updated 11:37 p.m. ET Aug. 29, 2008

IRVING, Texas - With Super Bowl expectations, big-name players sporting matching egos and a lot cameras filming almost everything for a reality TV show, there was plenty of potential for the Dallas Cowboys’ preseason to turn into a circus.

Remember, it all started with training camp not far Hollywood, celebrities dropping by to watch “America’s Team” and five-time NBA champion Magic Johnson providing a pep talk for the season in the middle of a practice.

Imagine then the surprising comment by Stephen Jones, the team’s vice president and owner’s son, “It’s been uneventful, hasn’t it?”

For all the drama that could have been, the focus remained on the field instead of the possible distractions:

—Adam “Pacman” Jones, who was fully reinstated Thursday from his NFL suspension to play in the regular season.

—The spotlight-loving and popcorn-munching Terrell Owens.

—The ongoing romance between Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson.

—Any number of other potential sideshows.

Coming off a 13-win season that ended again without a playoff victory, the Cowboys appear to be putting all their energy into taking care of that unfinished business.

“That’s just the mentality of this team this year,” Owens said. “We obviously didn’t finish the season the way we wanted to last year. This is another opportunity, another year, to erase those negative thoughts.”

Tight end Jason Witten, with Owens among the 13 Pro Bowl players back from last season, said coach Wade Phillips set the tone by what he told players when they reported to California for training camp last month.

“He said it the first day, ’It’s going to be a little bit of a circus with a lot going on. But check your egos at the door, come in here and come to work,’ “ Witten said. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how well it has gone. ... For the most part, everybody knows what we have going, the perception of who we are. We’re eager to get out on the field.”

Video   Fantasy Fix: Can Cowboys raise the numbers? Can Tony Romo and Terrell Owens turn the Cowboys around? Gregg Rosenthal says numbers across the board will go down as players age. NBC Sports

Jones has stayed out of trouble since being traded to Dallas from Tennessee in April. The cornerback-kick returner was allowed to start practicing with the Cowboys in June, but commissioner Roger Goodell didn’t give Jones full clearance until Friday, the day of the final preseason game.

Even while waiting for the ruling on whether he would be allowed to play this season, some of the biggest suspense surrounding Jones during camp really had nothing to do with off-field problems that plagued his past and led to the suspension that caused him to miss all of last season with the Titans.

Instead, the uncertainty was over whether “Pacman” could field another punt while already cradling five footballs. (He did, though he said he’s caught eight before).

Owens is content with a new contract that pushed his deal through 2011 rather than expiring after this season. The 34-year-old receiver who desperately wants a Super Bowl title also talks often about his good relationships with “Coach Wade” — who calls Owens by his name rather than referring to him as “the player” like the previous coach — and Romo, who has thrown him 25 touchdown passes the past two seasons since replacing Drew Bledsoe at quarterback.

While Romo spent much of the offseason working on different throwing techniques, the two-time Pro Bowler still has become as much a staple in entertainment magazines and Web sites as in sports ones because of his starlet girlfriend.

The sometimes sensational coverage of his personal life, which Romo generally doesn’t talk about, helps him keep things in perspective.

“People’s perceptions, they roll with that stuff over and over and you just have to try and keep a level head about it all,” Romo said. “But for us, we don’t add to it. We don’t all talk about whatever happened in Adam Jones’ past or critique his lifestyle, or Terrell Owens and what he’s wearing, even though it’s exotic and crazy sometimes.

“We play a game and we enjoy it,” Romo said. “We just talk about that sometimes. It helps.”

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