Two divergent coaching styles clash Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium when Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips, the jolly, soft-spoken one, matches wits with tightly wound Todd Haley, the Kansas City Chiefs rookie coach.

Haley, the former Cowboys receivers coach and passing-game coordinator, and disciple of legendary intimidator and motivator Bill Parcells, is probably remembered most by Cowboys fans for his heated sideline exchanges with receiver Terrell Owens.

Haley cemented his reputation as a fiery, hard-liner last year when, as offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals, he jawed with star receiver Anquan Boldin on national television as the Cardinals drove for the winning touchdown in the NFC championship game against Philadelphia.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have kicked the tires on some nose tackles in a recent workout.

The club put veteran William Joseph, Tim Anderson and Marlon Favorite through tryouts, a league source said.

First-year head coach Todd Haley has made it clear he is not done working over the roster, and the Chiefs have been as active as just about any team in exploring player additions.

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Former K Nick Lowery will be officially honored as the newest member of the Chiefs Hall of Fame during festivities at Chiefs Alumni Weekend. Lowery is the 39th member of this prestigious group and will be recognized at halftime of Sunday’s game vs. Dallas (10/11). The franchise’s all-time leading scorer, Lowery recorded 1,466 points in a Chiefs uniform.

“On behalf of our family and the entire Kansas City Chiefs organization, we are extremely pleased to welcome Nick Lowery into the Chiefs Hall of Fame,” Chiefs Chairman Clark Hunt said earlier this year in announcing Lowery’s selection. “Nick’s penchant for making long-distance kicks and his history of last-minute heroics in pressure-packed situations made him one of the most admired kickers in the National Football League. He is richly deserving of being recognized as one of the all-time greats in Chiefs history.”

Lowery is just the second kicker to be enshrined into the Chiefs Hall of Fame, joining K Jan Stenerud who was inducted in ‘92. Lowery spent 14 seasons with Kansas City (’80-93), playing in 212 regular season games. Only P Jerrel Wilson (15) played more seasons for the Chiefs and only G Will Shields (224) played in more games.

The three-time Pro Bowl performer established numerous Chiefs career and season records during his tenure. During his time with Kansas City, he converted 329 of 410 field goals (80.2%) and 479 of 483 PATs (99.3%). In addition to holding the Chiefs all-time scoring lead, he holds Chiefs career records for made field goals (329), PATs made (479) and PATs attempted (483). He owns the three longest field goals in Chiefs history, including 58-yard efforts at Washington (9/18/83) and vs. the L.A. Raiders (9/12/85). In total, Lowery made 20 FGs from 50 yards or more as a member of the Chiefs, by far the highest tally in team annals. He also registered a team-record 14 game-winning FGs during his tenure in Kansas City.

Lowery was also elected to three Pro Bowls, following the ‘81, ‘90 and ‘92 seasons. In ‘90, he connected on a Chiefs single-season record 34 field goals and 37 PATs for 139 points, the highest single-season total ever amassed by a Chiefs kicker. In total, Lowery played in 17 NFL seasons with New England (’78), Kansas City (’80-93) and the N.Y. Jets (’94-96).

The lone Chiefs player to ever hail from Dartmouth College, Lowery originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the N.Y. Jets in ‘78 before seeing his first game action with New England later that season. Before landing with Kansas City in ‘80, Lowery was cut 11 times by eight teams over a two-year period. He played in 260 career games during the course of his 17-year NFL career. He converted 383 of 479 field goals (80.0%) and 562 of 568 PATs for 1,711 points. He also saw action in eight postseason contests, connecting on eight of 12 field goals (66.7%) and 13 of 14 PATs for 37 points. Lowery’s 383 career made field goals rank eighth in NFL history while his 562 made PATs and 1,711 points are each ninth in league annals.

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Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett said he can't see the Cowboys losing to the winless Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. He was asked Wednesday about what would happen in the world of the Dallas Cowboys and their fans if they were to drop to 2-3 with a loss at KC.

"I don't think this team loses to the Chiefs," Bennett said. "I'm not a 'what-if' guy. I'm a 'right-now' guy, reality guy. The way we've been preparing this week, I don't see it happening."

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Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, the cryptologist that he is, said Thursday that his strange but repeated use of the word "ego" to answer questions after Sunday's game was a puzzle ... that no one could solve.

Perhaps LJ has been reading the bestselling "The Lost Symbol," but unlike the ending of that book, Johnson's explanation was anything but clear.

He downplayed the discussion but said he has been frustrated with the Chiefs' lack of winning.

Anyway, the talk wasn't as much fun as I would have liked. No explanation, no clues, no conclusion. I thought it would have been fun to ask him other questions that would've been answered with "ego."

Such as ...

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Here's something to gnaw on to pass a rainy Chiefs Thursday: If you had to, in effect, build around two Chiefs players, who would you choose?

Some background: My venerable colleague Randy Covitz pointed out to me this morning, in response to this morning's story on veteran linebacker Derrick Johnson, that if the NFL enters an uncapped year, Johnson might not yet become a free agent. Another interesting detail under that uncapped-year scenario is that each team would be awarded a second franchise tag, meaning two players instead of one could be labeled -- and paid like -- a franchise player.

It got me to thinking about the building blocks on this team. Who is so valuable, regardless of current contract status, that it would be worth paying him as a top-five player at his position just to keep him in Kansas City? I think you'll agree that there are startlingly few candidates, when you consider all the factors.

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