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When you talk about Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett's offense, you're also talking about Sid Gillman.

ESPN has a wonderful series regarding some of the great coaches in NFL history and there's a profile on Gillman.

There are numerous coaches who coached or learned under Gillman and others associated with him for years.

Garrett learned his offensive system from Norv Turner, who learned it from Don Coryell who learned it from Gillman. The NFL coaching life is a hard one, but it's a rewarding one if you win games.

Garrett is trying to do that now, but it all starts with the teachings of Gillman.

Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones shocked the world in a sense when he said coach Jason Garrett isn't coaching for his job in 2013.

It was a stunning statement from the Cowboys' owner who fired Dave Campo after three consecutive 5-11 seasons and when he said he wouldn't fire a coach in season, did so by letting Wade Phillips go after a 1-7 start in 2010.

Here's what Jones said earlier this year regarding Garrett: "There's a lot of resolve here, but not a lot of patience. Jason senses that."

Now the other day Jones says this about Garrett's job status: "Well, no, no he's not ... to the last question: Is Jason coaching for his job? No. What we're doing is taking the assets that we have, and Jason being right at the top and certainly our premier asset, and we're using them to the best of our ability."

Why the change?

Jones shouldn't change what he said from earlier in the year.

I find it hard to believe if the Cowboys miss the playoffs in 2013 that Garrett will return in 2014. Jones made several changes to Garrett's world in 2013. He told him to get rid of his brother, tight ends coach John Garrett, released defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and talked about taking the play calling duties from him.

How can Jason Garrett believe his job isn't on the line in 2013?

Jones wants the attention to divert from Garrett's job stats, that in realty should be in doubt, to something else. It's Jones' job to distract everyone from the reality of the situation: Jason Garrett's job is on the 2013.

If Jones really wants Garrett to return in 2014, give the man a contract extension. Garrett enters the third year of a four-year contract in 2013 and if he is the man of the future, give him a two-or-three year contract extension. It's not like Jones hasn't done it before. He gave Jimmy Johnson and Phillips contract extensions.

It doesn't happen often, but it's occurred.

Jones wants Garrett to succeed, then take care of him contract-wise, not with words. We all know if the Cowboys don't make the playoffs for a third consecutive season, it would be hard to believe Garrett will maintain his parking space at Valley Ranch.

IRVING, Texas -- With the Cowboys attempting to marry themselves to the two-tight end offense for the third time in eight years by taking Gavin Escobar in the second round of last month’s draft, the search for more tight ends never ends.

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Two weeks ago, the Cowboys made a waiver claim on Mickey Shuler Jr. after he was cut by Oakland, but Buffalo received priority based on its record last season.

Jason Witten, Escobar, James Hanna, Colin Cochart, Andre Smith and Paul Freedman are on the current roster but the team is always on the lookout for more. They had B.J. Stewart and Taylor Cook in for tryouts at the recent rookie minicamp but neither player showed much.

Finding a veteran tight end with a blocking bent would appear to be a need behind Witten. Escobar, Hanna and Cochart are considered more pass catching tight ends. At 267 pounds, Smith would seem to fit the bill as a blocker. He was a late-season add to the practice squad in 2012 and the Cowboys decided he warranted a further look.

If the attempt to land Shuler is any indication, the Cowboys are not done looking for tight end help.

Former Denver Broncos center Tom Nalen said Friday that in a 2006 game he tried to injure former San Diego Chargers defensive lineman Igor Olshansky, who is also a former Dallas Cowboy.

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"I wouldn’t consider myself a dirty player," Nalen said according to Pro Football Talk. "I know people will bring up the Igor Olshansky play in 2006, but if people would look at the play before that and realize why I did what I did -- and even on that play I missed the cut -- so you know definitely, I wanted to blow his knee out on that play because of what happened the play before. But that, you know, is that dirty? I don’t know. It’s revenge, kind of, so."

Olshansky said he remembers the play and has forgiven Nalen.

