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My willingness to play along (and pretend to understand) Jay Novacek's offbeat sense of humor is probably one of the reasons we've had a friendly relationship for almost 20 years.

A decade ago, I cleverly arranged for him get a free John Deere riding lawn mower because the notion of it was so funny to me. A month ago, he devilishly arranged to reintroduce me to Charles Haley because the notion of it was so funny to him.

He is an idiosyncratic guy, this Dallas Cowboys legend, and his willingness to laugh his way through almost anything is among his strengths. But there is no laughing today. Jay's wife, LeAnne, is dead.

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FISH on FOOTBALL offers up Top Ten Takes as we sober up from the Cowboys' loss at Minnesota and take some steps forward - with no need to detour over to Jerry Jones' "woodshed'':

1. "It's Super Bowl or Bust!''

Cowboys fans who have lived through the Jerry Jones Era understand that this is Mr. Jones' annual rallying cry (not to mention his personal mantra). I will gently suggest that fans take a similar approach to their mourning ... along with a tempering of their anger.

"A football team is like a shark,'' another icon of the Jerry Jones Era once said. "It's either moving forward or it's moving backward.''

That second icon is Jimmy Johnson. He's right.

And so are your Cowboys. Because they are moving forward.

So mourn. And gripe. And map out your thoughts for what we all hope is a positive Cowboys future.

But understand, too, that when you and I and Mr. Jones boldly say "It's Super Bowl or Bust!'', there is no "bust.''

Romo doesn't retire. Jerry doesn't sell. The Cowboys don't spontaneously implode. There is no "bust.''

There is, rather, another chance at a Super Bowl. And then another. And then another. ...

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Years ago, I successfully persuaded my newspaper to do away with the trite space-filler known as "The Match-Up Chart.'' You know, the one with the checkmarks that give an "edge'' to Adrian Peterson over Marion Barber (as if they are boxing each other) or to Dallas' special teams over Minnesota's (as if the potential contributions of dozens and dozens of men could be reduced to a sportswriter's checkmark and a quip).

What I thought was a better way then - and hope it works now - is to instead try to apply some actual insight into the way the individuals, position groups and teams would react when colliding.

So here goes, my personal personnel hints ... The Seven Secrets Of Highly Successful Cowboys and Vikings:

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A receiver from New Jersey plays small-college football, lands a spot as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys, becomes a team-leading Pro Bowler ... and has a chance to be a spotlight player in a classic Cowboys-at-Vikings playoff game?

"It can be done,'' says Drew Pearson. "I know it. Because I did it.''

Blogging The Boys' "Glory Days'' series continues with an anecdote from the legendary "Mr. Clutch,'' the guy on the business end of the "Hail Mary,'' the guy whose career path is now being followed by Miles Austin ... here's Drew Pearson:

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FISH on FOOTBALL Top Ten Takes as we bridge the gap from the Cowboys' tripleheader skunking of the Eagles to a Hail Mary Memory-Making trip to Minnesota. ... and let me get right into our dismissal of the overmatched mouths from Philly with a compliment for the foreman of our shop, Dave Halprin.

Dave runs a classy operation here. He makes you wipe your feet before you enter and he makes sure we all put our napkins on our laps before we commence to eatin'.

Because of that gentlemanly style, you may have noticed that Blogging The Boys didn't spent much ink on the story of the Eagles.com employee/writer who videotaped himself sneaking some spittle onto the Cowboys Stadium midfield star.

Mr. Halprin is too classy to over-involve himself in the nonsense. But I'm not too classy to mention it, and you're not too classy to not have thought it, so let's just use a little ink on it, OK?

1. The last time the Eagles visited Cowboys Stadium, they were spitting on the star. This time they left Cowboys Stadium pissing their pants. ...

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Our evening with the "retired Cowboys'' - we learned they dislike being referred to as "old Cowboys'' - was so full of warmth and humor and surprises and scrapbook moments that the only way to do this is to try to provide a quick glimpse into our dealings with each of the celebrities with us Tuesday at the CBS-TV taping of "Glory Days.''

So here goes: The first in a series from a nite cocktail-partying and beyond with Bob Lilly ... Tony Dorsett ... Charles Haley ... Mrs. Tom Landry ... Roger Staubach ... Mike Ditka ... Jay Novacek. ... Randy White ... Leon Lett. ... Lee Roy Jordan. ... Drew Pearson. ... oh, and our new bestie, Melissa Rycroft ..."Glory Day'' glimpses.

