After the draft when the lists of UDFA’s were coming out, there was a name on there, Andrew Brecher, an offensive lineman from Harvard. Not that he stood out or anything, he was just another guy on a list of guys that I expected to be a body. He wasn’t on the level of UDFA’s like Danny Amendola, Darrell Robertson or even Marcus Dixon who has an unreal backstory. But when rookie mini-camp opened I kept hearing we have only one offensive lineman in camp, Brandon Hale from Sam Houston State. I kept wondering what happened to the kid from Harvard. Well, I finally found out. Dallas got in touch with him 10 minutes after the draft and he agreed to become a Cowboy and flew in for the camp and even had a nice conversation with Felix Jones while there. But all these guys had to take a physical and the Cowboys saw something in his X-rays related to a previous back injury he had and decided against signing him at that time. He since has been contacted by the Jets, and the Cowboys have not ruled him out totally if his back situation improves. Anyway, not a big deal, but I just wanted to clear that up in case anybody else was as obsessive compulsive as I am. One disappointing note, he could have been a contender for our all-quote team with Deon Anderson and Martellus Bennett.

"The Cowboys seemed like a good fit," said Brecher, who mentioned the presence of 26-year offensive line coaching veteran Hudson Houck as something that made America’s Team that much more appealing.

"And who wouldn’t want to hang with Pacman Jones?" he joked, referring to the troubled cornerback who was just traded to Dallas from the Tennessee Titans.

Ha! May the Pacman jokes never cease. At least he didn’t talk about Jessica.

Mickey Spags gives his review of the rookie mini-camp. 

The love for Danny Amendola at Valley Ranch. 

"I just can't wait to see him go against the veteran guys and just watch him work," Cowboys wide receivers coach Ray Sherman said after just the first day of practice.

In case you missed it, Matt Mosley has a long article on Felix Jones.

With the recent revelation that the Cowboys will be featured on HBO’s "Hard Knocks," a FOX Sports article from a few days ago came to mind. It talks about the pressing needs for teams after the draft. Here’s the Dallas blurb:

Pressing need: Preparing for the onslaught of media that will swarm Cowboys training camp if recently acquired cornerback Pacman Jones is reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Players and coaches will be asked ad nauseum about Jones in the upcoming months. But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes that distraction is a small price to pay for a player of Jones' talent.

Possible solution: Jones doesn't say or do anything stupid if reinstated and fades into the background a la Tank Johnson. Of course, history indicates that probably won't be the case.

With HBO on board, the media swarm for camp just became much bigger and the spotlight will shine much brighter. Should make for good TV viewing but may not be the best thing for the Cowboys as a football team.

A short article on rookie camp darling Orlando Scandrick. 

"I made some plays," he said. "I tried to have fun and get better every day and I think I did that."

"What will dictate how much I play is how I adapt to the speed of the game," Scandrick said. "The quarterbacks are a lot better. All these receivers are good. It's going to take an extreme amount of film study and discipline."

Even though we didn’t get to see it happen, I can assure you that actual Dallas Cowboys players were participating in organized practices at Valley Ranch over the past couple of days. I know this because the Dallas media told me so. It’s one step closer to where we want to be, the 2008 season, and the opportunity to get over the first-round playoff loss – yes Wade Phillips, the first-round loss. It’s not quite training camp, but at least it’s something more than just signing free agents and drafting the college kiddies.

Here are some things I learned, or had re-confirmed, from the past two days of rookie mini-camp, as told to me by the Dallas media with my own free thinking thrown into the mix.

Felix Jones is smooth. That word came up over and over about our new running back and I think it’s a good description. Watching him play for Arkansas and the highlights collected later on YouTube showed a kid who has a natural feel for the game. Wade Phillips chalks it up to athletic ability and vision. Ah, vision, that nebulous definer for running backs. We’re not talking about 20/20 vision; we’re talking about the ability to see the hole, to see defensive players making their attack, the angles they are taking and the wherewithal to get out of the way. Vision was something I thought Julius Jones lacked, for all his quickness and agility, he never seemed to use it correctly on the field. We haven’t seen Felix in pads yet, taking slobber-knocker hits from pro level defenders, but I can’t wait for that time to come.

