Summing up yesterday's news from the Cowboys

Hey, did anything happen out at the Ranch yesterday? I guess there was some news that slipped out so let’s see if we can recap the major and minor news of the past day.

I won’t lead with the obvious but with another very interesting matter that kind of got overlooked yesterday. The Cowboys have given Terry Glenn the ultimatum that I was wondering about in this post. I wanted to know if they would actually cut Glenn if he didn’t sign. Otherwise, even proposing the deal seemed like a waste time because there was no incentive for Glenn to sign it. He’s got incentive now.

But an NFL source said the Cowboys have told Glenn to either sign the $500,000 injury waiver for his surgically-repaired right knee or prepare to play elsewhere. And that time is growing short for Glenn’s decision.

I’m pretty sure Glenn will sign it if he wants to play ball this season. Having a knee-injury at his age that even his own team is so worried about that they have to have this waiver means his prospects elsewhere are dim. Especially at any kind of salary like the one he can get in Dallas this year. Expect the Glenn camp to cave on this one.

Hat tip to Deke for the FanPost.

OK, back to the big news. T.O. re-does his deal for $13 million guaranteed, $34 million total, over the next four years. There’s no doubt now where the Pod will end his career, right here in Dallas. Jerry is locking up his core group for this year and on, specifically for the opening of Jerry World. If he can open his new stadium with a resurgent Cowboys team that are Super Bowl contenders, and have it last over the next few years, his timing couldn’t be better. And T.O. will be a huge part of a contending team.

I always say I’m no cap expert so I have no idea how Stephen Jones manages to keep signing all these big-name players to big-time contracts. And yet, we seem to always be gaining space under the cap. It might be a buy-now, pay-later kind of deal, so down the line something may have to give. But for right now, locking down a guy like T.O. and knocking $3 million off the cap this year deserves kudos.

The deal saves the Cowboys nearly $3 million on this year's salary cap. Owens was scheduled to count $8.6 million, but will now count only $5.7 million.

Hashmarks on the T.O. signing here.

In the other big deal of the day, Pacman Jones gets to become a football player again. Cleared to do everything but actually play in a real game means Pacman can spend all summer and early fall learning the ways of Wade. He can also bond with his teammates and hopefully stay out of trouble. He won’t get the all-clear to play until the week before the opening game, but this move by Goodell assures the Cowboys that Pacman will play on Week One unless any trouble arrives. The Cowboys now have what they wanted. Now it all shifts to Pacman and his ability to leave the stuff behind that was dragging him down. Sure Jerry Jones will be involved, Wade Phillips too, and Calvin Hill will have to be a big part of it. But it looks like a guy you might not expect is going to be that watchful presence around Pacman.

Jones has apparently become friends with Tank Johnson, who was in a similar situation last season. He served an eight-game suspension for violating the league's conduct policy, stemming from a brief jail sentence for violating probation in Chicago.

"I've actually spent a little time with Pacman," Johnson said. "I speak to him on the phone often. His head is in the right place. He's eager to get out here with his teammates. He's eager to get acclimated to our system. He understands the position he's in and he's ready to prove everyone wrong."

Jerry’s luck in the rehabilitation game has been good lately. Can it hold out? This one might be the biggest project yet. But if Pacman can stay on the straight-and-narrow, the payoff will be huge. We’ll have one of the better sets of corners in the league and a special teams threat that can change a game. Can football get here soon enough?

You can find what some Cowboys had to say about Pacman returning in this article. Let’s see what defensive coordinator Brian Stewart had to say,

"This will be a huge advantage for him," defensive coordinator Brian Stewart said. "He gets a chance to learn the defense now and then go through it again when he gets to training camp. By then, he’ll be able to do some fine tuning on the little things, because he’ll already be familiar with the defense. He won’t know it as well as the veteran corners, but by then, it’ll be the second time around for him.

"I know he’s impact player, and he has been for some time. He’s got good ball skills, good return skills, and every time he gets the ball on hands, he can make something happen. I’m excited to get another guy with those types of ball skills on the field."

I’m excited, too.

Hashmarks thinks Jerry’s clout in the league and with the commissioner made sure this reinstatement would happen. To some degree, I don't doubt this.

Greg Ellis was talking to Michael Irvin today on the radio. If you missed you can get the rundown at the DC.com blog.

If you want to dream a little about the season opener, check out this short post at Hashmarks. 

Kevin Burnett tells you all you want to know about getting ready for gametime, including a note to not drink the yellow Gatorade on the sidelines.