Let's start with our visit with a guy who can certainly fire you up for Cowboys-Eagles. ... "The Manster,'' Randy White:

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Here's today's FISH on FOOTBALL Cowboys Top Takes, five items that should get your hamstrings loose as you ready for Saturday night's Eagles-at-Dallas re-re-re-match ... So just how rare are all these Cowboys shutouts? ... The real value of being "on a roll.'' ... Troy and Tony and when a QB should exit a blowout win. ... And let me drop this extra nugget on you regarding whether it's truly difficult to beat the same team three times:

Which would you rather be?

The 2-0 team that knows it can win?

Or the 0-2 team hoping that it's "due'' to win?

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The original draft of my FISH on FOOTBALL Cowboys Top Takes for today was so lengthy (NFC East Championship Game victories will do that to a writer) that I'm chopping it up into more easily-consumable bites. Five today, five more tomorrow ... So let's see: Who shall we chew up in the First Five today?

Let's chew on the Eagles' no-result no-huddle ... on how Dallas' December Denial has turned into January Joy ... on how after 17 weeks, the Cowboys' "Who''  is now immaterial ... on how in the world Dallas' safeties covered those receivers ... and on just exactly what Cowboys coach Wade Phillips "deserves'' ...

Chew away. ...

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The 2009 Dallas Cowboys are heading to the playoffs, hoping to create their own glory days. In the meantime, on Tuesday, January 5, CBS will be in Dallas to tape a TV pilot called "Glory Days'' that is scheduled to feature Roger Staubach, Mike Ditka, Rayfield Wright, Bob Lilly, Randy White, Drew Pearson and Tony Dorsett ... all taking the stage at Dallas' Winspear Opera House ... and I'm representing Blogging The Boys at the event, playing a tiny role that is a big honor for us.

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When will the Pro Bowl selections be announced? Jason Witten says he does not know. (It's tonight, by the way.)

With 88 catches, how close to his personal single-season best is the Cowboys tight end? Jason Witten says he does not know. (Witten caught 96 in 2007, so with one game to go, he is eight shy of that.)

What were the Cowboys' goals going into the season and how successfully are they achieving those goals?

That, Jason Witten knows.

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It's first-and-10 at the Dallas 31, just under seven minutes into Cowboys-at-Redskins. Washington's Phillip Daniels envelopes his 6-6, 306-pound frame around Tony Romo and a sack is inevitable. What Romo did here makes no highlight reel and doesn't even show up in the boxscore, but it tells a story ... a story about a mindset, a story that is a factor in Dallas' guaranteed playoff berth, and a story that starts off today's FISH on FOOTBALL Cowboys Top Ten Takes:

1. Down goes Romo (for the only time in the 17-0 win at Washington, by the way) and the force with which Daniels is hugging the Cowboys QB is matched only by the force with which Romo is hugging the ball. There will be no gunslingery here, no underhanded improvisation, no reason for anybody to notice the play at all. Romo squeezes the ball, the two of them - Tony and his football - take their lumps together ... and as Romo is climbing from the ground, he gives his football a love pat. You know, a warm little tap right on the little fella's laces, just to assure it that they - Tony and his football - are in this together.

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Based on his growing reputation, based on the NFL's $50,000 fine, and based on the only publicly-viewed video of the Dec. 6 knockdown of the Giants' Justin Tuck, Cowboys left tackle Flozell Adams is guilty, guilty, guilty.

But Blogging The Boys has learned that another piece of film exists. And according to Adams, his agent Jordan Woy and an NFL source, this film -- "the coaches' tape'' - tells a different story. ... a story that will be the basis of what Adams' camp believes will be a successful appeal to the NFL commissioner's office.

"I'm not a dirty player and it wasn't a dirty play,'' Adams tells Blogging The Boys through his agent. "I was preparing to play defense and to make a defensive play, a football play.''

Adds Woy: "In my years, I've been involved in probably 100 appeals. You probably win five out of 100. But the coaches' tape, which I have seen and intend to send to the league, will mean Flozell has a legitimate chance of winning his appeal.''

What's on that coaches' tape? And is there anything that can not only get Adams his 50,000 bucks back, but also lessen his burgeoning "dirtbag'' rep?

