Well, okay, Pacman will arrive in Dallas if and when the commish gives him the thumbs up.   The terms of the deal:  Dallas gives Tennessee a fourth round pick in this draft and an additional sixth round pick in the 2009 draft if Pacman steps on the field this year.  If he doesn’t, Dallas gets Tennessee’s fourth round pick in 2009.

(Correct me if I am wrong on those details — I’m doing it from memory.)

Good deal?

I think so.  Essentially, what you need to ask yourself is if a cornerback who is in the top 10 and probably top 5 of his position in the NFL is worth a fourth round pick for one year of service.   Because, lets face it, we can’t count on him for much more than a year.   If he turns his life around and becomes a great and outstanding fellow, that’s great, but we can’t count on it.

Is it worth it?  If Dallas was still that 5-11 team that was in dire need of long term talent, I’d say no.  But Dallas is a championship caliber team, so a fourth round pick (who would no doubt have to fight to even be a backup) is well worth adding an excellent player for a year in the hopes that the boost will be enough to get you into a Super Bowl.

Because its Super Bowl or Bust, right?  I mean, is anyone going to be happy with just going to the NFC Championship game this year?  With this type of talent on the team?

It’s a small window we have.  It’s hard to count on Glenn for this year, but if he does play and play well, it’s probably his last year.   And Owens isn’t getting any younger.  And our young stars are going  to want paydays, which means we could lose some.  Heck, we could even lose our superstar offensive coordinator.

It’s a good time to take a gamble — so long as that gamble is just a fourth rounder.

And is it me, or is it eerie that last year New England took a ‘gamble’ on a fourth rounder to get a little old receiver named Randy Moss who was supposed to be ‘washed up’ and ‘not the same Randy’?

Now, here’s the downside of the deal.  And no, I’m not talking about the risk of spending a fourth rounder for a guy that might play two games and then get suspended, or for a guy who might be out-of-shape and not make it back to form (if there’s one thing I am confident on is that he’ll come to camp in shape — he’s supposed to be almost as much into working out as T.O.).

No, here’s the real downside:  Personality.  Pacman came into the league pretty full of himself and didn’t endear himself to his teammates in Tennessee.  Has he changed?  Who knows.   But it’s not particularly something I’d want in my locker room.

Though, I must say, T.O. has been a model citizen ever since being here.   Wade Phillips might be just what Pacman needs.

Those are two teams I am keeping an eye on for the next couple of days.

For the Titans, it is because of talks with Julius Jones.  I already like watching the Titans because of Vince Young.   Heck, I liked them before V.Y. — I was a Houston Oilers fan growing up.   And, I’ve always like Julius.  I think it is the right decision for the Cowboys to feature The Barbarian next year, but I wish Julius all the luck in finding a prominent role on a new team.

And, if he should sign with the Titans — and I think that it would be a great fit for him — it gives me all the reason to catch Titans games when I can.

As for the Cardinals, I am simply keeping an eye on the Larry Fitzgerald situation.  As you can tell, the Cowboys haven’t exactly made a splash in free agency.  And that’s been a good thing for the most part — we’ve seen some mid-tier level players getting way overpaid.   But that doesn’t mean the Cowboys can’t make some moves, and wide receiver is one of the position we need.

The Cardinals will be hard-pressed to keep Fitzgerald on the roster without a new contract to lessen his salary cap hit, and thus far, contract talks have stalled.   With the Cowboys having two first round picks, this gives them a little flexibility.

Remember, Fitzgerald is only twenty-four.   He’s got a lot of years left.  And the Cowboys might not have to use two number ones to get him.  They could package up another pick, or perhaps a player like Bobby Carpenter who may have become expendable with the signing of Zack Thomas.

Anyway, it is a long shot, of course, but not completely out of the ballpark.   And, you have to admit, a Larry Fitzgerald running routes opposite of Terrell Owens does have some Wow factor to it.

It’s still pretty quiet over at Valley Ranch. The calm before the storm? Probably not. This was a lackluster free agency to begin with, and most of the big names have already signed. About the only big splash the Cowboys could make at this point was arranging a trade to move up in the draft, and that’s probably something that would happen on draft day — if at all.

