Keeping up with the Joneses

It is the team with arguably the greatest collection of football talent in the NFL. So what should we expect of the Dallas Cowboys when Hard Knocks takes its cameras inside this year's training camp?

Article by Elliott Kalb

The Dallas Cowboys finished last season 13-3, with a ton of gaudy statistics and Pro-Bowl players. Their accomplishments, however, failed to impress division rivals. The Redskins made the playoffs by winning their last four games-including a win over Dallas on December 30. The Giants became Super Bowl champions by winning their four postseason games-including a win over Dallas on January 13. "And the team no one wanted to face at the end of the year was actually Philadelphia," 18-year NFL veteran receiver Keenan McCardell told me recently. The Eagles won their last three games of the regular season-including a win over Dallas on December 16.

Dallas is building a new house-literally, a new stadium-and their divisional opponents are keeping up-literally-with the Joneses. There's Cowboy owner Jerry Jones, his son Stephen (chief operating officer and executive vp) and rookie running back Felix Jones. And then there is Adam Jones, who is in his fourth year in the NFL but first with the Cowboys.

The Pacman Question

This will be the first season for Jones since deciding he wanted to ditch the nickname "Pacman," but it's easier to shed the name than the baggage. Jones was suspended last season for off-the-field conduct, and while the Cowboys traded for a man who sometimes seems to spend as much time in Grand Jury rooms as training rooms, they have given him no assurances and no signing bonus. Commissioner Roger Goodell has allowed Jones to participate in camp and will make a ruling in August on whether he will be reinstated.

"The biggest storyline to keep an eye on in our training camp is the attitude of Pacman Jones. What will he be like?" says Pro-Bowl cornerback Terence Newman. Newman, who plays the same position, told me that prior to the most recent mini-camp, he had never met Jones. "But we clicked right off the bat. And in today's NFL, teams play four wide-receivers at once, so teams need four cover corners." It sounds good, in theory.

Giant Ghosts, Wobbly Finishes

In many ways, the biggest storyline for this team is not Adam Jones, it's getting over the playoff defeat to the Giants. Dallas started 12-1 last season, the only loss being to the undefeated Patriots. They then wobbled down the stretch, finally falling at home in the playoffs. The year before, in 2006, the Cowboys also stumbled at the end, losing three of their last four games before suffering a crushing 21-20 defeat to Seattle.

I asked Tony Romo if it's harder to put aside the playoff loss to the Giants than the one the previous year. "No, the playoffs are the playoffs. A loss is a loss," said Romo, sounding too much like a certain former coach of his.

The supremely confident Romo doesn't even think that the battle for the number-two receiver behind Terrell Owens is an issue. "Patrick (Crayton) is a real complete receiver. People say we need someone else, but I don't buy it."

Newman, however, knows that the receiver battle in camp will be key. "We need Terry Glenn to come back, or Miles Austin to step up," he says.

It says a lot for the talent on this team that the battles are mostly for reinforcement. The quarterback is Romo, who is emerging as one of the top three quarterbacks in the league. He has done everything in the last two years except win a postseason game. The running back is Marion Barber, who is a punishing runner who can find the end zone as well as anyone in the game.

Dallas head coach Wade Phillips and assistant head coach (and offensive coordinator) Jason Garrett are going to take long looks at a pair of rookies in the backfield. Felix Jones is an outstanding outside rusher. "He'll provide us with those quick bursts," said Romo. Tashard Choice is a rookie from Georgia Tech that might find his way onto the field as well.

Garrett has so many weapons it's almost unfair. The Boys averaged 28.4 points per game, second in the NFL to the Patriots. In the offseason, Jones resigned left tackle Flozell Adams to a long-term deal. And he signed Hudson Houck, one of the best in the business, to be the offensive line coach. That Dallas has managed to keep Jason Garrett from bolting is another notch in their belt.

Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss

If Dallas' new secondary coach-the man who will have to sort out the positions where Newman, Jones, Anthony Henry, and safety Ken Hamlin-looks familiar, he should. It's Dave Campo, who was the Dallas Head Coach in 2002, when HBO and NFL Films first took their cameras to an NFL training camp. The question: Will Campo reprise his karaoke performance?

The Cowboys are interesting on and off the field. To succeed, Adam Jones has to fit in with his new teammates, and not be a distraction; he certainly can't be involved in any more off-the-field incidents. Romo has to stay out of the gossip pages long enough to lead a football team. Oh, and he best not get hurt -- a 40-year old backup, Brad Johnson, is the one waiting in the wings.

Jones' Cowboys have all the talent they need to win the Super Bowl-from Greg Ellis (one of the league's best pass rushers) to Tank Johnson (one of the league's best defensive tackles) and right down the roster. But do they have the mix and the chemistry and the mental toughness? Five late-summer weeks in Oxnard, Calif. might just provide the answer.