First to the tape, and the words of a source who has viewed it:

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FISH on FOOTBALL presents a Cowboys-Saints Top Ten Takes, complete with some clarification over the beaten-to-within-an-inch-of-its-life cliché "winning ugly'' ... because there was nothing ugly about Dallas' ballsy 24-17 victory at New Orleans:

1. In the last few weeks, I've had a few people within the Cowboys family swear to me that while DeMarcus Ware is a superstar, while Jay Ratliff has blossomed from "over-achiever'' to simply "high achiever,'' while Mike Jenkins is developing into a difference-maker and while new/old vet Keith Brooking is about as good as he ever was in Atlanta, there is nobody on the Dallas defense who is outperforming Anthony Spencer.

After what happened Saturday in New Orleans, I'm inclined to believe those people within the Cowboys family.

Spencer has spent most of the year being an Almost Standout. He's almost had interceptions and sacks and SportsCenter highlights. But against the Saints, Spencer went from Almost to Most (as in, Most Valuable) as he had two sacks (which would've been three if not for an away-from-Spencer penalty), plus three hurries and a fumble recovery.

You know what Spencer looked like coming off the edge all night against the befuddled and overmatched Saints? He looked like a mirror image of Ware, who was doing the same thing on the other edge.

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It is late Sunday night, and Leonard Davis wants to feed his hunger ... or maybe drown his sorrows ... with a meal. Now, the man is 6-6 and 365 pounds, so it might require one of those Flintstonean "brontosaurus burgers'' to do the trick. ... but here he is, post-Chargers-loss, scarfing down a sandwich at a restaurant near his home, when a big fan of his approaches the table.

The fan introduces himself to the Cowboys offensive guard. It is John Niland, who played the same position for Dallas for nine seasons, six of them ending with Pro Bowl berths, once even making All-Pro.

"Keep your head up,'' Niland tells Davis. "You guys aren't done. Believe me, I've been there. I know.''

The above-the-marquee modern-day Cowboys talk openly and often about the support they get from their star-headed ancestors. Michael Irvin likes to big-brother the receivers and Deion Sanders does the same with the DB's. We all know about the bond between Roger and Troy and Tony. And every time I talk to Jay Novacek, the first thing he wants to relay is how superior Jason Witten is to him.

But it's somehow comforting to know that a bond exists, too, between the NFL's version of the ditch-digger, the lowly-and-anonymous linemen. It's also comforting to reflect on Niland's consoling remarks to "Bigg'' and to realize ...

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Food. Fun. Friends. Family. And by the time the weekend was over, Cowboys receiver Miles Austin also had himself six catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. It was a "Jersey Shore'' reunion for the Cowboys receiver - a Saturday lunch at the Champps in Las Colinas with old Garfield (N.J.) High teammate Luis Castillo, the Chargers lineman, then between the two of them almost 100 guests at Cowboys stadium on Sunday including Miles' old  track and football coaches -- but even with all the things he had going ...

Fuggitaboutit.

In many ways, the Cowboys offense - unproductive in the 20-17 loss to San Diego - had maybe one member who will grade out positively. That would be Austin. Otherwise? Consider the across-the-board failings:

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Want a behind-the-scenes slice of Dallas Cowboys intelligence? I give you Martellus Bennett's concussed-yet-clear-headed PR decision. While there are signs that he remains iffy to play Sunday against the Chargers, there are other signs that strongly suggest the kid might eventually figure out this pro football business after all.  

Let me explain:

As of Friday morning, what we know about the Cowboys' second tight end is that he's missed two straight days of practice due to concussion symptoms. Neurological tests indicate that he's fine, but the NFL's heightened awareness regarding concussions - along with the fact that Marty B just doesn't feel right yet - require caution.

Kind of the like the caution Bennett used on Tuesday when he attended the Suns-at-Mavs game in Dallas and was preparing to take the stage before 20,000 fans, a large TV audience and, quite possibly, "SportsCenter'' infamy.                                                               

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Top Ten Takes on Cowboys-Giants, a FISH on FOOTBALL examination that includes "happy faces,'' "dirtbags,'' "December talk'' and Tony Romo's "turtle shell.''

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"What the word is?''

It is Tashard Choice's trademark greeting, delivered in union with a wide grin and guileless warmth. I watch him at an event as he shakes a lot of fans' hands, and all the folks get the same sincere, questioning hello:

"What the word is?''

Now, when I ask the Cowboys running back about the greeting, he - probably sizing me up as the old, white journalist that I am -- sandpapers off the rough edges.

