Jerry Jones has stripped HC Jason Garrett of play-calling duties and passed them to OC Bill Callahan. It's tough to know what that will mean for the Dallas offense. Garrett has been calling plays since becoming Dallas OC in 2007. Callahan hasn't piloted an NFL offense since his stint as Oakland HC ended with the 2003 season. The Raiders finished top 8 in the league in scoring and yardage 4 straight years before crashing to 26th andd 25th, respectively, in 2003. Callahan served as OC under Jon Gruden there before taking overas HC in 2002. At the least, this is just another sign that Garrett is on thin ice in Big D.

The Cowboys have fired DC Rob Ryan after 2 seasons. The move isn't all that shocking after Dallas dipped from 16th to 24th in scoring defense and 14th to 19th in yardage. The run D, in particular, fell apart after proving solid in 2011. The move does open the highly intriguing scenario of Rex Ryan hiring his bro as Jets DC. Unfortunately, the Jets are reportedly going the boring route of promoting secondary coach Dennis Thurman to take over for the departed Mike Pettine. It'll be interesting to see what they do in Dallas. The Cowboys have run the 3-4 for a long time now and would seem to sport the personnel for it. But OLB Anthony Spencer is an unrestricted free agent. Fellow OLB DeMarcus Ware could likely hold his own as a 4-3 DE. ILBs Sean Lee and Bruce Carter each had experience as 4-3 OLBs in college and could probably each play any of the 3 LB spots in such an alignment. And NT Jay Ratliff has been breaking down and raising questions about his fit in the middle of a 3-4 front at this stage. We'll see who Jerry Jones ... er, Jason Garrett (wink) picks to run the D next.

As expected, Cowboys WRs Dez Bryant (knee) and Miles Austin (hamstring) are both active for tonight's game against the Giants.  We like Dez a little better because he's less of an injury-risk.  But both guys have plenty of upside against a secondary missing CBs Terrell Thomas and Prince Amukamara.

Cowboys WRs Miles Austin (hamstring) and Dez Bryant (knee) put in a full practices on Monday.  Both guys are good to go for Wednesday night's season opener against the Giants.  Austin is the riskier fantasy option.  He's had recurring hamstring issues for a year now.  And he didn't play at all this preseason.  Bryant, meanwhile, is only dealing with knee tendonitis.  He got some reps in the first 2 exhibitions.  Dez is the superior fantasy option this week, but both guys have plenty of upside against a Giants defense missing CBs Terrell Thomas and Prince Amukamara.

Dwayne Harris enjoyed a big night against the Rams, catching 3 balls for 118 yards and 2 TDs. It was a strong statement for a guy who generated some buzz last preseason as a potential slot receiver. Veteran Kevin Ogletree, meanwhile, caught a team-high five passes for 75 yards. Cole Beasley added three catches for 40 yards. All are among the competitors for the No. 3 receiver post in Dallas. It's a spot that could present sneaky fantasy value, especially given the hamstring troubles for both Miles Austin and Dez Bryant this summer. Laurent Robinson, of course, caught 11 TD passes in that role last season.

Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones intimated via the Dallas Morning News Wednesday that the team could be ready to move on from veteran ILBs Bradie James and Keith Brooking. That wouldn't be a surprise. Each saw his role significantly reduced in 2011, with Sean Lee taking over as the lone full-timer. Bruce Carter is expected to see a lot more playing time in his 2nd season. The former 2nd-round pick will be a high-upside IDP play if he starts.

Cowboys HC Jason Garrett says the team will go with a committee attack at RB in Felix Jones' absence.  "Different runners will get different opportunities,'' Garrett said. "We have to be prepared for each of those guys to be able to do anything, play on first and second down and also third down."  After Jones went down last weekend, RB DeMarco Murray saw 12 touches, while RB Tashard Choice received 6.  We're expecting a similar split against the Rams on Sunday.

Cowboys QB Tony Romo (ribs), RB Felix Jones (shoulder), WR Miles Austin (hamstring), and WR Dez Bryant (quad) are all active for today's game against the Patriots.  They should all be fresh after last week's bye.  This figures to be a shooutout in Foxboro today.

The Cowboys signed S Abram Elam to a 1-year deal Wednesday and will head into the season with him starting next to re-signed S Gerald Sensabaugh. Elam spent the past 2 years starting under DC Rob Ryan in Cleveland, delivering 91 and then 79 tackles. Elam's coverage numbers picked up significantly in 2010 with T.J. Ward on board. Both Elam and Sensabaugh profile more as strong players but also have experience at free. Expect Dallas to use both fairly interchangeably. Neither is a high-ceiling IDP, but both could deliver decent production at a volatile position. The team also will be without CB Terence Newman for 4-6 weeks because of a groin injury. The Cowboys now must live with the already unwise decision to keep the over-the-hill 32-year-old and his $8 million salary. Cutting Newman (before the injury) would have saved $4 million in cap space.

As expected, the Cowboys have named Jason Garrett their HC.  It's a 4-year deal, and Garrett will have a major say in both personnel and assistant coaching decisions, according to owner Jerry Jones.  The hiring is good news for Dallas' offense -- they won't need to learn a new system this offseason.