This has been a somewhat under-reported story, but Tony Romo is entering the final year of his contract. The Cowboys and Romo’s agent have been talking and Romo hopes a deal will get done before the season starts.

The Cowboys' regular season does not start until Sept. 9, but quarterback Tony Romo hopes to have a new contract completed by the time he attempts his first pass against the New York Giants.

"I'd definitely like it before the season began, but you never know how these things go," he said. "I know the Jones family. They know me. We'll come to a conclusion."

As the article notes, this is a tricky negotiation. The Cowboys obviously feel good about Romo and hope he’s the future, passing on Brady Quinn proved that. But how much money and how many years do they want to give to a QB who has only started 11 games? The Cowboys aren’t exactly boxed-in here, but they are a little bit in the corner on this one. They seem to be saying that Romo is their man, so they probably need to make a good-faith offer in that direction. Of course, with two first round picks in next year’s draft, I guess all options are on the table. Romo wants something done before the season but the Cowboys might want to see a little of the season before they make their commitment. It’s something to watch over the next couple of months.

JJT on Greg Ellis:

A year ago, Greg Ellis had every right to rip the Cowboys.

The team moved the veteran defensive end to linebacker in a transparent attempt to reduce his role and hasten his departure, so Ellis demanded a restructured contract as a sign of good faith.

This year, he shouldn't complain about his deal, which has three years left on it.

WTF? A transparent attempt to reduce his role and hasten his departure? Hmm...let’s see exactly how transparent that was. A football coach decides to implement the 3-4 defense on a team and decides a veteran doesn’t fit the scheme at his current position. He moves him to somewhere he thinks he can succeed, works with him all through training camp, and compares him to one of his beloved former players, Willie McGinest. He gives him the starting position over his #1 draft pick, and proceeds to play him there every game. The veteran player has a great first half of the season, is on pace to have numbers equaling his career best, before he’s injured for the rest of the year.

Yup, that sure sounds like Parcells was attempting to hasten his departure. Transparent as mud. I think the better explanation is that Ellis complained last year because he was afraid he might not be able to do the job at OLB. In fact, Parcells seemed to have more confidence that Ellis could do the job than Ellis had in himself. If Ellis hadn't gotten injured, we may never have even drafted Anthony Spencer. Parcells was on his way to extending Ellis' time in Dallas before the injury occured.

Other than that, JJT writes a pretty decent article.