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IRVING, Texas – The NFL’s release of the schedule has me back to wondering, so we break out an offseason version of Five Wonders, Cowboys’ schedule style.

I wonder if the Cowboys told the league they were a bit tired of starting the year on the road. In 2011 and ’12, the Cowboys played their first two games on the road. This year’s opener vs. the Giants marks only the third time in 11 years the Cowboys have opened at home. The last came in 2007 when they beat the Giants, 45-35, in Wade Phillips’ debut. Before that it was Bill Parcells’ debut in 2003 vs. Atlanta. At least recently the schedule has had to factor in the Cowboys’ Arlington neighbors, the Rangers. With Ron Washington’s crew out of town, the Cowboys open on Sunday Night Football against the Giants. And that’s not necessarily a good thing. They are 0-4 vs. New York at Cowboys Stadium.

I wonder if the Cowboys told the league they were a bit tired of ending the year on the road. This year’s finale vs. Philadelphia marks only the fourth time in 11 years they have closed the year at home. The Cowboys are 1-9 in their last 10 season-enders. The win? Against the Eagles in 2009. So that’s a good thing. Perhaps.

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ESPN's Ed Werder joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the upcoming NFL draft and the best strategy for the Cowboys. Listen

If you wondered when the last time the Cowboys had a bye this late in the year, I’ve got your back. You have to go back to 1990 when the Cowboys had a later bye week than the one they have this year. That came Dec. 9, 1990, which was Jimmy Johnson’s second season. This year’s bye comes Nov. 17, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing with the 10-day break coming after Thanksgiving. That time off will allow the Cowboys time to heal up if necessary. And health is as important as just about anything late in a season.

I wonder if other teams told the league that the Cowboys need to play on the road entering their Thanksgiving Day game. I’ve always felt it was unfair that most of the time recently the Cowboys were able to play at home before the Thursday game and other teams had to travel. This year, the Cowboys are at the Giants leading into the holiday game against Oakland. With a 3:25 p.m. kickoff at MetLife Stadium, the Cowboys are looking at an early-morning landing home. The short-week advantage is at least mitigated some with the road game.

I wonder if the Cowboys will ever lose their national appeal. They have four games in prime time: three on NBC (NY Giants, Washington, New Orleans) and a Monday Night Football matchup at Chicago. All for a team that has missed the playoffs in four of the last five seasons. And the Cowboys will not play on NFL Network for the second straight year and Jerry Jones is the chairman of the NFL Network Committee. Seems weird.

IRVING, Texas – Since the firing of Rob Ryan and the hiring of Monte Kiffin last week, the Cowboys’ defensive players have had to reconcile the loss of a coach they enjoyed playing for with the arrival of a coach considered one of the best defensive coordinators in football.

Linebacker Sean Lee is right in the middle of that process.

“I owe so much to Rob because he made be a better football player,” Lee said. “I learned so much from him about all aspects of football, but it’s one of those deals that the Cowboys wanted to move in a different direction defensively and wanted to move from a 3-4 to a 4-3, and we brought in a great guy in Coach Kiffin to learn from.”

Lee has yet to meet Kiffin but is anxious to learn the 4-3 and the new responsibilities that will come his way. Kiffin will be Lee’s third defensive coordinator in four years, following Wade Phillips and Ryan.

“As soon as we can get in there and watch film and start learning the defense I think there are a lot of guys who want to get a jumpstart so they can come into the (organized team activities) feeling confident in trying to perfect this defense,” Lee said.

There will be a lot to learn with the Cowboys making the scheme shift under Kiffin with players like DeMarcus Ware, Lee, Bruce Carter, Jason Hatcher and possibly Jay Ratliff moving to different roles.

“I don’t think it’s as big a move as people think,” Lee said. “We’ve played 4-3 in different situations, even with Coach Phillips and the way the defensive line lined up. There were aspects of the 4-3 there. Now there’s obviously going to be a learning curve and it’s going to be tough and it’s going to take some work, but I think we have the guys that are athletic enough and versatile enough to be able to transition to this 4-3.”

The comparison that has been made to Lee in the switch to the 4-3 has been Chicago’s Brian Urlacher. It can be argued that Kiffin did not have a talent like Lee at middle linebacker during his time in Tampa Bay about to enter his prime.

