Dallas Cowboys Release 2006 Schedule
The Cowboys will play Philadelphia on Christmas, but the game will be played at Texas Stadium, not Lincoln Financial Field as had been reported, two sources said. The NFL is expected to release all regular-season schedules Thursday.
Terrell Owens will make his return to Philadelphia on Oct. 8, which will mark the Cowboys' third road game in their first four contests.
The Cowboys open at Jacksonville on Sept. 10, followed by a visit from Washington on Sept. 17.
The Cowboys have their bye weekend on Sept. 24 and will play at Tennessee on Oct. 1 and travel to play the Eagles the following week.
Houston makes its first regular-season appearance at Texas Stadium on Oct 15, and the Cowboys will host the New York Giants on ESPN's Monday Night Football on Oct. 23.
The Cowboys will see Keyshawn Johnson and Carolina in Charlotte on Oct. 29. That begins a stretch of three straight road games: at Washington on Nov. 5 and at Arizona on Nov. 12.
Peyton Manning will make his Texas Stadium debut on Nov. 19 when Indianapolis comes to town, which is followed four days later by Tampa Bay on Thanksgiving.
On Dec. 10, Sean Payton, former Cowboys assistant head coach, brings New Orleans to Dallas, and the Cowboys will travel to Atlanta for a Saturday game on Dec. 16.
Date Opponent
Sun., Sept. 10 at Jacksonville
Sun., Sept. 17 vs. Washington
Sun., Sept. 24 Bye week
Sun., Oct. 1 at Tennessee
Sun., Oct. 8 at Philadelphia
Sun., Oct. 15 vs. Houston
Mon., Oct. 23 vs. NY Giants
Sun., Oct. 29 at Carolina
Sun., Nov. 5 at Washington
Sun., Nov. 12 at Arizona
Sun., Nov. 19 vs. Indianapolis
Thu., Nov. 23 vs. Tampa Bay
Sun., Dec. 3 at NY Giants
Sun., Dec. 10 vs. New Orleans
Sat., Dec. 16 at Atlanta
Mon.,Dec. 25 vs. Philadelphia
Sun., Dec. 31 vs. Detroit
DRAFT 2006: Cowboys listening to all offers for No. 18 pick
The cheap solution: Draft some good ones.
The Dallas Cowboys have the 18th pick in the draft Saturday, which gives them a chance to add all but a handful of the best blockers available - unless they trade up a few spots, perhaps to take Southern California tackle Winston Justice.
However, Jones usually prefers trading down, both to get more picks that way and because the lower they're taken, the cheaper they cost. That doesn't always mean getting lesser players, either, as evidenced by Larry Allen and Flozell Adams going from second-rounders to Pro Bowlers.
"We would really like to have numbers of picks," Jones said. "But if we thought there was a real chance to get a player who shouldn't have been sliding, we might move up. More than likely, I don't anticipate anything dramatic in either scenario, nothing more than three or four slots."
Since going 9-7 last season and falling short of the playoffs, the Cowboys have addressed most of their needs through free agency. That includes signing Kyle Kosier to replace Allen at left tackle and Jason Fabini to take over at right guard. Of course, they also made the headline-grabbing addition of receiver Terrell Owens.
"It seems like we've got a lot more options," Jones said. "With the free agents, we were really able to cover our needs spots. That allows us not to compromise our pick in any way. We don't have to take a lesser player because he plays a position of need.
"But I would not hesitate at all to draft a position where we didn't have the biggest need. We're not going to pass up too good of a player."
Except maybe if he's a receiver.
Although Owens is 32 and fellow starter Terry Glenn will be, too, when training camp opens, and there are legitimate questions about whether they will play every game (Glenn because of health, Owens because he's Owens). Jones may already be trying to make Owens content by not adding competition at the position.
"I don't feel an urgency to get a young wide receiver," Jones said.
If Dallas does try drafting by position, defensive tackle and linebacker are good places to start.
The Cowboys improved their defense a lot by taking outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware and defensive lineman Marcus Spears in the first round last year, then adding lineman Chris Canty in the fourth round.
Yet coach Bill Parcells can still find a spot for anyone else who can get to the quarterback or draw enough blockers to free someone else's path. Tackle might be a priority since La'Roi Glover left in free agency.
