Reason No. 802 why Bill Simmons is among the most entertaining columnists in the nation: His Nov. 5 column on Portland center Greg Oden, and his hopes for the big man to stay healthy. He manages a lil' dis on the Mavs' Erick Dampier, too. But that's an easy target.

Anyway, good and thoughtful stuff. Read it here.

Matt Mosley has the stats on ESPN.com to prove it, pointing out that the Cowboys allow significantly fewer passing yards and slightly fewer points in games when Pacman doesn't play.

Of course, we can also point to the stats that indicate Pacman has been the team's best cornerback this season.