Mike Jenkins has to learn a new style of coverage. A bump-and-run guy in college, he was at a disadvantage in this camp because he had to play a new style of coverage and the lack of pads limited his ability to get physical with a receiver. It might take time for him to round into form so the preseason games and training camp practices will be huge for him.

Martellus Bennett could join Tony Romo and T.O. in the starting lineup of a Dallas Cowboys basketball team. He also earned praise for his ability to catch the ball and use his body to shield defenders at rookie camp. He’s another player who will face a big test when the pads go on so we can see what kind of blocker he is and how he handles the rough-and-tumble world of getting knocked around by linebackers.

Orlando Scandrick is fast. He’s also adept at playing off receivers which gives him a nice head-start fitting in with the Cowboys coverage schemes. Can he do it when the pads come on and the physical nature of the game increases 100-fold? That’s what training camp is all about but from what we heard he has the technique and speed to be an effective cornerback. He might just be a steal in the 5^th-round.

Danny Amendola will be compared to Wes Welker forever, or so it appears. That’s not a bad thing as long as he can hold up his end of the bargain. Slot receivers need to be quick and they need to be good route runners who can get open quickly, they need to be able to put the defense in a bind on who to cover. It’s easy to get excited about an UDFA who comes in to rookie camp and shines – and by all accounts Amendola shined – but I go back to a constant theme, can they do it when the pads come on?

Tearrius George is a guy no one was talking about. The OLB was signed from the CFL at the beginning of the offseason and the only mention I’ve made of him prior to rookie camp was this short blurb in my post-playoff loss roster reviews done in February of this year.

The Cowboys recently signed George from the CFL. He played his college ball at Kansas State and was with the Jets briefly before heading north to the CFL. Here’s a mini-scouting report on him before the draft last year and here’s his bio with the Calgary Stampeders.

We haven’t talked about it much but OLB is actually a position that could use an upgrade at the back-end of the roster. We never really discuss it because DeMarcus Ware, Greg Ellis and Anthony Spencer represent a real strength on the roster. But behind them we have Justin Rogers who looks to be nothing more than a special teams guy. Tearrius George will be battling it out with Rogers, 6^th-round pick Erik Walden (unless they move him inside) and UDFA Darrell Robertson for that spot. (Yes, Robertson is a pet cat of mine since he’s from Georgia Tech).  The reason I bring all this up is because George got some rave reviews from the media and Wade Phillips specifically mentioned him in the press conference. Keep an eye on the kid.

Wade Phillips likes the current WR crew even though they admit they wanted a veteran upgrade. The odds of a trade for a frontline caliber WR seem slim now so it looks like we’ll go to battle with the guys we got. Terry Glenn is a question mark, even Wade Phillips admitted as much, although WR’s coach Ray Sherman says he expects Glenn to fully participate in the first camp with veterans in June. Isaiah Stanback is another mystery man at the position that could influence the makeup of the roster and Danny Amendola is making his play to shake up the receiving corps. The spots behind Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton (and Glenn if healthy) should be one of the best camp battles we have.

Bobby Carpenter is going to be given another opportunity to claim a role that actually gets him on the field on defense, this time backing up “Mo” linebacker Zach Thomas. The former first-round pick has moved around among all the linebacker positions on the roster and this could be his final chance to make his mark as a Cowboys. The hope is that he can utilize his ability to run and chase down the ball to better effect playing the "Mo".

Dave Campo might not have been a favorite as a Cowboys head coach but he is receiving solid reviews for his work with the secondary so far. His upbeat, hands-on teaching style is going over well and might just be part of the remedy for a secondary that has picked on frequently over the last couple of years. Of course, adding talent like Pacman Jones, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick doesn’t hurt, but let’s hope that Campo can “coach ‘em up” as the saying goes.

