With Mike Shanahan now effectively a free agent, speculation has popped up that he could be a candidate for the Dallas job. 'After making several calls around the league this morning,' writes Matt Mosley, 'here's what you need to know about Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Mike Shanahan: They're in love with each other.' RealGM Note: The Cowboys will also visit Denver in 2009.

The Lions have reportedly been granted permission to interview Cowboys' offense coordinator Jason Garrett for their head coaching vacancy. Garrett interviewed with Baltimore and Atlanta last off-season when he was viewed as one of the hottest assistant coaches in the NFL.

Eli Manning was asked if he planned to go to San Diego to watch his brother Peyton play for the Indianapolis Colts against the Chargers in the first round. ?No, no, no plans,? Manning said. As an afterthought, Manning added: ?My plans to Cabo fell through, so I am going to sit here. That is a joke, by the way.? He was referring to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where Romo vacationed last year when the Cowboys had a first-round bye. Romo made the trip with his girlfriend Jessica Simpson, her family and some of his teammates. After Romo returned, the Cowboys were eliminated by the Giants, who went on to win the Super Bowl.

Cowboys' receiver Terrell Owens says that he'll be there for team owner Jerry Jones if he needs advice making personnel decisions. "If Jerry needs any advice or asks me about anything, I will give him my honest opinion," Owens said Sunday.

Dallas linebacker Bradie James got into an altercation with a fan outside the team's training facility in the wake of the team's season-ending loss to Philadelphia. The fan was wearing a sandwich board that said, "Cowboys have no heart" on one side and "Wade is an embarrassment to the star" on the other. James demanded the fan give him the sign. When the man refused, James removed it from him, breaking the man's eyeglasses in the process. According to the Associated Press, James then went to his locker, got a pair of expensive shades he'd been given and returned with an apology, a handshake and a gift. Police came and left without taking any action.

Cowboys' coach Wade Phillips has acknowledged that things need to change in Dallas. "We know things must improve. The only way is to change things," Phillips said, "to get to the standard we want; I don't see another way." Phillips did not address the team Monday, sending them into the offseason wondering about the future. They met with position coaches, cleaned out their lockers, tied up other loose ends, and were free to go.

Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo caused a stir in the locker room on Sunday when he collapsed in the shower and had to be helped to his feet by teammates. Romo suffered a rib injury late in the team's season-ending loss to the Eagles. When Romo fell, teammates rushed to his aid, and one player called for paramedics. He reportedly had trouble breathing because of the rib injury. Romo spoke at his postgame news conference but had trouble moving. He also had to be helped off a short stage where he addressed the media.

Last Saturday night, Emmitt Smith was at midfield for the coin flip for the final game at Texas Stadium. After the flip, Smith placed the coin in his pocket after it got picked up from the turf. "Ed, do you want this back?" Smith asked referee Ed Hochuli. "I want it." "I don't care, keep it, if you can keep it if you want it," said Hochuli. And finally, "I got the coin," Smith sang gleefully, showing it to a NFL Films camera as he walked off the field. "I got the coin."

Cowboys' receiver Roy Williams is frustrated with his role in the team's offense, echoing comments Terrell Owens made about the former Lions' role. "I know I am a player in this league," Williams said, according to Dallas-Fort Worth area media reports. "My thing is, if you brought me in half the season, you obviously know what I am capable of doing. You wouldn't have spent what you did to get a person. You know what I can do. I know what I can do. I can tell you what I can't do. I'm just waiting." Nearly a month ago, Owens and fellow receivers Patrick Crayton and Roy E. Williams reportedly met with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett to express their concerns about the team's offense.

Jerry Jones said on Friday that Wade Phillips will be back as coach of the Dallas Cowboys next season, and Jason Garrett will remain in charge of the offense, regardless of whether the team makes the playoffs. "The coaches are in place. I've said that. How can I be any clearer?" Jones said. "Look, I've said that our coaching staff, as far as I'm concerned, is in place. I just want to make the statement rather than answer questions, because your questions imply certain things that I don't want to imply. "I'm saying that when I look at where we are coaching staff-wise and when I look at where we are personnel wise, I see a team that is in place to compete for several years."