There are a few interesting free agents still available, Warrick Dunn being one of them. And the Dallas Morning News reports he is interested. Personally, I’d rather have Tatum Bell or Julius Jones, but if the price is right, Dunn could be a good pick up as an insurance policy. Though, if we did go with Dunn, we’d better be planning on spending one of those day one picks on a running back. At age 33, he is old by running back standards, and his 3.2 yards per carry average last year wasn’t exactly impressive — though Atlanta did stink it up pretty bad in all phases of the game.

Those hoping to see a Terrell Owens/Randy Moss combo here in Dallas were no doubt disappointed yesterday when Moss re-signed with the Pats. Previous to last year, I would have been horrified at the notion of Moss and Owens on the Cowboys — both are known for distractions and big egos — but the combination of Wade Phillips at head coach and Tony Romo at quarterback have been enough to make Owens look like a choir boy, so the Moss/Owens combo almost seemed doable.

In the end, I think it’s good that he resigned with the Pats. For one, if the Cowboys weren’t going to get him, I didn’t want any other NFC team to have him. For two, I think it will be interesting to see what the Pats can do next year with their two star receivers still on the team. Will they be just as dominant? Or have teams finally figured out that you have to knock Brady on his butt even if it means not leaving as many people to cover Moss?

Last, but not least, the original Tony Romo is retiring. Or, at least Yahoo is reporting Favre’s retirement. It wouldn’t be the first premature announcement of a retirement, but I think this one will stick.

As much as I rooted against him in the 90’s when the Packers tried to stand in the Cowboys way of a few Super Bowls, Favre has been very fun to watch throughout his career.

Outside of a little whispering, the Cowboys have been pretty quiet thus far in free agency. They are getting a few mentions as one of the teams that might be interested in Randy Moss, and their interest in Javon Walker is well known, but other than that, it’s pretty quiet.

They seem to be making more noise with Cowboys that sign with other teams than their own signings. Jacques Reeves signed a big deal with the Houston Texans. I have to agree with Trip over at Bleeding Blue and Silver, this is just way too much money for a cornerback who will be an iffy starter in the league and is probably more of a backup or nickle guy.

Now I can see why the Cowboys let him go. I’d have liked to have kept him — at a far lower cost — just as an insurance policy. You need three solid corners in this league, and the Cowboys only have two proven corners on their roster right now.

Perhaps there is a Ty Law in their future?

We need some type of insurance policy. Obviously, drafting a corner on the first day would be on my list of priorities, but it’s best to cover your bases with a veteran just in case the rookie needs a year before he’s ready.

It didn’t take long for the Eagles to improve their team through free agency. No sooner had the first day arrived than they snatched up what many consider the best free agent out of a lackluster group: Asante Samuel.

Samuel has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league for the past few years, recording an NFL high 16 interceptions in the last two years. But he should have his hands full next year trying to cover Terrell Owens for two games.

As for the Cowboys, they made their splash the day before free agency started by resigning Flozell Adams. Adams’ resigning will ensure that Dallas’s offensive line will remain consistent.

The Cowboys made two significant moves this week in franchising safety Ken Hamlin and signing linebacker Zack Thomas to a one year 3 million dollar deal.

The Hamlin move was expected and was the smart, conservative move by the Cowboys. Remember, just a year ago, Hamlin was a cast off. He had a great year last year, but the franchise tag lets the Cowboys see if he’s a one-year wonder and gives them another year eyeballing Patrick Watkins to see if he can turn into a starting free safety.

The Zack Thomas was a little more surprising, but not terribly so since the rumors had been that he would sign with Dallas ever since his release from Miami. This deal looks like it has more to do with adding Thomas’s brain and personality than his playmaking ability. Not that Thomas can’t make plays, but the Cowboys have solid linebackers and two great ones in Ware and Ellis, so they aren’t in desperate need of playmaking. But, having an experienced veteran could give the front seven some extra leadership.

But, more happened than just the signings. The Patriots have decided not to franchise Moss, and it looks probably that Daunte Stallworth will hit the open market. The Cowboys could sure use a free agent wide receiver considering that Glenn may have played his last down of football. And not just any free agent, but one that can take some heat off of Terrell Owens.

The dream signing would be Larry Fitzgerald or Roy Williams. There are rumors about both that they might not be back with their respective teams — though why anyone would let a Roy Williams go is beyond me.