Richard Bartel could be the guy who turns into the long-term backup for Tony Romo. There was plenty of chatter about drafting a QB in the late rounds or signing a vet that has been cut from another team but the Cowboys staff seems to be satisfied with the progress Bartel has made. My lasting impression of Bartel comes from training camp last year where the strong-armed QB was determined to show off that arm by chucking up deep balls on regular basis. Maybe a year in meetings and watching Romo and Brad Johnson have showed the kid there’s more to being a QB than hitting the deep bomb. He’s also dropped a lot of weight and gotten himself in NFL-shape, perhaps the Cowboys already have their future backup QB on the roster.

Sure it was only a few practices with rookies and first-year players who haven’t played a lot, and there were no pads or hitting which can change everything in terms of performance, but we finally got a look at some of the potential 2008 Cowboys roster in real practices. It feels good, just one more step towards the 2008 season and a hoped-for run at the Super Bowl.

Your impressions from the last couple of days?

The DMN blog calls it for Felix Jones, Orlando Scandrick and Danny Amendola as the three stars of the rookie mini-camp.

Emmitt Smith sets a high-bar for Pacman Jones' rehabilitation. 

"As long as you're not killing anybody, getting anybody shot at and going to jail, then I don't have any issues," said Smith, NFL career rushing leader. The former star running back for Dallas was visiting Cowboys rookie minicamp Saturday.

 Ha! All you have to do is not commit any felonies and you’re A-OK with Emmitt. No word on misdemeanors, though.

The Wade Watch is already on for Don Banks at SI.com. 

I could be wrong about this, but Cowboys offensive coordinator and heir apparent head coach Jason Garrett seemed to be the only Dallas assistant who occupied a seat full-time in the team's war room during the draft. The rest of the Cowboys' assistant staff rotated in and out of the room throughout the weekend.

Just another indication that Dallas head coach Wade Phillips is probably what amounts to a well-paid seat warmer in '08.

I went with El Gato as a nickname for Felix Jones. Hey, it’s got to be better than what Jerry Jones said about him.

He talked about his decision to choose Arkansas running back Felix Jones over Illinois' Rashard Mendenhall, saying he "didn't blink" when it came time to make the pick. In an awkward moment, Jerry began describing Jones' posterior, saying he had a nice "bubble butt."

No, Bubble Butt just won’t do.

A news roundup of the first day of rookie mini-camp.

The Breerman gives you five more quick impressions. Short version: Mark Bradford made the play of the day on a long bomb, Orlando Scandrick looked like the best CB on the field, Mike Jenkins recovered nicely in his second practice of the day, Danny Amendola actually dropped some passes in the second session and Richard Bartel looked like a real QB.

Mike Jenkins has a little Prime Time in his past as his uncle, Tracy Sanders, was a CB with Prime at FSU. Deion has been mentoring the kid who is now our second CB from the University of South Florida, the alma mater of Anthony Henry.

Danny Amendola is attracting a lot of attention in camp, especially from Jerry.

"He's certainly showed he's refined," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the first rookie practice Friday. "He will be able to separate. He's going to be able to get away from people. I'm glad we got him."

He may be refined on the field but certainly needs some work on his interviews. Not exactly smooth in the post-practice gab-fest.

But speaking of who is smooth, that seems to be the operative word for Felix "El Gato" Jones. 

"He's smooth," Jerry Jones said. "You can see that he can run when he gets that ball. The most important thing that I saw out here today was just how smooth he looks when he's running and cutting."

Don’t forget about Isaiah Stanback either.

"He's doing a great job, and I'm really pleased with the way he's running routes and catching the ball," [Ray] Sherman said. "He's in shape, and I'm very impressed with the way he runs his routes. He's a contender at that position.... I like our group."

Meanwhile, in veteran news, it apperas that the Tuna did want his former first round pick Bobby Carpenter but the Cowboys said no dice.

According to an NFL source, the Dolphins wanted Bobby Carpenter, but the Cowboys weren't willing to part with the 2006 first-round draft pick. So Dallas included Ayodele in the deal.

As noted by many, including Brandon in his post, Captain Caveman is on the move again.

