Jerry Jones was unaware early Thursday afternoon that the Vikings had released quarterback Donovan McNabb, and when informed by reporters, didn't speculate on the Cowboys' possible interest given backup Jon Kitna's back problems.
"You're telling me something that I didn't know," Jones said. "We are just … where we are is where we are today."
The team is still without Kitna, who is missing his third week of practice. His back was concerning enough last week that the Cowboys unsuccessfully placed a claim for Kyle Orton (Chiefs), who had previous experience in Chicago with Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson.
Now McNabb, a former division foe of Dallas', is the latest veteran quarterback going through waivers. Naturally, the Cowboys and the Bears – the other team that failed to claim Orton – are linked as possible suitors.
Sage Rosenfels, who played with (2004) and then for (2005) Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett in Miami, has been waived by the Dolphins as well.
For now, third-year veteran Stephen McGee is the primary backup to Tony Romo, and Garrett indicated that they'll continue to monitor Kitna's progress over the next couple of weeks.
"We certainly are keeping an eye on where Kitna can be and potentially is," Jones said. "I don't know; no one knows. We're not ready to move on from there, either.
"I made the run at Orton. That was something we thought about a lot. If it had worked, then it would have kind of eliminated some of the questions that we had with Kitna. Still, we're where we are and I hope that the backup quarterback, the veteran quarterback issue isn't the issue that it can be."
"In the Hunt"As the Cowboys enter their final five-game stretch, Jones is excited about what the current NFC East leaders (7-4) can do through Jan. 1 and possibly beyond, starting with Arizona on Sunday.
"We've played well enough to be in the hunt," Jones said. "That was my wish, that we could play that well. It looks like we're improving. I feel like we're improving, and I can see that we've got the potential to be better than we've been.
"The kinds of mistakes we've made and the things that have been compromising us, I think you can clear those things up. I don't think we have a bad case of that flu, which is the flu that we had last year which said when the ball is snapped, something bad's going to happen. That's been turned around."
