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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?

IRVING, Texas -- B.W. Webb, the Cowboys fourth-round pick from William and Mary, said he's developed a good relationship with defensive end Sean Lissemore.

Lissemore, who enters his fourth season, also played at William and Mary.

"When I first got (to William and Mary), I was actually scared of him," Webb said. "He didn't talk, this big guy, he was quiet. As the year went on, we got along real great. He came and saw me when I was at the facility, we definitely kept in contact."

During his predraft visit, Webb got a tour of Cowboys Stadium, the practice facility at Valley Ranch and stayed at the team hotel, the Gaylord Texan.

The massive facility, that houses the team prior to home games, impressed Webb.

"I don't think I really seen a hotel (that big)," Webb said. "I got to meet all the coaches, Jerry Jones and everybody, Jason Garrett. I loved every part of it."

IRVING, Texas – Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, considered by many a top-five talent, fell right into the Cowboys’ laps at No. 18 overall.

The Cowboys responded by trading down, opting to take the Nos. 31 and 74 picks from the San Francisco 49ers instead of taking the defensive tackle.

“We were unanimous that it was the smart thing to do to trade down,” owner/general manager Jerry Jones said. Coach Jason Garrett publicly agreed, although his body language in the war room seemed to tell a different tale.

Why not just stay put and take Floyd?

“We feel like, first of all, defensive line is a position of strength for us,” Jones said. “Number two, in our system, we probably would put a premium on quick-twitch potential three-technique. We view him as not that, but certainly capable of getting there.”

The Cowboys’ top two defensive tackles are 31-year-old Jay Ratliff and 30-year-old Jason Hatcher, who is entering the last season of his contract. Their depth at defensive tackle: four-year veteran Sean Lissemore; Brian Price, a former second-round pick who is trying to earn a roster spot after injuries and personal issues derailed his career in Tampa Bay; and a few unproven young players.

The “quick-twitch” knock on Floyd could be construed as questioning his pass-rush ability after he racked up only 4.5 sacks during his college career. Floyd, who was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 23rd overall pick, is considered to be extraordinarily explosive for a 297-pound man.

ESPN's NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. predicts the Cowboys will select offensive and defensive linemen in the first three rounds.

It's not something I hear mentioned often, but the age of the Dallas defensive line has crept up. By the time the season starts, Jay Ratliff, Jason Hatcher and DeMarcus Ware will be 32, 31 and 31, respectively.

You have to be an ESPN Insider to get the complete three rounds for every NFL team. Kiper also has the Cowboys taking a guard and another defensive lineman in Rounds 2 and 3.

Kiper makes a valid point regarding the line. If the Cowboys draft North Carolina's Sylvester Williams, it could make Ratliff expendable. However, the team might keep Ratliff and create competition for what could be a young, deep defensive line.

Under the new 4-3 alignment, Anthony Spencer and Ware will move to defensive end, where they haven't played since college. The Cowboys also will move Hatcher to tackle, keeping double-teams off Ratliff.

Sean Lissemore, Tyrone Crawford, Rob Callaway and Ben Bass are young players who also will compete for playing time.

IRVING, Texas – With the Cowboys placing the franchise tag on Anthony Spencer for the second straight year, the short-sighted view is to say the Cowboys can push defensive line down the list of needs when it comes to the draft.

Wrong.

The Cowboys can’t afford to be so short-sighted.

The projected starting defensive line is DeMarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, Jason Hatcher and Spencer. By the time the season starts Ware will be 31, Ratliff will be 32, Hatcher will be 31 and Spencer will be 29.

Ware is coming back from shoulder surgery, but the feeling is he will continue his Pro Bowl run in the new scheme. Ratliff has had his sack total decrease every year for the last five years. Hatcher and Spencer (at least for now) are on one-year deals.

Of the backups, only Sean Lissemore, 26, and Tyrone Crawford, 23, should be viewed as potential starters. This does not include Marcus Spears, who turns 30 on Friday, and Josh Brent, whose status is unknown because of the December car accident.

The Cowboys can’t view the Spencer tag as a reason to avoid taking a defensive lineman in the top three rounds.

The draft is not only about 2013. It’s about 2013 and beyond.

When the Cowboys are on the clock for the 18th pick and their highest-rated player is a defensive lineman, take him and be happy.

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.

In a 24-hour span, the Dallas Cowboys created roughly $23 million in salary cap space on Thursday.

