IRVING, Texas - Maybe "Hard Knocks" should have negotiated a season-long show with the Dallas Cowboys.
Following a quiet, productive training camp, the Cowboys have endured one obstacle after the other, from a straggling injury list to Adam Jones' suspension, as well as the team's general admission it needs to play at a higher level these final seven weeks.
"It seems like one by one at different positions guys have been going down," wide receiver Terrell Owens said. "Very unfortunate, but at the same time there are two halves to the season."
This week's bye offers a needed rest-and-reflection period for the Cowboys (5-4), stuck in a conference logjam and 2 ½ games behind the Giants in the NFC East. But with injured stars like Tony Romo and Terence Newman returning, the team believes it will be competitive down the stretch.
"This team's going to have to play its best football," Romo said. "And I suspect that we're going to do that."
This is the last of a two-part series looking back at the Cowboys' first nine games and ahead to the final seven:
TOP ROOKIE
Mickey: This is a close one, but since Felix Jones has missed the past 3½ games, I'm going with Orlando Scandrick, who as a fifth-round draft choice has come in and played remarkably well in the slot on the team's nickel defense, one of the toughest jobs in the NFL.
Nick:Orlando Scandrick. This is all based on expectations. Felix Jones is probably the best rookie, but we expected that. We didn't expect Orlando Scandrick to play so well, actually earning a starting spot now on the nickel, even with Terence Newman returning.
Rob:Orlando Scandrick. Felix Jones has made the biggest difference when healthy, but Scandrick, a fifth-round pick, has fortified the slot corner position and looks like a future starter.
Josh: Give me Orlando Scandrick. I know Felix Jones is the easy vote, but whenever Scandrick has been in the game, which has been more than expected, he has risen to the occasion.
WATCH FOR . . .
Mickey:This game against Washington. This smells like one of those pivotal games. A win could spark a second-half run into the playoffs. But a loss could send a team with fragile confidence into a permanent downward spiral. Seen both happen to the Cowboys after a game of this magnitude at this time of the season.
Nick:Anthony Spencer. If he can ever get 100 percent healthy again, he just might be ready for a huge breakout. Greg Ellis is a really good player and if Spencer is taking snaps from him, this might just be his time.
Rob:Kyle Kosier's return and the impact on the offensive line. Kosier modestly says he's just an "average player," but the line has clearly missed him. He should be back for the Redskins game and hopefully his foot problems are behind him this time.
Josh:The next three games will eventually define this season. If the Cowboys can get past Washington and beat San Francisco and Seattle, it's a whole new season at 8-4 on Thanksgiving Day.
TOUGHEST INJURY
Mickey: Romo is the easy answer, but to me, the combination of losing Romo and Felix Jones spelled offensive doom for the Cowboys. They might have had a better chance of surviving over that three-game span without one or the other. But not both. The Cowboys need Jones' speed on the field.
Nick:Tony Romo. That's the easiest one on here. The Cowboys averaged 29.1 points per game in the six games he started. The number dropped to 13.7 in the three games he missed. One fractured pinkie has cost the Cowboys two touchdowns per game in three weeks.
Rob: Jason Witten's fractured rib. Romo's fractured finger had the greatest impact on the team, but the toughest injury goes to the toughest guy on the team. He sent a captain's message to his teammates by playing against the Giants.
Josh: Losing Tony Romo cost the Cowboys at least one game, and maybe two. There's no way they get blown out like they did in St. Louis if Romo's healthy, and the Giants game would have had a different script as well.
BEST OFFENSIVE PLAYER
Mickey:Jason Witten. Is there any argument? Now Romo has been good, and at times we take him for granted, but Witten has held this whole thing together with teams taking Owens out of the offense, Barber being just OK and then Romo missing three games. Plus, the dude played with a fractured rib. That counts for a lot.
Nick:Jason Witten. Hard not to go with Romo based on the offensive pitfalls since his injury, but Witten still ranks in the top 10 in receptions (46), despite getting only one in the last two games with an injury. When healthy, he's been the most consistent.
Rob:Witten. He leads the offense in catches (46) and receiving yards (549) and has been, as always, a great safety valve when defenses neutralize Owens. This season, that's happened more often than expected.
Josh: It's hard to argue with what Jason Witten has done. He's the best tight end in football and the grit he showed to play against the Giants exemplifies what this team needs down the stretch.
BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER
Mickey:DeMarcus Ware. Is there any argument here either? He is averaging just more than a sack a game, and is on pace to set the club's single-season (16 games) record. Ware has 10 sacks in nine games, is third on the team in tackles, tied for the team lead in tackles for losses and just one back from the lead in quarterback pressures.
Nick:DeMarcus Ware. Easy choice if we're talking about the Cowboys. Might be the same answer if there was an NFL award. No one has been more dominant on defense than Ware. Ten sacks in nine games shows what a consistent force he has been.
Rob:DeMarcus Ware. He tied the NFL record for most consecutive games with a sack (10) and remains the team's most consistent source of pressure.
Josh: If the Cowboys had a better record you would already be hearing DeMarcus Ware mentioned as a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Offenses have to account for his pass rushing on every snap of the ball.
BEST SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER
Mickey:Kevin Burnett. He leads the team with 14 tackles in nine games and is on pace for 25 special teams tackles. He's been the one constant.
Nick:L.P. Ladouceur. Special teams has been erratic this season, but one guy that has been steady all year, and really for the last three years, is the deep snapper. We take it for granted, but time after time, he's always on the money.
Rob:Kevin Burnett. He leads the Cowboys with 14 special teams tackles and emerged as a leader on the unit even before Keith Davis' return.
Josh:Kevin Burnett was a tackling machine the first part of the season. For a guy who isn't a starter, Burnett is a vocal leader on the team and an important part of both special teams and third-down defense.
MVP
Mickey: Well, if absence proves your value, then Tony Romo has to be the guy. The Cowboys were a completely different team with Romo than without him for those three games he missed with the fractured pinkie. Still having the league's third-best quarterback rating after missing the past three games is rather impressive. The Cowboys are nothing without him.
Nick:Tony Romo. He just makes it work, and has since the day he became the starter. He went 6-4 in 2006, 13-3 last year and was 4-2 before the injury. I'll take 23-9 as a starter in three years, especially when the other QBs have gone 4-5. Without Romo, this team is slightly above average. With them, they're legitimate title contenders. We'll see if it's too late.
Rob:Romo. The Cowboys' scoring average in six games with Romo: 29.1. The Cowboys' scoring average in three games without Romo: 13.7. Their record in those three games: 1-2. Enough said.
Josh: Without playing a game the last three weeks Tony Romo showed everyone how important he is to the Cowboys' success. Without him, they are a completely different team, incapable of playing anywhere near the same level.
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