He's currently backing up veteran Zach Thomas. Carpenter said he's been studying game film with Thomas and already has picked up quite a bit in the short time the veteran free-agent acquisition has been with the Cowboys.

Hat tip to Deke for posting the Bobby Carpenter non-trade article.

The Breerman breaks down a few of the players at today’s mini-camp. Short version: He’s lovin’ Martellus Bennett, gave a mixed-review about Jenkins’ inconsistent play, is coming around on the smooth styling’s of Felix Jones, noted Tashard Choice had a case of the dropsies but recovered later, and Jason Garrett is a jack-of-all-trades in the coaching arena.

Here's the schedule for the mini-camp. 

Today  [Friday]

10:30 A.M. -12:00 P.M. -- Practice (open to media/closed to public)
12:15 P.M. -1:30 P.M. -- Locker Room Open to Media
2:45 P.M. -3:45 P.M. -- Practice (open to media/closed to public)

Tomorrow [Saturday]

10:30 A.M. -12:00 P.M. -- Practice (open to media/closed to public)
12:15 P.M. -1:30 P.M. -- Locker Room Open to Media
1:30 P.M. -2:00 P.M. -- Coach Phillips Press Conference
2:45 P.M. -3:45 P.M. -- Practice (open to media/closed to public)

Meanwhile, Julius Jones took a shot at the Cowboys, and fans, in an article in a Seattle paper.

"I love playing here," he said. "The atmosphere, it's 10 times better than Dallas."

And in the WTF department, Colts' WR Marvin Harrison is under suspicion in a gunfire incident.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison is under investigation in his hometown of Philadelphia in a shooting that took place earlier this week, a source close to the investigation told Anthony Gargano of Philadelphia's WIP Radio.

He's about the last guy in the NFL who I thought would get mixed up in something like this.

Mickey answers some mail.  Short version: Fasano stunk and was about to lose his job to star of stage and screen Tony Curtis so get something for him. More Jones vs. Mendenhall blather, the secondary is improved but no one is sure what the rotation back there will be. And this statement on the ever-popular Roy Williams (the Dallas one).

Again, [Roy] Williams' poor play at times has less to do with his talent and more to do with his preparation. Camps is already working on that, I understand. And with the plethora of cornerbacks the Cowboys might have, pending Adam Jones' reinstatement, the addition of Zach Thomas and the continued good health of Kevin Burnett, Roy very well might be reduced to a two-down safety even more if he doesn't improve.

We’ve got more special teams return guys now than Jerry’s got money. DC.com explores the subject further. 

Here’s a weird tidbit about the Cowboys trying to sign UDFA’s. 

Maurice Purify wished the only bad thing happening to him Sunday was not being picked in the NFL draft.

Purify was under the impression from Dallas-based agent Gary Glick that he would be, at worst, a late-round draft pick. Instead, he was left to find an interested team along with a number of other undrafted former [Nebraska] Huskers. Only there was this little deal with the Dallas Cowboys and a potential free-agent agreement.

"My agent called me and I said, 'Go ahead with it if the contract is good,'" said Purify, the former Nebraska receiver. Purify could live with going to Dallas. Maybe this was meant to be. "We had something set right after the draft with the Cowboys and it fell through," Purify said Monday. "I guess they had a mixup in their organization and didn't know that they had signed a receiver from Stanford."

Mark Bradford got a ticket to Dallas and Purify another restless night.

Peter Schrager from FOX Sports. 

I had Georgia Tech DE Darrell Robertson going 57th overall in the second round. Robertson was not drafted.         

The myth is that it’s better to be an UDFA than to get drafted in the late rounds. Pat Jones, a former NFL assistant, says the reality is that it’s not, drafted players are treated better. Unless you’re a priority free agent like new Dallas cowboy FB Julius Crosslin. 

There are different levels of free agents. A "priority free agent" like Oklahoma State fullback Julius Crosslin, who signed with the Dallas Cowboys an hour after the draft ended on Sunday, has an advantage over other free agents.

"Unless you're a very high-rated free agent, someone you had a fifth- or sixth-round grade, they're just bringing you in to be a body for training camp," Jones said.