The Cowboys didn't cut a single player, but that doesn't mean anything. The Cowboys have a pressing need in getting quarterback Tony Romo signed to a long-term deal. He's under contract for the 2013 season, but the team would like to reduce his team-high $16.8 million cap number. Getting Romo's cap numbers down should help the Cowboys make any potential moves in free agency.

Another move regarding the Cowboys centers around defensive end Anthony Spencer. The Cowboys have until Monday to franchise him for $10.6 million. If not, he officially hits the free agent market on March 12.

But to extend Romo and give Spencer a new contract, the Cowboys have to clear more salary cap space.

Releasing fullback Lawrence Vickers and defensive end Marcus Spears clears $3 million combined.

As Todd Archer pointed out on Friday, the Cowboys can get more space re-structuring the deals of guards Nate Livings ($740,000) and Mackenzy Bernadeau ($1 million).

The Cowboys have also talked to the agents of Jay Ratliff and Orlando Scandrick about re-structuring their contracts, which would create another $3.8 million in salary cap space.

So what happened on Thursday might not be the end of things for the Cowboys in terms of creating salary cap space. When you release players it comes with a financial and on-the-field price. Dead money for some players, such as Doug Free and Spears is carried over to the next year.

Replacing Free in the starting lineup at tackle could be Jermey Parnell. But now you must find a swing tackle.

If you send Spears, a trusted veteran, home, it creates competition at defensive end for younger players. Jason Hatcher, Sean Lissemore and Tyrone Crawford, all defensive ends, have secure spots in 2013 but finding backups who can play in the new 4-3 scheme are necessary.

Losing Vickers is another interesting problem. The Cowboys value the fullback position and signed Vickers last season over Tony Fiammetta because they thought he was a better player. Well, cutting Vickers after one season, to create cap space, tells you his impact wasn't as big as we thought it would be, given the Cowboys finished 31st in the NFL in rushing.

Finding a younger player at this position wouldn't hurt either.

So while the Cowboys are under the cap, more moves are expected.

IRVING, Texas – Last week the Cowboys coaches and front office met to discuss the personnel on the roster and players who could leave, such as Anthony Spencer. This week the Cowboys head to the NFL scouting combine to begin in earnest the search for new players.

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The Cowboys will get the chance to meet officially with 60 players during interviews that last 15 minutes apiece. They will hold informal discussions with other players, as well.

The two most important parts of the combine are the interviews and the medical information, with all of the players taking physicals.

The most talked about part of the combine -- and often the most overrated -- will be the workouts. Drills don’t really mean the guy can play (or can’t play) on Sundays.

The Cowboys' needs are pretty clear: Offensive and defensive line, safety, linebacker, cornerback, tight end and wide receiver.

With a sticky salary cap situation, the Cowboys must draft well. The drafts the last three years have been better (Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, Sean Lissemore, Tyron Smith, Bruce Carter, DeMarco Murray, Dwayne Harris, Morris Claiborne, Tyrone Crawford, James Hanna), but they don’t make up for the poor ones from 2007-09.

The Cowboys have six picks in the April draft, having dealt their seventh-round pick to Miami for center Ryan Cook. They are not expecting a compensatory pick for losing Laurent Robinson, Martellus Bennett, Bradie James and Abram Elam in free agency.

For the Cowboys to get over the 8-8 hump, they must win the draft. That’s why the combine matters so much.

One of the big stories last week when I was off was the drunken-driving arrest of Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Jay Ratliff. You guys know, if you read this blog regularly, that I have no patience for the ludicrously selfish crime of drunken driving or the NFL knuckleheads who engage in it in spite of ample available alternatives. Obviously, when I learned that Ratliff had been arrested for this crime a mere six weeks after teammate and friend Josh Brent was charged with intoxication manslaughter in the crash that killed friend and teammate Jerry Brown, my first reaction was that Ratliff has to rank among the biggest fools on the planet.

I also think the Cowboys should get rid of him, which is an opinion I have seen espoused in several places since the arrest and one that wasn't even ridiculous to ponder before he was arrested. Ratliff is going to be 32 when the 2013 season starts. He's coming off a poor, injury-plagued season. And the cap-strapped Cowboys can save $1 million against the salary cap if they cut him by June 1.

Jean-Jacques Taylor's latest column at ESPNDallas.com, however, asks us to push the pause button on the cut-Ratliff talk and make sure we're citing the proper reasons. Jacques thinks that while there may be perfectly good reasons to cut Ratliff, the drunken-driving arrest can't be the only one.

