The NFL owners are scheduled to meet soon and everyone expects them to opt out of the collective bargaining agreement which could lead to no salary cap in 2009 and ultimately a lockout in 2011.

So who’s in the middle of this storm? That’s right. Jerry Jones. He holds power and influence that should not be discounted.

Jones has turned Dallas’ status as one of the league’s elite teams into a cash cow. Other teams, such as the Patriots and Washington Redskins, have followed his lead. But where Jones is the host wanting the most, many other franchises continue to take a more languid approach to making money, a fact that infuriates the likes of Jones.

For example, Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown refuses to sell the naming rights to the team’s current home, which opened in 2000 and was financed through a county sales tax. Brown gets all of the money generated by the stadium. However, he passes on the millions of dollars he could make for naming rights, preferring to keep the stadium named after his father, Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown.

"That’s where you start to get the big fight among the owners," said one source familiar with the CBA negotiations. "Jerry Jones will tell you that he really likes Mike Brown. But when it comes to sharing revenue, Jerry gets upset and basically says, ‘Why should I share with Mike Brown if he’s not going to work as hard as me to make money?’ "

Quincy Carter is kinda like everyone’s favorite whipping boy because of his mistakes. Druggie. Inaccurate quarterback. Inaccurate quarterback who was probably too high to remember plays at times. Pick one.

The Kansas City Star’s Terez Paylor has an interesting story on Carter’s recent attempt to play for a local Arena League team the Kansas City Bridgade.

His only hope now waited in the city where Carter had once enjoyed his greatest success. The pastor pulled into Dallas, where four years ago Carter was the face of the Cowboys, his image appearing on billboards and in commercials.

Carter knocked on a hotel door. He walked in and sat on a couch. Across from him sat Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. The former Cowboys linebacker, after recovering from his own drug problem, hit the lottery for $28 million and gained notoriety for helping other athletes and stars turn their lives around.

The problem was, Henderson considered himself retired. If Carter screwed up — if he simply asked for money or showed any resistance to the path of recovery — Henderson would move on. To the golf course. Or to the next vacation.

But Carter knew what he had to do.

"He surrendered, man," Henderson said. "He said, ‘Tell me what you want me to do.’ It choked me up. I knew I had to help this man."

With Henderson’s help, Carter entered rehab. Six months later, he says he’s sober and has found an opportunity to return to football.

He signed with the Brigade earlier this month, still harboring dreams of returning to the NFL. But he hasn’t even suited up for a game in Kansas City. Instead, he works out with the Arena Football League team’s practice squad, hoping to get a shot.

"This is his last chance," Henderson said. "To be a man. A father. A friend. An employee."

Although I thank my lucky stars for Romo, I’m still pulling for Quincy to pull his life together. It’s not about my views as a fan now. It’s about compassion for a young person who’s life is in disarray. I hope you get it together QC regardless if you throw another pass or not.

Fergie tells the Miami media that his presence should shore up their porous run defense. I don’t know about that but he’ll definitely make it better. He also adds that Billy P didn’t come to play games and his plan to replicate his modest success in Dallas could come sooner than they think.

''No doubt about it, people misunderstand,'' Jason Ferguson says as he drives home from another full day of offseason work at the team's training facility. ``Tony [Sparano] and Bill are not here to say, `OK, we'll do a little better than we did last year and that's our goal.'

``Our goal is the same as every other team in the league and that's to win a championship. That's our goal.''

Enjoy the quote machine while you can, Miami media.