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Troy Aikman might be the only person as impressed with the Cowboys’ roster as Jerry Jones.

“The Cowboys are as talented as just about any team in the league,” Aikman said while appearing on The Rich Eisen Podcast with fellow Triplets Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin over the weekend.

Aikman has always been high on Tony Romo, taking his praise to a new level earlier this offseason by declaring that Romo was better than him. There is no question in Aikman’s mind that the Cowboys have a quarterback in place who is capable of leading a team to a title.

“I know that to win you have to have a great quarterback, and I believe that Tony Romo is that,” Aikman said. “I know what the criticisms are. I know that he has to win in January before people really put him in the elite status. But until you do that, there are always going to be those questions.

“He had a great year last year. That’s the concerning thing to me is that you think about how good he played last year and yet it still wasn’t good enough for this team to make the playoffs. That’s a concern.”

The Cowboys have addressed some personnel concerns this offseason, most significantly turning a glaring weakness into a strength by adding Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne to the cornerback corps.

Dallas also has to figure out how to stop fading down the stretch, which has been an issue since Bill Parcells’ days ruling the Valley Ranch roost. The hope is that the players getting the opportunity to work with six-time Super Bowl champion strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik will solve some of those problems.

Jones thought the Cowboys were Super Bowl contenders last season until they were eliminated from the playoffs in the de facto NFC East title game against the Giants on New Year’s Day, which was Dallas’ fourth loss in the final five games. Aikman agrees with that thought process.

“With three weeks left in the season, nobody even thought they were going to make the playoffs,” Aikman said of the Giants. “They hit it at the right time and got to playing well, gained some confidence, and they go on to win the Super Bowl. When you look back on that season, you fail to remember they really struggled for a good part of that year.

“The Cowboys, had they have won that last game of the season against the Giants, then they would have been in the playoffs. Now, I don’t know if they would have gone on to win the Super Bowl, but that’s how fine the line is between winning and losing, and winning a Super Bowl in this league.

“For the Cowboys if you look at the total picture, one playoff win in however many years that it’s been – not real good. But I do, as Emmitt said, agree that Jason Garrett is the right guy. Now, he has to win. There is a lot of pressure on him and they have some things in place. We seem to say this every year, but I expect them to have a really good year.”

Guard Mackenzy Bernadeau underwent hip surgery over the weekend and will be out for as long as 12 weeks. He will most likely miss the entire offseason of work at Valley Ranch, including the veteran minicamp in June.

He could even miss the first week of training camp and return in August.

You can take this as a major blow to a team that just signed Bernadeau to a four-year, $11 million deal in free agency. Or it can be seen as a chance for other players to get some reps with the first-team offense.

The Cowboys have depth in the interior of the line with David Arkin, Bill Nagy, Kevin Kowalski and Ronald Leary.

Arkin wasn't active for any games last season as a rookie, getting a redshirt if you will. Nagy started three games before his season ended with a broken ankle.

The coaches like Kowalski's toughness and his ability to play center. Leary can play both guard spots and, despite a chronic knee problem, had a mid-round draft grade on some NFL teams' boards.

Of course, the Cowboys have Nate Livings, whom they signed in free agency along with Bernadeau. Livings said he can play left and right guard, which is a positive thing for a team that wants versatility with its linemen.

While yes, Bernandeau's loss should concern you a little, there are others waiting to get some work over the summer and the early stages of training camp. That can help with the overall development of the team.

And to say Bernadeau's injury could lead to more problems is unfair. He was listed just once on the injury report last season with Carolina, and that was in Week 1.

Bernadeau should be ready to go at some point in 2012. Until that time, there is depth on the roster, which is good.

I've enjoyed reading the recent comments from the fans regarding Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. The comments are based on a column written by KC Joyner, an NFL Insider for ESPN, who says Romo is a top-5 quarterback.

I agree. Statistically, Romo is.

Behind the stats, Romo plays tough, leads by example and does win games. Regular-season games.

At this stage of Romo's career, he needs to push his team to bigger things.

Romo has two years left on his contract and there's a belief the Cowboys will extend him for more years. However, Romo has to do something: win in the postseason.

He's got one playoff win, beating the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009.

Romo has to do more. Much more.

If Romo wants to be considered an elite quarterback -- like Eli Manning, Tom Brady, a healthy Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers -- he must push his team toward a deep playoff run.

