Of course, here in Dallas the sports radio airwaves are already blowing up. The season is going in the toilet after Oakland spanked the Cowboys last night. It’s funny; just about everybody leads off their comment with “it’s only the first preseason game, so it’s not time to panic yet” right before they go on a rant expressing just that — panic.

So yes, it’s no time for Cowboy fans or anyone else to worry, regardless of how their team performs in Week 1 of the preseason. But I did make a few observations from last night’s Dallas-Oakland game that could have some Fantasy relevance going down the road.

• The effect Felix Jones has on the Cowboy offense is underrated. He not only contributes himself, he makes everyone around him more dangerous because of the amount of respect opposing defenses have to give him. If they don’t give him that respect already, they soon will. He was spectacular in his limited amount of time last season; I think a lot of people have forgotten the impact he had in 2008. He only had two catches last season, but that will change in 2009. Jones is one of those precious few players who is an actual threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball, and he will be an absolute steal in this season’s draft. It’s easy to attach the “if he stays healthy” caveat, but that’s true for every player in this league.

• Miles Austin really damaged his chances to be the No. 2 receiver opposite Roy Williams with a dropped ball on a slant route that would at least have been a huge gain, and could have been a touchdown. Patrick Crayton didn’t do a lot himself, but at least he didn’t make a really high-profile mistake.

• Most teams will be in trouble if they lose a first-string offensive lineman, but the Cowboys look like they’d be downright screwed. The “Cory Proctor at No. 2 center” experiment needs to end. Now. He was lousy filling in for Kyle Kosier at guard last season, and it looks like he sucks even worse at center.

• Darren McFadden reminded everybody why he was so highly thought of when he came out of Arkansas. He looked fantastic. He’ll slip under a lot of Fantasy players’ radars in the draft and could be a great value pickup in the third or fourth round (in a 10-team league). If Jeff Garcia gets the starting nod over JaMarcus Russell — which is reportedly still a possibility — McFadden’s stock should spike significantly.

Those are just a few thoughts on a game that hardly anybody will remember when the regular season starts.

Let’s get a few things out of the way right off the bat. I like Michael Crabtree. I’m from Dallas like he is, and I hope he ultimately realizes his phenomenal potential. This also comes from a Texas Longhorn fan, and you know how Crabtree and Texas Tech ripped my heart out and took a dump on it last season.

But will all that being said, a report recently surfaced that makes me wonder whether Crabtree is nothing but a punk. An ESPN.com story came out today about Crabtree’s so-called “adviser,” some spare cousin of his by the name of David Wells, squawking that Crabtree is willing to sit out the entire season and re-enter the draft next April if the 49ers don’t meet his salary demands.

“We are prepared to do it,” Wells said, according to the story. “Michael just wants fair-market value. They took him with the 10th pick and you have Darrius Heyward-Bey [the seventh overall pick by the Oakland Raiders]  getting $38 million? This week is crucial. Michael was one of the best players in the draft and he just wants to be paid like one of the best players. This week is very crucial.”

To be fair, Crabtree’s agent, Eugene Parker — you know, the guy who should actually be speaking for the rookie — denies that he’s made any such threat. So that makes Wells out to be even more of a moron. When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was a wrestler, one of his great catchphrases was, “Know your role and shut your damn mouth.” Wells, who looks like one of those parasites known to flock to big-time athletes, should NEVER be allowed to talk to the media again. Crabtree should just threaten to throw this idiot off the gravy train if he runs his mouth again. That should do the trick.

Also, Crabtree needs to stand up himself and refute what Wells said. Hopefully, he’s not really contemplating a season-long holdout. If he thinks he’d be selected in the Top 10 of the 2010 NFL Draft, he’s delusional. There’ll be a new group of college wideouts explode onto the scene and into the national consciousness this season, and people will slowly forget how great Crabtree was at Tech.

Look; we all know rookies hold out every year. Counting Crabtree, six of this year’s Top 10 draft choices still haven’t reported to camp. Moronic posturing like Wells exhibited in the ESPN story just happens to be one of the more disgusting offshoots of contract negotiations.

