INDIANAPOLIS -- As word of Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross' cost-slashing maneuvers reverberated around the NFL, it's interesting to note his players were right there with the Cowboys as having one of the most well-attended sets of player workouts.
It also underscores how hard folks in the NFL have to work to hold on to their jobs, which makes the news of pay cuts league-wide harder to take.
But don't think Ross hasn't noticed how left tackle Jake Long and quarterback Chad Henne have rallied the troops.
"I think most of the players in the NFL are really high-caliber guys that really want to be playing football, and be getting ready to play," Ross told me. "And I think it says an awful lot, and hopefully we can resolve those issues and get them playing again."
As for his cost-cutting, what Ross said to me at the NFL Spring Meeting reflected what he told USA Today: "It was very difficult. At the end of the season, we'll either make it up to them in cash, pay it back to them or give them time off for that time. It wasn't a one-way street."
Location, location, location
There were some very interesting reports put together by Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee and Jeff Darlington of The Miami Herald, which indicated that Arizona, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, San Diego and Atlanta joined Dallas and Miami as having the largest turnouts to their player-run camps.
It does reflect well on the guys like Drew Brees, Josh Freeman, Tony Romo, Bradie James, Long, Henne and everyone else responsible for organizing them, since they were able to draw teammates.
But those folks did have an advantage: Location. Players live full time in those areas, something that's less common in northern locales, and that means guys driving, not hopping on a plane and leaving their families, to get there. It'll be interesting to see if having that edge makes a difference if training camp or even the season is truncated.
Follow Albert Breer on Twitter @albertbreer.
