DALLAS — After an embarrassing loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has fired head coach Wade Phillips.

Multiple reports after the game (and some during the game) suggested Phillips was on his way out. Jones had said last week that Phillips would remain the coach until the end of the season, but the Cowboys were humiliated in a 45-7 loss on Sunday, to drop to 1-7 halfway through the year. The talent-packed team is considered by many to be the worst in the NFL.

Jones said after the game that people would suffer the consequences of the loss and of the terrible season.

Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett will take over in an interim role.

Garrett had been a surefire head coach and candidate for several jobs, including the Ravens, Broncos, and Rams over the last few years. He is one of the highest paid assistant coaches in the NFL.

The Buffalo Bills have signed former Cowboy, Eagle and 49er WR Terrell Owens to a one-year $6.5 million deal. Owens was released last week by the Dallas Cowboys and many teams publicly said that they had no interest in adding the problematic wideout.

If T.O. couldn’t get along with Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo, let’s see how he acts when Trent Edwards skips numerous passes to him and the losses mount up.

Everyone’s favorite team wrecker is getting his own reality show on VH1, the network announced today.

T.O.’s best friends and publicists, Monique Jackson and Kita Williams, will help Terrell try to get his crap together. They will act as “matchmakers and therapists” for him.

Would anyone want that job? Didn’t think so. And you can call this show stupid all you like, you know we’ll all be watching.

Think back to the last time you heard the name “Pacman” in a headline and it was associated with something positive. Maybe during the April 2005 NFL Draft? Probably.

Well, this time, Pacman Jones is being sued by his former agent/attorney Manny Arora, who claims that Pacman owes him some $10,000 in lawyer’s fees. Apparently, the Altanta-based attorney represented Jones or his family in 18 separate cases, which makes you wonder how the fees are only in the $10k range.

The Cowboys recently released Pacman after ESPN drudged up an old story that was already discussed a long time ago because that’s the type of news agency they are.

The suit lists Deborah Jones, James Jones, Lewis Kueffor and Fleming Daniels as the defendants that Arora assisted. The charges range from speeding to kidnapping and simple battery. Oh, and that’s right, Daniels actually was charged with murder. And you thought Pacman was the big a-hole? Sounds like he’s the choir boy in his family.

Pacman has been arrested six times and has been involved in a dozen incidents with the cops since the Titans drafted him in 2005.

The Butkus Award has been given annually to the best college linebacker since 1985. Now, they have expanded it to include NFL and high school. The first NFL winner is Cowboys OLB DeMarcus Ware. He led the league with 20 sacks and six forced fumbles.

“It’s a great thing to be the first of anything, especially to be nominated for something like the Butkus Award,” said Ware, who was named to the NFL’s All-Pro team for the third straight year. “To be known as the most well-rounded linebacker, you have to able to drop into coverage, rush the passer but also to be able to stop the run when it comes at you.”

To win the Butkus Award, you have to be a complete player.

“The criteria is a three-down player who’s not taken out and not a specialty player, like a lot of them are,” Butkus said. “I’m very happy with the choice. He’s an impact player. He goes after it. That’s what I like.”

The Dallas Cowboys have announced that they will release Pacman Jones. The move will be made official on February 9th, the first day when teams can make waiver requests.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones even assigned him his own security guards to follow him around to make sure he didn’t get in any trouble. Didn’t happen. He still got into a fight with a security guard in a hotel bathroom and was suspended four games for the incident. Surely, Jones doesn’t believe he can keep his nose clean for an entire offseason and doesn’t want to deal with the headaches.

As it is now, Jones has enough headaches on the roster.

UPDATE: Well isn’t this something?

A team source told Ed Werder that Pacman was released after the team learned that Pacman was involved in a second shooting in 2007. In an upcoming “Outside the Lines” segment, three Atlanta men allege that Jones arranged for someone to shoot at them just three months after he was suspended for a year by the NFL.

“He was surprised, and I think he was obviously somewhat hurt,” said Worrick Robinson, Jones’ agent. “At the same time, he understands the business behind what is happening here.”