But Crabtree was already a huge question mark going into the draft because of a foot injury he suffered at Tech late last season. His continued holdout and comments by someone who reportedly serves as an “adviser” are making Crabtree look like a spoiled little child. Even worse, he’s already missed OTAs and a significant chunk of training camp. He may have so much talent, he could sign a day before the season starts and still be a stud. But how likely is that?

I normally won’t hesitate drafting a rookie wide receiver on my Fantasy team. But I wouldn’t touch Crabtree with a 30-foot pole, much less a 10.

You don’t need me telling you just how preciously rare it has become to find NFL rushing attacks that are dominated by one running back. How many can you think of? Maybe 10 or 11 at the very most? The dreaded Running Back by Committee has become the bane of Fantasy Football the last couple of years, and you’ve got to think it’s only going to get worse.

If it wasn’t already bad enough that the bulk of NFL teams are relying on two running backs to share the load — more and more, teams are turning to three guys to tote the rock. One of the most egregious offenders this season looks like it’s going to be the Baltimore Ravens, who during training camp will try and figure out whether Le’Ron McClain, Willis McGahee or Ray Rice will be getting the most looks. Whoever it is, you can bet all of them will see plenty of playing time.

Ravens Web site writer Mike Duffy posted a good story yesterday that breaks down the competition headed into training camp. You would think that, based on last season’s 902 yards and 10 TDs, McClain would be the natural choice to get the most action. But with the team’s release of fullback Lorenzo Neal, signs indicate McClain may end up being more of a blocking back than a runner. McGahee’s injury history can’t be overlooked, even though he’s probably the most gifted true running back of all three. You’ve got to give him credit for fighting through all his problems to still post almost 700 yards and seven TDs in 2008, but you also can’t blame the Ravens if they’re hesitant to count on McGahee to be The Man.

That leaves Rice, who was a stud at Rutgers but served mainly as a third-down guy in his rookie season. He didn’t crack the end zone, but he had a combined 727 yards rushing and receiving. If OTA reps account for anything (they probably don’t, but at this point they’re all we have to go on), Rice has at least been penciled in as the No. 1 guy since he received the most carries with the first team.

Can you count on Rice to emulate McClain’s numbers from 2008? Rice weighs nearly 70 pounds lighter than McClain; even if the big guy is leading the way at fullback for Rice, will Rice be able to take the pounding?

Of course, this could all be a case of the Ravens throwing up a smokescreen. It could very well be that McClain will once again put up the lion’s share of numbers. But from what we know so far, you’ll probably be better served avoiding Baltimore running backs until you get to the “stems and seeds” portion of your draft.

Anyone who’s seen 1982’s  “Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan” remembers the scene where Ricardo Montalban as Khan appears on the Starship Enterprise’s video screen and taunts William Shatner’s Captain Kirk after rendering Kirk’s ship helpless –  ”marooned for eternity in the center of a dead planet.” Or words to that effect as best I can recall. Hell, I can hardly remember what I had for breakfast this morning.

Anyway, Kirk’s body begins to shake as his anger swells to the point where he can only yell, “KHAAANNNNNN!!!” in utter frustration, realizing he has been defeated and is completely helpless.

In Kirk’s case it was only temporary, of course, because he always won in the end. But when your team’s season comes crashing down in devastating fashion there is no hope for victory. All you can do is scream. We’ve all had  “KHAAANNNNNN!!!” moments courtesy of our  favorite teams. Here are  a few of mine.

January 10, 1982: Dwight Clark snares “The Catch,” and the 49ers beat the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game. Hardly anybody remembers that (A) Charlie Waters dropped what would have been a game-clinching interception and  (B) that Drew Pearson almost took a Danny White pass to the house after Clark’s catch, but was taken down with a then-legal horse collar tackle.

October 7, 1984: With the Cubs up 3-2 in the fifth and deciding game of the NL Championship Series, first baseman Leon Durham lets a ground ball go through his legs. Chicago goes on to lose, 6-3.

October 14, 2003: Steve Bartman interferes with a foul ball, Moises Alou misses what would have been a sure out, and my Cubs self-destruct. Again.

January 6, 2007: Tony Romo botches the snap on a chip-shot field goal with a little over a minute left and the Cowboys lose a playoff game to Seattle, 21-20.

This is just a small sample of the sports pain I’ve suffered. Instead of a derivitave of “Khan,” when I let out my Shatner-esque screams, I used another word containing four letters.