responsibilities away from ol’ Redball if this was all Garrett’s idea? C’mon, man.

Oh, we’re also supposed to believe that it was Garrett’s idea to run his brother John out of Valley Ranch, right?

Here’s all you need to know about Jerry’s confidence in Garrett: He insisted that Wade Phillips’ fingerprints be all over the defense after the Cowboys missed the playoffs in his second season as a head coach, but it’s the polar opposite with Garrett and the offense at this point. Jerry believed in Phillips’ X’s and O’s expertise. He hopes Garrett can do a better job as a “walk-around” head coach.

It’s hilarious to hear Jerry pump up the impact that Garrett can have without the burden of being the offensive play-caller. This coming from a man who has made condescending comments about “walk-around” head coaches for years, despite the fact that the three Lombardi Trophies he’s hoisted came with head coaches who didn’t call plays.

Gee whiz, good thing the Cowboys’ GM has such a strong, sensible plan in place.

The funny thing is, on paper, all the decisions Jerry has made with the coaching staff this offseason have been good ones. There’s no reason to doubt that Jerry, who has a lot of ego and dollars invested in Garrett, is just trying to help his head coach succeed.

Jerry has just gone about making the right decisions in the wrong way, removing a proud coach’s spine in the process.

You won’t find a bigger Rob Ryan fan than me, but there’s no denying that the Cowboys have hired not one, but two defensive coordinators with much more impressive credentials. You can question Monte Kiffin’s age and ability to adjust to the modern-day NFL, but he’s an NFL legend. New defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, who did a tremendous job as the turnover-happy Chicago Bears’ defensive coordinator, is the most overqualified position coach in the NFL.

And Garrett should have given up play-calling a year ago, after he was exposed as overwhelmed by the dual roles of coordinating the offense and managing the clock. It makes no sense to have a continuation of mediocrity, which describes the Cowboys’ offense in the category that matters most (points scored).

But when Jerry promised an “uncomfortable” offseason, it made it clear who was making the decisions at Valley Ranch. That was emphasized when the buzz began about forcing Garrett’s brother out of town – as justified as that was due to the lack of development of the Cowboys’ younger tight ends.

The only realistic way to describe stripping Garrett of play-calling duties at this point is as a demotion. Garrett will enter the season on the NFL’s hottest seat, with a staff loaded with newcomers who just so happen to have strong ties to potential replacements Jon Gruden and Lovie Smith.

It does Jerry no good to have Garrett seen as a lame duck, but there’s nothing he can do about that now.

It takes much more than one staged interview to clean up the mess after cutting a coach’s legs out from under him.

The ESPNDallas.com Hot Button debate this week is about whether the Cowboys should keep Anthony Spencer.

As far as I’m concerned, if the Cowboys are going to invest big money in a defensive player this offseason, they’d be better off signing another one of agent Jordan Woy’s clients who is entering free agency after his first Pro Bowl appearance.

They know defensive tackle Henry Melton is a great fit for the Tampa 2 scheme, having seen him tear it up for Rod Marinelli’s Chicago defense the last two seasons. (Just pop in the tape from the Bears’ visit to JerryWorld this season.) They think that Spencer will be able to make the transition from 3-4 outside linebacker to an undersized 4-3 strongside end.

They’re both Pro Bowlers primed for big paydays, meaning the cap-strapped Cowboys would have to get creative to create room for either Spencer or Melton to be on the roster next season.

The 26-year-old Melton, a Grapevine native who started his career at Texas as a running back, just makes more sense than the 29-year-old Spencer -- especially considering the importance of a disruptive 3-technique tackle in Monte Kiffin's Tampa 2 scheme.

Of course, the Bears would rather not let the Cowboys or anyone else have a chance to sign the 6-foot-3, 295-pound Melton, who has 13 sacks over the last two seasons. He expressed optimism this week that he’ll have a deal done with the Bears before free agency begins March 12.

"We were talking during the season," Melton told The Waddle and Silvy Show on ESPN Chicago 1000. "I expressed my interest in coming back and staying here. We didn't get anything done. All the coaching changes and all that have delayed it. Hopefully we can get back on schedule of getting something done.

"We were getting somewhere, but we couldn't really come to a deal. Hopefully we can get back on track, because I do want to stay in Chicago.”

If the Bears allow Melton to test the market, it’s easy to envision him coming back home to reunite with Marinelli. The Cowboys’ new defensive line coach helped Melton develop from a fourth-round project into a Pro Bowler during their three years together in Chicago.

"It was sad to see my man Rod go,” Melton told ESPN Chicago 1000, “but it's just how the game is."

The Cowboys would be sad to see Spencer go after a career year, but it’d be a better business move if they could sign Melton.