Yahoo reports that Bryant Gumbel and the NFL Network will part ways with Gumbel giving up his play-by-play duties on the network.

And it’s about damn time!  It was quite obvious within only a few games that Bryant Gumbel was such a bad announcer that he was making the Monday Night Football crew almost bearrable.

I can still remember him calling Tony Romo about every name in the book *besides* Tony Romo.  Nick Romo?  Tom Romo? Who the heck is that quarterback!

And have we heard a more boring and grating voice on television?

I think we can all breath a collective sigh of relief.  Of course, knowing the NFL Channel, they’ll probably replace him with Dennis Miller.

When asked about the chances of signing Chris Henry, the troubled wide receiver recently cut from the Bengals, Jerry Jones said, “Unlikely, unlikely, just because of what we’re doing at wide receiver.  Just the nature of it, but it’s unlikely.”

His answer makes sense if you think about it.   At cornerback, we don’t have much standing behind Terence Newman and Anthony Henry.   Even if we traded for Pacman, we would still be looking for an additional corner — both as an insurance policy and to fill out the roster.

Wide receiver is another popular position of speculation when people look at who Dallas might draft in the first round.  In fact, it is often listed as a position of ‘need’.   But Dallas has Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn and Patrick Crayton.  The only question mark there is Glenn who much come back from a season of knee injuries, but it is unlikely Dallas will cut him.    They also have Sam Hurd.  He’s looked very promising, so I don’t see him going anywhere.   And there’s also Isaiah Stanback.   I think the Cowboys want to devote more than one year to turning him from a quarterback into a wide receiver.   And then there is Miles Austin who showed that he could be a solid kick returner and showed a little something as a receiver.

That’s six, folks.  Any wide receiver — whether we get them through a trade or the draft — is going to push one of those people off the roster.

So, when you hear the Cowboys having a ‘need’ at WR, take it with a grain of salt.  There isn’t any true need.  The Cowboys would simply like to (1) take out an insurance policy on Glenn in case he is unable to make it back and (2) start getting younger at the position.

The Cowboys are certainly very interested in a top wide receiver prospect.   Hey, just because you are comfortable with a position doesn’t mean you don’t want to upgrade it.  But I wouldn’t bump any of those wide receivers to gamble on Chris Henry.

Well, it certainly looked like the Pacman trade was imminent early last week, but things have stalled out.   Unless something has changed recently, the Titans are stuck on a multiple draft picks in the 2008 draft, while Dallas would rather one draft pick in the 2009 draft that could be voided if Pacman doesn’t get on the field enough.

Here’s to hoping Jerry Jones sticks to his guns and doesn’t take a gamble.  Let’s face it, there ain’t too many teams lining up to give up draft picks this year for a player who might not even play a down.   Might as well wait until after the draft and see what tune the Titans begin playing.

Personally, while I love the talent he brings, I’d be fine if this deal falls through.   He wasn’t exactly a great teammate over in Tennessee — his ego getting in the way of his fellow players — and that is something the Cowboys probably don’t need.

But, at the right price (i.e. cheap), I could see taking the gamble.

If nothing happens before the draft, expect the Cowboys to take a cornerback in the first or second round.  They are in desperate need of getting someone to bring in during nickle situations.  In fact, if the Pacman deal falls through, expect at least one cornerback on day one of the draft and at least one more on day two.

It seems that keeping up with Cowboys news these days is more of an issue of staying awake than anything else.  We had the excitement of a possible Pacman signing this week — still expecting news of that this week — but this offseason has been a real snoozefest for the most part.

And, hey, that’s a good thing.  If they do nothing more than bring back the same basic team as last year, I’ll be happy.   Let’s face it, they were really good last year even without Terry Glenn for the vast majority of the season.

But it sure would be nice to make a little splash.   And maybe that will happen.  Mickey  Spagnola writes about the possibility of trading for a veteren wide receiver.   Now, I’m not completely sold on giving up a first round draft choice unless we get a Chad Johnson or Roy Williams, but a nice upgrade at receiver would be nice.

Though that wouldn’t solve our age issue.  Still need to get younger.   Bring in a 30+ year old veteran and we still might be keeping an eye on receivers during the draft.

But, with the Pacman signing, we should enter the draft with a lot of flexibility.  Yeah, we need a running back, but he doesn’t have to be a first or even second round pick.  We need someone with some talent that can get on the field and make some things happen, but we don’t need a starter, so we can be flexible with when we pick up a running back.   (Also, don’t be surprised if we grab two.)