It's certainly a privilege, not a right, to play in the NFL, but Ratliff doesn't have a history of off-the-field issues. As far as we know, this is Ratliff's first alcohol-related incident and arrest.

Besides, would we be so willing to get rid of Ratliff if he hadn't missed 10 games to injury last season? What if his sack total hadn't decreased each of the past five years from a high of 7.5 in 2008 to none last year?

Would you want Tony Romo gone if he had committed the same dumb mistake? What about Sean Lee? DeMarcus Ware?

Good and worthy points. But my counter-argument is that Ratliff's arrest is perfectly acceptable, especially given the proximity in time to the Brent/Brown incident, as a final straw. Ratliff is aging. He is underperforming. He had it out with team owner Jerry Jones in the locker room late in the season. And now this. There is a good, strong, multi-layered case to be made that the Cowboys would be better off without this guy, and last week's arrest necessarily plays in as part of that case.

This, late in Jacques' column, did catch my eye and is worth noting:

Just so you know, among the reasons the Cowboys are moving to this scheme is they believe it will help Ratliff maximize his talent. Instead of being an undersized nose tackle who gets double-teamed every play, he can play on the outside shoulder of the guard and use his unique speed and quickness to make plays.

Fair enough, and changing your defensive alignment in an effort to maximize the talents and contributions of your players is a sensible way to go. (More sensible, for instance, than what they're doing in Philadelphia, where they have good 4-3 personnel and appear to be going to a 3-4.) But the Cowboys surely could use Jason Hatcher and Sean Lissemore as defensive tackles next season and sign a starting defensive end if they can't bring back Anthony Spencer. Or they could sign a defensive tackle and play Hatcher at end. Their scheme change isn't married to the idea of Ratliff and his position change, especially if they can't count on Ratliff to be as reliable and productive as he's been in the past.

The Cowboys need fewer headaches, not more. And they certainly need fewer drunk drivers. The very strong stance they'd be taking if they say good bye to Ratliff isn't the only reason to do it. It's just the latest, and possibly the last one they needed.

Rob Ryan’s 3-4 defense is out at Valley Ranch, about to be replaced by Monte Kiffin’s 4-3 Tampa 2 scheme.

How will the Cowboys’ personnel fit into Kiffin’s puzzle?

Here’s a breakdown, with the help of former Cowboys scouting director Larry Lacewell, whose relationship with Kiffin dates to their days as rival assistant coaches at Oklahoma and Nebraska in the 1970s:

DEFENSIVE LINE

The big question is whether the Cowboys keep Anthony Spencer as a bookend for DeMarcus Ware. That’s a financial issue, with Spencer due $10.6 million if the cap-strapped Cowboys use the franchise tag on him again and primed to get paid big bucks if he hits the market after his career year.

“I don’t know if I would,” Lacewell said of keeping Spencer. “I think I could find another guy that was a pretty good player. In my opinion, I’d rather look for a 4-3 guy. I think a rookie can come in. The mental end of it is so much easier than the 3-4 [for defensive ends/outside linebackers].”

Lacewell has no doubt that Ware will be a dominant defensive end in Kiffin’s scheme despite the fact that the perennial Pro Bowler will miss the offseason while recovering from shoulder surgery. Lacewell has little concern about increased wear and tear on Ware as a down lineman, adding to the fact that Ware won’t have to drop in coverage, which might keep him fresher by limiting the amount he has to run.

“He should be similar but better than [Indianapolis’ Dwight Freeney],” Lacewell said. “He’s much stronger and bigger.”

Lacewell, who Jerry Jones brings to training camp every year to help evaluate the defensive personnel, believes Kiffin’s scheme will greatly benefit Jay Ratliff and Jason Hatcher.

Ratliff would primarily be a 1-technique defensive tackle, shading the center and shooting the gap. Lacewell compares him to La’Roi Glover, who made four Pro Bowls playing that role for the Cowboys when Mike Zimmer ran a Kiffin copycat scheme in Dallas.

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“It’s going to prolong his career,” Lacewell said of Ratliff, a 31-year-old whose streak of four straight Pro Bowls ended when injuries limited him to six games this season. “And I think it’s going to add misery to the offenses.”

The 6-foot-6, 305-pound Hatcher would be a 3-technique defensive tackle, playing over the outside eye of a guard. Hatcher, who has 8.5 sacks over the past two seasons as a starting defensive end, would get a lot of one-on-one matchups with guards.