A short introduction  to new UDFA Andrew Brecher of Harvard.  

Harvard offensive tackle Andrew Brecher of Needham agreed to a free agent deal with the Dallas Cowboys. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Brecher was an all-Ivy League and all-New England selection in 2007, and was named an FCS All-American by the Sports Network after leading the Crimson to the Ivy League title.

It looks like the Felix Jones vs. Rashard Mendenhall debate continues to be the one item discussed over and over about the Dallas Cowboys 2008 draft. It’s funny, but depending on which guy you like, you can make the stats slant in your direction or you can make the rationales for each pick work in your favor. And really, to me, both sides of the ledger have legitimate claims. But as Brandon wrote in this post, nothing will be settled until the 2008 season gets underway and we can see how effective both backs are at the NFL level. I already stated that if I was the guy turning in that 4x6 card at the draft, the name would have read Mendenhall, but this by no means says that I don’t think Felix Jones was a good pick. I’m not at all disappointed that we picked him and in terms of just the 2008 season, I still believe he was the choice that best fits our needs now.

Mendenhall may be the better everyday, workhorse back that you can feed the ball to over and over during a game. His size and speed are a potent combination. With the question of MB3’s long-term future in Dallas still undecided, I was looking at Mendenhall as the guy who would be his replacement in case we don’t get him signed. This also goes for the other back that I thought might be there for us at #22, Jonathan Stewart. In this case I guess I’ll have to defer to Jerry Jones who seems to be confident that he can eventually get MB3 signed so felt that he could pass on Mendenhall. Rashard would give us a lot of the same things MB3 gives us although with more speed and Jerry also covered his bases to some extent by selecting Tashard Choice in the 4^th round who is sort of a mini-me version of MB3.

Like I said earlier, you can slant this in either direction to make your point. But a couple of arguments that have been made don't hold water. Like this one from JJT:

I would've gone with the guy who is bigger, a shade faster, just as quick and catches the ball just as well, although he doesn't return kicks.

A shade faster? I guess some people can’t let go of the 40-times at the one day event called the combine. I’m not dismissing that event altogether and have to admit I was impressed by Mendenhall’s 4.5 time. That’s outstanding. But all you have to do is watch both players on tape and you know that Felix Jones is the faster back. It’s also been noted that Felix ran a 4.37 time on the Arkansas campus. Really though, I don’t even need the 40-times to see which back is faster, it’s just obvious. Add on to that when I watch Jones on tape, it’s not just his top-end speed that was impressive; it was his ability to accelerate with his first step. His initial burst was phenomenal, the second he gets the ball from the QB he is moving at top speed. And his ability to cut and juke without slowing down is a special quality. Forget the 40-times; they are just a crutch to justify your side of the debate. Simply watch the players on tape and it’s obvious which guy has the faster game-speed.

Equally ridiculous is this quote from JJT:

I understand your point, but would you pass on LaDainian Tomlinson or Adrian Peterson or any other top runner because another runner could return three or four kickoffs a game?

Holy crap, now, without playing a down in the NFL, Rashard Mendenhall is LT or AP? It doesn’t get more absurd than that. LT shared time his first few years in college then was the man the last two. He never had a season less than 500 yards and had over 1,800 and 2,000 yards his last two years. He finished with over 5,000 yards! Are you kidding me? Compare that with Mendenhall’s 640 yards two years ago and over 1,600 last year. Come on JJT, let’s stay within a zone of reality. And AP? Over 1,000 yards all three seasons even though he had to battle through multiple injuries that limited his starts. As a freshman he had over 1,900 yards. It’s absurd to say Mendenhall is LT or AP.

Another point I’ve been trying to make about Felix Jones is that while he will be in a complementary role to MB3 this year, there’s always the possibility he could be an every-down back. He’s 5-10 and 207 pounds with a very solid build and will probably put on 5-10 pounds in the pros through weight-training and natural maturation of his body. I commented on a post before the draft that backs like Brian Westbrook, Willie Parker, Tiki Barber, Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith, yes, even Emmitt, were about the same size at this point in their careers. I called him a scat-back once and that didn’t sit well with a lot of people. Maybe that was a bad term. What I’m trying to say is there isn’t anything that says he can’t be an every-down back at his size. Mickey Spags relays the Cowboys thoughts on this.

