Gone are the days when we felt like we "raised" the likes of Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith as our own. You know Bill Parcells isn't really ours, Drew Bledsoe played elsewhere first, and Terrell Owens, well, he was obviously born on another planet. But don't fret: There are local ties to this year's Dallas Cowboys. Rookies Quincy Butler (TCU), John Saldi (Southlake Carroll HS and Jay's son, for you old-schoolers) and Keylon Kincade (SMU) are long shots to make the final roster. But linebacker Akin Ayodele (Irving MacArthur HS), defensive back Marcus Coleman (Lake Highlands HS), cornerback Jacques Reeves (Lancaster HS) and receiver Patrick Crayton (DeSoto HS) all figure to play pretty prominent roles. And, of course, the fastest player here at training camp in Oxnard, California, remains second-year kick returner and running back Tyson Thompson (Irving HS).
"It's like night and day," Thompson says of his transition from rookie to veteran. "Last year I was just running around everywhere full-speed. Now sometimes I actually know where I'm going." You remember Thompson, the darling of last year's camp. Here at camp you can even buy one of his game-worn jerseys, for a cool $479. --Richie Whitt