“We’ll see what different variations are and how the defense is, but (Urlacher) is the guy who changed the way you play it and set the precedent for many years,” Lee said. “So that’s a great guy to look at but we’ll see what the defense is. Until I learn it I can’t say for sure what we’re doing, but Urlacher is a guy for sure in this defense that’s had a ton of success and a lot of people look to.”

IRVING, Texas -- From 1996 to 2008, Monte Kiffin ran one of the best defenses in the NFL, finishing in the top 10 in total defense in 11 of his 13 years.

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Galloway & Company discuss the possibility of Monte Kiffin replacing Rob Ryan as the Cowboys defensive coordinator. Listen

The Buccaneers’ trademark was the ability to make game-changing plays with game-changing players, like Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, John Lynch, Simeon Rice and Ronde Barber.

In Kiffin’s 13 years as Tampa's defensive coordinator, the Buccaneers averaged 39 sacks, 19 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries a season.

Since Jerry Jones took over the Cowboys in 1989, the Cowboys have had only three seasons in which they had more than 19 picks, five seasons in which they had more than 12 fumble recoveries and six seasons in which they had more than 39 sacks. Four of those sack seasons came after the switch to the 3-4 and the arrival of DeMarcus Ware.

For far too long, the Cowboys have not been able to take the ball away on defense, regardless of who the coordinator was. They didn’t do it under Rob Ryan and couldn’t do it under Wade Phillips or Bill Parcells.

Turnovers and sacks change games.

Points matter most.

The Bucs allowed more than 300 points in a season three times with Kiffin as coordinator (and that’s taking into account returns for touchdowns). Since Jones took over the Cowboys, they have allowed more than 300 points in a season 15 times.

Kiffin has not coordinated an NFL defense in four years. He will be 73 in February.

If he turns out to be the Cowboys' next defensive coordinator, the only numbers Jones will care about will be interceptions, fumbles and sacks and points allowed; not age.

IRVING, Texas – Last week we broached the possibility of the Cowboys moving to a 4-3 as part of the “unconventional move,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones alluded to on his KRLD-FM radio show.

Now comes word from Jason Garrett in a statement regarding Rob Ryan’s dismissal about a “move forward in a different direction philosophically on defense,” which seems to indicate the Cowboys will be moving to a 4-3 base defense.

So where do the Cowboys turn for their next defensive coordinator if they move to a 4-3?

Monte Kiffin resigned at Southern Cal last month with the hopes of returning to the NFL. He is a 4-3 master, using the Tampa-2 scheme that has been used all over the league. He had a tremendous run in Tampa Bay with players such as Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, Ronde Barber and John Lynch.

Dave Wannstedt was Buffalo’s defensive coordinator last season. He was not helped by a turnover-prone offense and an ineffective Mario Williams. There are obvious ties to the Cowboys from his time with Jimmy Johnson in the early 1990s. He helped direct some top defenses in Miami as well that featured aggressive cornerback play.

Lovie Smith learned from Kiffin, coordinated a Super Bowl defense in St. Louis and had a long run in Chicago. The Bears defenses forced a ton of turnovers in his tenure, including five Tony Romo interceptions last October. He is a head coaching candidate in Philadelphia and possibly San Diego.

The Cowboys have been a base 3-4 team since 2005 but have not abandoned the 4-3 with their sub package work either under Bill Parcells, Wade Phillips or Ryan.

As noted last week, a move to a 4-3 might not be too difficult and might be necessary if the Cowboys cannot afford to keep outside linebacker Anthony Spencer. DeMarcus Ware would simply be in a three-point stance all the time (as could Spencer if they kept him). Jay Ratliff could move to defensive tackle with Jason Hatcher. They like Tyrone Crawford’s potential.

At linebacker, Sean Lee can play middle and Bruce Carter can play the weak side. They would need a strong-side linebacker but perhaps Alex Albright could get in the mix there as well.

IRVING, Texas -- With the Cowboys’ season over, this will be the final weekly version of Five Wonders, but we’ll continue an occasional series throughout the offseason.

