NFL notes: Jones wants culture change with Cowboys

Jason Garrett stood behind a lectern for his first news conference as the interim coach of the Dallas Cowboys. That alone sent the message there’s a new way of doing things around America’s team.

Wade Phillips, you see, always sat behind a table.

Rearranging the furniture isn’t going to revive the 1-7 Dallas Cowboys, but team owner Jerry Jones is hoping the switch in leaders will. He fired Phillips and promoted Garrett from offensive coordinator to “affect a culture change” for a team that’s been playing worse each week.

The swing from Phillips to Garrett isn’t as drastic as when Jones went from Bill Parcells to Phillips.

But it’s still a big shift.

Phillips is 63 and was reared on defense. Garrett is 44 and versed in offense. Phillips had been a head coach twice before, four times including interim stints. This is Garrett’s first time in charge at any level.

Phillips never played in the NFL and never was part of a Super Bowl champion. Garrett was a backup quarterback in the NFL for 12 seasons, mostly to Troy Aikman in Dallas, and was part of two Super Bowl champions.

Rice changes tune

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice received a warning for the tinting on his windows and signed an autograph for a police officer.

He insists that’s the order in which those events occurred Monday night, contrary to a misleading post he put on his Twitter account.

Rice insisted that he only offered the officer an autograph after being issued a warning.

Rice deleted the following tweet from his Twitter account Monday night: “Just got pulled over for my tints. Smh (Shaking my head), but gave the officer an autograph for his son and he let me go.”

McNabb has laugh

Donovan McNabb says it’s “hilarious” to think that he doesn’t know the Washington Redskins’ offensive play book. Or that he has trouble calling plays in the huddle.

“That is hilarious to me. That is really funny to me,” McNabb said during his weekly appearance on ESPN980.