We’ll also still need a cornerback.  I wouldn’t rest all my eggs in Pacman’s basket, so we need to be covered there.  But, again, not a deep need for a first round pick.

And, whether or not we get a veteran receiver, we don’t absolutely need to spend a first rounder there.

Flexibility.  That’s what the Cowboys will have going into the draft.  That flexibility could lead to packaging those picks and moving up should a certain running back fall.   It could also mean trading one of them back into the second round for more picks next year.   But, mainly, it means looking for talented players.

And that’s what we need.  We’re not drafting starters here, after all.  We’re drafting future starters, so the smart money is on grabbing some talent and stocking up for the future.  Sure, we want a wide receiver in there, and we have to get a running back at some time, but the order in which we take them doesn’t need to be forced.   No reaching at the end of April.  Just grab the one with the talent.

From all reports, the Pacman deal is going to happen.  Right now, it is only a matter of hammering out the details, but Pacman should be in a Cowboys uniform come the start of the 2008 season — at least, if he’s in any uniform at all.   There’s no guarantee that the commissioner won’t keep him suspended through part of 2008.

That said, the pickup does change the way the Cowboys can look at the draft by taking away the pressing need we had at cornerback.   With only two cornerbacks with any real experience on the roster, we would need to look at taking a cornerback early — teams need three solid corners.   And, while I still think it is important to grab a cornerback just in case Pacman doesn’t work out quite so well, the need isn’t as pressing with him on the roster.

This really clears the way for the Cowboys to do something they haven’t done much of lately: draft offense.

Since Emmitt Smith was chosen in 1990, there have only been two players chosen on offense with a first round pick:  Alvin Harper in 1991 and David David LaFleur  in 1997.     But, you can lay down a solid bet that 2008 will put an end to that streak.  With two first round picks, at least one of them, and possibly both will be used on offense.

Running back comes to mind first.  With the departure of Julius Jones, the Cowboys will be looking for someone to spell Marion Barber and possibly take  away his third down duties.  Many fans are looking for a trade to grab McFadden, but that would probably only happen if the Raiders pass on him.  (And I wouldn’t put it past Al Davis to do anything — he’s been mighty unpredictable lately).    There are also some other good runningbacks out there like Felix Jones and Chris Johnson.

The Cowboys might also look to wide receiver.  Glenn’s injuries last year is sure to have put as much worry into the Cowboys staff as it has put into Cowboys fans.  While Crayton was solid as a replacement, he couldn’t truly replace Glenn’s ability to stretch the field.

The Cowboys do have Isaiah Stanback, and Sam Hurd and Miles Austin both show some potential.   So, if you are counting, that gives the Cowboys 6 receivers and it is very doubtful they would go into next year with 7 on the roster, so a high round draft pick this year would end up leaving someone out.

That someone would likely be Austin or Stanback.  I can’t see them letting go Sam Hurd.  But it would mainly come down to a matter of competition: who’s going to lose their spot in training camp and preseason.

And, for the Cowboys, it certainly doesn’t do them any harm to upgrade at the position, so I wouldn’t be surprised at a first day or even first round pickup at wide receiver.

The nice thing about the draft is that, with Pacman, Dallas really only has one major pressing need: running back.  They certainly can’t go into the season without signing someone to spell Barber, and don’t be surprised if they end up grabbing two in the draft.

Other than that, they can look for talent.

It’s a common story: disgruntled and/or troubled star player linked with team, the rumor mill swirls, the rumor picks up steam, the star player comes into town for a radio interview with a former player, and then the announcement comes that he has been signed.

Okay, perhaps it isn’t a common story, but I get the feeling that is how this story is going to end. I can’t say that I am looking forward to it either. No doubt, Pacman is a terrific player. But the chances are good that he won’t be able to make it through a whole season without getting into trouble.

But, before I harp too much on Pacman, let’s give the guy some credit. He’s pretty good. I wouldn’t trade Newman for him, but Pacman is pretty close on that list. He’s a playmaker, and he can contribute as a punt returner as well as a cornerback.

In a league where lining up with three or four wide receivers is becoming more and more popular, being able to defend it with Newman, Pacman and Henry is a pretty good deal.

