What's the most important thing Tony Romo needs to do next season?

Take control of the Cowboys' offense. When you are the starting quarterback of a NFL team, there will always be factions on your team that don't like you. Some players are jealous of your status. Others think you are overrated. Still others won't like your personality. That's fine. As a quarterback you have to ignore that. You have to lead. You can't worry about being liked.

You played for Bill Parcells for eight seasons. What was his take on quarterbacks as leaders?

Bill Parcells once took me aside and told me how disappointed he was in me. He said, "You used to be a leader but now you are trying to be everyone's friend." He made the point. ... Tony Romo is borderline tremendous. He can be a dominating presence on the Football team because he has the talent to back it up.

And your thoughts about Jon Kitna, the Cowboys' new backup quarterback?

He's a great backup quarterback. He's what I call a "closet talented guy." He can throw the ball. He stays in great shape and is a tough guy who won't back down.

Did your son Chris, who signed with the Denver Broncos this week, ever come close to signing with the Cowboys?

They did look at Christopher before he signed with Tennessee last season, but he wasn't physically ready to play then. He's in 100 percent great shape now. The Cowboys didn't look at him after the season. They wanted a veteran backup.

What about Wade Phillips?

Someone has to take complete control of the team. There is no middle ground. There are ways to communicate and still be the man in charge. In Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin is thought to be a players' coach, but when you walk around there, as I did a bunch last season, you know who is in charge. More importantly, the players do too.

bhorn@dallasnews.com

Do you believe in Al Michaels?

The media mavens at NBC like to periodically remind us that their network remains the home of the Olympics. So earlier this week, a little more than 11 months before the start of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, NBC announced that Al Michaels will serve as its daytime host. He replaces Jim Lampley.

It's a smart move for NBC. To have Michaels on your payroll and limit him to Sunday Night Football would be silly. He's the best play-by-play man/analyst in the business.

Michaels, of course, made his network bones at ABC back in 1980 when he uttered his "Do you believe in miracles?" hockey call in Lake Placid as the Team USA upset the Soviets. He last worked an Olympics, calling hockey, at the 1988 Calgary Games.

Reported NBC Sports boss Dick Ebersol in making the announcement via conference call: "For the last three years, I've talked several times a year with Al about his interest in doing other events. Finally after the Pro Bowl last month, we were discussing it again, and for the first time he said, 'I really would love to host an Olympics,' something he'd never done before, and I immediately offered him this role."

Ebersol assured that Lampley, who has worked a record 14 Olympics, is part of his plans.

Do you believe in Michael Irvin's 'So you wanna be a Cowboy' show?

Now that the Cowboys have an opening at wide receiver and have also bid adieu to defensive backs Roy Williams and Anthony Henry, Michael Irvin's upcoming Spike TV show may have more relevance. After all, the show's mission is to come up with the 80th man - a receiver or defensive back for the Cowboys' training camp roster. Absurd to think the 80th man could make the final roster? Maybe, but ...

In real news: The show finally landed a name. It will be called 4th and Long. It will be taped at the Cotton Bowl, where the contestants will work and live. Bill Bates and Joe Avezzano have been added to the cast as coaches and talent evaluators.

Do you believe

in Charles Barkley?

It's usually entertaining to tune into the studio show when the Mavericks are playing on TNT to get Charles Barkley's negative take on Dallas team. He didn't disappoint Thursday night when they were dismantled in the second half by the New Orleans Hornets.

Barkley pre-game: "The Mavs are not a really good team. They might get in [the playoffs] because the Suns stink, also. It's like the ugly girl chasing the ugly girl, who cares? Who's got the worse dress on?" (Personal aside: Should we be concerned about a man, who has to do jail time for drunk driving, talking about dresses?)

Barkley at halftime with the score tied: "They're not very good. ... You look at it. They are the No. 8 seed right now. They are not tough enough. They don't get easy baskets. They are a jump shooting team. They don't play great defense. So Jason [Kidd] said when we make shots and we play defense we're pretty good. I said so is everybody else in the world. ... They don't have a big guy that can get easy shots. The bottom line is ... the Dallas Mavericks is not a very good team."

Barkley after the Mavericks 16-point loss to the Hornets: Nothing. He told you so.

Around the Horn

ESPN takes a rare jab into major league boxing when it offers WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko defending against Juan Carlos Gomez on March 21 from Germany. Brian Kenny and Teddy Atlas will be at ringside. ... Those Frank TV commercials that were a staple of TBS postseason baseball coverage? They're out of here. Frank Caliendo's skit show has been cancelled. Caliendo, however, is good to go for another season on Fox's NFL pregame show. ... NFL Network drew a combined 5 million viewers for its NFL combine coverage. That about 1 million more than last year. ... CBS is almost at the $30 million mark in advertising revenue for its March Madness on Demand Internet streaming for the NCAA Tournament. That's up $7 million from last year. At least someone's business is improving in these harsh economic times.