"It's just about winning," Romo said late last month. "There is no discussion to be had for anybody. There is probably one guy who has ever played the position who didn’t win a Super Bowl who is in the discussion for the greatest quarterbacks and that’s Dan Marino. There are not a lot of them that get thrown around. You know that. It’s the same thing as winning majors in golf. We know what matters as a quarterback. We know what matters."

Romo doesn't get enough credit from the fans and maybe some in the media for what he's done for the Cowboys. He stabilized a position that was hurting the franchise. No quarterback is perfect, just ask the fans of the Baltimore Ravens who want to run Joe Flacco out of town.

Through 77 career starts, Romo is 47-30. Troy Aikman was 45-32 after 77 games and Roger Staubach was 59-18. Brady was 58-19 and Roethlisberger 55-22.

Did Romo cost the Cowboys some games last year? Of course. The debacles against the New York Jets and Detroit Lions come to mind very quickly.

If anything, Romo has to make those around him better.

If Dez Bryant doesn't know the plays (we believe he does), but there's this perception he doesn't, then Romo needs to get on him. Romo said once he doesn't believe in publicly scolding guys, especially on the sideline, that's fine.

Behind closed doors is where he does his best work.

The Cowboys need Romo now more than ever. The defense is getting better, thanks to what Jerry Jones and the front office did in the draft and free agency. It seems the offense really didn't need much tweaking other than the interior of the offensive line.

Upgrades at the guard spots and switching the tackles should improve the offensive line this season. The core group at running back and wide receiver remain the same.

So does the quarterback.

With that in mind, it's time for Romo to get his team into the postseason. And once he gets there, win more than one playoff game. That should be the only stat that should mean something now.

During a podcast with NFL Network's Rich Eisen scheduled to air Thursday, The Triplets -- Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin -- talked about the 20th anniversary of the 1992 Super Bowl title, the first for Jerry Jones, and various other subjects.

Smith, the Hall of Famer and NFL's career leading rusher with 18,355 yards, likes the Cowboys' running backs but made some interesting comments about backup Felix Jones.

"And then when you look at the running back corps, they have two good guys – very good guys – and either one of them can shoulder the load and shoulder the burden at any point in time," Smith said. "We need Felix Jones to step up because we know DeMarco Murray can make it happen. We need Felix to step up a little bit – that’s a true statement."

Now, let's repeat, Smith said the Cowboys, "have two good guys, very good guys" as running backs. Yet his comments about Jones are worth looking into.

When you look back on that 2008 draft, we can think about at least five running backs selected after Jones who have produced better numbers. Jones has rushed for 2,326 yards on 458 carries. He's got only eight rushing touchdowns. By the way the five backs we thought about were Rashard Mendenhall, Chris Johnson, Matt Forte, Ray Rice and Jamaal Charles. When the Cowboys drafted Jones, it was mainly to back up Marion Barber.

But do you really waste a first-round pick on a backup?

Jones is a terrific running back, someone who can make defenders miss in space. He doesn't have the speed of, say, Johnson, but he's a running back who is hard to chase down at times.

The Cowboys have always described Jones as a complementary back and with good reason. He backed up Barber since he came into the NFL and when given the chance to become the full-time starter last season, he lost the gig to DeMarco Murray due to injury.

Jones has played 16 games in a season only once in his career.

Yes, running back is a tough position and few teams go with just one back, but Jones' durability is something that has been an issue for him throughout his career.

And as he enters the final year of his contract, you begin to wonder if he'll get a second deal with the Cowboys.

One thing I have learned in my nearly one full year of running this blog is that everyone is in complete lock-step agreement on how good a quarterback Tony Romo is and on his value to the Dallas Cowboys. Every time I write about Romo, all of the comments are exactly the same, and there is never any dispute about Romo's ability, his worth or his future prospects. We have our share of controversial topics here on the NFC East blog, but when the topic is Romo, no one ever argues or gets upset.

Yeah, right.

Romo's as reliable a lightning-rod topic as this blog has, and hoo boy do I have a doozy for you guys. You might have seen this when it went up Monday afternoon, but it bears a bump this morning: K.C. Joyner has a piece up on the site that says, according to several statistical measures, that Romo is one of the five best quarterbacks in the NFL.

Now, if you're still reading, and you haven't already rushed to the comments section of this post to fight with each other about this, or to K.C.'s Insider post to argue directly with him, I'll give you a little synopsis of the man's points. (And I guess I might as well remind you that K.C. was about the only analyst last summer who was predicting the Giants to win this division, so it's not as though his often-controversial opinions have never been right.)

