SAN ANTONIO --Preseason playing time is largely given to youngsters and bubble guys because teams don't want to risk their starters in ultimately meaningless games.
Would that change this preseason, coming off a four-month lockout that wiped out the Cowboys' preparation time?
Jason Garrett doesn't think so.
"We feel like when we get into the rhythm of training camp and the rhythm of the preseason, we can get our guys prepared to play," Garrett said. "It's not to say we won't tweak it a little bit, but the overall structure will be fairly similar."
Typically the third preseason game is the "dress rehearsal," during which the starters play into the second half. The other three games are usually dominated by the backups.