Jerry Jones, and even Wade Phillips, seem to be taking exception to people calling Felix Jones a part-time back, seemingly all ready to invoke the Eric Metcalf label on him as some sort of specialty back. "He's not a scat-back," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said, and Jerry Jones would remind you Felix is 5-10, 207. Not built totally the same, but recall Emmitt Smith came into the league at 5-9, 199.

Given all that though, it’s not Mendenhall the Cowboys were agonizing over in comparison to Felix, it was the other big back not named McFadden in the draft.  

Now the Cowboys thought there would be a tough decision to make at that pick, but they figured it would be between Felix Jones and Oregon's Jonathan Stewart, whose stock had been hard to read because of his toe surgery after the combine.

In fact, multiple sources in the Cowboys' War Room said the club would've drafted Stewart over Felix Jones had he been available, but it became irrelevant once Stewart was drafted 12th overall by the Panthers.

I like Mendenhall but it’s no guarantee he would be successful in a backup role to MB3. He seems like the kind of back who needs a lot of touches to really show what he can do and there are reports he wasn’t the happiest camper when he was a backup at Illinois. In 2008, in Dallas, he would have been a backup and might not be as effective as he would be as a lead back. Felix, on the other hand, simply excels at being a backup and makes the most of his limited touches. Seriously, I’ve hardly ever seen a guy get so much production out of limited touches. His total yards, yards per carry and touchdowns are phenomenal for a guy in his role. Long-term it’s a question mark for me, but in 2008, Felix Jones is the better fit.

With the draft dominating my time here lately, I haven’t really talked about Pacman Jones and his coming to Dallas. For some of you, that’s probably a good thing. But I just can’t ignore it any longer so let’s discuss. On the field, supposing he actually gets there, the Cowboys have brought in a player who is worth much more than the 4^th-round pick we gave up this year, and the 6^th next. In my estimation Pacman is one of the top CB’s in the league and it all depends on what kind of shape he’s in when he finally arrives as to where and how much he’ll play. Given that the Cowboys traded for him and drafted two other CB’s I think it’s a given that they are looking to replace Anthony Henry or at least move him to reserve status. Another possibility is moving him to safety which the Cowboys brain-trust didn’t exactly rule out in their post-draft press conference. At minimum, if Pacman is any kind of shape he’ll open the season as the nickel CB. If the Cowboys can somehow get the commish to let him workout at Valley Ranch pre-training camp, it’s possible he could open the season as the starter. My best guess though is that he will be the nickel to open the season then eventually slide into the starter role opposite Newman. When I graded the draft I didn’t include Pacman as part of it, but if you do that certainly makes this draft that much better. Of course the big question is whether he will be re-instated and when. The commish didn’t sound at all like it was a sure thing and he is taking into account the recent revelations about the “extortion” money paid by Pacman and said he didn’t know about that previous to the recent news stories. So things are looking very dicey in that respect.

Now that the trade has been finalized and the league has signed off on the contract, the ball falls into the Cowboys court to start the reinstatement process.

[Manny] Arora said he and [Pacman] Jones will meet with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in the near future to develop a strategy for the player to seek reinstatement from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and perhaps attempt to modify the current terms so that he can work out and interact with his new teammates at the Cowboys' Valley Ranch complex. Arora said he anticipates the Cowboys taking the lead role in that process.

Jerry has a lot of pull in the NFL as one of the most influential owners and he’ll have to put a lot of his credibility on the line with the commish to even try to make this happen. Getting Pacman into Valley Ranch as soon as possible could have a lot to do with how much Pacman plays this year. It could be the difference between starting or playing a reserve role and being utilized as a punt returner.

The good news from my standpoint is that the Cowboys have a new contract with Pacman that is heavy on non-guaranteed money and incentives to keep him on the straight and narrow.