These Wonders are about the future:

** I wonder how much turnover this roster will see. Of the 16 unrestricted free agents, I don’t know if there is a lock to return. Anthony Spencer is not a lock, though the team wants him back badly. Then there will be salary-cap decisions that could be made on guys like Doug Free, Jay Ratliff, Marcus Spears, Dan Connor, Lawrence Vickers and possibly even Miles Austin and/or Orlando Scandrick. That’s 23 guys right there. You figure on a lot of turnover every year, but this offseason figures to involve more regular contributors than just down-the-line guys. The Austin case could be interesting. He is scheduled to make $6.7 million in base and count $8.3 against the cap. I’m not advocating getting rid of him by any stretch, but there is frustration over at Valley Ranch. Austin finished with 66 catches for 943 yards and six touchdowns, but he was slowed again by hamstring injuries and was knocked out of both Washington games because of injuries. While it would not be cap prohibitive to cut Austin, the Cowboys do not have a receiver ready to replace him, and it would be hard to find a guy who can play outside and inside the way he does. Like everybody else on the roster, 2013 will be a key year for Austin.

** I wonder how the Cowboys can pay Spencer. As noted before the Cowboys wil,l be in a difficult salary-cap situation and will have to make a lot of decision related to money. I’m not sure they will have enough to keep Spencer before he hits the open market. And I would figure a team will be ready to give him more than what the Cowboys can afford. Spencer is coming off a career-high 11-sack season and he is one of the best run-stopping linebackers in the NFL. I do wonder if he can be a star for a defense, the way DeMarcus Ware is a star, or is more of a supporting actor. San Francisco’s Ahmad Brooks signed a six-year deal worth a max of $44.5 million last year ($37.5 million actual) with $17.5 million guaranteed. The Cowboys paid Spencer $8.8 million this season on the franchise tag. It would be $10.6 million if they tag him again and that’s a lot to budget for in a cap crunch. Signing him to deal with an average of $8 million-plus would be good, but another team flush in space in need of a strong-side outside linebacker who never comes off the field will probably pay more.

** I wonder if there is a chance Felix Jones returns in 2013. Stop laughing and hear me out. Jones is what he is: a backup. The Cowboys will need a backup running back in 2013 and one with the ability to start if needed, especially given the health issues DeMarco Murray has had his first two years. Is it worth it to keep Jones for two more years at low money? I’m not talking anything substantial at all. Jones is not going to get a chance to be a starter anywhere else on the free-agent market. He hasn’t shown he is that guy. But he’s not a bad option as a backup, and, yes, I realize health is an issue for him too. He’s proven to be tough, playing 2011 with a shoulder injury and this season with two bad knees. The Cowboys like Lance Dunbar but, to me, he’s more of a niche back. We can say the Cowboys can draft a runner late and find a guy, but there are so many needs that keeping Jones on a low-money, short-term deal might make more sense. OK, continue laughing.

** I just talked about player turnover. I wonder about coaching turnover. Jason Garrett would not get into whether the coaching staff would return in 2013, calling it premature. It makes you wonder if changes are coming. Is Rob Ryan safe? Garrett admired how Ryan worked through so many injuries in 2012 and kept things competitive, but he stopped short of a vote of confidence. Even after the loss to the Redskins, Ryan made it sound as if he might not be back when asked if he would like to coach this defense at full strength going forward. Let’s move on to special teams coach Joe DeCamillis. Last year, Oakland was denied permission to speak with him about a move to the Raiders, but that special teams’ job has opened again. DeCamillis and Oakland coach Dennis Allen are great friends. There could be a few new head coaches who would like to speak to DeCamillis. The special teams’ units had some poor moments with a blocked punt for a touchdown at Seattle and a kickoff return for a score at Baltimore. The kick return game didn’t provide much of a lift, but Dwayne Harris proved to be a tremendous punt returner and Dan Bailey was Dan Bailey. On offense, John Garrett, Skip Peete, Wade Wilson and Wes Phillips have been around since 2007. Just wonder if there has to be some moves to break up the band, so to speak.

