Cowboys News

"The Dallas Cowboys left for training camp today without wide receiver Terry Glenn, according to sources who are traveling with the team. The flight left the DFW-area after a delay of nearly an hour. Glenn, 33, has not practiced in the off-season because he refused to sign an injury waiver. The waiver would reduce his salary from $1.74 million to $500,000 in the event of a season-ending injury to his surgically-repaired right knee. Glenn still might join the team later for training camp by taking a commercial flight. His absence on the team charter likely indicates his situation remains unchanged."

"Tight end Martellus Bennett, a second-round pick out of Texas A"

"Antwain Jimmerson had known Felix Jones for years, ever since they spent their days attending the same church in Tulsa. Jimmerson was a family friend of the Jones’ family, and knew that some day Felix would play football for him at Tulsa’s Booker T. Washington High School. Of course, since Felix was an eighth-grader at this particular time, knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life, and football wasn’t on the list. Football ranked somewhere on the priority list between eating vegetables and taking out the trash. “Coach, once I get to high school I’m going to play basketball,” Jones told Jimmerson. “I’m a basketball player.”"

"The Dallas Cowboys have come to an agreement with fourth-round pick Tashard Choice on a four-year contract, according to sources. They are very close to a four-year agreement with their second-round pick, former Texas A"

"January can’t get here fast enough for the Dallas Cowboys. It all starts this afternoon in Oxnard, Calif., when Jerry Jones gives his annual camp kickoff state-of-the-Cowboys pep talk with trusty sidekick Wade Phillips waving his pompoms alongside. And don’t think the Hard Knocks cameras won’t be recording every mushy moment of it. There’s six weeks of Camp Cupcake II — or Camp Marshmallow, as Phillips renamed it over the weekend — spliced around four exhibition games. That’ll be followed by 17 weeks of further preliminaries to finally get to the only thing that matters around here: the playoffs. Win a playoff game and Phillips probably keeps his job. Get booted out again in the first ..."

"The Cowboys are set to arrive in California at around 2 p.m. today. It marks the start of a journey in which their goal is to end a streak of 11 straight years without a playoff win and prove they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. But there are issues that remain unsettled before the start of training camp. Three draft picks remain unsigned, including running back Felix Jones and cornerback Mike Jenkins, the team's first-round selections. The team continues to talk with agent Eugene Parker, who represents both players."

"Barring catastrophic injury to Tony Romo or T.O., there's no good reason the Cowboys shouldn't play in the Super Bowl. None. Jerry has spent a chunk of the Jones family fortune – nearly $60 million in signing bonuses – since the start of the new year to sign players. Everyone except Chris Canty has been paid, so this should be a team full of happy and focused players determined to end this wretched streak of 11 consecutive seasons without a playoff victory. More important, the Cowboys are the NFC's most talented team. At least that's the only conclusion one could draw after fans, players, coaches and media voted a league-record 13 players onto the Pro Bowl squad."

"While Jerry Jones does not have a hard deadline for finalizing the Terry Glenn saga, the Cowboys owner and general manager has Thursday's departure for California in mind. The Cowboys have asked Glenn, 34, to accept a split salary of $500,000 should he re-injure his right knee this season. He is scheduled to make $1.74 million. Because the two sides did not reach an agreement, Glenn, who saw limited action in only one regular-season game in 2007 after two surgeries on the knee, did not take part in any of the organized team activities or the minicamp in the off-season."

"The summer-long soap opera starring Terry Glenn and the Cowboys could end soon. On Monday, coach Wade Phillips said he's hopeful a peaceful resolution can occur by Friday, the day the team has its first training camp practice in Oxnard, Calif. The Cowboys want the veteran receiver to sign an injury waiver that would give him $500,000 if he re-injures his right knee. The team has told him he can't practice with the team without the waiver."

"In front of a large group of high school and youth football coaches, Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips spoke with unbridled optimism about the upcoming season and even said, "Get the ring finger ready." He was playing to the crowd, of course, but, less than a week away from starting his second training camp as Cowboys coach, Phillips sounds thrilled to be returning to full-time practice."

