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As Fort Worth Star-Telegram staff writer Clarence E. Hill Jr., put it last week: "A quiet unassuming sort, Julius Jones is not a limelight kind of guy. He was just matter-of-factly stating his goals for 2005.

"After rushing for 819 yards and seven touchdowns in roughly half a season as a rookie last year, Jones has his sights set on 1,700 yards and 20 touchdowns for his sophomore encore."

"That's what I am shooting for, 1,700 and 20," Jones said. "I set my goals high."

No doubt about that.

After all, Emmitt Smith, the league's all-time leading rusher, is the only player in team history to have rushed for more than 1,700 yards in a single season. Smith did it twice with 1,713 in 1992 and 1,773 in 1995.

Not only does Smith hold the single-season touchdown record of 25 touchdowns, but he is the only Cowboys player to rush for 18 or more touchdowns in a season with 18 in 1992, 21 in 1994 and 25 in 1995.

Hill went on to note that Jones was not necessarily targeting Smith when he set his goals for 2005, but he didn't back down when apprised of the legendary nature of his targets.

"I have always set big goals for myself," Jones says. "I have confidence in myself."

And he should. ...

Head coach Bill Parcells questioned his toughness early last year when the youngster missed time with a pre-season rib injury, but those questions came to a halt after Jones returned from a fractured shoulder and joined Earl Campbell as the only players in NFL history to carry the ball 30 times or more in three consecutive games.

Jones finished the season with 819 yards, a 4.2-yard average and seven touchdowns in seven starts.

Not bad for a part-time starter. ...

"Julius really does give us confidence," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "I feel, with his skill and the way he has worked, we will be able to run the football. He made our offensive line better. It starts with him."

According to Hill, Parcells is of a similar mind-set. He believes Jones will be even better in 2005 because he will be a smarter football player.

"Julius has a heck of a lot better idea on what it takes to be a running back in the NFL," Parcells said during mini-camp in June. "I see Julius doing things right now that he would never do last year."

Some have been more generous in their praise, including at least one who knows a little something about the job.

"Julius is a real fine runner," former Browns great Jim Brown said of the second-year pro. "The quickness, the lateral movement, the acceleration -- he has it all, really. He caught my eye. I don't know what his potential is going to be, but he's got the stuff. He's got it. He's legitimate. He could be a great one."

Others have tempered their enthusiasm somewhat.

According to former Chicago star Gale Sayers: "He can play. Will he be a great running back? It's hard to say. It really is. You need other people around you. You don't do it by yourself. Does he have enough good offensive linemen around him? Does he have receivers that can take some pressure off him?

"It's hard to say. He had a decent year last year. He's not the quickest back I've seen. He knows how to read blocks and things like that. I just haven't seen enough of him."

Campbell took a similar approach.

"I think he's got a good future," the former Oiler said. "I think the key thing is going to be how he takes care of himself in the offseason and how he dedicates himself to working out. I am a fan of his, and I did watch him play a lot last year. I think Parcells took a long time saying, 'I wish I had a running back.' Now he's got one."

Not that the coach is about to let the praise go to Jones' head.

"Now you are the great Julius Jones?" Parcells asked him during a recent workout. "How about the potentially good Julius Jones? How about that?"

Fortunately, Jones realizes he has something to prove and the first step is avoiding injury. He began working toward that objective early this offseason.

As a result, he currently tips the scales at only 212 pounds, down from the 217 he was listed in last year's media guide, but he looks bigger. "I've put on some mass," he admitted back in May. "Last year I was kind of shriveled up after I broke my shoulder.

"I got back in the weight room and put on some bulk. I guess it's showing, huh?"

I suspect he'll need that bulk. As Sports Illustrated insider Peter King advised readers last Monday: "I think the Cowboys are getting ready to run Julius Jones 335 times."

Sounds about right to me. The good news, of course, is Jones' determination to be there for as many carries as necessary.

"I want to play 16 games and show everybody I am ready to stay out there the whole season," he said last week. "I want to shut that mess up. I don't want there to be no questions about my durability."

And as Hill pointed out, if Jones plays for 16 games the way he did the final seven last season, there will be no questions about his goals for 2005, either.

In fact, his 114.7 yards per game average over the final seven projects to 1,835 over 16 games. ...

In a related note. ...

According to the Dallas Morning News, Parcells jumped on Jones when he was hit in the backfield by safety Roy Williams for a 4-yard loss in Sunday's practice.

"Don't lose four yards," Parcells said he told Jones. "Lose one yard."

Parcells said Jones already has an understanding of how to avoid negative plays. It's a matter of never giving up on a play.

"There are good 1- and 2-yard runs," Parcells said.

