"With no offseason for its players to undergo the gradual transition usually required in the face of sweeping changes, Cowboys management took a considerable gamble when it went forward with a plan to overhaul the team's aging offensive line.

Discarding three veterans and relying upon a collection of less-experienced replacements could have allowed a recipe for disaster to materialize.

But head coach Jason Garrett knew he had Tony Romo, an athletic quarterback who could mask the flaws of an offensive line that needed to grow and congeal. "