“Hatcher would be an outstanding 3 because he can run,” Lacewell said. “He can really fly. He’s going to be able to use his athleticism.”

Sean Lissemore could contribute at both defensive tackle spots. Tyrone Crawford, a third-round pick out of Boise State last season, has potential to play the 3-technique tackle and would be a candidate to start at defensive end if Spencer leaves.

“Monte’s going to love Lissemore and Crawford because they’re try-hard guys who can run,” Lacewell said. “Kiffin is all about speed. They don’t have to be huge guys, but they have to be able to play hard and run.”

LINEBACKERS

Plug Sean Lee in at Mike and Bruce Carter in at Will and pray that the Cowboys’ blossoming stars can stay healthy.

Lacewell on Lee: “He will be absolutely great. He’s already great, but when you become a Mike [in a 4-3], that means you’re a whole-field player. In the 3-4, you’re a half-the-field player a lot of times. It’s just going to add to his greatness.”

Lacewell on Carter, whose speed probably reminds Kiffin of Bucs legend Derrick Brooks: “Oh my gosh, I think he could be a great Willy. Speed guy, can come off the edge and rush the passer, drop back in coverage, really do it all.”

Dan Connor, Alex Albright and Kyle Wilber are among the in-house candidates to be the Sam linebacker. Lacewell is intrigued by the intelligence and toughness of Albright.

SECONDARY

Lacewell laughs at the suggestion that the major investments the Cowboys made in press-man corners last offseason make Kiffin’s scheme a strange fit.

“I get tickled to hear people say, ‘We’re wasting these great corners!’” he said. “Well, where were they?”

That’s a not-so-subtle reminder that the Cowboys ranked 19th in passing defense last season despite signing Brandon Carr to a five-year, $50.1 million deal and trading their first two picks to move up to sixth overall and select Morris Claiborne.

Lacewell said Kiffin asks his corners to play “much more man than you think” despite being based on his Cover 2 looks. Whether they’re playing man or zone, the corners play press a lot, which Lacewell figures will play to the strength of Carr and Claiborne.

When the corners do bail into zone coverage, their mission is to take away the outs and comebacks. That puts pressure on the safeties to cover the post.

That could be a problem.

“The one position I don’t have clear in my head for them is the g--damn safety,” Lacewell said. “I don’t know who it is. I don’t know who the hell it is.”

Asked about Barry Church as a strong safety, Lacewell brightened up a bit: “He’s kind of a Kiffin guy.”

Nobody is saying Church is the next John Lynch, but he is tough and smart, two of the ex-Bucs great’s best attributes. However, Church is also recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, so the Cowboys would be taking a big risk by counting on him.

Asked about Gerald Sensabaugh, Lacewell was lukewarm.

“I’d say they’re more in hunt of two safeties than any other position,” Lacewell said.

If the Cowboys' front office agrees with Lacewell, Texas' Kenny Vaccaro could be a fit in the first round.

There are indications Monte Kiffin could become the Dallas Cowboys new defensive coordinator. If Kiffin takes over the defense, it most likely will move from a 3-4 alignment to a 4-3.

Kiffin runs a version of the 4-3 called the Tampa 2. It's designed for the four pass-rushers to get pressure on the quarterback and the linebackers and defensive backs to play zone coverage and converge on the ball carrier from different areas of the field.

We bring this up this morning because I thought about how it might affect nose tackle Jay Ratliff.

If the Cowboys were staying in a 3-4 alignment, I said Ratliff's days with the Cowboys would be over. His body is wearing down from years of getting double-teamed. His production slipped the past few years and, combined with the $1 million the team saves by cutting him and his confrontation with owner/general manager Jerry Jones, it would probably be time to go.

A move to a 4-3 alignment would prevent Ratliff from getting doubled by centers and guards on a consistent basis, and he could instead pressure the quarterback between the center and guard in a four-man pass rush.

Maybe keeping Ratliff around helps the Cowboys on this front. We assume one of the defensive ends in the new 4-3 will be DeMarcus Ware. The other end could be Jason Hatcher or maybe Anthony Spencer if he re-signs with the Cowboys. The two inside defensive tackles have to be quick off the ball and be able to pressure the quarterback, which brings us back to Ratliff.

Sean Lissemore is better suited to play end, and Marcus Spears and Kenyon Coleman are run-stoppers. Coleman is a free agent and his future with the team, like Spencer's, is uncertain.