K.C. tells us that Romo's ranking is based on the following, mainly statistics-based reasons:

-Superior route-depth metrics (tied for fifth last year in yards per pass attempt)

-Low bad-decision rate, or "BDR" (fifth-lowest last year among quarterbacks with at least 175 pass attempts)

-High Total QBR (finished fourth in the NFL in 2011)

-A long history of top-level statistical performance (tied for fifth in NFL history in career yards per pass attempt)

-Ability to raise the level of play of those around him (Romo averaged double-digit yards per attempt to his third and fourth wide receivers in 2011)

-Changing of the elite guard at the quarterback position (i.e. disappointing 2011 seasons from Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger, and injury concerns about Michael Vick and Peyton Manning)

-No signs of letting up (still in his prime and surrounded by big-time offensive weapons)

I think what's interesting is that a lot of these areas in which the numbers show that Romo excels are areas of his game that often fall victim to easy criticism from his detractors. "BDR," for example. K.C. acknowledges that games like the Detroit loss last season contribute to a perception that Romo is a reckless gunslinger, but he says the numbers don't back it up:

BDR is a metric that gauges how often a quarterback makes a mental error that leads either to a turnover or a near turnover, like a dropped interception or fumble that is recovered by the offense.

The nine-year track record of this metric shows that a 2 percent or lower BDR is an above-average mark for a dink-and-dunk passer, while gunslinger quarterbacks can take pride in a BDR under 3 percent.

...

As poor as that [Detroit] performance was, Romo still posted a 1.8 percent BDR for the season. That total ranked fifth-best among qualifying quarterbacks (minimum 175 attempts) and is doubly notable because it's quite rare for a risk-taking quarterback to post a BDR under 2 percent.

In the end, though, the issue with Romo remains unchanged. Those who are inclined to dislike him will find plenty of reasons to do so, and will hang their hats on the fact that he's only won one playoff game ever. They'll go back to the botched snap, and the playoff loss to the Giants four years ago, and they'll bellow that he doesn't have what it takes to be great because he hasn't come up big in a big game. And until and unless he does that, no statistical analysis will convince those who don't want to be convinced.

The fact is that Romo is an excellent quarterback who hasn't won yet. And while in this day and age, all that matters to anyone about a quarterback is whether he's ever held the Vince Lombardi trophy up over his head while confetti fluttered down around him, it is in fact possible to be exactly that. Doesn't mean it's fun to be that, but it also doesn't mean Romo's worthless. Two-thirds of the teams in the NFL would trade their current quarterback situation straight-up for the Cowboys' quarterback situation, whether the guy's won or not.

Thanks for the feedback on the last post. I have been reading through the comments there, and I appreciate the suggestions. Most of them, anyway.

Meantime, Football Outsides has been doing a division-by-division look at the remaining needs for each team, and today they take on the NFC East. It's Insider content (which always makes me chuckle, that the Outsiders are Insider), so you need to pay to read it, but here's a little taste.

Dallas Cowboys: "Interior offensive line." Basically, the FO guys aren't excited about the Cowboys' talent level at guard and center, and seem unimpressed by Jason Garrett's plan to let Nate Livings, Mackenzy Bernadeau, Bill Nagy and Phil Costa compete for the three starting spots in the interior of the line. No mention of David Arkin, oddly, who would seem to be in the mix. And I do have a nitpick with their claim that Nagy was "banished to the bench" for ineffectiveness last season, when it was actually a broken ankle that ended his season. But in general, the idea that the Cowboys need more strength and power at the interior line positions than they probably have on the roster is probably accurate.

New York Giants: "Osi Umenyiora's replacement." This seems to posit that the Giants would trade Umenyiora or that he'd hold out and they wouldn't have any pass-rushers at defensive end behind their two excellent starters. I don't think they're going to trade him, and I don't think he's going to hold out of any regular-season games once push comes to shove. But this does point up the idea that the Giants need to be thinking about who replaces Umenyiora next season, assuming he leaves via free agency.