** The last Wonder will focus on the draft. I wonder if the Cowboys will help the offensive and defensive lines come April. They need help. They also need to look at how they evaluate players in those spots, especially on the offensive line where they have missed on just about everybody not named Tyron Smith. Since Garrett has taken over they have done a better job of taking the “right kind of guys,” and have put together a growing young nucleus. They need interior line help on both sides of the ball. If Spencer leaves, then they need an outside linebacker. They will need cornerback help, too, with Mike Jenkins unlikely to return. If you want to add a safety to the list, OK, but to me, that’s not a top-end priority. They can use a tight end to pair with Jason Witten, even though they like James Hanna’s development. They can use wide receivers too. A running back, too. I haven’t mentioned a quarterback of the future yet, and I’m not sure they go that route with so many more pressing needs to fill. Because of the poor drafts in the Wade Phillips’ Era, the Cowboys do not have much depth (think the 2009 draft). Because of the upcoming cap limitations the Cowboys can’t miss on their picks.

State of the Union: Archer | Watkins | Broken Promises | Exit Poll | Rank the Roster

IRVING, Texas -- Wednesday was a busy day for former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson. He called out owner Jerry Jones for saying he was the general manager when they were together in the 1990s.

Now Johnson is raising questions about the atmosphere at Valley Ranch.

In an interview on the Dan Patrick Show, Johnson put the Cowboys on blast again.

"All the players in this league think they’re self-motivated and that’s a bunch of bull because there are only a handful that are self-motivated," Johnson said. "So you’ve got to motivate these players through some respect but the No. 1 motivator is fear. Fear of letting down your teammates, being embarrassed or fear of losing the job. Where is the fear in Dallas? There’s no fear in Dallas. It’s a country club where everybody is buddies."

We think coach Jason Garrett has changed the climate at Valley Ranch sharply from how it was under Wade Phillips. Of course, Phillips changed the atmosphere from how it was under Bill Parcells. Each time, players said the change was good.

UPDATE:Garrett was asked about Johnson's comments on Thursday morning and didn't offer much of a response.

"I don't really have any comment on that," Garrett said. "We do things the way we do things here and from a football standpoint we believe we practice the right way, we meet the right way and create the right atmosphere of urgency for our players it's what I learned as a player and coach in this league. And that's what we're trying to create with our football team."

And the players' view, courtesy of Jason Witten:

“I didn’t hear about it, but obviously he’s a great coach here in this franchise and won a lot of Super Bowls,” Witten said. “I haven’t seen him around a lot. The guys are working hard. Ultimately (talk like Johnson’s) is going to happen, but I don’t think as a player you can worry about that. You’ve got to fix it. We know the expectations. Trust me, we feel it every day and so I don’t think you allow that (talk) to get in but obviously got a lot of respect for him.”

Johnson doesn't seem to have anything personal against the Cowboys overall, but he protested Jones' comments about how he was the general manager when he first purchased the team in 1989.

Johnson has formed a good relationship with Garrett in terms of being a mentor. In the same interview with Patrick, Johnson questioned whether Garrett would remain the man in charge at Valley Ranch.

"Jason Garrett is probably coaching for his job for the rest of the year," Johnson said. "This game with Philadelphia on Fox may decide the future of coaches and players with those two teams."

Maybe Johnson was channeling Bob Arum, the boxing promoter who hypes fights. And with the Eagles and Cowboys at 3-5, the loser most likely will see their playoff hopes disappear. So creating drama is fine.

The quarterback, Tony Romo, who's got one year left on his deal, might also be on the way out according to Johnson.

"I would extend Tony Romo unless I had somebody better, and they don’t have anybody better," Johnson said.

State of the Union: Archer | Watkins | Broken Promises | Exit Poll | Rank the Roster

IRVING, Texas -- Let's put a little positive spin on all the speculation about Jason Garrett's job security: It presents a prime opportunity for the Dallas Cowboys to prove that they really have made progress in the red-headed head coach's reign.

Remember the last time the warmth of the head coach's seat dominated the discussion about the Cowboys?

That team sealed Wade Phillips' fate by quitting on their coach. They rolled over and played dead at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars and looked even more pathetic the next week when they no-showed against the Green Bay Packers in prime time. The Garrett era started the following afternoon.

If the underachieving, 3-5 Cowboys don't right the ship the rest of the season -- and if Sean Payton doesn't agree to a deal to return to the New Orleans Saints -- the Garrett era at Valley Ranch might last only a couple more months.