“Outside the Lines” was told by an informant that Jones ordered the shooting following a dispute with one of the men. Authorities say the case is open, but they are not actively investigating the matter. Whatever that means.

It’s tough to think at this point that Jones won’t get a lifetime ban from the NFL.

Cowboys sources have told ESPN’s Ed Werder that Terrell Owens has resentment towards QB Tony Romo (gasp!) and his relationship with TE Jason Witten.

Owens apparently feels that Romo and Witten have private meetings to work on plays that include Witten and exclude T.O.

That makes a ton of sense.

An unnamed Cowboys player told Werder that there is indeed an issue.

“He’s insecure about it,” the player said of Owens. “The thing that bothers me more than anything about this problem is that it’s always something with him — San Fran, Philly and here, always something. And he brings other people into it. You know, he talks to Sam Hurd and Roy Williams, who just got here and doesn’t really know these guys. T.O. talks to him and so now he probably thinks Witten politics with Tony for the ball.

“That’s so far from the truth. You think Tony is throwing to him because that’s his buddy? His best buddy is Bobby Carpenter, and that’s not helping him too much. It’s crazy to think that, and I hate that he acts that way.”

According to the sources, Owens cannot conceive how Witten has caught more balls this season than he has, considering that T.O. is one of the best WR’s of all time (and I hate to say it, but he is).

The good thing is that it doesn’t seem to affect the Cowboys’ QB too much. According to another teammate, Romo seems to just ignore T.O.’s nonsense.

“To be completely honest, I just think Tony is over it, not like, ‘Screw it.’ But I think Tony is over the mind games,” the player said. “It would help if Tony would stand up to him, but he would never do it. He does a great job of ignoring it and not letting it affect him, and that’s why it has worked as good as it has. It’s just hard. I think right now everybody is to the point where, ‘We’re going to need him, so let’s not piss him off.’”

Owens denied all of this of course.

“I’m not jealous of Witten” he told Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. “I’m not jealous of nobody. I can take the approach that I got paid so screw everything, but that’s not me. I just want to win. I’m not trying to create a war of words with anybody. I thought we had a productive meeting and I just talked to [offensive coordinator] Jason [Garrett] about Tony reading the whole play because other people are open besides Witten.”

Soooo…why didn’t you just talk to Romo about any issues you may or may not have?

“I seldom talk to Romo, unless it’s on the football field” Owens said. “The things that happen in the past with the other quarterbacks that I’ve had made me go to Jason instead. I didn’t want to have any problems with Tony, so I went to Jason. I don’t want people to say if I go to Tony and tell him he’s not doing what he’s supposed to do, then people will say we have a problem. I don’t want to create that situation.”

Sounds like you do have a problem with him. Why else would you only talk to him on the football field? He implies that if he had spoken to Romo that there would have been a problem.

The bottom line is that something is brewing in Dallas. If the Cowboys beat the Giants on Sunday and continue to accrue wins and make the playoffs, then it’s a non-issue. Say what you want about Owens, but he’s pretty quiet when the wins are coming.

But, if the Cowboys lose to the Giants and Owens isn’t getting his numbers…look out.

As a writer/blogger, when I crack open the newspaper in the morning and see that Pacman Jones is still in the news, I think ‘bad day for him, good day for me.’ Two new developments have arisen following Tuesday’s indefinite suspension by Commissioner Goodell.

First of all, Pacman has entered a Dallas-area rehab facility for alcohol dependency. It’s not shocking if you see the pattern of Pacman’s behavior and arrests and notice the one common denominator: booze. Whether inciting gunfire and slamming a stripper’s head into the floor in Las Vegas, or biting a cop in Georgia, yes, there was always liquor involved.

And now it seems that the police report from the incident that got him this latest suspension is currently under investigation. The command staff believes that Officer Rodney Allen omitted key details (including Pacman’s name) from his police report in an attempt to protect the troubled cornerback.

When asked what happened, Allen said he saw Pacman “exit the nice vehicle from the passenger side and enter the hotel.”

This contradicts the original police report, which states that the scuffle had ended by the time the officers go there.

