A weary Jimmy Johnson, back home in Florida after a taxing seven-day journey as part of the FOX NFL Sunday team’s visit to American troops in Afghanistan, called the trip one of the most gratifying experiences of his life. “The troops are amazing, with such an upbeat and positive attitude,” said JJ. “I signed more autographs and took more pictures than I have in my entire life, but it was definitely worth it.” Johnson said he got to drop food and fuel out of a C17, saw Patriot missiles, sat in an F16 and even autographed bombs targeted for the Taliban. Expect to see some of the highlights on the FOX pre-game show today at 11 a.m. . . Lamar University’s first road trip of the season figures to be quite an adventure, and it has little to do with the fact the Cardinals are playing four games in a seven-day span at Middle Tennessee St., Texas Tech, Ohio University and Marshall. The adventure figures to come from fifth-year senior Justin Nabors trying to get through airport security. Nabors, you see, had a titanium rod implanted in his right leg after suffering a compound fracture last October. “We’ll just have to see what happens,” says Cardinal coach Steve Roccaforte. “I’m sure it’s going to be interesting.” . . . Surviving members of the 1944 Port Arthur Yellow Jackets state football champions were mentioned in this space last week and, unfortunately, the name of Bert Reeder was left off. According to Reeder’s sister-in-law, Rosalie, he’s alive and well in Orange, Calif. Sadly, one of the players mentioned in that blurb on the 1944 champs — A.J. Dugas — passed away last week.

Now that the Cowboys have won four straight, topped off by a victory in Philadelphia, and their defense has risen to No. 1 in the NFC in fewest points allowed, some of the Wade Phillips bashers in the Metroplex media are backing off a bit. Phillips even gets an occasional attaboy, but it’s usually followed by the notation he’s never won a playoff game and nothing counts until December. Wade, of course, has gotten increasingly smarter in direct relation to Tony Romo eliminating costly and foolish interceptions that give away points . . . When the Cowboys were struggling, and Phillips was getting roasted over some things out of his control, the wise guys kept talking about Dallas being loaded with great talent. It was interesting to note, then, that Pro Football Weekly’s Midseason All-Pro team did not contain a single Cowboy. Houston had one player — WR Andre Johnson — selected. The Indianapolis Colts had the most players chosen with four and Minnesota had three. The 3-7 Tennessee Titans even had two, as did the Saints, Ravens, Broncos, Jets and, good grief, Oakland. The God-awful Browns had one. Nary a Cowboy. Does that sound like an overly-talented team? Stereotypes and perceptions are so hard to break ? ? ? There was a raging debate on Houston talk shows this past week about whether the Texans, whose running game leaves much to be desired, should have signed Larry Johnson after he was cut loose by Kansas City. I’m not so sure they shouldn’t have rolled the dice and taken a chance with him. Although Johnson’s on the downside of his career, and can be a bad actor at times, he’ll be playing for another contract over the final eight games. That means whoever signs him could reap short-term rewards, then discard him. I will say one thing for Johnson. He was dead-on about what a lightweight head coach KC has in former Cowboys assistant Todd Haley . . .

Among the many nuggets I’ve uncovered in ESPN’s amazing College Basketball Encyclopedia is that TJ ex Carroll Broussard was deemed worthy by the book’s researchers of being named to Texas A&M;’s all-time top five. Broussard, the Southwest Conference leading scorer (19 ppg) and Player of the Year in 1961, was a two-time All-America and a 9th round draft pick of the NBA Chicago Zephyrs in 1962. He was joined on A&M;’s all-time top five by Acie Law (2003-07), Bernard King (1999-03), Vernon Smith (1977-81) and John Beasley (1963-66) . . . College basketball season has already started, but it will be coming at you full blast on Tuesday, if your television is tuned to ESPN. Starting with Cal-State Fullerton at UCLA at midnight (11 p.m. Central), ESPN’s family of networks will be airing 24 consecutive hours of games. That includes San Diego State at St. Mary’s at 1 a.m., Northern Colorado at Hawaii at 3 a.m. and Monmouth at St. Peters at 5 a.m. Most attractive matchups in the marathon are Gonzaga at No. 2 Michigan St. at 7 p.m. and Memphis vs. No. 1 Kansas at 9 p.m . . . When the ABA Beaumont Mavericks pulled the plug on the ill-advised idea of having Bobby Knight as a banquet guest speaker Monday night opposite Lamar’s home game against Texas-Pan American, it also squashed a fishing trip that would have had over 1,400 coaching victories in a bass boat. Knight, after taking on the speaking gig in Beaumont, called Lamar athletic director Billy Tubbs and suggested Tubbs’ take him fishing. Tubbs had made arraignments to take the former Indiana and Texas Tech coach to a lake on Walter Umphrey’s property.

When Frank Gorrer scored a first quarter touchdown for the 49ers Thursday night against the Bears, it extended an amazing record for University of Miami exes. Gorrer’s TD made it the 115th consecutive week, dating back to 2002, that a former Hurricane has reached the end zone in an NFL regular season game. Closest any school has come to matching that is Ohio State, with 82 consecutive weeks of TDs from 1996 to 2001 and Michigan — 73 weeks from 1996 to 2001 . . . Who is the dirtiest player in the NFL? According to a Sports Illustrated poll of 296 players released a week ago, that dubious distinction goes to Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward. Ward received 11.6 percent of the vote. Washington’s Albert Haynesworth, who would have gotten this vote for No. 1, was No. 2 at 6 percent. Two others in the top 10 — linebacker Joey Porter and DB Troy Polamalu — are Steelers or former Steelers. No Cowboys or Texans made the list . . . Since Saturday’s playoff losses marked the end of the line for the Memorial and Nederland football teams, videostreams of their games with La Porte and Crosby, respectively, will be left up on the Port Arthur News website so fans who were at the game and want to see the video can do so. PN-G’s victory over Barbers Hill will be left up only through Sunday night because of scouting considerations, as the unbeaten Indians move on the in the playoffs. PN-G’s second round game with Brenham will be available on videostream next Saturday.

It’s taken a while but one of the so-called national experts has finally noticed what a pitiful schedule Texas has played. With UT’s schedule ranked No. 52 this week, Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandel noted: “Due to a strange confluence of events, the Longhorns — despite playing in one of the nation’s perceived ‘power conferences’ — could wind up reaching the BCS Championship game with one of the weakest schedules of any recent participant.” Mandel goes on to point out that only one team — Ohio State in 2007 — played in the title game with a schedule not ranked in the top 40. He also noted Texas’ schedule strength is below TCU’s (47), and that by the time the regular season is over not a single Longhorn foe may be rated in the top 25 . . . Speaking of what a joke the Big 12 has become, its commissioner, Dan Beebe, has asked the NCAA to treat teams with 6-6 records the same as teams with winning records when it comes to bowl games. Why is Beebe doing that? Because the Big 12 may not have enough teams with winning records to send to all the bowls it has agreements with. Anybody who compares this pack of mediocrity to the Southeastern Conference is hallucinating. Matter of fact, this year’s Big 12, top to bottom, is probably weaker than the Big 10.

Sports editor Bob West can be e-mailed at rdwest@usa.net.