ESPN NFL

IRVING, Texas -- We're 10 minutes away from one of the greatest rivalries in exhibition football. The Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys will meet for the Governor's Cup, which was misplaced in a Houston-area restaurant, and to the best of knowledge, is still missing.

Both teams will use tonight's game as a dress rehearsal for the regular-season. Before the game, I talked to a Cowboys official who said he expects quarterback Tony Romo to play at least two series in the third quarter before retiring for the evening.

I'm told by the Texans that Kasey Studdard will replace left guard Chester Pitts in the starting lineup. For the Cowboys, Adam "Pacman" Jones will start at left cornerback.

I'm sure there will be an announced crowd of 63,000. I would estimate that at least 28,000 have actually arrived.

Things I'm actually interested in:

• Whether Wade Phillips will actually allow his defense to rush the passer tonight.
  
• I'm hoping to see some Pacman-Andre Johnson matchups.
  
• Romo basically said the Cowboys could've named their score against the Broncos last week. I'd like to see Garrett open up the offense a bit tonight.
  
• Let's see if any of the Cowboys' young offensive linemen have develped during the preseason. So far, offensive tackles Pat McQuistan and James Marten have looked pretty pedestrian. If Flozell Adams' eventual replacement is on this team, I haven't seen him. And no, Leonard "Bigg" Davis is not moving to tackle, the position where he struggled in Arizona.
  
• I'm watching Adams vs. defensive end Mario Williams.
  
• Is fifth-round draft choice Orlando Scandrick as good as defensive coordinator Brian Stewart keeps telling me he is?
  
• Can Isaiah Stanback show anything as the fourth receiver?

Nice description of Adam Jones' outfit today from Tim MacMahon of the Cowboys Blog.