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.

It wouldn’t be an offseason if there weren’t a whole lot of trade rumors circling around about the Cowboys. Heck, the way I hear it we are getting Randy Moss, DeAngelo Hall and Darren McFadden. Sounds good, except we’ll have to figure out how to pay everyone!

For those still dreaming about Darren McFadden — and I don’t blame you, a powerful running back with shutdown cornerback speed would be nice — here’s an idea of what it would take to move up and grab him.

Let’s say the Cowboys are willing to package their two first rounders to move up. Where does that take them? The 22nd and 28th picks are worth a combined 1,440 points. That would move them to the 8th overall pick. They could add a 4th and a 6th to that and get to 1,502, which would be enough to get the 7th overall pick.

But, chances say, McFadden is going to be long gone by then. So, we package up both 1sts and a 2nd to get 1,740 points which is enough to move to 5th on the chart and get their 5th rounder back. Or, we could add our 4th and 6th to move up to number 4 overall.

Top Three? It’s going to take either a player or future draft picks because the Cowboys can’t break 2,000 points even if they package up their entire draft, and the number three overall is 2,200 points.

Though, I do think if the Cowboys were offering their entire draft, those teams would forget the chart and quickly take them up on it.

The realistic scenario is that it will take both first rounders, a second, and possibly a fourth and a sixth to move up to get McFadden IF he falls a little.

As for packaging a player, Bobby Carpenter comes to mind. He couldn’t break the starting lineup before we got Zack Thomas, so it is doubtful he gets on the field much now. And he’s a former first round pick. And he might be a “Parcells guy.”

But, in the end, I think packaging up a player or two and some draft picks to grab a running back is definitely reaching when (1) you have a pro bowl running back on your roster and (2) you can get a pretty good running back by standing still.

If one of the top three wanted to do a little bit more realistic trade, or were interested in a Bobby Carpenter or a Marcus Spears — guys that might not be resigned when their number is up — then I can see entertaining a trade. But I’d hate to lose both first rounders, the second rounder and more just to get one guy.