Philadelphia Eagles: "Secondary depth." The metrics all rate Asante Samuel very highly as a cornerback, so it's little surprise that FO treats his departure as one that creates a hole. I think they're right on this score, but the metrics don't take into account Samuel's salary, or the fact that his playing style doesn't fit what they want to do with the cornerbacks this year, so it's hard to get on them for that dump-trade they made with him. Assuming full health and a big steps forward for Nate Allen and Jaiquawn Jarrett, the Eagles should have a good starting secondary. But I would agree that there is little behind the starters if someone gets hurt. Interested to see whether Brandon Boykin can make an impression early and challenge for that nickel corner spot, and I can't rule out the possibility that they add a veteran to the safety mix. There are still quite a few out there.

Washington Redskins: "Cornerbacks." Yeah, DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson project as the starters, but they're not exactly Deion Sanders and Night Train Lane back there, and as FO points out, the Redskins' efforts to upgrade their secondary don't rank among their greatest successes of this offseason. Washington's defense is emerging as a good one, but the weak spot is still in the back, and they would do well to keep on the lookout for ways to make it better. That's part of why they're bringing so many safeties to camp, but they'll need better performance from Hall and Wilson in 2012 if the defense is to take the next step.

Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray calls into SportsCenter to provide an update on the status of his ankle and discuss the team's outlook for 2012.

Our NFL columnist, Ashley Fox, has a neat little graphic element up on the site about 10 NFL quarterbacks who are "on the spot" in 2012. I didn't know Ashley was so graphics-savvy, but take a look. One of those slideshow deals where you scroll through and there's a photo and a blurb on each guy.

Anyway, No. 1 on the list is Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles, and No. 4 on the list is Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys. Pretty good representation of our little division, no? Here's Ashley's take on Vick:

The Eagles are built to win this year, but Vick will have to stay healthy and limit his turnovers. He missed three games in 2011 and had 24 turnovers -- and Philadelphia went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

As we have written many times here, Vick and his turnovers were a bigger part of the problem in Philadelphia last season than was mentioned much at the time or has been discussed much since. As the season draws nearer, I expect the focus on Vick and the pressure he's under to intensify. I agree with Ashley that no quarterback in the league enters 2012 under more pressure than does Vick.

Here's Ashley's take on Romo:

Last season, Romo threw for 4,184 yards with 31 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. But in six years as the Cowboys' starter, he has won just one playoff game. Romo is 32 years old. Jerry Jones won't be patient forever.

I tend to think Jones might actually be patient with Romo forever, if that's what it takes. Romo and Jones are close, and the Cowboys' owner takes great pride in the fact that the undrafted quarterback to whom he gave this opportunity has blossomed into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I don't believe that Jones feels remotely as critical toward Romo and his oft-cited poor playoff record as Dallas fans and the conventional NFL wisdom do, and I really do think that Romo's play would have to drop off considerably in order for the Cowboys to consider replacing him. I do not think it's possible for that to happen within the course of the coming season.

That said, I do agree that Romo belongs on any list of NFL quarterbacks "on the spot," because few get more attention, and the longer he goes without delivering some playoff success (be it his fault or not), the more he squanders the opportunity to take control of the narrative about his own career. He might not care what people say about him now, but someday he will, and if these shadows remain unchanged (hat tip, Mr. Charles Dickens), the story of Romo's career will be that of promise unfulfilled, not that of an undrafted guy who exceeded expectations.

I've decided to compile a list of five players the Cowboys will face in 2012 who could give them fits. This doesn't include Eli Manning, the New York Giants receivers, Ray Lewis, Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, Atlanta's receivers, New Orleans' offense or Ben Roethlisberger. It's just five additional guys I see as troublemakers.

Here goes:

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Ben and Skin compare the 1992 Cowboys to the 2012 Cowboys. Position by position do the current Cowboys compare favorably to the team that was about to make the greatest run in franchise history? Listen

Cam Newton. You love the commercials. But you love his game more. He's got the size, speed and arm strength to test the Cowboys secondary. He won't be the Cowboys' biggest test in the 2012 season, but it will be interesting to see just where the secondary stands when facing Carolina on Oct. 21. The Cowboys might be coming into this game off of a loss because they take on Baltimore the previous week (more on that later), so a two-game losing streak is a strong possibility.

Andy Dalton. The former TCU standout proved last year he can play in this league. When the Cowboys visit Cincinnati on Dec. 9, they will take on the second-year quarterback who compiled a 78.1 quarterback rating but threw eight touchdowns and six interceptions in home games in 2011. NFL teams aren't waiting on quarterbacks to develop, they're playing them now and getting results. Dalton is another example of this.