We're about to find out what kind of character these Cowboys have.

Read more here.

State of the Union: Archer | Watkins | Broken Promises | Exit Poll | Rank the Roster

IRVING, Texas -- Jason Garrett wonders where the time has gone.

It's been two years to the week he was named the interim head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, replacing Wade Phillips after the Cowboys lost all hope with a 1-7 record.

Having coached an equivalent to two full seasons, Garrett has a 16-16 record after Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, but the good feelings he earned for how the Cowboys closed the 2010 season have dissipated.

"Time flies when you're having fun," Garrett said. "I think anytime you're completely immersed in something in your life, things go quickly."

Garrett needs to get that 2010 feeling back in a hurry.

Read why here.

IRVING, Texas -- Ron Rivera was among the final candidates to interview for the Cowboys’ head coaching vacancy in 2007 when Bill Parcells decided to retire.

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ESPNDallas.com's Jean-Jacques Taylor and Tim MacMahon join Ben and Skin for an entertaining and informative Dallas Cowboys think tank. Listen

Now in his second season with Carolina, Rivera gets to coach against the Cowboys for the first time, but he has fond memories of his interview with owner and general manager Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones.

“When you get an opportunity to sit down and visit with people and you really get to express yourself, I think that’s a good thing,” he said.

Of all the interviews he had before getting the Panthers job, Rivera said the longest was with the Cowboys.

Jones named Wade Phillips as head coach and Rivera eventually took over a San Diego defense that Phillips had run.

“His insights into how he runs a team and what he’s expecting, I thought were outstanding,” Rivera said. “I really enjoyed it. And his son, Stephen, I thought the two of them really make a dynamic pair as far as what they’re trying to do and what they want accomplished. Believe me, he wants the Cowboys to be great. He really does. And that was one of the things I took away from my interview with them.”

Jones is the only NFL owner to win a Super Bowl and earn a national championship as a player. The man Rivera works for now, Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, became the first NFL owner since George Halas to have played in the NFL. He caught a pass from Johnny Unitas in the 1959 NFL championship game for Baltimore.

“There are certain things that (Richardson) sees and understands, and I think that as a player they give you a different perspective,” Rivera said. “It doesn’t mean you’re any better than anybody. It just gives you a different perspective. ... When I talk about things with him he sees things from a player’s perspective as well as an owner’s perspective.”

IRVING, Texas – After two games many of you are wondering which Cowboys team will show up on gameday. They played great against the New York Giants. They were whipped by Seattle. So what happens Sunday against Tampa Bay?

I’m wondering about five things.

Here’s this week’s Five Wonders:

** I wonder if Tony Romo will continue his personal success against the Buccaneers on Sunday. In three games against Tampa Bay, Romo has 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions. His passer ratings in the three wins have been 148.9, 140.6 and 133.9. In 2006, Romo tore up Monte Kiffin’s defense for five touchdown passes. In the 2009 season opener, he beat Raheem Morris’ defense for353 yards. Last year he completed 77 percent of his passes against Keith Millard’s defense. This week he goes against Bill Sheridan’s defense. The Bucs have allowed Cam Newton to pass for 303 yards and Eli Manning to pass for 510 in the first two games. Sheridan was the New York Giants defensive coordinator in 2009 and in the two games Romo threw four touchdown passes and was intercepted three times in two Dallas losses.

**OK, Felix Jones won’t be cut. Jerry Jones said so this morning on KRLD-FM. Jason Garrett was taken by surprise at the question during the post-game press conference, too. But should Jones be active? He’s not an effective kick returner. Garrett keeps saying Jones is a big part of the offense. Why? He can’t make a tackler miss. He’s had one carry in the first two games. This is DeMarco Murray’s running game right now, as it should be. If Jones can’t be a special teams’ help and can’t make people miss as a pass catcher, then why should he be on the 46-man roster? Something has happened to Jones. He’s lost that speed that helped him get by without much make-you-miss.

