FanHouse SamHurd

Matt Jones has been out of work for three days now, but rangy wide receivers who can run -- even the mediocre, seemingly apathetic ones -- are forever at a premium. And that probably means he won't be jobless for long.

The New York Daily News' Bob Glauber writes that the Jets and Cowboys -- two teams in need of big-play threats -- could be interested in Jones' services. It sounds like nothing more than speculation at this point, but the Jets gave Laveranues Coles his release earlier this month, and they don't have a legit No. 1 wideout currently on the roster. They also don't have a legit No. 1 quarterback, so maybe it doesn't matter.

Just because the Terrell Owens era is over in Dallas doesn't mean we're finished talking about it. In fact, depending on how the 2009 season unfolds for the Cowboys, we could be hearing about T.O. for a while. Good times.

Owner and self-appointed team spokesman Jerry Jones commented last week that releasing Owens made the offense "Romo-friendly." Not only that, Jones is apparently under the impression that the wide receivers currently on the roster are more than adequate. Via the Dallas Morning News' Tim Cowlishaw:

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

You could use just about every adjective for "crazy" to describe the '08 Dallas Cowboys. At the beginning of the year, they were expected to produce, but never did. Quarterback Tony Romo struggled with injury issues and the ability to step up in big games. They still had a chance to advance to the playoffs but couldn't take down Donovan McNabb and company in the last week of the season. Oh, and Adam "Pacman" Jones and Terrell Owens were as psycho as ever. A lot needs to change in Dallas during the offseason to make the Cowboys a contender in their new stadium.

Raise your hand if you didn't see this coming. I'm not seeing many hands raised. Ed Werder, resident Cowboy's expert at ESPN, has a rather incredible article on Thursday talking about a potential conflict that is on the verge of consuming us all. I hope you're ready for it. I'm already going to the store to stock up on bread and toilet paper.

Apparently, Terrell Owens, always with a sunny disposition and rosy outlook on life, is growing jealous of the relationship and friendship that is shared by Dallas quarterback Tony Romo, and tight end Jason Witten.

Seriously.

I have to assume this is true, simply because it's so crazy that you couldn't possibly make it up. Plus, it sounds like vintage Owens behavior. Linebacker Bradie James is quoted in Werder's piece as saying he "plays peacemaker" between Owens and Romo, while a second, unnamed player takes it a couple of steps further, comparing this situation to the apocalyptic -- in a football sense -- situations that Owens created in San Francisco and Philadelphia. And we all know how that ended.

When news today hit that Dallas quarterback and fantasy superstar Tony Romo would be sidelined four weeks with a broken pinkie finger, many people made that same fantasy owner face: "Oh no, how will this affect my team?"

This news comes right off a three-touchdown, 321-yard performance that had most owners smiling in their blue and white, but now will have to look at other options still available on the wire. Even after that petty performance against the Chargers, Matt Cassel faces the worst pass defense in the NFL with the Broncos next Monday night. Also, Matt Schaub is up against the Lions, Bengals and Vikings for the next three weeks, so as far as replacements, you could probably do worse.

The thing with the Romo injury is it isn't just the Tony owners that will feel the effects of this. Like a nasty aftershock to an earthquake, owners of some of the other Dallas stars will be closely monitoring this situation. Here are some of the key fantasy players coming out of Dallas and which way their numbers might go over the next four weeks.

Marion Barber -- At first glance a logical person might assume his numbers will decrease. A solid running option for a passing team, Barber tends to get his yards when the defense is keyed up on the big play, something Romo and company tend to favor. So, with Brad Johnson behind center, defense stack the box, right? Well, I believe they take away some of his rushing yards but quarterbacks that are tossed in these type of situations normally take some time to get comfortable with the deep pass. This could spell dump-downs for Barber, who tends to make the best out of a five-yard pass. Look for Barber's numbers to stay fairly level to the pre-pinkie days.

Cowboys wide receiver Sam Hurd will miss the season opener against the Browns with an ankle sprain, and that means the biggest question about the Dallas offense -- where's the depth at receiver after Terrell Owens? -- becomes an even bigger question.

Owens and No. 2 receiver Patrick Crayton are the only healthy wide receivers on the team going into Week 1, and that means the Cowboys are going to have to get creative as they try to give Tony Romo more options.