"The hole in the new Dallas Cowboys stadium’s roof is starting to look like the one at its predecessor, Texas Stadium. Crews continue to erect steel beams from sideline to sideline, and an outline of the roof hole has taken shape. Construction manager Jack Hill said installation of the retractable roof, which will open and close over the hole, will begin in September. So far, $600 million has been spent on the stadium, according to a city document released Friday. The city’s portion, capped at $325 million, is $296.6 million to date."

"Many months have passed and millions of dollars have been spent since Tony Romo’s fourth-down pass was intercepted by the Giants’ R.W. McQuarters in the end zone, ending the Cowboys’ 2007 season in disappointment. The painful wait to prove the playoff loss was a fluke is almost over. The Cowboys return to training camp Thursday to begin the last season at Texas Stadium. Despite last season’s regular-season success and the guarded enthusiasm surrounding this year’s team, there are still plenty of questions. Here are five things to keep an eye on as the Cowboys open training camp in Oxnard, Calif."

"Everybody has questions. How soon can quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco start in Atlanta and Baltimore? Where does Brett Favre play in 2008, if he plays at all? Is there another team such as the New York Giants that will come out of the shadows at playoff time to seize the Super Bowl? There are no ready answers in July and August. Training camp is a time to grind, but it's also a time for optimism. Let's set the stage for the NFL's 89th season."

"Yes, the Bears have some issues as they head into training camp this week. But they are not alone. Each of the 32 teams in the NFL will be trying to answer deep questions, tie together loose ends and bury ghosts of the past. Here is a look at the other 31:"

"It’s almost here. The Dallas Cowboys report to training camp Thursday in Oxnard, Calif. They break camp Aug. 12. Because of a conflict with the Alamodome in San Antonio, the Cowboys will train in Oxnard this year and return to San Antonio next summer. Oxnard was the host site for the Cowboys from 2003-2006. With the regular season beginning Sept. 7 at Cleveland, here’s an early look at the Cowboys:"

"With many important and long overdue things finally in place – a franchise quarterback, a lockdown secondary, a wrecking ball for Texas Stadium – it's still wise to proceed with caution as the Cowboys go west for training camp. If they are indeed to head to the other coast – well, Tampa Bay is almost the other coast – for Super Bowl XLIII, a few things do have to go right for Dallas. More important is that the Cowboys avoid the 10 stumbling blocks, five from within and five from the outside, that could keep them from what is assumed by many to be their destiny. This isn't about winning a record sixth Super Bowl; it's about just getting to a record ninth. Here's a look at those 10 ..."

"Cornerback Orlando Scandrick became the first of the Dallas Cowboys' six draftees to come to terms on a contract, doing so less than a week before the team travels to Oxnard, Calif., for training camp."

"Pressureville, USA, is where Wade Phillips lives. It is where you'll find a sweet gig with plenty of perks as coach of the Dallas Cowboys, but also the place where something always lurks to turn up the heat. The Cowboys remain the NFL's most popular team by many measures (see: TV ratings, merchandise sales, Hard Knocks appearances). Phillips coaches the country's most valuable sports franchise at $1.5 billion and counting, according to Forbes magazine. But this is also a storied franchise without a playoff win for 12 years. See, there's always something."

"The Dallas Cowboys will arrive in California a week from today for training camp in Oxnard, Calif., without many questions. If the Cowboys had to pick a 53-man roster right now, they probably could and feel OK about it. But in camp, things change. There are injuries. Some players don't make the next step coaches thought. And did we mention injuries? When you go 13-3, keep your top players and bolster the squad with guys like Zach Thomas and Adam Jones, sometimes minor issues are ignored. But there are some below-the-surface questions that need to be looked at. Here are a few:"

"Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones may look for a bargain here and there, but when it comes to paying talent he continues to demonstrate he has no problem buying from the premium aisle and paying the going rate. For the umpteenth time this offseason, Jones ponied up the big cash for a premium player when the Cowboys came to an agreement with safety Ken Hamlin this afternoon. The Pro Bowl safety agreed to a six-year, $39 million contract that included a $9 million signing bonus. Including the hefty raise for offensive coordinator Jason Garrett as well as the projected signing bonuses for the two first round draft picks, the offseason bill for the Cowboys will push $70 ..."

