OXNARD, Calif. -- The Troy Aikman era lasted 11 seasons. The Tony Banks era lasted 20 practices.

On Tuesday morning, the Dallas Cowboys released Banks, who was under a non-guaranteed, one-year, $500,000 contract and named second-round choice Quincy Carter as the starter, Anthony Wright as the backup and Clint Stoerner as the third quarterback. For now. Owner Jerry Jones labeled it as a bold decision in the mold of the Herschel Walker trade and the decision to name former college coach Jimmy Johnson as head coach.

	Cowboys rookie Quincy Carter threw two touchdown passes against the Raiders.

Jones called it an aggressive decision.

"Throughout the history of this organization, we have never gotten here by laying up and then hitting into the green; we have gotten there going for it," Jones said. "That really influenced the overall thinking and decision making. We are going for it here. We recognized risks that are involved. We recognized that there is nothing sure except we had success going for it."

Campo explained that Carter and Wright, who are young, inexperienced but mobile, better fit the team's new philosophy to be a running team. Over the course of camp, Campo and Jones said they have been meeting to discuss what they call an "organizational decision" as to the direction of the franchise.

They liked the enthusiasm of Carter and Wright. Banks is more laid back. During the offseason, he wasn't completely involved in every team offseason program. The veteran quarterback has also struggled in two preseason games and in many of the practices.

Banks generated no offensive points in five possessions in two exhibition games. In 29 plays, the offense gained only 99 yards with Banks at the helm. Of course, Banks was operating without the team's most talented weapons. Halfback Emmitt Smith did not play. The team rested wide receivers Raghib Ismail and Joey Galloway, who are coming off knee injuries last season. Tight end David LaFleur is on the physically unable to perform list with a bad back.

"It was a step by step decision by everybody involved to realistically look at it from a short-term and long-term situation," Campo said.

"It's not necessarily about what Tony didn't do; it's about where we thought at any given time we wanted to go," Jones said. "It is an evolving thing. It always has been. We just have been going through the past seven or eight years where we thought rightly or wrongly that we were more set at some of these key positions and made decisions accordingly. We know now that we are not, and that is not appropriate right now."

Jones stopped short of saying the Cowboys are in a rebuilding mode. He said the organization will stay loose and look for player opportunities that could help the team this year and next year.

"Don't be surprised," Jones warned, "if all of a sudden a personnel decision is not consistent with what was talked about two months ago."

Of the veteran quarterbacks available, Banks appeared to fit the team's deep passing talents. Galloway and Ismail were signed for the big plays. The relationship between Banks and the team seemed to fray Monday after Jones pronounced that the team was making a decision about the top three quarterback positions. Two months ago, Banks was firmly established as the starting quarterback.

"That's news to me," Banks said Monday night when reporters informed him that he might not be the starting quarterback as the team began preparations for their exhibition game this week against the Saints.

Early Tuesday morning, Jones and Campo informed Banks that they were starting Carter and releasing him. Slightly after 8 a.m., he went onto the field to tell a few players he was gone. At 11:20 a.m. Banks was catching a flight out of the Burbank airport.

Carter learned of the news that he was the starter when he came onto the field stretching Tuesday morning.

	“	I'm not stunned. It's a big opportunity for me. I'm excited. I've got to have fun with it. I've got to lead this football team. ”
		— Quincy Carter, Cowboys' new starting QB

"I'm not stunned," Carter said. "It's a big opportunity for me. I'm excited. I've got to have fun with it. I've got to lead this football team. Coach Campo said he was 100 percent behind me. I can't comment on Tony's situation. I'm a rookie remember, so I've got to stand in the rookie's place."

Carter was a surprise second-round choice from Georgia. He's 6-foot-2 and 231 pounds and has been known as a good running quarterback. In practices, however, he's more noted for his fluttering passes. Only in games has he thrown consistent sprirals.

"Even when I was the third- or fourth-string guy here, I've always been real cheerful," he said. "I know what a quarterback means to this football team. I'm going to keep going about my business the same way I have these last three weeks and I've got to cut down on the flutter balls."

Carter completed 15 of 26 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns in two preseason games. He's had two touchdowns drives in 10 offensive possessions.

Jones said the decision to release Banks was more about the progress of Carter and Wright than it was a reflection on Banks.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.