** The Cowboys will be thin at safety his week. Gerald Sensabaugh could miss 1-2 weeks with a calf strain, but he is one of the toughest players on the roster so don’t rule him out for Sunday. Barry Church has a quadriceps bruise but he should be OK. Matt Johnson has not practiced since the regular-season began because of a hamstring injury. That leaves two healthy safeties in Danny McCray and Mana Silva. Cornerback Mario Butler played some safety in the preseason. Jason Garrett was asked if Mike Jenkins could play some safety with the injuries. I wouldn’t go there. I wonder if they should give Orlando Scandrick some time there. It was kicked around a few years ago about playing Scandrick at safety when Wade Phillips was around. He plays a hybrid safety role in some substitution packages. He’s a willing tackler. He’s an intuitive player. He’s not the prototypical size but you’re not asking for a full-time conversion to the spot. Maybe it makes some sense.

**I wonder when people (media too by the way) will realize the way the Cowboys have opened the season is the way of life in the NFL. It happens everywhere, if we want to talk off the microscope off the Cowboys for a second. New England lost at home to Arizona. New Orleans lost to Washington in Week 1. Peyton Manning looks great in his return for Denver against Pittsburgh then terrible in his first quarter on Monday at Atlanta. Baltimore airs it out in Week 1 vs. Cincinnati and is stifled the next week vs. Philadelphia. The key is to win the games you play poorly in. Say, hello to Philadelphia. The Eagles were awful vs. the Browns in the opener but won anyway. In December nobody will be talking about any style points on that game, just the victory. The Cowboys had a chance in Seattle and were punked in the second half. It’s simple as that. Since Garrett took over midway through the 2010 season the Cowboys have had two two-game winning streaks and one four-game winning streak. They’ve also had two two-game losing streaks. The key early in a season is to pile up the wins anyway, anyhow and carry momentum.

** There are times in games where you sometimes have to take a risk, calculate the gamble and just go for it with conviction. I wondered whether the Cowboys should have gone for it on fourth-and-3 from the Seattle 40 with 44 seconds left in the first half and asked Garrett if he considered not punting. “That’s certainly a discussion you have, but we didn’t want to give them a short field and another scoring opportunity there,” Garrett said. “We were trying to maximize our opportunity there, and we didn’t convert. That was one where we had an opportunity to win on a slant route. The ball got batted at the line of scrimmage and they made the stop on third down. We just felt like the right thing to do at that point because of the field position was punt it down in their end.” I understand the thinking but against a rookie quarterback that had done little up to that point, why not show faith in the defense that you think they’ll get a stop?

IRVING, Texas -- It’s on to Week 2 of Five Wonders, and this week we hit on the Cowboys reaping early benefits from some young players:

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** Since this has been an over-reaction week, let’s begin to wonder about Kevin Ogletree's future with the club. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. For the sake of discussion, let’s just say he'll have a season somewhere between Patrick Crayton and Laurent Robinson -- in the area of 40-45 catches, 600 yards and five touchdowns. What do the Cowboys do? What does Ogletree do? He saw Robinson leave for the big bucks in Jacksonville after one great season and it would be difficult to say no to that type of cash. As for the team, they spent four years waiting for the guy to develop and they’d let him walk for nothing? One thing they won’t have to worry about is the ability to re-sign him early if they wanted to. They weren’t able to do that last year with Robinson because of the rules involving the veteran minimum salary benefit contract.

** It’s only one game, but Bruce Carter has me wondering if I missed something in training camp. He was outstanding against the Giants in the opener in his 30 snaps. Dan Connor played only four snaps, so that tells you what the coaches thought of the inside linebacker battle over the summer. Carter was more aggressive in taking on blockers and did a good job in the run game. Sometimes when linebackers get the “athletic” tag, it means they’re run-around guys. Carter wasn’t that against the Giants. There’s still a long way to go, but the Cowboys’
patience with last year’s second-round pick could pay off in a big way this year.

** I wonder if Chris Jones can keep this up. He has punted 12 times in three games over the last two seasons, and the Cowboys have given up just six return yards. Six!!!!! He has had net averages of 43 yards, 38.8 yards and 51.5 yards against the Giants (twice) and Seattle. This week he sees the Seahawks again. Seattle returner Leon Washington is as dangerous as they come, and he had a 52-yard punt return vs. Arizona last week. Jones has done a great job of keeping the ball close to the sidelines in his three games, limiting any opportunity for a return to bust free. Washington is one of many tests of the schedule for the Cowboys’ coverage teams this year.