"He's a Hall of Famer and I've pretty much forgotten about it," said Olshansky, who still lives in Dallas. "It was a big deal at the time, but thank God it worked out for everybody. I wouldn't do something like that. For him to do it, it's something he's got to live with."

Nalen was holding a news conference after he was being named to the Broncos' Ring of Fame and brought up the Olshansky play. Nalen said he went after Olshansky because of the previous play where he claims the defensive lineman grabbed his face mask.

Based on Pro Football Talk's account of the play, the Broncos and Chargers were playing when the Broncos were trying to spike the ball. Nalen dove into Olshansky’s legs, prompting several punches to be thrown. Olshansky, who threw the punches was ejected from the game. Both players were fined for the incident. Olshansky said he was on a bullrush where a defensive player puts his hands up into a lineman's chest, but denied grabbing a face mask.

"I don't grab people's face mask," Olshansky said. "It's the offensive linemen that are the grabbers instead of the defensive linemen. What I want to grab is the quarterback or the running back. That was a play that I thought was common knowledge."

IRVING, Texas -- Last summer Barry Church was a revelation.

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He was so good in the first week of training camp that the Cowboys said goodbye to veteran Brodney Pool without a hesitation. It did not help Pool that he failed the conditioning test, but Church was the reason the Cowboys did not give Pool a long second chance.

Three games into the season, however, Church suffered a torn Achilles and the Cowboys were left to play fill-ins the rest of the year.

“Words couldn’t even describe it,” Church said. “I took three years just to get the starting job and then after three weeks it was gone like that. It was a very hard time for me, but I had a lot of family members and teammates have my back, so the recovery process was faster than I thought it would be.”

Church was cleared for full offseason activities last week but he was taking part in the same workouts as his other teammates anyway.

How much do the Cowboys believe in him? They waited until the fourth round to add a safety in J.J. Wilcox, though they had serious interest in Kenny Vaccaro, who was drafted by New Orleans two spots before the Cowboys picked. In free agency, they added veteran Will Allen, but he is here more for Matt Johnson’s development than Church’s.

“I definitely feel like the job’s mine to lose and I don’t plan on losing it,” Church said.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

How does each NFC East team look at running back, and what still needs to be done?

Dallas Cowboys

After a season in which they ranked third in the league in passing yards and 31st in rushing yards, the Cowboys seek greater balance in their offense. Any balance, actually. The starting running back remains DeMarco Murray, whose toughness and physical style give the Cowboys an extra dimension when he's on the field. Murray's problem is staying on the field, as he's had to miss nine games over his first two NFL seasons due to injury. The team let Felix Jones leave as a free agent and drafted Oklahoma State's Joseph Randle in the fifth round. It's no coincidence that Randle is a back who didn't miss a single game in his college career. The Cowboys needed someone durable and reliable to back up Murray, who's already struggling with hamstring problems this offseason, and neither Lance Dunbar nor Phillip Tanner showed enough in limited work last year to prove he was the backup they needed. What the Cowboys need at running back is to get and keep Murray as healthy as possible and to get Randle up to speed so he's ready to step in when he's inevitably needed as the fill-in starter.

New York Giants

The Giants let starting running back Ahmad Bradshaw depart via free agency, a difficult choice necessitated by salary and health concerns. That likely leaves the running game in the hands of 2012 first-round draft pick David Wilson, who opened eyes as a big-play threat and a kick returner in his rookie season, and Andre Brown, who functioned as a reliable goal-line back before an injury ended his season. Either should be able to handle full-time starter duties, and it's likely the team will split carries somewhat between them anyway. What the Giants need to do is establish whether Wilson and/or Brown can handle the pass-blocking duties at which Bradshaw excelled for so long. If one of them demonstrates superior performance in blitz pickup, that's likely to give him the edge for playing time over the other. With fullback Henry Hynoski out now with a knee injury, and with excellent run-blocking tight end Martellus Bennett now a Chicago Bear, the Giants remain on the lookout for reliable blocking backs. The recent injury to Tim Hightower shows that, and it remains to be seen whether Ryan Torain, Da'Rel Scott or seventh-round draft pick Michael Cox can be part of the solution.