Ratliff's status with the team -- which I thought wasn't so secure because of his health and lack of production -- now could be strengthened with a shift to the Tampa 2 defense.

I was told Ratliff is open to moving to defensive tackle, as he was a few years ago when former coach Wade Phillips tried him out at end.

That's a good attitude to have, and if the Cowboys believe in Ratliff's skill set, then keeping him is the best thing. If not, then I can truly understand why releasing him works. But if the Cowboys do, they better find a defensive tackle that can help with the pass rush.

First thing I want to say is this: If the Dallas Cowboys fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan because they wanted to switch from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense and they don't already have Ryan's successor lined up, I think they're nuts. I don't think you decide as an organization to switch to a 4-3 and then decide you're just going to go out and hire the best 4-3 guy you can find to run it. Not all 4-3s are created equal, and I think the better way is to find the coordinator you like and involve him in the process of making the switch, right from the start. So my first thought here is that, if the head coach and/or owner have decided to make this switch, Cowboys fans should hope they've already been in touch with whoever's going to be in charge of actually implementing it.

But you know, there were performance-based reasons to fire Ryan if that's what they wanted to do, and obviously teams don't always operate with common sense as their guiding principle, so it's possible that Jerry Jones and/or Jason Garrett have decided to go to a 4-3 without thinking it through to that extent. I actually think it's possible that they're doing it for economic reasons. John Clayton has the Cowboys projected $18.2 million over the salary cap, which means there are a lot of people on the current defense who don't fit into the budget. Switching to a 4-3 could help that.

Think about it. If they can't afford to keep Anthony Spencer, Jay Ratliff and Marcus Spears, they could move to a 4-3 alignment with DeMarcus Ware and Tyrone Crawford at the ends and Jason Hatcher and Sean Lissemore at tackle. Sean Lee plays the middle linebacker, Bruce Carter the weak side and you go out and find yourself a strongside linebacker, which would be easier and cheaper than keeping or trying to replace Spencer as a 3-4 outside linebacker. Crawford, last year's third-round draft pick, is probably better suited to be a 4-3 end anyway, and the price is right on him.

Financial reasons might not be the most sound or inspirational motivation behind a change like this, but they are a facts of life, and I suspect they're at play in this decision here. I have little doubt that Ware could handle rushing from a three-point stance or that Lee would be an excellent middle linebacker. And if they were able to keep, say, Ratliff, he might benefit from being one of two 4-3 defensive tackles instead of a single 3-4 nose. So you can make this make sense in your head, which is what the Cowboys may be doing. I just feel like they need to figure out who's in charge of the thing before they start making offseason decisions based on some significant new framework.

IRVING, Texas – What is Jerry Jones talking about when he mentions doing something “almost unconventional,” in attempting to shake the Cowboys from their 16-year state?

It would be nice to get to talk to the owner and general manager, but he’s not been around Valley Ranch since the season has ended.

So let’s raise some possibilities:

Change the general manager? We know that answer.

Change the head coach? He has backed Jason Garrett all season. And if he is waiting this long to make a move with the coach, then the Cowboys could be last in line when putting together coaching staffs. So, no, Garrett, isn’t the change.

Change the guys who call the offense and defense? Maybe, but I’m wondering if it goes a little deeper than just the play callers, especially on defense. Maybe it’s the scheme.

Could the Cowboys scrap the 3-4 and become a 4-3 team in 2013?

The Cowboys moved to the 3-4 in 2005.

Truth be told the Cowboys played a lot of 4-3 in 2012 because that’s their sub package defense with DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer putting their hands on the ground. They also mixed in more 4-3 base looks when they had five linebackers on the field. The only difference was that Ware and Spencer didn’t line up in a three-point stance.

Would it be a difficult move?

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Maybe not so much, but the return of Spencer should play a part in a switch. It will be difficult for the Cowboys to keep him off the open market with a new deal, and placing the franchise tag on him for the second straight year could be too prohibitive.

The Cowboys would have to upgrade their defensive line. Ware, Jason Hatcher, Tyrone Crawford and Sean Lissemore are the only guarantees. Maybe a move to a 4-3 would benefit Jay Ratliff, but his future is in some question because of the cap.

At linebacker, they would have two of the three with Sean Lee (middle) and Bruce Carter (weak). Maybe they keep Ernie Sims and move Lee to the strong side.

The secondary doesn’t much change with the fronts, but I can’t see the Cowboys becoming a Tampa-2 team with corners like Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne. They are at their best playing press coverage, jamming receivers. Tampa-2 corners play off and soft mostly with their eyes on the quarterback.