"Throughout the off-season, Ken Hamlin could count on his phone buzzing from text messages or telephone calls from his Cowboys' teammates wanting updates on his contract situation. On Tuesday, Hamlin finally had a firm answer after signing a six-year, $39 million deal that included a $9 million signing bonus as part of a $15 million guarantee. "It's a good feeling when your teammates want you around," Hamlin said Tuesday from Los Angeles, where he attended the ESPY Awards. "I wanted to be around them, too.""

"With the deadline to sign a long-term extension today at 3 p.m., Pro Bowl safety Ken Hamlin's agent decided to make time for face-to-face meetings. Kennard McGuire arrived in Dallas late Monday afternoon to meet with Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones in an attempt to finalize a multi-year agreement for Hamlin, the Cowboys' franchise player."

"Ken Hamlin wasn’t exactly thrilled when the Cowboys slapped the franchise tag on him, but now it appears he’s going to get what he wanted all along. Sources said the Cowboys are close to reaching a multi-year agreement with the Pro Bowl free safety that will be signed no later than today. A long-term extension had to be reached by this afternoon or Hamlin would have to accept the one-year "franchise tag" offer of $4.4 million. Because he had not signed a contract, Hamlin did not participate with the team in the off-season organized team activities or minicamp in June."

"When he vacationed in Orlando last summer, agent Kennard McGuire brokered a long-term deal with Detroit for its franchise player, Cory Redding. McGuire hopes the same can happen for another client this week, Cowboys' franchise player Ken Hamlin, although a deadline is approaching."

"Most people can identify with being in a bad relationship that needs to end. When the relationship first started, there was nothing but hope and promise. It originally seemed that person could be a good fit, but as things progressed, somebody, if not both parties, realized they were not compatible. Then it was time to move on. This basically summarizes the dysfunctional relationship between the Bucs and Chris Simms, the unhappy quarterback who wants out, but whose team will not let him go. We learned last week that Dallas, Chicago and Detroit are interested in Simms. There are plenty more rumors to come, and no matter which team Simms plays for this season, he will be a backup - ..."

"Initially, I was shocked mostly by the reaction of the media and football fans to Brett Favre's desire to return to the NFL. But the Packers' ridiculous response has blown it away. What in the world is Green Bay thinking? If Favre wants to play one more season and give the Packers another shot at a Super Bowl, how can management not want that to happen?"

"Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo should head to Las Vegas, with or without Jessica Simpson. Based on the comments he made the day before the Green Bay Packers received a letter from Brett Favre, who wants to be released, Romo in an interview on the NFL Network was confidently declaring it was going to happen."

"Pacman is no more. In the 80 days since the Titans traded away their oft-troubled cornerback to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick, Adam Jones has orchestrated a dramatic transformation. He has sworn off strip clubs. He has kept his name out of the police blotter. Jones has even dumped the notorious nickname that became synonymous with a pattern of criminal behavior that led to six arrests in the last three years and a one-year suspension from the NFL. By all accounts, he has become a hardworking football player and model citizen."

"The first round of sales for what could be described as the cheap seats at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium wrap up this week. Today is the deadline for season ticket holders to grab reserved seats that are comparable to what they have at Texas Stadium. Those upper deck and end zone seats cost between $59 and $125 per game."

"Several Arlington City Council members say they are reluctant to see about 15 acres west of the Dallas Cowboys stadium developed into commercial parking lots for the team. Although the team hasn't officially approached the city about adding the land to the sports complex, city staff members discussed the possibility with council members in a closed-door session. Questioned later by the Star-Telegram, some council members said they would rather see the area redeveloped. If the property, which has a combined assessed value of $4 million, were to become part of the city-owned sports complex, it would be removed from the tax rolls."

