SAN ANTONIO -- Here are five observations from Cowboys camp.

1. The Cowboys have a Big If hanging over their playoff aspirations. If second-year quarterback Quincy Carter is indeed the player that owner Jerry Jones believed him to be when he chose him in the second round of the 2001 draft, Dallas could advance to postseason play after a two-year hiatus from playoff competition. The early results, and that's all they are to this point, are encouraging. In Saturday and Sunday practices, Carter threw well, accurately and with great timing. Perhaps more important, the young quarterback demonstrated an aura of confidence that he lacked as a rookie. "The things we're asking him to do are a lot more quarterback-friendly," quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson said. Just in terms of the simple mechanics -- dropping, planting with his back foot, stepping into the throw, and delivering the ball on the cut -- Carter appeared to be exponentially more polished. But there is, cautioned offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet, a long way to go. The Cowboys are installing the Coslet offense, "a lot like learning a foreign language," he allowed, and Carter is in the formative stages of assimilation. "He's done great, but the biggest thing I still have to do is tone him down a little," Coslet said. "He wants to make every play a big play. But I'd rather have that in my quarterback than to go to the opposite end of the spectrum and have a guy (who is) overly cautious." So far, Carter has easily held off the challenge from rookie Chad Hutchinson, the former Stanford star who spent four years pitching in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Carter possesses a kind of natural charisma, has a good rapport even with his older teammates, and seems to have his feet firmly on the ground.

	Quincy Carter started eight games as a rookie last season for the Cowboys.

2. The undersized Dallas defense, which shocked people by finishing No. 4 in the league a year ago, is noted for its quickness and ability to run to the football. The Cowboys did not get much bigger in the offseason and still might have some problems stopping the run against truly physical opponents, but the unit might actually be quicker than in 2001. Certainly it is a deeper defense and one capable, coach Dave Campo hopes, of creating more turnovers. Dallas generated only 25 takeaways in 2001, just nine interceptions and 16 fumble recoveries. Only seven teams had fewer, and the 12 playoff defenses from last season averaged 33.8 takeaways. The club signed three key free agents on defense -- tackle La'Roi Glover, weakside linebacker Kevin Hardy and cornerback Bryant Westbrook -- and all could help improve on the number of takeways in 2002. That's especially true of Glover and Hardy, who figure to provide Dallas a pass rush superior to the one that posted only 24 sacks last year. Glover is an unusual player, an interior defender with explosive quickness through the gaps, but it is Hardy who could make the biggest difference. If he totally recovers from the knee injury that limited him to nine games for Jacksonville in '01, Hardy could contribute double-digit sacks. The Cowboys will allow him a lot more freedom to blitz, and Hardy definitely is fired up about that. There were times the last two seasons with the Jaguars where Hardy felt constrained by the scheme, and that won't be the case in 2002. Even at about 90-95 percent, he looked very quick in weekend drills.

3. There certainly is no jealousy on the part of strong safety Darren Woodson over all the attention that is being afforded first-round draft choice Roy Williams. In part, that's because the 10-year veteran, a five-time Pro Bowl performer, knows the arrival of the former Oklahoma standout will prolong his own career. "He's a guy," Woodson said, "just busting out with talent." The coaches said before camp that Woodson and Williams would be interchangeable at the two safety spots but, out of respect for the veteran and his accomplishments, they are still referring to him publicly as the strong safety. On the field, however, it's obvious Woodson is playing more of the free safety role. The hard-hitting Williams, who is built like a mini-linebacker, is the "force" safety, it seems, in most situations. As much as 70-80 percent of the time, it is Williams, not Woodson, who walks down to the line of scrimmage to give the Cowboys an eighth man "in the box." The staff likes the way Williams moves to the ball, but he is still not polished in coverage and is more comfortable playing close to the line. Woodson is not the classic free safety "center fielder," but he has 21 career interceptions, once was effective enough to line up against wideouts in the slot and still maintains a good feel for the passing game.

4. With the veterans Raghib Ismail (32) and Joey Galloway (30) as the starters, Dallas is beginning to get a little long in the tooth at wide receiver. That's one of the reasons the team selected Antonio Bryant of the University of Pittsburgh in the second round. In the weekend practices, Bryant looked solid. And he has a chip on his shoulder because he felt he deserved to be a first-round choice. But here's another young wide receiver who might deliver more production in 2002 than Bryant: Second-year veteran Reggie Swinton. A journeyman who played for six teams in four different leagues before coming to the Cowboys in 2001, Swinton was ninth in the NFL on kickoff returns last year (23.7-yard average) and third in punt returns (13.4 yards). He'll get a chance this season to be a lot more than just a special-teams performer. Swinton, 26, is a fluid athlete, very smooth in his cuts. He regularly blew past defenders in the weekend practices. He made a superb out-and-up move Saturday afternoon to beat rookie corner Derek Ross deep, then snagged the long pass over his shoulder at the front corner of the end zone. If there is one negative, it's that Swinton is a bit of a long-strider and doesn't chop his steps well enough, but he's getting better. He has added about 15 pounds over the offseason and, a coach noted, gets a much better release off the line now because the cornerbacks can't bully him as much as they used to. There are some good young receivers here, and, as Coslet said, the Cowboys will eventually have to cut one or two who will play elsewhere in the NFL.

5. The competition for the starting cornerback spots is compelling. The incumbents are Mario Edwards (right) and Duane Hawthorne (left), but both will face severe challenges to stay atop the depth chart. The coaches really want former Detroit first-rounder Bryant Westbrook, whose career has been stymied by an Achilles injury, to win a starting job. He is a big, physical corner who was starting to make big plays when he sustained the injury. Another bigger corner who could win a starting job is former Kansas City draft choice Pat Dennis, claimed last year after the Chiefs waived him. The staff privately feels Hawthorne is better suited to a "nickel" role and that Edwards is too inconsistent. Edwards clearly is motivated, though, and he made some solid plays in the Saturday afternoon session. Third-round draft choice Derek Ross of Ohio State has skills but is probably a year away from contributing regularly.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.