“As I admired the hotel designs, the hotel security advised me that something was going on in the restroom near the lobby,” Allen said.

He heard a disturbance in the bathroom and went in to break up the fight. Afterwards, Pacman’s security guard said that Pacman had punched him in the head.

Another officer, Miguel Jamaica, said afterwards he later witnessed Pacman in a car “getting upset as he cried.”

This is all well and good, except none of this was in the original police report. Somebody’s got some ‘splainin’ to do.

Officer Allen already has quite a history with the internal affairs office at the Dallas Police Department. According to WFAA, he’s been written up numerous times since 2002 for failure to complete a report, spreading rumors, untruthfulness and improper investigation.

As always with Pacman, stay tuned.

The NFL has suspended Adam “Pacman” Jones indefinitely for his role in a scuffle in a Dallas hotel bathroom. Jones got into it with a team-ordered security guard and hotel employees had to call the police.

Though no charges were filed (surprise), the NFL ruled that this alcohol-related incident violated the terms of his reinstatement as well as the league’s Personal Conduct Policy. Pacman will be suspended for a minimum of four games without pay.

What could be worse is that this incident could also violate the terms of his probation stemming from the Las Vegas strip club shooting in 2007. He better pray that no one in Vegas takes a good hard look at this incident and cross references it with his probation terms.

Many people have called this stint with the Cowboys Pacman’s second chance, but in reality it’s more like his sixth or seventh.

1 New York Giants: The New York Giants cruised passed the bye to remain 3-0 atop the NFC East. Putting them number one is a simple math equation. The NFC East is the best division in football (arguably, but c’mon it is). The undefeated Giants beat the Redskins who just beat the Cowboys who everyone thought was the best team. Plus, they’re last year’s Super Bowl champs. That equals Giants. Next is a home game against the Seattle Seahawks.

2 Buffalo Bills: The Bills struggled a little in the first half against the NFC West power St. Louis Rams. But Scott Linehan couldn’t think of anything to keep his job. The Bills scored 25 straight points and completely dominated the second half on their way to a 31-14 victory. Second-year quarterback Trent Edwards (Stanford) seems to be coming along pretty nicely. And he has that successful quarterback name. Trent! As in…Trent Dilfer, champion of Super Bowl XXXV, which was played in Tampa. This year’s Super Bowl is also being played in Tampa. Maybe there’s something about Trent’s playing in Tampa?

3 Tennessee Titans: The Titans are 4-0 atop the AFC South. Their average margin of victory is two touchdowns with two extra points. That’s 14 points on my abacus, which is very impressive. SI.com says that Vince Young should begin practicing this week, but when you have Kerry Collins sippin’ on Budweisers and throwing touchdown after touchdown after…alright, he only has two, but he’s not making mistakes. I love Tennessee’s defense. They make big plays. 15 sacks, eight forced fumbles, and eight interceptions with one of them being returned 99 yards for a touchdown. With that kind of production Kerry Collins can play a six-pack deep.

4 Washington Redskins: The ‘Skins have three straight wins after losing the season opener to the New York Giants. This past weekend they defeated the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium. Jason Campbell (Auburn) has looked very impressive throwing for six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Santana Moss had two previous seasons over 1,100 yards and it looks like he is on his way to a third. I like this team. After this weekend they will have played everyone in their division on the road. A win in Philly would make it a very successful road trip.

5 Dallas Cowboys: They were the team to beat. Then they got beat. I think everyone can agree that the Cowboys are still a very good team, I just don’t think everyone knew how good the Redskins were.

When asked if he got enough reps in the Redskins game, Terrell Owens responded, “I would say no. I’m a competitor, and I want the ball.” He continued, “Everybody recognized that I wasn’t really getting the ball in the first half. I’m pretty sure everybody watching the game recognized it, people in the stands recognized it. I think my team recognized it.”

Gotta love T.O. Stay tuned.