Fred Davis. The Redskins tight end had seven catches in two games against the Cowboys last season. He's a threat to the linebackers and safeties who might cover him. Does Brodney Pool cover Davis? Gerald Sensabaugh? Anthony Spencer? Davis is athletic enough to provide matchup problems and with Robert Griffin III moving around the pocket, Davis becomes a target to find on the run.

Jason Pierre-Paul. The New York Giants defensive end is the new Cowboys killer. In two games last year, Pierre-Paul had 13 tackles, three sacks and a blocked field goal. The Cowboys couldn't contain this man. Last year, Doug Free had trouble with Pierre-Paul. Now, Tyron Smith gets his turn at one of the better young defensive players in the game.

Courtney Upshaw. Terrell Suggs' injury might keep him out for the Oct. 14 matchup between Baltimore and Dallas. If he's not available -- and it appears he won't be -- the rookie from Alabama will show the Cowboys what he can do. Jason Garrett saw him at Alabama's Pro Day. There's a thought that Upshaw is no different than Anthony Spencer in terms of skill set from the outside linebacker position. Early in the draft process, the Cowboys were linked to Upshaw as a mid-first round pick. But Upshaw dropped to the second round. We'll see what he can do against Dallas.

IRVING, Texas -- With two roster spots open the Cowboys will sign fullback Jamize Olawale and defensive lineman Ben Bass, who attended the team’s rookie minicamp following the draft on a tryout basis.

Olawale was a wide receiver at North Texas and was moved to fullback by the Cowboys entering the camp. He displayed an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and good feet as a ball carrier in limited touches.

Bass, a Plano native, played at Texas A&M, where he saw limited action. At 6-5, 295 pounds, he has good size for a defensive end.

The Cowboys have 90 players on the roster, including their seven unsigned draft picks. The team is hoping to sign its picks by mid-June after waiting nearly until the week before training camp to talk to the players’ agents in past years.

Rookies are back at Valley Ranch to take part in the offseason conditioning program with the veterans. On Tuesday and Thursday, the Cowboys will continue their on-field teaching sessions with the coaches. Safety Matt Johnson, a fourth-round pick, is not allowed to attend until Eastern Washington is out of school.

First-round pick Morris Claiborne (wrist) and fourth rounder Kyle Wilber (finger) will be able to rehab full-time with the Cowboys’ athletic training staff.

Recently the Dallas Cowboys brass has come under fire from the media and fans regarding the defense.

Sure, the defense finished 14th overall and allowed 64 plays of 20 or more yards. Oh yeah, the defense finished 23rd in the league against the pass, allowing 244.1 yards per game.

PODCAST
Ben and Skin compare the 1992 Cowboys to the 2012 Cowboys. Position by position do the current Cowboys compare favorably to the team that was about to make the greatest run in franchise history? Listen

But you forgot 2010?

The Cowboys allowed a franchise record 436 points. That defense, led by Wade Phillips and eventually by Paul Pasqualoni, after Phillips' firing, finished 23rd in total defense, allowing 351.8 yards per game.

That same defense had 20 interceptions, five more than the 2011 bunch that was supposedly better.

You can interpret the stats how you want, but it's interesting the Cowboys gave up just 89 fewer points last year than 2010, which some would say was one of the worst defensive seasons in Cowboys history.

The upgrades to the roster -- drafting Morris Claiborne in the first round, signing Brandon Carr, Brodney Pool and Dan Connor in free agency -- should help the defense.

Rob Ryan is among the many at Valley Ranch who believe the defense will be better in 2012 thanks to the roster additions and a full offseason where the Cowboys defensive coordinator can implement his scheme at a measured pace. In 2011, the lockout forced Ryan to rush the teachings of his defensive system once training camp began.

The Cowboys were a bad defense overall in 2010 and you could also say it was bad in 2011. The moves the Cowboys made, whether it was releasing veterans such as Terence Newman or not re-signing Bradie James and Keith Brooking, are a sign youth and upgraded talent is important right now.

FRISCO, Texas – The '90s Cowboys, headlined by the Triplets, had plenty of glitz and glamour. But grit was a key ingredient in those Dallas teams developing into one of the best dynasties in NFL history.

That’s how the 1992 Cowboys remembered that team during a 20-year reunion for that Super Bowl title team, an event organized by Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith to benefit his children’s charity.