Also, the lack of a new contract for Adams is something to keep an eye on. I think it would be a wrong move to let him go test free agency thinking that Leonard Davis can fill in for him.

Free agency will officially begin in a few weeks, and it’s that time of year where some teams go out and try to make headlines while other teams go bargain-hunting.

I used to pay no attention to the off-season, but about eight years ago I started poring over the sports news daily for any word from the Cowboys. What I found was that the off-season, while not quite as exciting as the regular season, had its moments. It can be great fun to study what the Cowboys need, who’s out there, who they might get, and then watch the moves unfold.

But before looking to the outside, you have to look to your own house. The Cowboys have a number of key players who are free agents, so they’ll need to sign some of their own players before looking for a big name in free agency.

Cowboys Restricted Free Agents

Marion Barber III. Barber is a no-brainer to resign, the question is when. The Cowboys can put the highest tender offer on him in which case it would take a first and a third rounder for another team to sign him. They could wait on a big deal and see what kind of trade offers come down the pipe for him. Or they could lock him up to a big deal. I’m voting with that last one: Unless someone really gives the Cowboys a great deal, they are going to lock him up to a 4-5 year contract.

Chris Canty. This is another easy one. Chris Canty is a huge asset to the defensive line, and I mean huge. The guy makes Flozell Adams look like he’s been on a diet, and Canty can move that size around pretty good. The Cowboys are going to keep their hands on their steal of the 2006 draft.

L.P Ladouceur. Long-snapper is a position that the Cowboys just don’t want to be looking for. Teams tend to hold onto them when they find a good one, and bad things happen when they don’t. They Cowboys won’t mess with karma by giving up theirs.

Tyson Thompson. I expect a resign here. I also expect something above the minimum qualifying offer to make a team pay a bit in draft picks if they are interested in Thompson. After all, his ability to return kicks grants him some value. And, for Dallas — who may lose Julius Jones — keeping Thompson is a smart idea unless they pick up a decent running back in free agency or the draft.

Nate Jones. Minimum qualifying offer and probably resign him to a minimum one-year deal. He’ll be a bubble player in training camp and will either show something or not make the team.

Joe Berger. Same with Jones, though I’d give him better odds to make the team. Still, he’ll need to show something in training camp, and hope a younger player doesn’t impress.

Cowboys Unrestricted Free Agents

Flozell Adams. Lock him up before free agency begins. At least, I’m hoping that is Dallas’s strategy. Jerry Jones can sometimes pick funny times to look for bargains, and we all know that he views Leonard Davis as a possible replacement for Adams. But Davis proved himself a good guard last year — he hasn’t proven himself a good left tackle. And, love him or hate him for all those false start penalties, Flozell Adams is a proven commodity at the position that protects Tony Romo’s blindside. Resign. Resign. Resign.

Ken Hamlin. This will be an interesting one. It might come down to a matter of salary cap room. The Cowboys are known for not valuing free safeties as much as other positions. And they are still high on Pat Watkins who has the size and speed to make a great free safety if he can get raise his ball hawking skills. But Hamlin made a lot of nice plays and proved he could be the leader of the secondary. That’s a lot of value.

Julius Jones. I admit, I’ll be a little sad to see Julius go. He flashed some great potential that first year. And it seemed that he had some bad luck this year with several good runs getting called back because of penalties. But, in the end, he simply wasn’t as good as Marion Barber III. I’d love to have him as that second back, but I don’t think he would accept the pay cut. The real question becomes whether or not anyone else is willing to pay him.

Keith Davis. Davis is another interesting dilemma. He’s a solid backup to Roy Williams. He’s a fantastic special teams player. But, he’s also expendable because he is just a role player. I have a feeling he’s going to be in a Cowboys uniform next year, but don’t expect a quick resign.

Jacques Reeves. Reeves goes a little bit beyond an interesting dilemma. He started 13 games due to injuries to Newman and Henry, and while he didn’t turn any heads, he wasn’t that bad either. Certainly, he got picked on a number of times during the year, but no one is saying he’s better than Henry, and teams tend to avoid Newman. If Dallas had anything with promise behind him this might be different, but I can’t see letting him go unless he can be replaced by a solid player in free agency or if we are willing to use one of those first rounders on a cornerback.