6 Pittsburgh Steelers: A win is a win. Pittsburgh played a tough Baltimore Ravens team that is better than anyone could have predicted before the season started. The Steelers offense looked flat again in the first half, but Ben Roethlisberger came out after halftime with the no-huddle and finally moved the ball. Santonio Holmes scored his first touchdown of the season and Jeff Reed hit a 46-yard field goal in sudden-death overtime. The Baltimore Ravens were then lined up in the middle of the field and shot. Pittsburgh (3-1) is in first place atop the NFC North, but you have to wonder how many more hits Roethlisberger can take. He’s a tough guy, but the Steelers’ depleted offensive line is hanging him out to dry.

7 San Diego Chargers: The Chargers had a tough time with the Oakland Raiders this past weekend, until they were able to score 25 points in the fourth quarter on their way to a 28-18 victory. They are 2-2 after starting the season 0-2 and with a game against Miami this weekend they look to go over .500 for the first time all season. Last year they started 1-3, so they are already ahead of schedule. Fantasy owners are breathing a little bit easier now that LT is starting to get in the endzone after starting the season a little shaky. Philip Rivers had his first sub-par game of the season, but he was still able to get it done in the fourth quarter and that’s what you want your quarterback to do.

8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: I was watching the games at my local tavern with my brother-in-law, who is a Redskins fan. Next to us at the bar was an Oakland Raider fan and a Buccaneer fan rounding off a nice mixture of NFL fans in the Philadelphia-area tavern. My bro-in-law (let’s call him John because that’s his name) and I thought it was funny to yell “Keyshawn” every time Ike Hilliard had the ball thrown to him. Ike wears the same number 19 that Keyshawn wore. Then we started wondering if Ike and Keyshawn were teammates because years start to overlap after so many black and tans. Who trumps who for the number 19? But Mr. Buccaneer fan informed us that Ike was on the New York Giants when Keyshawn played for the Bucs. We knew that.

9 Carolina Panthers: In the offseason Muhsin Muhammad said “Chicago is where receivers go to die.” After three average years in Chi-town, Moose has risen from the dead, resurrecting his career with the team he started with in 1996. He caught eight passes for 147 yards and a score in their win last weekend against the Atlanta Falcons 24-9. It’s probably not as dramatic as I just made that sound, but Moose is playing well again. Carolina should beat the Chiefs this weekend which will set the stage for a winner-take-all battle against the Bucs on October 12th. Again, probably a little too dramatic with the winner-take-all reference, but they will be playing for first place in the NFC South.

10 Denver Broncos: Yuck. They lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. Defense is still a major issue with this team. They gave up 213 yards on the ground, including 198 to Larry Johnson. The four turnovers on offense didn’t help either. Losses like this will happen to this Bronco team if their offense can’t put up points. They don’t have a defense that can win games for them. Is anyone else getting tired of Shanahans’ Shenanigans at running back? Why can’t he pick one back to carry the load? This Selvin Young-Andre Hall-Michael Pittman alternating backfield is getting old. I know he does this just to piss off fantasy owners.

11 Jacksonville Jaguars: Two wins in a row, including this past weekend’s overtime thriller against the Houston Texans, has the Jags back to .500. However, the schedule gets very tough with their next two games against Pittsburgh and Denver before they head to the bye week. Besides the game against the Colts, the Jags haven’t been able to get their running attack going. Furthermore, David Garrard has already thrown one more interception than he did all of last year. It doesn’t seem this is the same intimidating Jaguar team as last year and they have no wide receiver threat. Matt Jones is only a threat to finish an eight ball. I will not grow tired of Matt Jones jokes.

12 Philadelphia Eagles: They won’t make the playoffs if they can’t keep up with the other teams in their division, so this Sunday’s game against the Washington Redskins is a must-win game. The game against the Chicago Bears was very very frustrating on so many levels. The decision to make Tony Hunt the fullback this year has cost the Philadelphia Eagles one win so far. He is not capable of blocking against the pass or run. Sorry Penn Staters, but Tony Hunt should not have made this Philadelphia Eagles team.

1 Dallas Cowboys: Despite what Randy Moss says, the Cowboys are the team to beat. They are the favorites to win the Super Bowl. They have all the pieces, tons of weapons and they will only get better. I hate to say this, but I like Tony Romo as a player and an individual. He might be the only quarterback in the NFL that can deal with T.O. as a teammate.

