SAN ANTONIO – If you had nose tackle Jay Ratliff or right tackle Marc Colombo in your pool of who would be involved in the first fight of training camp, you won.

The two went at each other Tuesday afternoon after Bobby Carpenter intercepted a pass and Ratliff drilled Colombo into the turf on the return. Colombo took exception and came up swinging.

Did coach Wade Phillips have either player in his pool?

"I thought [Keith] Brooking, really," said Phillips, who coached the linebacker in Atlanta. "I've been around Keith, and he normally is the guy in the first fight. That's why I was glad he wasn't."

If you want to be a stickler, linebacker Justin Rogers and receiver Willie Reid got tangled up briefly over the weekend. But that barely qualified as a skirmish. Ratliff and Colombo got after each other.

Neither spoke to the media afterward. But Tuesday's practice was the seventh since Saturday morning and probably contributed to tempers flaring.

"I think the more you get into it, the edgier you get," Phillips said. "Things happen.

"The players are fine. Things like that happen in football."

The Buddy system: The fight between Ratliff and Colombo prompted reporters to ask Phillips what was the most memorable training camp fight he's witnessed.

He went back to his days as an assistant on Buddy Ryan's staff in Philadelphia when the Eagles worked out vs. Detroit.

"It was pretty much a fight," Phillips said. "It wasn't much of a workout. On special teams they were blocking punts. It seemed like every drill was a fight. We didn't get much out of it."

As in all fights, the other team started it, right?

"Not in our case, no," Phillips said. "I think Buddy was encouraging them."

Crayton stands out: Receivers Miles Austin and Sam Hurd seem to make a highlight-reel catch every practice.

But don't overlook what Patrick Crayton has done. Assistant coach Ray Sherman declared Tuesday that Crayton has a firm grasp on the starting job opposite Roy Williams at this stage.

"This is the best I've seen Patrick Crayton," quarterback Tony Romo said. "I think Patrick has had an outstanding off-season. He's running great right now.

"He's always had great instincts and the ability to get open, but he's pushed the envelope in some ways this year."

Briefly: Backup quarterback Stephen McGee picked up some extra snaps Tuesday because backup Rudy Carpenter was out with a sprained right thumb. Phillips said he did some good things. ... With cornerback Michael Hawkins out with a bruised knee, rookie safety DeAngelo Smith has spent the last few days at corner. ... Party pass update: more than 20,000 had been sold by the end of Tuesday for the regular-season home opener against the New York Giants. That pushes the Cowboys closer to their goal of having 100,000 for that game.