"Yeah, ‘What's the word'? I guess I do say that a lot,'' says Choice, who while playing football at Georgia Tech also earned his college degree in history/technology/society and was twice named to the ACC All-Academic Honor Roll.  "It's just my way of getting to know people, I guess.''

So, after Choice - technically Dallas' third-string back -- grabbed a headline or two with his 66-yard sprint in the Thanksgiving win over Oakland, this is a good time to ping-pong the question back at the kid.

That's why I decide to say it to him to start this exclusive Blogging The Boys Q-and-A:

"Hey, Tashard Choice ... What the word is?''

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Top Ten Takes from a Cowboys Turkey Day that features pizza, cigars and Bugs Bunny. (Yes, in my house we celebrate Thanksgiving in a decidedly unorthodox fashion!)

1. We're all concerned about December. These Cowboys have tried to do that month in a Bill Parcells way and they've tried to do that month in a Wade Phillips way and ... we should worry about December when it gets here.

Granted, that's in, like, 72 hours or whatever, but ...

First, the Cowboys should be congratulated on vaulting from a dubious 2-2 to an impressive 8-3. Part of that is Dallas' November success, best exemplified, I think, by Tony Romo's career record in this month.

Romo's career record in November is 15-2.

Jimmy Johnson used to say that there is no reason to be nervous about a test if you know the answers. I don't know if the Cowboys "know the answers'' in December. But they clearly pass their November quizzes and that's a start.

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"It's like the Civil War,'' says Cowboys rookie pass-rusher Victor Butler. "Brother-against-brother, best-friend-against-best-friend, and all that. It's something that I'm used to, the rivalry thing, and it's one of the really fun things about playing football.''

And I'm officially confused. I'm trying to talk to Butler about his potential role in the upcoming Thanksgiving meeting between the Raiders and the Cowboys. So. ... what rivalry? And how did the Union and the Confederacy get dragged into this?

"You know, ‘The Civil War!''' says an incredulous Butler. "Oregon State vs. Oregon!''

Oh, yeah.

"And for me, playing the Raiders is going to be a repeat of The Civil War because I've got so many friends on that team.''

OK. Gotcha. It makes sense now. And it also makes sense to keep an eye on Butler in this game ... and he and I will tell you why:

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It was the first game in the 50-year history of the Dallas Cowboys to end with a score of 7-6 … yet it was so impressive (to some) that Roy Williams opened his mouth (if not his hands) to declare that the win over the Redskins means "This football team is good enough to win the Super Bowl.’’

Well, yes. It can. But … well … let’s do first things first, starting with FISH on FOOTBALL’s Top 10 Takes on Sunday’s victory:

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Daryl Johnston is a former Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl fullback and is a present Fox analyst. His Cowboys relationships run deep. ... but so does his talent and commitment to broadcasting. So he wears multiple hats here ... and acknowledges that it is a juggling act as he goes one-on-one with Blogging The Boys to evaluate:

*A Cowboys team that he says "should've beaten Green Bay.''

*Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, a close pal of Johnston's who D.J. nevertheless says ought to dump the over-reliance on the Shotgun.

*The Cowboys' chance of success in the NFC East and in the NFC overall: "They're going to be fine,'' he says. "If you are 6-4 or better, you are going to be fine. You are solid. If you are 5-5, it's going to be tough to catch up.''

Read on for BTB's visit with Daryl "Moose'' Johnston:

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If it was completely up to Jason Witten, football would be played in a vacuum. There would be no stories on how players wear their hats, or on which teammate is dating which starlet, or whether the locker room is a more mentally and emotionally stable place after the banishment to Buffalo of a certain troubling component of that locker room.

Of course, if football was played in a vacuum - in the mud with the guys wearing Wranglers while just battling among neighborhood pals - the Cowboys star tight end couldn't get paid. And he couldn't use what he calls his "shining light of celebrity'' to make a positive impact on his community. And he wouldn't be available for my exclusive BTB interview, in which he addresses the aforementioned issues, along with his view on his reduced numbers and his belief that this year's Cowboys team is "learning to live in the moment.''

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You are the Cowboys in Green Bay. You are wearing stocking caps on the sideline. It feels like winter.

There are reasons to play what we might call "power football'' ... and in what turns out to be a 17-7 loss to the Packers, you fail to do that.