“Very talented of course, but it was a bunch of hard-working individuals,” said Russell Maryland, a No. 1 overall pick out of Miami who was part of a deep defensive line rotation. “We really came together for that purpose of winning football games.”

Smith, quarterback Troy Aikman and receiver Michael Irvin, the poster boys on those teams, already have busts in Canton. Defensive end Charles Haley probably will soon, and there are other Hall of Fame candidates from that roster.

But talent didn’t define that dynasty, the old Cowboys say.

“We had really, really good players, and in ’92 a lot of those guys were year four to six, kind of right in your prime,” former Pro Bowl fullback Daryl “Moose” Johnston said. “But to me, what made the team unique was the chemistry and camaraderie. A lot of people talk about the football team being your second family and you create a lot of analogies like that, but it’s really hard to actually create that feeling, that chemistry in the locker room. Jimmy and his staff did a really good job with that. …

“I just think that when we got into tough times, we knew each other so well, we had each other’s backs. We had a tremendous amount of respect for each other. It’s hard to create that. I think that if you were to go back and talk to players from the 49ers from the ‘80s, Steelers from the ‘70s, Packers from the ‘60s, you’ll find a lot of the same things that we talk about with our ’92 team.”

So John Clayton has this piece on the 10 best position battles brewing this summer between rookies and veterans in the NFL. I scrolled through it, thinking it would provide me with some material for a late-Friday afternoon post, and to my shock and dismay there wasn't one NFC East mention in the whole thing. Come on, John! Help a guy out, will ya?

Anyway, it got me thinking: There must be some interesting position battles to keep an eye on throughout the offseason and training camps in our division, right? I mean, some situations where things aren't yet set in stone? There are, and here's one for each team.

Dallas Cowboys' inside linebackers: Sean Lee is set at one of these spots, but the other will be interesting to watch. The team drafted Bruce Carter in the second round in 2011, and they believe he's part of their future on defense. But he was coming off an injury when they drafted him and played in just 10 games as a rookie, and they can't be sure he'll be ready to hold down a starter's spot full-time in 2012. So they went out on the free-agent market and signed Dan Connor, formerly of the Carolina Panthers, to start next to Lee while Carter continues to acclimate himself to the pro game. The interesting aspect of this will be how good Carter looks in training camp and whether he can play well enough to demand to take reps and snaps away from Connor. The veteran, Connor, will start with the job, but Carter is the future there, and it's just a question of when he's ready.

New York Giants running backs: Ahmad Bradshaw is the unquestioned veteran starter, but he doesn't come without questions. Foot injuries have limited him over the past several seasons, and his good friend and veteran safety net, Brandon Jacobs, is off to San Francisco to play for the 49ers. Assuming Bradshaw won't be able to make it through the season fully healthy on a starter's workload, there are going to be plenty of snaps to go around. The question is how many of those snaps first-round pick David Wilson can steal from holdover youngsters like D.J. Ware, Da'Rel Scott and Andre Brown (who's suspended for the first four games for drugs).

Philadelphia Eagles safeties: The team wants Nate Allen and Jaiquawn Jarrett, its second-round picks from the 2010 and 2011 drafts, respectively, to be the starters. Of the two, they're more confident about Allen, who's had some injury issues but played well when healthy last season. They have him penciled in as a starter. Whether Jarrett can fight off Kurt Coleman for the other starting spot is one of the training-camp questions the Eagles will face. It's also possible they'll add a free-agent veteran to the mix, but they'd rather get the production they need from their young guys if they can.

Washington Redskins secondary: There are currently 15 defensive backs listed on the Redskins' roster, and it's safe to assume they can't all make the team. The question is which of them will play. Josh Wilson and DeAngelo Hall would appear to be set as the starting cornerbacks, but the team did sign free agent Cedric Griffin, and intriguing undrafted free-agent cornerback Chase Minnifield will be a name to watch in the summer. The more interesting questions are at safety, where the Redskins lost starters LaRon Landry and O.J. Atowge and things are wide open. The guy they like the best for the future is 2011 draft pick DeJon Gomes, but while they view him as a starter at some point, they don't know yet whether that point is this year. Their free-agent safety signing list is a fascinating one, including Brandon Meriweather, Madieu Williams and Tanard Jackson, any of whom c0uld emerge as a starter. Griffin also might have been brought in with an eye toward playing him at safety, and Reed Doughty was a valuable injury fill-in last season and could get a shot at more playing time in this crowded field. The Redskins appear to be installing an all-out competition for safety roles, and from here it's impossible to know who will play well enough to nail them down.