** This might surprise some people, but here comes praise for Wade Phillips: If a guy showed he could handle a role, Phillips would play him. It wasn’t some reward for being on the team, but a way to keep all 53 guys involved. I wonder if that philosophy is still going on with the Cowboys because the only active player not to play a snap vs. the Giants was backup quarterback Kyle Orton. Safety Mana Silva did a nice job in the “dollar” package in Danny McCray's absence.
Rookie defensive end Tyron Crawford saw second-half snaps. Rookie tight end James Hanna saw first-half snaps and caught a 10-yard pass. Cornerback Mario Butler saw some snaps, and not just when Orlando Scandrick needed an IV. Tackle Jermey Parnell lined up at tight end once in a jumbo package (and missed his fourth-down block). Teams can’t be afraid to use guys. The Cowboys weren’t vs. New York.

** I wonder (really I hope, but the title of this post is Five Wonders) if the NFL will adjust how it works the opening game of the season. The Cowboys were put in an unfair position of playing the last preseason game of Week 1 at Oakland, and therefore were joined by the Raiders as the last teams to report to camp. The Giants had three extra days of practice on the Cowboys. That’s an unfair advantage. The Cowboys could have started camp earlier with an exemption, but the NFLPA would not go along. Executive vice president Stephen Jones has said he'd like to see the reporting dates for training camp relate to the regular-season opener, not the preseason opener. It almost seems to make too much sense, doesn’t it? But it wasn’t just the reporting time that made it difficult to prepare. There were many issues involving waivers and claims and when they could get on the practice field. The Cowboys beat the Giants, which made some of the headaches disappear, but there’s no way the league should put teams in such a bind in the future.

OXNARD, Calif. – The ritual of a rookie carrying veterans’ shoulder pads has returned to Cowboys training camp.

It’d be too harsh to call it rookie hazing, since running back Jamize Olawale certainly didn’t seem to mind carry Felix Jones' and DeMarco Murray's pads.

“It's part of the game and part of being a rookie,” said Olawale, an undrafted free agent who was a little-used wide receiver at North Texas. “I take it in stride.”

Nevertheless, it’s a noteworthy sight because this is the first time the decades-old NFL ritual has been seen in a Cowboys camp since Dez Bryant refused to carry Roy Williams' pads a couple of summers ago. That incident, involving two of the Cowboys’ biggest lightning rods, turned into quite a media firestorm.

Former coach Wade Phillips responded by announcing that his team would no longer take part in the longtime tradition.

During his first camp as a head coach a year ago, Jason Garrett declared that initiation rites that demeaned rookies were forbidden for his team. Garrett said he didn’t mind “harmless things,” but no rookies carried shoulder pads in last year’s camp, and the team’s tradition of veteran offensive linemen giving their rookie counterparts ridiculous haircuts ended.

The tradition of rookies singing songs in front of the team has continued for the Cowboys. Olawale said he sang “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” theme song for the team.

And, in Olawale’s case, carrying a couple of extra pairs of shoulder pads was about as harmless as it can get.

“I saw Felix do it, so I said, ‘Hey, go ahead and take mine, too,’” Murray said. “I’m a little tired today, but they’re doing a great job for us. … He just took ‘em. He’s a good guy, a good young guy.”

IRVING, Texas -- Bradie James will be reuniting with former Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips in Houston.

James agreed to a one-year deal with the Texans, according to a source, and put him in position to replace Demeco Ryans, who was traded earlier this offseason to Philadelphia, at inside linebacker in Phillips’ 3-4 scheme.

James started 13 games for the Cowboys in 2011 but had his playing time cut back dramatically. He finished with 53 tackles, one tackle for loss, two quarterback pressures, two pass deflections a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

James, 31, started every game during Phillips’ tenure as Dallas’ head coach and recorded at least 109 tackles in each season, including a career-high eight sacks in 2008. He led the Cowboys in tackles from 2005-10, the longest streak in team history.

The Cowboys did not make an effort to keep James, signing Dan Connor to a two-year deal in the first few days of free agency to compete with Bruce Carter, last year’s second-round pick.

IRVING, Texas -- For the second time in four years the New York Giants have won a Super Bowl and the Cowboys are left wondering, ‘Why can’t that be us?’