"Fourteen-year-old Darren Rollings loves to play football. He's always ready to throw the ball around But over the course of the year, there are two days on the field that he cherishes most. They're those hot July days at the Terrell Owens Youth Football Summer Camp"

"Owner Jerry Jones is admittedly prone to hyperbole when it comes to his Dallas Cowboys football team. Look no further than the $1 billion football stadium (palace) he is building in Arlington as evidence of his propensity toward overstatement, exaggeration and excess. Want another? Consider this recent gem: "This is the best coaching staff I have ever been associated with.""

"This is not a make-or-break season for coach Wade Phillips, though I happen to think it's his last season. He'll either take this team loaded with talent and win the Super Bowl and ride off into the sunset afterward. Or the Cowboys will fall short of their goal, and Jerry Jones will give him a golden parachute to leave so he can promote Jason Garrett."

"If in the process of cleaning out your attic, closet or basement you find a backup quarterback in need of a new gig, you may want to give the Dallas Cowboys a call. They?re in the market for one. Multiple sources have said the Cowboys are looking for someone else to play immediately behind Tony Romo this season."

"Attorneys for Arlington are preparing to defend the city in trials challenging its right to take property for the Dallas Cowboys stadium project. Five trials are scheduled for August, September and October. Twenty-two lawsuits related to the stadium are pending against the city. At one time, almost 80 such lawsuits were pending. Although the city has settled on compensation in several cases in the past few months, City Attorney Jay Doegey said some of the lawsuits are pending because landowners didn?t want to give up their right to challenge the constitutionality of the city?s actions."

"If you cheer for the Dallas Cowboys, then you want Brett Favre wearing a Green Bay Packers uniform this season. That's because he's one of the most overrated, overhyped, good quarterbacks of this generation. Yes, he's a first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback based on his record-setting statistics and one Super Bowl championship, but no one can deny Favre was as capable of throwing the game-winning touchdown pass as he was the gut-wrenching interception. Don't miss the point."

"No one really expects rookie Orlando Scandrick to make a major impact in the Dallas Cowboys' secondary right away. No one except Scandrick, that is. And with his history, who could blame him? The ultra-confident Scandrick made it known from the beginning that he planned to start as a freshman at Boise State, and he quickly backed up his brash talk, earning some freshman All-America honors while starting 12 games."

"The mortgage crisis will probably force Arlington to reissue some bonds for the new Dallas Cowboys stadium at a cost of about $2 million. The company insuring the city bonds has been downgraded by all three major rating agencies since the spring. MBIA Insurance Corp., like its competitors, was heavily involved in backing mortgaged-based bonds, in addition to insuring municipal debt."

"As an inexperienced assistant coach, Brian Stewart found himself with many unanswered questions ranging from whether he needed to hire an agent or purchase a custom suit. Now that he's the Cowboys' defensive coordinator, he's trying to make sure inexperienced coaches get answers to their questions. That's why he hosted a three-day retreat at the club's Valley Ranch training complex for about 50 minority college and NFL coaches from around the country. The retreat featured a panel discussions on how to work with the media in addition to workshops on finance, wardrobe advice and the pros and cons of hiring an agent."

"Workers began installing air-conditioning duct work for the Dallas Cowboys stadium last week. The system will keep the stadium at 78 degrees when it is 100 outside. The equipment can move 1.1 million cubic feet of air per minute, stadium construction manager Jack Hill said. About two-thirds of the stadium?s 50,000-square-foot limestone base is complete, Hill said. Workers are nearly done with half of the skin of the roof, which consists of white PVC sheets."

"Despite veteran wide receiver Joe Horn wanting to be traded, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said there is nothing doing on that front. Horn's agent has been cleared to gauge interest in Horn with other teams but, as of now, there are no takers. The Dallas Cowboys, who could be in need of a veteran wide receiver if Terry Glenn (knee) isn't medically cleared, were one of the teams queried by Horn's agent, but there hasn't been any talk between Dallas and Atlanta about a deal."

"Wide receiver Terry Glenn has rehired agent Jimmy Gould in hopes of coming to terms with the Dallas Cowboys over a $500,000 injury settlement. But that might not be enough to get him on the field. According to team owner Jerry Jones, it's not necessarily about the injury settlement anymore. It's about what's best for the Cowboys and whether Glenn can help them win. "What I should be looking at is how he fits as a player this year," Jones said. "That is what this is about. It's not about my will against Terry's will.""