Are there reasons why the Cowboys seemed to shift away from a power offense that almost certainly was part of the pregame plan? Are the reasons justified? Do those reasons serve as an explanation for why this otherwise-accomplished offense just ended up in a 3-0 game after three quarters for the first time in the Cowboys franchise's 50-year history? Let's raise some questions ... as we remove our stocking caps and put on our thinking caps:

Question: What do the Steelers, Broncos and Packers have in common? In addition to all of them in recent memory taking on a visiting Cowboys team and winning, all of them play a 3-4 defense. Is there something about the Cowboys' offensive approach against a 3-4 that doesn't fly? Is that reasonable, considering the fact that the Dallas offense has ample opportunity to practice against its own Wade Phillips 3-4?

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For all the ego and swagger that powered Jimmy Johnson's Super Bowl Cowboys, the coach and his staff implemented a foundation philosophy that often runs contrary to the rigid mindset employed by so many coaches:

 "Put players in position to succeed.''

This year's Cowboys staff seems to be relying on the same flexible approach ... and I've got four Cowboys players for whom this is paying subtle dividends.

First, a quick explanation of what used to be. Norv Turner's offense was installed very specifically with Troy Aikman's strengths in mind. Jay Novacek was a tight end who couldn't much block, so they didn't ask him to. Daryl Johnston had been a ballcarrier his entire life but he wasn't going to have a career trying to do that in the NFL. Jimmy historically liked to rotate D-linemen but once he acquired Charles Haley, Haley didn't often rotate out. Ray Horton used to call secondary signals from the free-safety spot; with the maturation of Darren Woodson, Dallas let the strong safety call signals.

Time and time again, with stars on down, those Cowboys coaches fit the system around the players instead of stuffing the players into the system. They put players in position to succeed.

With this year's team, it's easy to see how this philosophy is being applied to luminaries like Tony Romo, Marion Barber and Demarcus Ware. But let's get to those four subtle dividends:

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John Harbaugh, the Ravens coach formerly with Philadelphia, has a quote recently revealed in an Eagles-centric book that goes, "The Cowboys stand for everything that is wrong with the NFL.''

My response? If winning five Super Bowls is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

An assortment of post-Philly reflections on a Cowboys team that at this moment stands for everything that is first in the NFC East:

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Roy Williams is the fourth-most productive pass-catcher on the Dallas Cowboys, and if the glass is half-full, well, heck ... somebody's got to be No. 4.

We are being inundated this week with mainstream-media panic (not to mention quotes from Roy that make it sound like he's panicking, too) due to what I find to be a collection of disappointing-but-acceptable facts. Example: Roy's 14-catches-of-37-targeted passes is the NFL's lowest ratio.

The numbers are undeniable. But the panic - Williams' quotes qualified him for a breathless lead story on "SportsCenter'' this morning - is unnecessary.

Because it doesn't matter if Roy Williams performs like a No. 1 receiver.

It only matters that SOMEBODY does.

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Timing. Chemistry. The "This-Ain't-Our-First-Rodeo'' Factor.

Understanding of the importance of all this when it comes to offensive-line play tends to get avalanched as an NFL season trudges on. ... buried under everything from the excitement of a new toy (Miles Austin's record-setting hat-trick!) to how a team is doing when its quarterback start wearing his ballcap front-side-to-the-front (Tony Romo, undefeated!).

But then along comes the Seattle Seahawks, a 38-17 thrashing of that beleaguered bunch, and a distinct contrast in success levels when you compare their offensive line to your offensive line.

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In my experience, almost without exception, when an athlete signs his "deal of a lifetime'' - and that's what this six-year, $78,000,000 (and 1) deal with the Cowboys represents for DeMarcus Ware - his mind whizzes through three phases of realization:

One, he thinks about his family.

Two, he thinks about his legacy.

And three, he thinks about what crazy-stupid thing he's going to buy.

In the second of Blogging The Boys' two-part exclusive interview with the new possessor of the largest contract in Cowboys history (part 1 is here), I learn that DeMarcus' "three phases of realization'' regarding his money are just like everybody elses ... except for that third crazy-stupid phase.

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DeMarcus Ware's freshly-minted deal with the Cowboys did not pay him the reported figure of $78 million, Blogging The Boys has learned after speaking with the All-Pro pass-rusher.

The actual total given him by Jerry Jones is $78,000,001 - and we have the photographic evidence of that extra dollar.

"I've got it right here in my pocket,'' Ware told me late Monday night, reaching for an autographed buck that is suitable for framing.

That story - and a bushel of other vignettes - from Part 1 of my one-on-one visit with DeMarcus Ware:

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