The contract between the Cowboys and Jones includes no signing bonus or other guaranteed money. While the Cowboys and Arora have declined to reveal specific components of the contract, a source told ESPN that the agreement is incentive-based with roster bonuses that financially encourage Jones to refrain from the behavior that has resulted in six arrests. The source also said Jones will have to play at least three seasons in Dallas before he has an opportunity to become one of the top-paid corners in the league.

We’ll all be keeping and eye on this situation through the rest of the offseason. Here’s another article about Pacman coming to Dallas.

I usually don’t go for all the TMZ-style reporting over Tony Romo and his relationship with Jessica Simpson. What he does in his personal life isn’t that interesting to me. But this story is so outlandish I had to post it. It has a lot of fun details about Tony Romo and his recent weekend in Vegas that includes tidbits about other Cowboys. The crazy part though is the report that he lost $2.5 million dollars gambling over the weekend and that Jessica is very upset. I don’t believe that for a minute. I know he just signed a big contract but come on, $2.5 million? Hogwash. So I don’t believe it at all but thought you guys might like reading the article just for kicks.

Hat tip to Deadspin for the link.

Here’s the story about the Eagles suing T.O. for some cash.

Having withdrawal from mock drafts? Don’t worry, here are a couple for 2009!

SI.com

31. Cowboys -- Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State -- Receivers Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn are getting old.

ESPN

31. Dallas Cowboys -- Demetrius Byrd, WR, LSU

Wide receiver is the one area Dallas did not address during an otherwise promising 2008 draft. Byrd has a lot to prove as a senior but he certainly has the blend of size and deep speed it takes to emerge as a first-round draft pick.

The debate over Felix Jones and Rashard Mendenhall continues to dominate discussions about the Cowboys draft, in the media in general and on this blog. Here’s another.

Whew, what a day. Has a NFL draft ever gone by so quickly? I really like the new streamlined format; it makes the action happen much faster and keeps you glued to the TV.

Anyway, let’s talk about the Cowboys draft. I feel pretty good about it but do have a few issues.

Pick #22 – Felix Jones: Anybody who has been reading this blog knows that I’m a fan of Felix Jones and thought that would be the guy Dallas chose with their first pick. What I didn’t expect was having to make a choice between Rashard Mendenhall and Jones. In all honesty, I would have taken Mendenhall at that point, he’s the more complete, workhorse back. Having said that, I understand the Cowboys thinking and I’m not overly disappointed we passed on Mendenhall. Rashard is a very similar back to MB3 in style and size although he doesn’t quite have the violent streak of the Barbarian, but then again, who does? Mendenhall is the type of back who would need a lot of carries in a game to be truly effective and probably wouldn’t get that this year behind MB3. If you’re thinking long-term, then Mendenhall is the guy only if you believe that the Cowboys won’t sign MB3 after this year. Obviously Jerry, who knows more about the situation than any of us, believes that he will get him signed. On that basis I can understand why they chose Jones instead. Felix is the perfect complement to MB3 in this offense, he’ll add the speed element, the outside running attack, and you can throw in some screens and possibly split him out in the slot on occasion. He’s the homerun threat from the backfield that the team lacks. And please, don’t tell me Mendenhall is as fast as Jones. It’s absurd. I don’t care what they ran at the combine - a one-day event where anybody can have a bad 40 time and they aren’t even in pads. Anybody who has watched the game film on Jones can see his game-speed is a world apart from your average back. So that argument is crazy. He’s also a terror as a kick returner. The other thing I like about Jones is that he can be productive with limited touches and has no problem working behind a starting back. In the long run, Mendenhall may be the better back in terms of an every down starter but Jerry believes that the every down starter in Dallas for years to come will be MB3. So based on that thinking, I can see why they took Jones. I’m not willing to say Jones is the better all-around back but his big play explosiveness and ability to work with limited touches probably fits the Cowboys offense better.

Also, I initially thought that Dallas could pass on Jones and still get him at #28. In reality, that might not have happened because the Titans took Chris Johnson, another speed back, two picks later. It’s entirely possible they would have grabbed Jones instead if he was still on the board.