But here’s where the other shoe drops: You go into the season depending on Pacman, and he gets into a fight at a strip club in week one, then BOOM, who do you have as that third cornerback? That’s an important position in this league. You don’t want a second year 7th round draft choice being forced into that position unless he’s really ready.

The only way I see this deal being good for the Cowboys is if (1) they don’t give up much to the Titans to get him — certainly not a day one draft pick — and (2) they go ahead and draft a cornerback on that first day just in case the Pacman deal implodes.

In other words: The Cowboys better cover their butt.

I’ve put up a new poll about draft needs.   You can only choose one answer in this poll, so you need to go with what you think the most pressing need for the Cowboys is.

Also, I didn’t include every position group.  I think we’re pretty set at linebacker and tight end, but if you really think that is where we should target our first pick for then go ahead and choose ‘other’.

Somehow, I think most of you agree that we don’t need yet another linebacker. 

Earlier this week, I was talking to my friend who was letting me know about Chad Johnson’s rant on becoming a Cowboy. Hey, if there wasn’t such a thing as the salary cap, I’d bee all for it. I’d love for them to work it out in such a way that we could sign him, sign Barber up to a long term deal, sign two first round draft choices, and still not be setting ourselves up for cap hell in the future. No doubt, T.O. and Eighty-Five could be a dynamic duo to rival any in the NFL.

And then, there’s all the news about Pacman. Let me see if I get this straight: Pacman’s agent lets loose that Dallas might be in talks with Tennessee, starting a nice snowball of a rumor that Pacman will be a Cowboy. Dunno about all that. I wouldn’t put it past an agent to start a rumor just to try and get something going for his client.

As for Pacman, I suppose I’d be willing to risk the veteran minimum on him on a one year deal. But I’d hate to see the Cowboys throw anything more at a player that might not make it a full season before he’s suspended again. And I don’t trust that Pacman has learned to stay away from the titty bars quite yet.

All is still quiet on the Cowboys front, but they’ve let slip why they’ve been so quiet: They are looking to the near future when they’ll need to secure new deals for Terence Newman and DeMarcus Ware. Both guys are going to command a healthy sum of cash-dollars, and both are quite worth it.

But, back to guys that could be in a Cowboys uniform next season. I’m with the Dallas Morning News on this one: Draft Chris Johnson.

This guy gives a new meaning to the word ’speed’. And, it’s not all just running really fast. He makes cuts on a dime and keeps at full speed. He’s also a kick returner, so can make an immediate impact, and would be a great change-of-pace compliment to Barber. A risk? Sure. But a good risk to take in my opinion.

Here’s the clip in case you haven’t seen it yet:

The Cowboys have been quiet this offseason.  Thus far, they have lost three players — Julius Jones, Jacques Reeves and Keith Davis — and signed only one — Zack Thomas.

Of the three players signing with other teams, two were predominantly special teams players.  And while Jones was the starter for the entire regular season, his playing time gave way to Marion Barber III, and it was unlikely he would have still been the starter next year.

What they have done is resign players — Flozell Adams being the big signing, with the franchise tag given to Ken Hamlin and high tender offers to restricted free agents Marion Barber and Chris Canty.

This is the right strategy for a team that went 13-3 last year and holds two first round picks in the draft.   There have been two things that have become extremely overpriced in the NFL: High-first-round draft choices and free agents taken in the first couple of weeks of free agency.   In those cases, the dollar figures are just out of whack with what you get.

As a team that posted the best record in their conference last year, the main order of business has to be resigning your own players.  In other words — bring back that 13-3 team. With two first rounders, the Cowboys should be able to find the help they need to shore up depth at a couple of positions — and find that back to spell Marion — in the draft or later in free agency.

But the main thing is brining back that core team that did so well last year.  That’s our best shot at success this coming year.

As a side note, Micky Spagnola has a nice writeup on Julius Jones.   It’s worth checking out.

With Julius’s departure to Seattle, the way is cleared for Marion “the Barbarian” to be the feature back for the Cowboys. And as much as I liked Julius, the Cowboys should be better off without him so long as that means more carries for Marion.

Certainly, we’ll be looking for an other back in free agency or the draft. You definitely need two solid backs in the NFL these days. And while Marion may not be as explosive of a back in terms of raw speed, he does provide his own type of explosion. Put simply, Marion plays running back like a linebacker — he’s always looking to blow someone up.

So, to give him his due, enjoy this video: