Per the new collective bargaining agreement, the Cowboys are tweaking their San Antonio schedule. Today's padded practice ends at 4:15 p.m. instead of 5:30. Off day is moved from Wednesday to tomorrow. Plan accordingly.
9. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan keeps calling cornerback Orlando Scandrick "special." As in, "He's a special player." Scandrick's been okay as a Nickel cover guy, but I don't think a secondary that allowed 33 passing touchdowns has any special players. That's 33, or two more than the Packers and Steelers surrendered last year ... combined.
8. During last night's Sunday night The Score with Babe Laufenberg on CBS 11, Steve Dennis was barefoot. Swear.
7. After colliding with Teddy Williams and being knocked out and taken to a hospital Saturday, receivers coach Jimmy Robinson still isn't back on the field. Cowboys say he's okay and recovering, just not ready yet. In response to the collision, the team has moved the VIP area farther from the field.
6. In case you missed Friday's Nnamdi Asomugha drama (and the revelation that Greggo and Jerry Jones have the same, antiquated flip phone), hear it here.
5. Even though no NFL team has to be under the salary cap until the league year starts (on Thursday), Jones actually set a budget for the pursuit of Asomugha and stuck with it. Jones is saying at camp that things are financially as "tight" as they've been in his 22 years as owner.
4. Don't hear the term "Super Bowl" in San Antonio a lot this season. Some of us learned our lesson from last season, eh? Except it was uttered in these terms by head coach Jason Garrett last week: "Just because you didn't win the Super Bowl doesn't mean you had a bad year." So, Jerry, has the bar been lowered? "I'm not going to go there. But we have to have a reformation and have a big change in what we did last season. We had the highest payroll in the NFL last year." Ouch.
3. If you're a betting man, place a buck or two on Drew Pearson being the next Cowboy inducted into the Ring of Honor. And don't be shocked if it happens this season.
2. Still don't understand why: Doug Free and Kyle Kosier have signed contracts but can't practice with the team until Thursday. Instead of partaking in Monday's walkthrough, the two starting offensive linemen ran sprints by themselves on the sidelines.
1. Spent all weekend trying to find a silver lining on the Cowboys' almost signing of Asomugha. Found it. He's 30. The Eagles signed him to a five-year contract. By the time he's 35, in all likelihood he'll be done. Take the case of Deion Sanders. By the time he was 32 the Cowboys cut him as a hobbled, ineffective, over-priced liability.