Pick #25 – Mike Jenkins: This was a great pick for the Cowboys. They needed another corner and they got one that I’ve seen ranked as the best or second best corner in the draft on some scouting reports. The fact he fell as far as he did was a surprise. He has great upside potential and can be a playmaker on the ball. Once again, Jerry made a smart move by trading up to get him because I’m pretty sure he would not have gotten past San Diego. I liked Antoine Cason but he was not as high on my board as Jenkins. I truly didn’t think we’d have a shot at him and if we did it was most certainly going to be at #22. Getting him when we did was great value and I judge him as ready to play from day one. With Jenkins and Pacman Jones coming on board our secondary just got so much better it’s unbelievable. And Jenkins and the Joneses (Pacman and Felix) can all help our special teams. A great pick.

Pick #61 – Martellus Bennett: Like a lot of you, I’m not a big fan of this pick. I will be the first to admit I know very little about the guy. I’ve never seen him play and didn’t research TE’s at all because I didn’t see the Anthony Fasano trade coming. So it’s hard for me to speak to his actual on the field skills. I just didn’t think that TE was that big of a need even with Fasano gone. We got by just fine last year with Fasano who I thought was average at best and that Tony Curtis could pretty much fill his role. I would have liked to seen the Cowboys go for another position like WR or safety here, or even a lineman that they had high on their board. I understand that Bennett is a phenomenal athlete and could become a playmaker, but our second TE just doesn’t get that many opportunities with Witten in front of him and the other playmakers we have on offense. It may not have been a reach in terms of where Bennett ranked in value but it didn’t seem like much of a need for us. My one hope is that the Cowboys scouts have seen something in the kid that tells them he could develop into a playmaker that will force his way onto the field in some role. But I’m not a fan of this pick.

Overall, I like most of what we did today. Going into the draft I wanted a RB and a CB in the first round and I got it. I also think the two players we got at those positions are great additions and will yield positive results. Passing on Mendenhall was a call I might not have made but I understand it. The pick of Bennett is something I’m going to have to be sold on because at this point I don’t quite get it. Still, Jerry had a plan and executed it well. A great start to the 2008 draft.

On another subject, what a great day by you guys on the blog. We had eight open threads with over 2,200 comments. That’s a beautiful thing. I think the new platform functioned very well. I know some of you complained about lagging threads but it might have been your computer because for a lot of us it ran very smoothly. But the real point is that the community was humming today and we cranked out a lot of comments and information while thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Kudos, guys. And thanks to Brandon for helping me out all day. Don’t forget, as if you really would, we’ll be doing all over again on Sunday.

Ah, Draft Day. It’s here. I hope you guys will be spending your day in front of the TV and chatting here on BTB.

This is the first of many open threads for the weekend. Feel free to chat it up and throw out any ideas or tidbits you pick up from around the Net.

Here are few nuggets to start the morning:

Last night’s trade of Akin Ayodele and Anthony Fasano for the Dolphins 4^th-round picked saved the Cowboys around $650,000 against the cap. Not bad, but hardly a significant salary cap dump. Ayodele wasn’t in the plans anymore after the signing of Zach Thomas. Fasano was the surprise although I wasn’t exactly enamored with his play. He hadn’t produced in the passing game and his blocking was merely OK. But with only star of stage and screen Tony Curtis backing up Jason Witten, could the Cowboys be eyeing another TE somewhere in the draft?

By the way, the Cowboys picks are #22, #28, #61, #92, #100, #163, #167 and #235.

Word is the Cowboys have reached new contract terms with Pacman on a 4-year deal. But the hold up in officially completing the trade stems from a physical AND the NFL players union might object to Pacman giving up a $1.25 million performance bonus he earned with the Titans.

Some final mock drafts:

Todd McShay – Felix Jones, Brandon Flowers

Mel Kiper – Felix Jones, James Hardy

Rick Gosselin – Felix Jones, Brandon Flowers

NFL Draft Cowntdown - DRC, Felix Jones

Don Banks – Felix Jones, Mike Jenkins

This is an open thread, chat it up!