2 Pittsburgh Steelers: Not a very impressive win against Cleveland, but it was against a divisional opponent on the road. So, maybe it was an impressive win? The AFC is up for grabs and I feel the Steelers are the front-runners because they play in the weakest division. I see them sweeping Cincinnati, Baltimore, and Cleveland.

3 Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers is a better quarterback right now than Brett Favre was last year. For a team that went 13-3 in 2007, I don’t see any reason why they can’t repeat that performance. Once Rodgers collects his first win via fourth quarter comeback, Brett Favre’s name will be forgotten in Wisconsin…forever. Alright, that’s a little too dramatic.

4 Buffalo Bills: Anyone jump on the Buffalo train with me yet? With Brady going down two weeks ago and the Jets not being able to beat New England at home, the Bills are starting to look like the team to beat in the AFC East. I’m still looking at a 5-0 start for this Bills team. Their defense is very, very good. After a Week 6 showdown with a bye, the Chargers will travel to Buffalo to give the Bills a huge test.

5 New York Giants: If you are in a survivor pool, take whoever is playing the Rams. It was New York’s turn to man-handle St. Louis last week. Speaking of looking ahead, the G-men could be looking at a 6-0 start with their next four games against Cincinnati, Seattle, Cleveland, and San Francisco.

6 Denver Broncos: They squeaked out a controversial win against the Chargers, but inadvertent whistles happen in the NFL. It’s part of the game, but it was definitely bad timing. However, don’t hold that against Denver. They are a very good, young team. Jay Cutler looks like he is the real deal and if Brandon Marshall can catch 18 passes per game from here on out, that’s 270 catches. That will shatter the all-time record.

7 Philadelphia Eagles: It’s hard to criticize Donovan’s McNabb’s performance last night against Dallas. He played brilliantly and showed all of us that he can play with anyone when he is 100% healthy. However, despite everything that happened in the first 55 minutes, McNabb had two chances to take his team down the field for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and couldn’t get it done. McNabb has to step it up at the end of games if he wants to show the NFL that the Eagles are a Super Bowl contender. He can’t fumble away losses.

8 New England: Whatever, they will start losing soon. Suck it, Boston?

9 Carolina Panthers: Carolina is 2-0 with both of those games being won in the fourth quarter. This is usually a sign of a good team. Steve Smith comes back this week for the Panthers as they travel to Minnesota to play the 0-2 Vikings. Look for him to play catch-up like Brandon Marshall did this past weekend.

10 Indianapolis Colts: They showed us nothing for six straight quarters, then they scored 18 straight points against the Vikings to avoid starting the season 1-1. This was an early must-win game for the Colts as they go home to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3. It’s evident that Peyton Manning isn’t at 100%, but as the season progresses I expect him and the Colts to improve and be right in the mix.

11 Tennessee Titans: I love watching Kerry Collins play football. I was explaining to my friend Ben on Sunday that he is the only player in the NFL that is allowed to play drunk. It helps his game. He drinks before games and at halftime, and also smokes cigars on the sidelines. It’s quite phenomenal. All Tennessee needs is solid quarterback play and they will be in contention for a playoff spot. Cheers, Kerry Collins.

12 Chicago Bears: Kyle Orton hasn’t thrown a TD pass this year. That means he is on pace to not throw any TD passes for the whole year. Can the Bears stay in contention if that’s the case? With a strong running game, an even stronger defense, and solid special teams, the answer is yes. But Devin Hester must remain healthy. I don’t know what I mean by contention. As last week, I’m realizing this spot belongs to another team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After everything I’ve seen these first two weeks, the NFL is a crap shoot. There is no one dominant team and everyone looks beatable. Let’s take a look at some of the top teams and why they will and won’t make deep runs into the playoffs.

AFC:

New England Patriots

Why they will: They are a veteran team with a lot of talent. They know how to win and Belichick will keep them in most games.

Why they won’t: I do not like that defense at all. It’s old and slow. The offense was able to cover it up most of last year as it’s much easier to play D when you are up by 50 points. Regardless of what Randy Moss thinks, this team is just not a juggernaut without Brady.