Well, for a variety of reasons and not being good enough is at the top of the list. Too often the reasons for the Cowboys’ failures are put on hard-to-define things like chemistry, lack of heart, mental toughness and leadership. Those reasons mask the real issue: talent.

But what the Giants’ victory Sunday against New England in Super Bowl XLVI does is give the Cowboys hope. And just about every other team in the league, too.

You don’t have to be the best team through a 22-week grind to win the Super Bowl. You don’t have to roll through the regular season, like the Cowboys of the 1990s did, and roll through the playoffs. That’s not this NFL anymore.

This NFL is about getting hot at the right time and riding the wave.

That’s what Pittsburgh did in 2005. That’s what the Giants did in 2007. That’s what Arizona did in 2008 when it nearly beat Pittsburgh. That’s what Green Bay did in 2010. That’s what the Giants did in 2011.

That’s what the Cowboys have not been able to do.

The Cowboys’ December/January woes have held this team back. Wade Phillips dismissed it as happenstance. Jason Garrett doesn’t put much stock into the calendar.

In a way Phillips and Garrett were/are right. The Cowboys need more players to be successful. Not a roster-full and not necessarily superstars either. The Cowboys need to lift up the middle and bottom parts of the roster so when they lose a player they can still win games the way New York did when it lost guys in 2011.

Twice the Cowboys had chances to end the Giants’ season and didn’t. They had a 12-point lead with 5:41 to play at Cowboys Stadium on Dec. 11 and lost, 37-34. If Tony Romo and Miles Austin connect on that third-down pass, the Giants don’t make the playoffs, Eli Manning is not in the Hall of Fame discussion yet and Tom Coughlin might not have a job anymore.

So are the Cowboys close to being a Super Bowl team?

It depends on how you want to define “close.” In one sense they are not close because they have consistently not measured up when it has mattered most. In another they are close because being a flawed team is not fatal to one’s Super Bowl hopes.

IRVING, Texas -- Cowboys’ fans had better hope Jerry Jones was not watching the New York Giants beat Green Bay on Sunday to advance to the NFC Championship Game.

If he was, then they better hope he didn’t watch that game and come away with the feeling that the team he owns and general manages is close to being in the same spot as the Giants.

Ever the optimist, it’s difficult to not hear Jones say to anybody, “We had a 12-point lead on these guys with 5:41 in the fourth quarter at our place, we’re right there.”

It’s that sort of validation that has doomed the Cowboys here in recent years.

After losing to the Giants in the 2007 divisional round, the Cowboys looked at that as a one-time issue because they shut it down late in the regular season when they clinched homefield advantage.

In 2008 they missed the playoffs by a game and they pointed to Tony Romo’s three-game absence because of a broken pinky finger.

In 2009 all was well with the playoff win against Philadelphia and the 34-3 defeat at Minnesota was merely part of the process the team has to take to advance in the postseason.

In 2010 it all came crashing down, costing Wade Phillips his job after a 1-7 start. But Jason Garrett righted the ship and took them to a 5-3 finish and the three losses were by a combined seven points.

Jones put the failings of the defense on Phillips and believed Rob Ryan would turn things around in 2011. The defense was better in part because it could not be worse.

If two coaches of different 3-4 defenses could not make it work well enough, then it’s the personnel.

At least that's how Jones should approach this offseason, which brings us back to the New York win Sunday at Lambeau Field.

The Cowboys had a chance to be in the position of their NFC East rivals but could not beat the Giants at Cowboys Stadium on Dec. 11, 2011 or at MetLife Stadium on Jan. 1.

Undoubtedly Jones – and those who will believe the Cowboys are “this close” to being a true contender – will point to the missed connection between Romo and Miles Austin in the first meeting and the 44-yard catch by Victor Cruz in the second meeting on third-and-7 after the Cowboys cut a 21-0 deficit to 21-14 as the only parts that separate the Cowboys from the Giants.

Or he might look at the Oct. 16 game against New England as positive reinforcement. The Cowboys had the Patriots, who will play in the AFC title game against Baltimore, on the ropes, but saw Tom Brady deliver a late game-winning touchdown drive in a 20-16 affair.

Jones can’t be fooled again.