There's been some speculation that Dallas could try Pacman Jones at wide receiver, but I think the best option is to put tight end Jason Witten and rookie running back Felix Jones in the slot more often. Witten is a better athlete than he gets credit for, and he can stretch the field from an inside receiver position. Jones isn't really needed much in the running game as long as Marion Barber is healthy, but he has the talent to be a threat catching passes as well.

The bottom line is that although the Cowboys are thin at receiver, they're really only thin in terms of guys who are officially listed at wide receiver. Jerry Jones has stocked the roster with enough offensive firepower that Dallas should be just fine, even if their receivers are T.O. and a bunch of guys who aren't really wide receivers.

Another preseason game, another injured wide receiver for the Cowboys. Terry Glenn hobbled his way out of town earlier this summer and Miles Austin could be out for three weeks after hurting his knee in the second preseason game.

And last night, Sam Hurd went down during Dallas' first possession, and according to the Morning News' Jean-Jacques Taylor, "[Hurd] wore a walking boot on his left foot and carried a Bible in his right hand. No one knows when he'll be back on the field."

As it stands, the Cowboys enter the regular season with Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton and, well, that's it at wideout. There's tight end Jason Witten, of course, but it would be nice to have a little more depth beyond the starters, I'd think. Taylor writes that crappy luck has conspired against the Cowboys, but that doesn't mean Jerry Jones will run out and sign the first aged veteran to answer the phone.

Tonight, the Cowboys and Texans will battle for the all-mighty and magical Governor's Cup. It's the big silver trophy awarded to the Texas team that wins their yearly matchup. I'm pictured with it and a large gentlemen who works for the Texans.

Though tonight's game is just a preseason game, the third pretend game is one that knowledgeable fans watch closely because the starters are left in the game longer.

Three Things to Watch From the Cowboy Perspective: (From my semi-reasonable Cowboy fan friend, Michael Whitehead, founder of sofantasyfootball.com, a terrific site to find thoughtful fantasy football information).

1. The Secondary. The biggest problem Dallas has had in recent history is the secondary. What has looked like sure wins has turned into disappointing losses in the second half of too many games. Pay particularly close attention to Adam "Pacman" Jones, as he will get the start, and will have a true test against Andre Johnson. Rookie Mike Jenkins, who started the previous two games will be used in nickel situations, an area that Dallas has truly struggled in for the past two seasons.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: We know that Tony Romo isn't a fluke. He stepped in last year and had another fantastic season, setting team records in the process. There are questions remaining about distractions (Romessica) and winning a playoff game (none in his two years) which Romo must answer if he wants to take a place among the NFL's elite. Dallas is putting all their eggs in that basket as the only fallback if Romo gets hurt is 39-yr old Brad Johnson who isn't quite the risk taker. Heat Index: 9

Running backs: It's rare when a team loses their starting running back and everyone is fine with the position. Julius Jones is gone, but rookie Felix Jones is in. Jones (Felix) will get a ton of carries this season to keep Marion Barber fresh. Barber, who only started the Cowboys' playoff game, is the NFL's version of Mariano Rivera -- he dominates late in games and finishes drives off. Jones and Barber will combined for that classic "lightning and thunder" combo and should be quite successful doing it in what supposed to be a more run-friendly offense. Heat Index: 7

Presumably, a big reason the Cowboys were in the market for No. 2 wideout this offseason (leading up to the draft, anyway) was because of the uncertainty surrounding Terry Glenn. As that little drama continues to play out, Dallas is content to head into 2008 with Terrell Owens and ... everybody else.

Patrick Crayton was re-signed earlier this year and he'll compete for receptions with Sam Hurd and Miles Austin. But the team's true No. 2 option isn't even a wide receiver, which makes the conversation about Chad Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald or Anquan Boldin more a contrivance than anything.

Tight end Jason Witten hauled in 96 catches for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns last season, and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett apparently has bigger plans for him in '08.

Be prepared to see [Witten] split out wide at times this season.

He long has been the Cowboys' second-best receiver, but he is going to be asked to do more actual wide receiver things this year, which brings him back to his roots. He had arrived at Valley Ranch with a rep as a "pass-catching tight end," which Bill Parcells reminded him of almost daily. He did not mean it as a compliment. Witten, being Witten, responded by honing his blocking and becoming the best all-around tight end in the NFL. And he is.

And if he's not, he's certainly in the conversation.