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- It’s a question that has been asked a lot since the Cowboys faded into playoff spectators last season: Do you still believe in Rob Ryan?

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“Rob’s skills, the thing that he brings to the table, are easily bought into,” Jerry Jones replied. “We did, we have and we continue to buy into those.”

Why would the Cowboys have changed their mind about the defensive coordinator they hired a year ago? The Dallas defense made a drastic improvement in Ryan’s first season, advancing from awful to mediocre.

It’s silly to make Ryan the scapegoat for an 8-8 season. His unit ranked 16th in scoring defense. The Cowboys ranked 15th in scoring offense. This was simply an all-around mediocre team.

The biggest mistake Ryan made was constantly opening his big mouth to brag about what great talent he was coaching. That was all a bunch of bull, perhaps intended to inflate confidence.

All it did was artificially inflate expectations.

If you listen to Ryan, it was all his fault that Dallas’ defense didn’t live up to expectations. He skipped English 101 -- how many four-letter words are taught in that class? -- and threw too much, too fast at his players without an offseason to implement the complicated schemes. He’s vowed to go with a slower approach this season.

Just remember, Wade Phillips’ scheme was too simple in his last half season with the Cowboys. The same scheme seemed to work pretty well in Houston last season, huh?

The front office made it clear this offseason that Ryan was handcuffed by over-the-hill, inadequate talent. That’s why the Cowboys paid $50 million for cornerback Brandon Carr, packaged their first two picks for cornerback Morris Claiborne to headline a defense-loaded draft class and signed potential starters at safety and inside linebacker in free agency.

Ryan shouldn’t have to go with smoke and mirrors all the time this season. He should have personnel good enough to win without a lot of gimmicks.

It’s on Ryan to find the fine line between being too smart for his own good and not creative enough with his calls.

“Where I’m coming from there is, it just isn’t about personnel at all, but it is also about education, how well those players understand the scheme and also a real good coaching job on how much to give those players so that they can go out there and perform instinctively,” Jones said. “That’s all a mouthful, but I’ve got a lot of confidence in Rob Ryan and the defense and the defense we’ll have.

“You want to get all of Rob you can possibly get and his philosophy, but it’s a little like (Tony) Romo. You want to basically get it in a way that it’s sound and wins ballgames. Some of the things he wants to do -- bring it -- we want to do. That’s why we went to the defense.”

They spent the offseason upgrading the defense, giving Ryan a realistic shot to back up his bold words.

Is Ryan really the great defensive coordinator he claims to be? We’ll find out this season. It’s foolish to judge him after one season in which he was handcuffed by poor personnel.

Doug Free has turned from rookie to the Cowboys offensive line's senior member in just a few years.

Free will start at right tackle when the Cowboys open the season at the New York Giants on Sept. 5, marking the third consecutive year he will start somewhere on Dallas' offensive line.

This is Free's sixth NFL season, and he's already the old man of the group. He's 28, but his tenure with the Cowboys is longer than any current member of an offensive line that includes young players such as center Phil Costa, guard/center Kevin Kowalski and tackle Tyron Smith.

The Cowboys also added Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau to the offensive line in free agency, and they have a combined eight years of NFL experience.

"Getting up there in age, I guess," Free joked. "Livings has a lot of years on him, he's also a veteran type."

Free learned the NFL game watching tackles Flozell Adams and Marc Colombo and center Andre Gurode and guard Kyle Koiser. All of these players are gone now, with Colombo having a retirement ceremony at Valley Ranch two weeks ago.

"You learn a lot from those guys," Free said. "You know, give them a chance to come in here especially with all the veteran guys, I had a chance to play with and stuff. Just learning their techniques and how they handle situations how they work, a lot of great workers I played after."

The offensive line has seen massive change this offseason from the retirement of line coach Hudson Houck, the release of Kosier and the addition of two new guards.

Bill Callahan replaced Houck, and Livings and Bernadeau are projected starters at guard. Free is making a change himself. After playing last season at left tackle, he's moving back to right tackle, a spot that gave him his big break in 2010.

"(There's) always a bit of transition anytime you go to a different side," Free said. "It's manly thinking everything different, doing everything opposite and getting settled over there and getting used to how things are called and instead of being on one side your on the other. It's flipping things in your head, having this time to get ready for it is definitely going to be positive."