Buffalo Bills

Why they will: Oh yes, this team is good at football. They have a very nice defense with Marcus Stroud (love those big nasty tackles). Marshawn Lynch and Lee Evans are excellent weapons on offense. And who can forget those special teams? Roscoe Parrish is filthy.

Why they won’t: I’m not sure that they are there yet. We’ll see if James Hardy can be a big help to Lee Evans on the other side of the field. I still need to see more of Trent Edwards.

Indianapolis Colts

Why they will: They are still loaded with talent. Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Joseph Addai, Bob Sanders…etc.

Why they won’t: Peyton Manning’s recovery from the bursa sac removal will take some time. It’s going to take a few weeks for him to get fully comfortable again. Another problem I have with the Colts is that they have their whole payroll tied up with just a few guys. This makes them really strong at some positions, but forced to really on low-level scrubs for depth. That’s bothersome to me.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Why they will: David Garrard is an excellent QB and I still like that defense with DT John Henderson. Fred Taylor and MJD are a phenomenal one-two punch out of the backfield.

Why they won’t: I may have exaggerated in the first part. The Jags are sans their two starting guards for the season. Also, center Brad Meester has yet to play. Good luck playing without the interior of your offensive line. Garrad already has thrown as many INT’s this year as he did all of last year.

Tennessee Titans

Why they will: Like I said, I love defenses that start with great tackles. Albert Haynesworth is a beast when motivated, and since he’s playing with the franchise tag, he’s motivated. Cortland Finnegan is one of the most underrated corners in football. And how can you not like the kid Chris Johnson? He is a hell of an explosive runner.

Why they won’t: They have two QB options, they have decided that Kerry Collins is better, and they are right. I like Collins ok, but I wouldn’t him to the be the horse I’m riding to the Super Bowl. Vince Young is most likely cooked and may not play another down for the Titans.

Denver Broncos

Why they will: Jay Cutler is looking like the truth (he also looks like a bumbling dufus) this year and he has two dynamite weapons in Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal.

Why the won’t: They gave up a butt-load of points to the Chargers and should have lost that game. I do need to see Cutler do it for a full season before I can fully jump on his bandwagon.

San Diego Chargers

Why they will: They got hosed last week and should be 1-1. Philip Rivers is still a nice QB and they will be fine once their weapons get healthy (LT and Gates). This team is incredibly talented and will right their ship and be fine.

Why they won’t: They got absolutely shredded by the Broncos offense on Sunday. Antonio Cromartie, who is a superstud, looked miserable. Those injuries actually do concern me. Ladainian is starting to get nicked up and this is exactly what happens to RB’s as they get older. Especially ones that have been pounded the way LT has since 2001.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Why they will: Despite losing DE Brett Keisel for two months, I still like that front seven. James Harrison does more than just assault women, he’s ferocious on the field too. Big Ben is a horse you can ride and Willie Parker just keeps on doing it. Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes give Roethlisberger some great targets in the passing game.

Why they won’t: I still worry about that o-line. They were shaky last year and then lost Pro Bowl G Alan Faneca to boot. The secondary could be an issue as well.

NFC:

New York Giants

Why they will: That defensive line is still very tough despite losing Strahan and Osi. Their offensive line is still one of the best units in the league and I’m a firm believer that it all starts up front. They also run the ball like nobody’s business and have three backs that can hurt you in Jacobs, Bradshaw and Ward. Plaxico Burress is a top five WR in the league at this point.

Why they won’t: It’s very tough to repeat, especially in the NFC East. Eli still needs to show that he can play at a high level for an entire year.

Dallas Cowboys

Why they will: They are probably the most talented team in football. They are the early-season favorites to take it all right now.

Why they won’t: Tony Romo has been dreadful the past two years in and past December. The Cowboys at the end of the year have not been the Cowboys at the beginning of the year. That is very, very troubling.

Philadelphia Eagles

Why they will: McNabb is healthy and back to being a top-three NFL quarterback. Brian Westbrook might be the best back in football and rookie DeSean Jackson has given the Birds that top-flight WR they’ve wanted so damn much. The defense has improved and will cause problems for offenses this year.