Philadelphia Eagles

Every prediction about Chip Kelly's offense claims certainty that the Eagles will use the run game and the screen game more this year than they did in the past. LeSean McCoy remains the starter, and one of the best running backs in the league when healthy. Bryce Brown showed when McCoy got injured last year that he could handle starter's responsibilities brilliantly, but his fumble problems obviously must be overcome if he's to be trusted with significant carries. The Eagles signed Cowboys castoff Felix Jones for depth, and they still have Chris Polk, so the candidates for carries are plentiful this offseason. What remains for the Eagles is to establish the manner in which they'll distribute those carries (and catches) among their backs in an offense that will try to run as many plays as possible every game.

Washington Redskins

Sixth-round pick Alfred Morris came from the back of the depth chart last offseason to overtake Hightower, Roy Helu and Evan Royster to claim the starting running back job, and he quite literally ran with it. A perfect fit in Mike Shanahan's one-cut zone-blocking run schemes, Morris finished second in the NFL with 1,613 rushing yards as a rookie and delivered a 200-yard, three-touchdown masterpiece in the regular-season finale/division-title game against the Cowboys. Shanahan does love to play the volume game at running back, and he still has Helu and Royster as well as late-round 2013 draft picks Chris Thompson and Jawan Jamison. What remains for the Redskins is to figure out the pecking order behind Morris and work to find ways to use the talent they have at running back to ease some of the physical pressure on quarterback Robert Griffin III. It's also important to note that Washington was able to re-sign fullback Darrel Young, a key figure in a run game that led the league with 169.3 yards per game in 2012.

IRVING, Texas – When the Cowboys gave Dez Bryant jersey No. 88 in 2010 they did not try to shy away from comparisons to and expectations of Michael Irvin and Drew Pearson.

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Jason Garrett has long said Irvin’s greatest attribute was his ability to keep working when everybody else tired. Irvin would run route after route after route long after everybody left Valley Ranch, and a lot of the time Garrett was throwing the passes.

As Bryant begins his fourth season with the Cowboys, the receiver is trying to incorporate more Irvin into his game.

“Just being able to run all day,” Bryant said. “I hear coach talk about it all the time, and that’s one of my goals.”

In order to run all day, Bryant is spending more time on the StairMaster and, well, running all day.

“Trying to increase my endurance as much as I can, not thinking about tapping out, just being able to go every play 100 mph,” Bryant said.

Ed Werder talked briefly about DeMarco Murray's durability with Fitzsimmons and Durrett on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM today.

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Murray has missed nine games because of injuries in his brief two-year career.

In comparison, Emmitt Smith missed a total of seven games in his career with the Cowboys and none his first two seasons. Tony Dorsett missed just 10 games in his career, none his first two season,s and three in the first five years of his career.

You could say, well, Dorsett and Smith are Hall of Fame players, and durability is one reason for their success.

Let's examine another former Cowboys starting running back: Julius Jones.

Jones missed 11 games in a four-year career with the Cowboys, including eight his rookie season. He missed 11 games the first two years of his career and none thereafter.

The Cowboys need Murray on the field, and his absence from the first day of the organized team activities on Tuesday raised some concerns about his long-term health.

It's part of the reason why the Cowboys drafted Joseph Randle in the fifth round. You need quality backups, at least someone who can start in case the starter goes down with an injury.

Murray is a good running back, has the right attitude about the position, is physical, tough and fast. Health is the biggest problem for him at this stage of his career.

Should it worry the Cowboys?

IRVING, Texas -- When the Dallas Cowboys drafted Gavin Escobar in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, it seemed like 2012 sixth-round pick James Hanna was a forgotten man.

Hanna, a Flower Mound product, displayed some promise toward the end of the 2012 season. It seemed the Cowboys found a carbon copy of Hanna in Escobar, a slender pass-catching tight end.