Coordinator Rob Ryan has a 3-4 background, but he’s coached enough 4-3 while here.

It would be an unconventional move.

IRVING, Texas – One of the more interesting things Jerry Jones said on KRLD-FM this morning was how he plans to address some of the issues with the Cowboys going forward.

“I’m going to spend a lot of time visiting with people outside of the organization that I have a lot of confidence in that will help us evaluate how to do the things that I know what our fans want to do, and that’s not be sitting here at .500,” Jones said. “There are a lot of teams that haven’t been at .500, but nobody hasn’t been at .500 and spent as much cash as I’m spending.”

Jones’ circle of trust includes former coaches and personnel people in the NFL that he turns to at different times of a season as sounding boards. It’s good to have sounding boards, but they shouldn’t be more influential than the people inside the building.

Why doesn’t Jones listen to the people who are inside the building more?

They have followed this team more closely than anybody else outside the building. They have followed the college talent more closely than anybody outside the building.

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He has talented scouts. His pro department the last two years has done a great job of finding guys off the street that have helped keep the Cowboys competitive. In talking to other teams across the league there is a great respect for the Cowboys’ college scouting staff as well. The drafts the last three years have produced Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, Sean Lissemore, Tyron Smith, Bruce Carter, DeMarco Murray, Dwayne Harris, Morris Claiborne, Tyrone Crawford and James Hanna.

Jones might not believe he is doing a disservice to his staff by saying such things, but when the first person he credits for picking Murray two years ago is Barry Switzer, it’s just wrong.

The season is over and after a spending some time thinking about things, and watching the Cowboys game again, we've decided to give you our final regular season version of Random Thoughts.

Have a nice day.

1. In 2010, Miles Austin signed a seven-year $57.1 million contract. Austin's deal meant a few things: He moved into an elite level in regards with his contract and was to become the No. 1 receiver on the Cowboys. After signing that deal, Dez Bryant surpassed him as a bigger threat, Austin has had just one 1,000 yard season, 2010, he fell 57 yards short of it in 2012 and his health continues to be a question. He failed to finish the game against Washington on Sunday night because of a high-ankle sprain. He's endured hamstring issues the last two seasons. Austin is scheduled to earn $6.7 million in 2013 and it raises a question: Is Austin earning his money? I doubt if the Cowboys are going to release Austin because no matter how good Bryant is, there is still an unpredictability about him away from the field. Austin is a good player but the team needs more from him considering the money he's making.

2. Felix Jones won't return in 2013 but he did finish the final game of the season with 24 yards on five carries. Jones hit holes with a burst and seemed to run with little limitations. He's battled injuries to both knees and he probably should have stayed on the bench. But he displayed a toughness that was necessary from the running back position. Jones was put in a bad situation by the Cowboys. He was drafted as a backup to then-starter Marion Barber. When Barber's health started to betray him, the Cowboys asked Jones to become a starter but his own health failed him too. It's time for Jones, who becomes a free agent, to find a new team and for the Cowboys to stop drafting players to become backups. If the Cowboys draft a running back this spring, it should be designed to give competition to DeMarco Murray. If Murray is better than the new back, fine, keep the job. Life for a NFL running back is dangerous. One week he's healthy, the next he's not and you need to have quality ones on the depth chart. Jones is an average running back, but not starters material and when it was time for him to take over for an injured Murray and Barber, he couldn't do the job on a consistent basis.

3. Want to know why the Cowboys failed to stop the run in 2012? They lost of four players that clogged the middle of the field. Jay Ratliff (injury), Josh Brent (suspension), Sean Lee (injury) and Bruce Carter (injury) were the force up the gut for the Cowboys. When the Cowboys didn't have Ratliff at the start of the season, the club still had Brent a solid run stopper. But when Brent was lost, Sean Lissemore was moved from defensive end to nose tackle. The Cowboys also moved Robert Callaway and signed Brian Schaefering to help inside. Lee and Carter replacements at inside linebacker were Dan Connor, Ernie Sims and at times Alex Albright. The backups failed to produce for the Cowboys as evident by the run defense allowing at least 100 yards in six of the last seven weeks of the season. Moving forward the Cowboys need to draft or sign another inside linebacker in free agency who can provide depth. The Cowboys allowed 274 rushing yards in the regular season finale and gave up at least 150 rushing yards twice and 125 or more yards five times. It's hard to win games when that happens regularly.