■ LB DeMarcus Ware showed incredible speed to track down RB Marion Barber after Ware was caught inside on a pitch to his side. He was able to stop Barber for a minimal gain.

■ DE Jason Hatcher put RG Leonard Davis on his back in one-on-one pass rush drills in the afternoon workout. Hatcher has earned praise from Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips in the first two days.

■ FB Deon Anderson had a terrific lead block on Kevin Burnett during team-run drills that lifted the linebacker partially off his feet.

■ LB Anthony Spencer took some turns with the first team with Greg Ellis taking a break. Ellis said he knows the plan and is cool with it.

■ Tony Romo's prettiest throw of the morning workout went to Terrell Owens. Owens started in the slot, motioned in and came back to his original spot before sneaking by Terence Newman in coverage. It wasn't as if Newman was beaten badly. The throw was perfect.

■ Funniest drill: During station work the players got to whack their teammates while wearing arm pads to simulate a gauntlet. Two fumbled, Chris Canty and Patrick Watkins. Dave Campo was running the drill and when the linebackers finished, Burnett said, "Campo, you up next."

■ Ware sent tight end Tony Curtis to the ground in team drills for what would have been a sack of Romo. Spencer had a would-be sack of Brad Johnson after overpowering fullback Ronnie Cruz.

■ Too many players were on the ground in the morning practice with the coaches repeatedly saying, "Stay up." It takes some time to get used to the action, but the coaches don't want players on the ground so they can avoid injuries.

■ Romo and Jason Witten hooked up on three out of four passes in team drills in the morning. The only miss came on a poor throw on a roll out play. It even led Romo to curse.

— Todd Archer

Tashard Choice

Fourth-round draft choice Tashard Choice has a chance to become the No. 3 running back. His main competition is Alonzo Coleman, but Choice seems to have a slight edge.

The Cowboys' coaches like Choice's speed (he runs a 4.5 40-yard dash) and his ability to make cuts. On one carry in practice Saturday, Choice didn't see a hole but slipped around a lineman for a 4-yard gain.

"He's looked good so far," coach Wade Phillips said. "We hope he comes through. I think Tashard is a real smart player, and he's done it in college [Georgia Tech], running-game wise. He's been very productive."

— Calvin Watkins

The defensive linemen have been active the first two days of practice. Ends Chris Canty, Jason Hatcher and Marcus Spears were disruptive by forcing run plays inside. Canty got into the backfield on a run play, stopping Tony Romo before the handoff.

Nose tackles Jay Ratliff and Tank Johnson have made several key plays. Johnson clogged up a hole on an Alonzo Coleman carry, and Ratliff tackled Marion Barber in the backfield. Ratliff traded a few head slaps with tackle Marc Colombo.

"We have so much competition, no one can take a day off," Johnson said. "It's a situation where everybody has to play at a high level every day."

— Calvin Watkins

WR Miles Austin, proud dog owner

I understand you have a cute little pooch. Tell me a little bit about your dog.

Her name is Fergie. She's a French bulldog; looks like a Boston terrier. She's small, weighs about 18 pounds. She's pound-for-pound the strongest dog in the world. She's a beast.

You talk about how tough she is. Is that trying to keep a little bit of machismo?

Yeah, but she holds her own. She's tough. She's got that lockjaw. You can lift up a toy and swing her around. She's really tough.

OK, she's tough, but do the fellas give you a hard time about this dog?

They try to. I get it worst from T.O. He tells me how he's going to kick her all the time, but I think deep down inside, he really loves her.

What made you fall in love with a cute little puppy?

She's got bug eyes and is cross-eyed a little bit. She's got real big ears, and she's just the best dog in the world.

A lot of NFL players have pit bulls, maybe to symbolize their toughness. What does this dog say about you?

She's the friendliest dog in the world. That's why I love her. I'm the friendliest guy in the world, so that's why I have the friendliest dog in the world.

— Tim MacMahon