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Did the Cowboys forget about Hanna?

"I'm pretty confident in myself and I feel like I have a lot to bring (to the team and) a lot of different aspects to the game, and (Escobar) does too," Hanna said. "So just having great players is good for the team."

Hanna finished last season with just eight catches for 86 yards and no touchdowns. But in the regular season finale at Washington, Hanna got significant playing time due to injuries to several wide receivers and caught a career-high three passes for 20 yards.

Hanna appeared to have some upside. But then the Cowboys draft Escobar, who is not a blocking tight end, something some draft experts thought the Cowboys needed.

"That's the way the business works," Hanna said. "That’s the way it goes."

Hanna said tha tnew tight ends coach Wes Phillips is changing the techniques of the group to improve the blocking of the team. Hanna is also bulking up so he can be stronger at the point of attack and the Cowboys can rely on him more. The Cowboys are planning to use more two tight end sets and maybe employ the use of three tight ends, which means more playing time for Hanna.

"I like to think that I'm trying to be well-rounded and being faster, stronger running better routes, hand placement, all of that stuff," Hanna said.

IRVING, Texas – Tony Romo wants to take part in the June 11-13 mini-camp. There is no way the Cowboys should let him.

To quote Ricky Watters: For who? For what?

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Romo had a small cyst removed from his back in April and has been limited in his conditioning work for most of the offseason. He has only recently done some light jogging to go with work on the bike and elliptical machines. He has not done any sprinting.

The first pass Romo throws in 11-on-11 drills has to come in Oxnard, Calif., at training camp, not Valley Ranch.

Over the next three weeks, will he be able to make progress in his conditioning to get on the field for full-speed practices even if they are deemed non-contact?

If Romo’s experience that has been touted for his ability to be more involved with the game planning and instillation means so much, then three days of practice in the middle of June will not be a great deal of help.

There is no need to expose him to unnecessary risk, no matter how minor the Cowboys and Romo attempt to make this surgery sound.

Let him work through some individual drills the way DeMarcus Ware is doing. Ware is coming off major shoulder surgery. He could take part in full practices if necessary, but the Cowboys are being conservative with his comeback.

There are $108 million reasons why the Cowboys must do the same with Romo.

IRVING, Texas – Among the reasons why Brian Urlacher decided to retire was the fact that he could say he played for the Chicago Bears and for the Chicago Bears only.

In this salary-cap age, that is a difficult thing to do. Emmitt Smith's playing career ended in Arizona. Jerry Rice's ended in Seattle.

Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin were able to be “one jersey” players, in part because of injuries. Aikman wrestled with the idea of returning not long after he stepped away but decided against it.

Jason Witten and Tony Romo are entering their 11th seasons with the Cowboys. Romo, who just turned 33, is signed through 2019. Witten is signed through 2017. So is DeMarcus Ware, who is entering his ninth season.

Of the long-term players on the Cowboys’ roster, these guys figure to be the “one jersey” types.

Witten is already the franchise’s all-time receptions leader. Only Bob Lilly, Larry Allen, Mel Renfro and Randy White have played in more Pro Bowls as Cowboys than Witten, who has eight. He is coming off a 110-catch season, the most in NFL history by a tight end. He turned 31 earlier this month.

Romo is the Cowboys’ all-time leader in touchdown passes and could surpass Aikman in passing yards in 2015. He has more 100-plus passer rating games in his career than Aikman. Romo’s 55 multi-touchdown pass games are the most in team history. His four four-touchdown games are second-most in history to Danny White.

Ware is the franchise’s official all-time sack leader with 111 for his career and needs four this season to break Harvey Martin’s unofficial sack record. He has had seven straight seasons with at least 10 sacks, and only Reggie White (nine) and John Randle (eight) have more since sacks became an official stat in 1982.

If the Cowboys win a Super Bowl in the next few years, then the chances of these guys playing for another team in the future would be slim.

