Cowboys purchase a Tank

IRVING — Suspended defensive tackle Tank Johnson signed a two-year contract Tuesday with the Dallas Cowboys.

Johnson, who played the last three seasons for the Chicago Bears, can’t play for Dallas and won’t be paid until he completes his eight-game NFL suspension for violating probation on a gun charge. He has served the first two games of that suspension and will have to apply for reinstatement.

Johnson signed after visiting the team and taking a physical. He will make about $255,000 this season, the prorated portion of a minimum contract.

“For a lot of reasons, he really just felt the Cowboys were the right fit,” said his agent, Jerrold Colton. “He’s so thankful to them for giving him this opportunity. He is very determined to prove they made a wise decision in believing in him.”

The team issued a news release confirming the signing and announcing that Johnson will discuss the signing in a conference call today.

The Cowboys also said that Calvin Hill, a former player who is now a consultant specializing in monitoring troubled players, will be available for comment today, as will coach Wade Phillips, owner Jerry Jones and Johnson’s new teammates.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the earliest Johnson would be eligible to play is Nov. 11 at the New York Giants, the Cowboys’ ninth game of the season. Dallas has an open date in the NFL’s eighth week.

Johnson could provide late-season depth on a defensive line that lost starting nose tackle Jason Ferguson for the year because of a torn right biceps in the opener. But Johnson will have to adjust to Cowboys’ 3-4 scheme, which is different from what he’s played in Chicago.

Although Johnson can’t work out with Dallas until the week of the Giants game after his suspension ends, the team had to make room for him on the 53-man roster. The Cowboys released backup cornerback Nate Jones on Tuesday.

The Cowboys will place Johnson on the reserve/suspended list Wednesday, the earliest that move can be made. That will create a roster opening.

Jay Ratliff, a third-year player, replaced Ferguson as the starting nose tackle. Ratliff has five tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery for the Cowboys (2-0). Coincidentally, Dallas plays at Chicago on Sunday night.

In 46 games (15 starts) with the Bears, Johnson had 63 tackles, nine sacks and a forced fumble. He was a second-round pick out of Washington in 2004.

The Bears released Johnson on June 25, three days after he was pulled over by police in Gilbert, Ariz. He already had served a two-month jail term for the gun charge and been suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

Gilbert police closed the June case without charging Johnson, who was stopped for speeding. His blood alcohol level was .072, under the presumptive limit for DUI.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had said the suspension could be reduced to six games if Johnson had no further involvement with law enforcement and underwent counseling. That was before Johnson was stopped in Arizona.

Last December, police raided Johnson’s suburban Chicago home and found six unregistered firearms — a violation of his probation on an earlier gun charge.

That charge stemmed from Johnson’s 2005 arrest after a Chicago nightclub valet reported seeing Johnson with a handgun in his SUV. He subsequently pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge.

Two days after last December’s raid, Willie B. Posey, Johnson’s bodyguard, was shot and killed in an early morning fight while he and Johnson were at a Chicago nightclub.

Johnson was suspended by the Bears for one game for being at the club. He played in the Super Bowl when the Bears lost to Indianapolis.

During Jones’ ownership, the Cowboys have taken on plenty of players whose character flaws have cost them jobs elsewhere. They were successful with Alonzo Spellman, another former Bears player, in 1999-2000 but less so with Dimitrius Underwood in 2000-01.

Jones signed few players with off-field issues the past four seasons, when Bill Parcells was coach. With Dallas off to a strong start after making the playoffs last season, Jones apparently sees this as a low-risk, high-reward gamble.

In Perspective? Dallas' 2-0 start not good indicator

By Jaime Aron

The Associated Press

IRVING — Despite allowing 35 points in the opener, the Dallas Cowboys beat a division foe. Then came a more efficient victory against an overmatched team, with the defense saving face by coming up with a bunch of turnovers.

That’s how the 2-0 start played out all right.

Back in 1999.

Yes, there are striking similarities in the two most recent 2-0 starts for the Cowboys. Yet the comparison also comes with a warning: Dallas finished 8-8 back then, offering a reminder that what’s happened so far should be considered nothing more than a good start.

Maybe it really is the start of something big. Or maybe it’s merely two good games in a row, something even lousy teams enjoy.

This team seems too solid to completely fall apart. Then again, the same might have been said in 1999.

It was the final year of The Triplets, although nobody knew it at the time.

The season began with high hopes. The Cowboys had gone 10-6 the previous year, their first under coach Chan Gailey, and Rocket Ismail had just come aboard. He started with a bang, too, racing for a 76-yard touchdown in overtime to cap a huge comeback victory against the Redskins in Washington.

The Cowboys easily won the next game. And the next. They were 3-0 when they went to Philadelphia. Then Michael Irvin got hurt and things were never the same.

Still aren’t, some might say.

But this might be the year Dallas gets things cranked up again. Beyond being 2-0, the way the Cowboys have done it offers reason for optimism — if you forget both opponents haven’t beaten anyone else and probably aren’t very good.

Tony Romo is the top-rated quarterback in the NFC, isn’t worried about his looming contract and is proving his success last November wasn’t beginner’s luck.

His position coach being suspended apparently isn’t too big of a deal either.

Dallas has scored the most points in the league, meaning new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett knows what he’s doing as a play-caller.

The pass rush improved from game to game, with coach Wade Phillips able to point to the kind of byproducts he’s looking for: five turnovers and two sacks.

Rookie kicker Nick Folk has yet to miss, even nailing a 47-yarder at a pivotal point during the last game.

Intangibles are harder to calculate, but some good ones already have cropped up.

Start with Patrick Crayton returning from a gruesome dislocated pinky that required five stitches to make a key punt return against Miami. Things like that go a long way in a football locker room.

Phillips showed his appreciation by announcing Monday that Crayton earned a game ball. Folk, too.

Same with Roy Williams and Anthony Henry, both of whom bounced back from poor performances in the opener to combine for three interceptions and several other stellar plays.

This shouldn’t be a big deal to players of their stature, especially those with paychecks as big as the ones Williams and Henry get. But a publicized pat on the back from the boss is a nice change.

Another good sign is how the injury replacements have done. Crayton is starting in place of Terry Glenn, and the offense certainly hasn’t missed a beat. While Crayton has only three catches for 51 yards, Sam Hurd has moved into Crayton’s old spot of third receiver and provided three more catches for 69 yards, including the victory-sealing touchdown in the opener.

Jay Ratliff has done well in place of Jason Ferguson at nose tackle. Still, the Cowboys bought some more help by signing Tank Johnson.

Injuries to Terence Newman and Greg Ellis are holdups.

Without Newman, Phillips has stuck with mostly zone defenses. Once Newman returns and Phillips can go with man-to-man coverage, expect more blitzes. And if Ellis can get back on the field, Dallas will have another proven blitzer to join DeMarcus Ware, who is yet to rack up a sack.

He’s as likely to finish with zero sacks as the Cowboys are to finish with zero losses. There’s a lot of season left, starting with a game Sunday night in Chicago against the reigning conference champs.

“If we lose this game but win the next 10 in a row, I think you guys are going to think we’re pretty good,” Romo said Monday. “If we win this game and lose the next 10 in a row, we’re probably not very good.”

In other words, stay tuned.

There are 14 games to go.