Why they won’t: Pick a reason, it’s Philly. McNabb needs to stay healthy for the entire year or none of the other stuff matters. Against Dallas, the defensive front four couldn’t generate any pass rush and that is a huge issue. There are also concerns at safety. Brian Dawkins is falling off, Quinton Mikell doesn’t cover very well, and Sean Considine should be working at Wendy’s.

Green Bay Packers

Why they will: The Packers are looking pretty tough right now. I’ve liked Aaron Rodgers for a while now and he’s finally showing that he’s good at football. They are deep at running back and wide receiver and they have playmakers all over their defense.

Why they won’t: Let’s see Rodgers do it for the whole year. Also, Ryan Grant has been battling a hamstring injury and he was incredibly important to their success last year.

Minnesota Vikings

Why they will: Plain and simple one of the best, if not the best, defenses in football. And with Adrian Peterson running the football, you can win on any given Sunday. The combination of defense and running game has won many a Super Bowl.

Why they won’t: Tarvaris Jackson is abysmal!

Carolina Panthers

Why they will: They are 2-0 this year and have won without Steve Smith. Jake Delhomme gives them a good chance to win as does the RB duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.

Why they won’t: I just don’t there is enough talent on the entire roster to take down some of the other teams. That said, you never know. It’s all about playing well at the right time.

New Orleans Saints

Why they will: Drew Brees is a phenomenal QB who can kill you on any day.

Why they won’t: The defense stinks, Reggie Bush is overrated and their WR’s are depleted right now.

Arizona Cardinals

Why they will: They are the upstart team with a rejuvenated Kurt Warner at the helm. Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitgerald scare the bejesus out of opposing teams. And they are in a division with three other stinkboxes.

Why they won’t: They are the Cardinals. WR’s don’t win championships. They may make the playoffs in that division, but only because someone has to.

Check back later in the year to see how stupid and off-base my analysis is.

Michael Smith of ESPN is reporting that the Cowboys have inked WR Terrell Owens to a three-year deal that will keep him in Dallas through 2011. Terms of the deal are not available a this time.

Owens was set to begin the final year of the original three-year deal he signed with the Cowboys in 2006. His 28 TD’s over the past two seasons are more than any other receiver, including Randy Moss, who had 23 TD’s last year.

Update: ESPN.com has obtained the value of the contract. Owens will get $13 million as a signing bonus and $34 million over the next four years.

The NFL will allow Pacman Jones to now practice and workout with the Dallas Cowboys, including participate in pre-season games. And, from the sounds of it, as long as Jones doesn’t do anything stupid between now and September 1 (a big if), he’ll be allowed to play.

The NFL released this statement:
"In a letter to Jones, Commissioner Goodell wrote that a final determination on his reinstatement for the 2008 regular season will be made by September 1. Commissioner Goodell told Jones that his continued participation in the NFL depends on demonstrating that he can conduct himself in a lawful and reliable manner. Jones will be expected to continue the personal conduct program established for him by the NFL and the Cowboys and to avoid further adverse involvement with law enforcement."

Manny Arora, Pacman Jones’ agent/enabler, says that a deal with the Cowboys is in place, but that the Titans are testing the market.

"The contract is in place," Arora said Monday. "They are not unintelligent people. They know what they are doing.

"They (Titans) have already made it publicly known that he needs to find another home. Hopefully, it will be Dallas," Arora said. "At some point there is not going to be a market for him. If the draft comes and goes, his value for them reduces. If there is going to be a deal, I imagine it would come in the next three weeks.”

So, what does NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell think of this? He doesn’t really care.

"He has to accept responsibility for his actions and, when he does, I will consider him for reinstatement," Goodell said. "If he doesn’t meet that status, I don’t feel any obligation to reinstate him."

Don’t forget, since he was suspended for a year, Pacman has pleaded no contest to a felony charge in Georgia and guilty to a misdemeanor in Nevada. Yes, this was after the initial suspension. Goodell has been on a mission to clean up the league and Pacman has been on a mission to sully its reputation.