If the Cowboys don’t win a Super Bowl and they become salary-cap casualties later, do they chase a championship and not play for the Cowboys and the Cowboys only?

IRVING, Texas – Since taking over as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback in 2006, Tony Romo has had two voices calling him the plays: Tony Sparano for a year and Jason Garrett for the last six seasons.

Who will call the plays for the Cowboys has been a major topic since owner and general manager Jerry Jones opened up the possibility of Garrett not doing it in 2013.

During the rookie minicamp and in Tuesday’s organized team activity it appeared that offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Bill Callahan was calling the plays into the quarterbacks as Garrett took a broader view of the offense.

Does it matter to Romo who calls the plays?

“Yeah, that’s a big topic for you guys,” Romo said. “I’m sure you’ll wear that one out until … I mean, I’m just the quarterback, and I’m just trying to continue to get better and improve and help this team.”

Garrett and Callahan continue to say they are working through the mechanics of who will call the plays this season, whatever that means.

With Romo’s larger involvement in the game-planning this season, it might not matter who is calling the plays anyway.

While attending the NFL owners meetings in Boston, Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones told USA Today that Tony Romo's surgery to remove a cyst was minor.

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"Do you want to call it a toothache?" Jones said Wednesday morning.

The Cowboys have downplayed the significance of the surgery and Romo hinted he might return for the veteran minicamp June 11-13.

Romo said the cyst wasn't cancerous and he didn't know the size of it.

"I feel a lot better," Romo said. "It was something that was there a little bit, kind of annoying. I'd rather feel 100 percent here. Hopefully I'll be back for minicamp and be ready to go, but we're just being smart now for the next couple of weeks."

Romo had the surgery last month and is expected to miss a total of three weeks.

IRVING, Texas – Tight end Gavin Escobar sat at his locker scrolling through his iPad playbook on Monday and the pages never seemed to stop.

“Luckily, with the rookie camp I got a feel for some of the offense, but there’s still a lot to learn,” Escobar said.

It did not take long for him figure out to watch Jason Witten, an eight-time Pro Bowler and the Cowboys’ all-time leading receiver.

“During individual drills I’d try and look at his feet and his footwork,” said Escobar, the Cowboys' second round pick. “He’s one of the best. I’m just trying to learn from him.”

Tony Romo took some time to help Escobar too.

“It was little things, just running routes on air that he thinks will be helpful,” Escobar said. “Kind of more like the next jump up in level, there are little things that you’re not even conscious about or aware of and he’s telling me about them.”

IRVING, Texas – Day 2 of the Cowboys' organized team activities is today, but it is closed to the media. Here some observations from Day 1:

What did Tony Romo actually do on the field? He was coach-like, especially with the receivers, tight ends and running backs. He also worked with the younger quarterbacks on footwork on handoffs.

CB Morris Claiborne was busy in team drills. On the first play of team exercises, he was late to react to a stop route by WR Dez Bryant. The good news? On the next play he broke up a slant to Bryant.

QB Kyle Orton wasn’t as sharp as normal with the full reps. He was late and low to TE Jason Witten during team throws.

DE Ben Bass did a nice job of disengaging from a blocker on a screen pass to eat up RB Lance Dunbar in the flat. RB Phillip Tanner was able to break through an earlier screen after getting sprung by LG Nate Livings and C Travis Frederick.

LB Brandon Magee dropped TE Andre Smith with a hit across the middle that drew some anger from coaches and players in the non-contact drills. After a quiet rookie minicamp, it was at least good to see Magee break up a pass, even if he was a little too exuberant.

Tanner missed a block of DE Anthony Spencer that allowed a sack of Orton in the final round of 11-on-11 drills.

After making a number of nice plays in the rookie camp, WR Jared Green continued to perform Monday with three more catches in team and seven-on-seven drills.

WR Terrance Williams had a drop on a high throw from Dalton Williams near the sideline. While the throw was off, it was a catch Williams should have made.

RT Jermey Parnell missed a block on a bubble screen to WR Miles Austin that negated what could have been a big play.