Cowboys' aim: Lasso Bears' info via Tank?

By David Haugh
Chicago Tribune
September 17, 2007

Is the Cowboys' interest in Tank Johnson legitimate, or do they just want to interview Johnson to pump him for information on the Bears before Sunday's matchup at Soldier Field?

More should be known Tuesday, when Johnson is scheduled to meet with Cowboys coaches and possibly owner Jerry Jones to discuss joining the team, an NFL source said.

Johnson, 25, was expected to arrive in Dallas on Monday night and take a physical Tuesday morning before meeting with Cowboys personnel.

The Cowboys cannot work out Johnson the way a team normally might conduct a tryout for a prospective player because six games remain on his NFL suspension, imposed after his off-the-field legal issues last season with the Bears.

Johnson's agents had approached the Cowboys several times after the Bears cut him loose in June following an arrest in Arizona, but the team was cool to the idea until it lost nose tackle Jason Ferguson to a season-ending injury in Week 1.

Even if the Cowboys don't sign Johnson, the gamesmanship of bringing in an ex-Bears defensive starter five days before playing the Bears won't go unnoticed at Halas Hall.