"Atlanta police were called to domestic disputes between Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall and longtime girlfriend Rasheedah Watley three times in a three-month span in 2007, according to police reports obtained by The Denver Post on Friday. According to the reports, Watley claimed Marshall punched her in all three incidents. In the first, filed on March 18, 2007, Watley told officers that Marshall had hit her and then took her purse from a hotel in downtown Atlanta. Marshall was not on the scene when police arrived, but according to the report, he sent Watley a text message on her phone while she was speaking to officers that said, "I am watching you. Why did you call the ..."

"The Cowboys hope to settle the Glenn situation by training camp in late July, so Jones said it ends any search for a veteran wide out. A source told ESPN.com that acquiring Joe Horn from the Atlanta Falcons was a possibility to fill the position if Glenn did not return. Glenn played in one regular-season game last season because of two knee surgeries. Doctors told Glenn he needs microfracture surgery, but the receiver said an MRI taken a few weeks ago revealed his knee is fine."

"Rookie Martellus Bennett didn't need to attend the NFL security meeting held the first day of the Dallas Cowboys' minicamp two weeks ago to understand how dangerous it can be for professional athletes to flaunt their wealth in public. News reports of what happened to Javon Walker the night before was all the warning Bennett needed. Walker, a receiver with the Oakland Raiders, was found unconscious on a street near the Las Vegas strip after a night of partying during which he was photographed spraying a crowd in a nightclub with champagne. According to police, Walker was later robbed of jewelry and a large amount of cash. The news stunned Bennett, a tight end from Texas A"

"Dallas Cowboys fans might want to wear comfortable shoes to the new stadium in Arlington. The team estimates that some ticket holders will walk nearly a mile from their parking spaces to the stadium, which opens next year. But Cowboys officials also said that shouldn't be an adjustment because the back-row parking at Texas Stadium in Irving is about the same distance. Overall, the team expects to have about 30,000 parking spaces within a mile of the new stadium, which is nearly double the number near the Irving stadium. "Compared to the 16,000 spaces we have at Texas Stadium today, I think it's going to be a much better fan experience from the get-go," said Brett Daniels, a ..."

"For years, Terence Newman was considered the Cowboys' best cornerback. Bill Parcells made Newman his first draft pick in 2003. Since then, Newman has started 75 of 80 regular-season games. He earned his first Pro Bowl berth last season, and his four interceptions last season gave him 16 for his career. This summer Newman entered the final year of his contract, and Jerry Jones signed him to a six-year extension worth $50.2 million with $22.5 million guaranteed. Nice. But something has changed with the Cowboys. Adam Jones. The Cowboys made a draft-day trade for the exciting cornerback to bring speed to the defense and special teams. Jones has the ability to cover in man-to-man ..."

"Frank Clarke doesn't allow the visitor to reach the front door. His lithe, 74-year-old body, showing no scars from his football past, bounds down the stone walkway of the suburban home for the intercept. He grabs a hand and shakes it, but this is no invitation to come inside. Politely but firmly, Mr. Clarke explains that he had spoken his piece in numerous telephone conversations starting in February. Now, six weeks later, there is nothing left to talk about. Besides, he has work to do inside. Behind the front bay window, a young mother cradles her infant son. Her older son is busy at the dinner table. The children are Mr. Clarke's work. Franklin, as he is known in this ..."

"Wide receiver Terry Glenn is speaking with Dallas Cowboys officials again in the hopes of returning. Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones said he's spoken to Glenn and his agent, James Gould."

"The Cowboys released their training camp schedule on Thursday. The Cowboys will hold their first practice on July 25 and will break camp on Aug. 12. Dallas will have 15 straight days of practices with five two-a-days during their time in Oxnard, Calif. Dallas returns to Oxnard after having training camp practices in San Antonio last year. The team signed a five-year deal with the city of San Antonio to hold training camp in there, but when a church convention created a conflict with the Almodome, the Cowboys decided to go back to California. This is the fourth time in the last five years the Cowboys have held training camp in Oxnard."