Parcells said Jets running back Curtis Martin was great at avoiding negative runs. ...

Meanwhile, Jones isn't the Cowboys' only rising star or the only guy Parcells has taken a shine to. ...

As Hill suggested this morning, Parcells knows a thing or two about tight ends, having coached former legends at the position such as Russ Francis, Mark Bavaro and Ben Coates.

After watching Jason Witten fashion the best season ever by a Cowboys tight end in 2004 -- Witten caught a team-leading 87 passes (second among NFL players at the position behind only Tony Gonzalez) for 980 yards to earn a Pro Bowl berth in only his second season -- Parcells believes another great one is in the making.

And with good reason.

Not only did Witten have a better season than any tight end in Cowboys history, surpassing the likes of Mike Ditka, Billy Joe Dupree, Doug Cosbie and Jay Novacek, but those 87 catches were the 11th most in NFL history by a tight end.

Only five tight ends have ever caught more passes in a season, Gonzalez, Coates, former Raider Todd Christensen and Hall of Famers Ozzie Newsome and Kellen Winslow.

"I was teasing him before camp. I said, 'Well, you ready to be a star now or you just want to be a real good player?'" Parcells recalled.

And as Associated Press sports writer Stephen Hawkins pointed out, Parcells only tends to tease the most to the players he likes the most, and the ones he thinks can really excel.

So it should come as no surprise that Witten has already developed a solid rapport in training camp with new quarterback Drew Bledsoe.

"He's a very easy guy to get a connection with because he seems to always create just enough separation that you can put the ball in there," Bledsoe said Wednesday. "Even if he's got two guys banging on him, he's going to give you enough room to throw the ball in there and make a completion.

"And he's one of these guys that kind of enjoys having you throw the ball hard at him. ... When a guy can catch a fastball, you can squeeze it into tighter spaces."

Bledsoe hasn't had a Pro Bowl tight end to throw to since he was in New England with Coates, another of Parcells' favorite players. Coates, a Dallas assistant last season, believes Bledsoe can resurrect his career with Dallas.

Coates told reporters earlier this year that Bledsoe missed having a reliable tight end to throw to in Buffalo but will have one of the NFL's best in Witten. And according to observers at training camp, the quarterback is already throwing plenty of passes in practice to the Witten.

Of course, the 6-foot-5, 261-pounder is not the world's best blocker, but has proven tough enough to win over Parcells and to his credit, Witten picked up the pace in terms of blocking when the Cowboys lost fellow tight end Dan Campbell for 13 games because of a foot injury last year.

Of course, his receiving skills are impressive enough to cover any weaknesses in his blocking.

As the Sporting News recently suggested, Witten runs excellent routes -- more like a receiver than a tight end because of his subtle feints -- and rarely drops passes. Plus, his unique physical abilities cause serious problems for opposing defenses.

"He's too quick, he's too fast for linebackers. He's too big, too physical for safeties," said Campbell, still out after an emergency appendectomy last week. "A lot of the safeties in the league, he's just as fast as they are. Then you put the size on top of it, you can't cover it."

Hawkins went on remind readers that Parcells has always considered tight end one of the most important positions on offense, a key to the running and passing games. None of which is lost on Witten, who is eager to take on the challenge.

As Hill wrote: "Not only does Witten want to be a star, but he wants it all. He wants to eclipse Gonzalez as the NFL's best tight end while helping the Cowboys develop into a Super Bowl champion."

"I take it as a challenge," Witten said. "I want to show last year was no fluke. I want to put up those numbers every season. The only way to do that is with consistency. The goal is to be consistent and have staying power like Gonzalez."

There's no question that Witten has all the tools to be great. Better yet, he's in the right system, with the right coach and maybe even the right quarterback to put it all together as early as this year.

And according to Hill, Witten's increased knowledge of the offense and his greater understanding of how to find open spots in coverages have only added to his arsenal. Better yet, Witten is focusing on being a force in the red zone like San Diego's Antonio Gates. Gates caught 13 touchdowns to Witten's six last season.

"My goal is to take over in the red zone," he said. "When I look at others like Gates and Gonzalez, that's where they are effective."

Can he get it done?

Well, it's only anecdotal evidence, but nonetheless heartening to hear reports like this from the Star-Telegram last Sunday: "The Cowboys wrapped up practice Saturday with goal-line work and Witten scored two of the offense's three touchdowns."I'll also remind you that Witten's 2004 totals came with Vinny Testaverde pulling the trigger.

Even if you believe Bledsoe's best days are behind him, I suspect he'll be capable of keeping Witten every bit as involved in the passing attack as Vinny -- especially given his familiarity with the coach and system.

I'm certainly looking for another big year from Witten.