Ware, Barber miss Cowboys' practice

IRVING - Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware sat on a training table laughing while getting treatment on his left knee. Running back Marion Barber walked through the locker room without a noticeable limp being caused by a dislocated right pinkie toe.

But Ware, the NFL sacks leader, and Barber didn't practice Monday, the first time the Cowboys were back on the field since both were hurt Thanksgiving Day.

And neither said anything to indicate whether they would be ready to play this weekend at Pittsburgh.

Coach Wade Phillips said before practice that Ware and Barber were both "day to day." MRI tests done Friday revealed no significant damage for either player.

Phillips expects Ware to practice this week, but was less certain about Barber.

"It depends on what the doctors say," Phillips said. "We want to make sure he can obviously do the things he needs to do. How long that takes and what we have to do as far as practice is concerned, I don't know. Earlier, (doctors) said he would have to stay out during the week, but I don't know if that is the case or not."

Even if Barber is not able to go through any contact drills, Phillips said the running back would take part in daily walkthroughs as the team prepares for Sunday's game at Pittsburgh.

"Marion is one of the tougher guys I've seen, ever played with," tight end Jason Witten said. "I'd be surprised if he didn't go. ... I just know what he's made of and his mentality."

Barber, who rarely does interviews, offered only a couple of one-word answers and was coy when asked how he felt walking through the locker room. He indicated that he was OK before going to the training room.

Ware, sitting on a table in the training room, laughed with reporters who were in a hallway still trying to determine Barber's status. Ware never gave an answer about himself, but had a wide grin on his face while getting some kind of electronic treatment on his hyperextended knee.

The Cowboys (8-4) get back to their regular schedule when they practice Wednesday. After a three-day weekend following their 34-9 victory over Seattle, Phillips described practice Monday as "an opportunity to work an extra day on Pittsburgh."

Barber got hurt when someone stepped on his foot in the first half Thursday. After X-rays revealed no broken bone, Barber returned after halftime. But he had only one more carry, leaving the game for good after a 4-yard run midway through the third quarter.

A few plays later, Ware got hurt when his leg turned awkwardly on consecutive steps while rushing the quarterback. He dropped to the ground, and was tended on the field before walking off under his own power.

Ware had three sacks in the game, pushing his season total to 15.

The Cowboys put left guard Kyle Kosier on injured reserve, ending his season after he played in only three games because of a right foot injury. Kosier re-injured his foot twice trying to return. He played in only one of the first nine games, then got back for only two more before missing Thursday. Dallas signed rookie linebacker Steve Octavien off Washington's practice squad.

Cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones will be eligible to play Sunday after his six-game suspension. Jones returned to practice last week, but the Cowboys still have a roster exemption and do not yet have to put him on their 53-man roster.

Team officials don't expect Jones to talk to reporters until after he's played in a game. The cornerback wasn't in the locker room after practice.

Phillips expects Jones to play in nickel and dime packages and be involved in returning kicks Sunday. The coach doesn't anticipate conditioning to be a problem.

"He is ready to go, he wants to play," Phillips said. "He's attentive. He's at the meetings early. He asks questions. As a football player, he's done all the right things since he's been with us."

Cornerback Mike Jenkins (hamstring) and receiver Miles Austin (sprained left knee) were held out of practice Monday. Jenkins didn't play Thursday and Austin has missed two games.

Survey: Packers rank 1st in local brand strength

The Green Bay Packers enjoy the most passionate local fan base of any pro team - at least they did before the club's messy divorce from Brett Favre.

The franchise has the strongest brand in its local market of any North American team in the major sports leagues, according to a consumer survey of thousands of fans.

"What this is saying is the following the Packers have is more intensely loyal to supporting the Packers than any other team," said Len Perna, president and chief executive of New Jersey-based Turnkey Sports & Entertainment, which released the 2008 Turnkey Team Brand Index on Monday.

"What this basically says is that all other things being equal, a sponsor gets more value in sponsoring the Packers than any other team."

The Packers ranked first among 122 team brands in the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball. Some 12,000 fans in 47 U.S. and Canadian markets participated in the second annual survey in June by the market research and executive search and recruiting firm.

The study also measured a team's following among fans outside the local market. The New York Yankees ranked No. 1, followed by the Packers, Boston Red Sox, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Lakers.

The Red Sox were second in the local market survey, followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who topped last year's list. The Packers, the only publicly owned team in major professional sports, were fifth in the survey a year ago. Three of the top 10 teams were from the Boston area, and each had something in common: a recent championship.

"The Packers moved up because they had such an emotional year with Brett Favre," Perna said. "His popularity. His longevity. They just really cement the relationship between the brand and fans in Green Bay."

The 38-year-old Favre led the Packers to the NFC championship game last season before losing to the New York Giants. He then tearfully announced his retirement in March, changed his mind and was traded to the New York Jets as Packers management decided it was Aaron Rodgers' time to lead the team.

Given the survey's findings, the Packers made a marketing mistake in letting Favre get away, Perna said.

"Maybe there's some kind of football reason that is not clear to me that they wanted to move on," he said. "But just from a brand perspective, big mistake."

His new team, the Jets, are 8-4 and ranked 92nd in Perna's study.

"They are going to be higher next year, yes," Perna predicted.

The online survey measured such things as team popularity, fan loyalty and assessments of owners. It asked participants about their perceptions of teams: How entertaining it is to attend games? Is the organization's appreciation of fans genuine? Does the team have likable players?

Rounding out the top 10 franchises with the strongest team brand in their local market were the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Red Wings, San Antonio Spurs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Celtics and St. Louis Cardinals.

The Celtics, who won the NBA championship last season, vaulted into the top 10 after finishing 104th in the first survey.

The Seattle SuperSonics, the NBA team that recently moved to Oklahoma City, ranked last in the survey, Perna said. They were preceded by the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers and New York Islanders.

-- Robert Imrie