When in doubt, though, the Cowboys might go with an offensive lineman.
"If we get out of the draft without an offensive lineman, I'll be very disappointed," Jones said. "Frankly, I like putting an offensive lineman in the mix every year because of how expensive it is to get them in free agency."
The Cowboys have drafted six offensive linemen in four drafts under Parcells. They've had as many misses as hits.
Second-rounders Andre Gurode and Al Johnson split the center job last season and likely will do so again this year. Last year, seventh-rounder Rob Petitti cracked the starting lineup out of training camp, but as the season went on it became apparent that was mostly by default; most telling is that Fabini was signed to take his place.
The regrettable move was taking Jacob Rogers 52nd in 2004.
Rogers was an All-American from Southern California's national championship team, so the Cowboys thought they got a steal getting him so low. Turns out, other teams knew what they were doing by avoiding him. He frustrated team officials for two years, never taking an offensive snap before being released recently.
In the third round of that same draft, Dallas took Stephen Peterman. He remains a fringe player. The other OL pick of the Parcells era was seventh-rounder Justin Bates in 2003, who never made the team.
Voters consider locker room tax for visiting players at Texas Stadium
If voters approve, fans would also pay an extra 10-percent upcharge on game tickets and a $3 parking tax — all in the name of demolishing the 35-year-old Texas Stadium and redeveloping the area at Texas 183 and Loop 12.
The Cowboys plan to open a $650 million stadium in Arlington’s entertainment district by the 2009 season.
"If we don’t do this, we’ll have to do it with our property taxes," said John Danish, treasurer of Citizens for Texas Stadium Redevelopment, which is advocating for the proposed taxes. "It’s going to leave us with a big hole. I’d rather fill the hole with their money than our money."
If the measure passes, Irving could assess a maximum of $5,000 per player for each of the team’s eight regular season home games. Throw in a couple of pre-season games or playoff games, and it could cost some players a fifth of their salaries. The league minimum wage is $250,000 a year.
There is no official organized opposition to the measure, but plenty of people don’t like the plan — among them players, fans and even the author of the legislation that allows Irving to impose the taxes.
Cowboys officials have had no comment on the taxes because the organization has an agreement with the city to not try to thwart the tax referendum, spokesman Brett Daniels said.
Carl Francis, NFL Player’s Association communications director, said players are familiar with extra charges when they play at stadiums in other states. For example, in California, professional players pay state income tax ranging from 1 percent to 9.3 percent, depending on their income for the day’s work.
But Francis said no other stadium in the league charges players a locker-room tax.
The association’s attorneys will discuss and monitor Irving’s proposal, Francis said, but it, too, had no official comment on the measure.
Dallas Cowboys safety Keith Davis said the locker-room tax would have a significant impact on his pocketbook. Davis earned $380,000 for the 2005 season, according to reports.
"Why change things now that we’re leaving?" asked Davis, who started in all 16 regular season games last year and also played on special teams. "Guys that are making the league minimum, they were banking on that money. I don’t think it’s fair."
The locker room tax would apply only to professional football players at Texas Stadium.
The extra taxes also would pinch season ticket-holder Dave Igo of Plano.
If Irving wants to redevelop the stadium land, Igo said, the funding needs to come from existing revenues.
"It should come out of their money," he said. "It doesn’t make me happy as a season ticket-holder."
Irving Mayor Herbert Gears said the city needs the tax to raise about $30 million over the next three years to demolish the old stadium and build something else. The city may leave the recognizable roof with its hole in place, building something underneath, or may completely raze the stadium and start over from scratch, he said.
"We know for sure that the stadium will not operate as it has in the past because we have a non-compete agreement with the team," Gears said. "I think voters are going to be very receptive."
State Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth, authored the 1997 legislation that allows such taxes for sports venues. But he said the bill was intended to provide a way for cities to build new, specific projects. The legislation shouldn’t be used for demolition without a definite plan of how the old stadium will be replaced, Brimer said.
No one, however, has challenged Irving’s proposed use of the sports venue taxes for demolition, according to the Texas Attorney General’s office.
But Brimer said: "If they’re going to build another venue, they need to be more specific."