IRVING, Texas - Cowboys linebacker Zach Thomas said the bye week can work in different ways.
At least, that's what he's hoping.
Because while he was answering a question regarding his beloved Texas Tech football team and its rise to college football supremacy this season, he sounded concerned that its bye week might "get them off track" after two huge wins the last two weeks over Texas and Oklahoma State before an even bigger game at Oklahoma.
But while the concern is one team getting out of rhythm, he said that might be a good thing for his current team.
From the Cowboys' standpoint, limping to 5-4 at the bye week with seven games still to go, getting out of rhythm might be exactly what this team needs.
"It can be good or bad," Thomas said of bye weeks. "Hopefully for us, it can be good. It'll get us fresh and putting everything behind us, because things really weren't going that well, and we were out of rhythm. But for (Texas Tech), and everything is in rhythm, hopefully everything can keep going well."
For the Cowboys, things haven't gone so well. And that's why Thomas and his teammates are hoping the bye will result in a welcomed change.
"For us, its' a new season," Thomas said. "We've got seven games and we've got to start playing together . . . fast."
The Cowboys returned to practice Monday after the bye weekend in preparation for what is shaping up to be a rather big game with the Redskins Sunday night in Washington. Both teams are coming off its bye, but the Cowboys are a game behind the 6-3 Redskins, who edged the Cowboys 26-24 earlier this season at Texas Stadium.
The Cowboys are technically ahead of the Eagles (5-4) for third place in the NFC East, having defeated Philadelphia earlier this season. But a game behind Washington and three full games behind the Giants (8-1), the Cowboys can sense the urgency brewing as they head back to work this week.
"We know what's at stake right now," said tight end Jason Witten. "Our backs are against the wall. We have to come out and start playing well. We've dug ourselves in a hole, but it's not too late to get out of it. We just have to start playing better."
And playing better could coincide with getting healthy, something the Cowboys are counting on this week when they travel to D.C.
Leading the charge is quarterback Tony Romo, who head coach Wade Phillips said had a good practice on Monday despite missing the three weeks with a broken right pinkie.
"Romo is better and better. Last week he was OK," Phillips said on Monday. "Today he was a lot better, I think. He had more zip on the ball. He felt more comfortable. He's still taking snaps, didn't seem to be a problem. It's looking better and better for him as far as getting back to where he was."
Getting Romo back should be a huge boost for an offense that was averaging 28.3 points per game with Romo under center, opposed to 13.6 points in his three-game absence.
But Romo isn't the only returning player who should help. Cornerback Terence Newman (sports hernia) is expected to start after missing the last four games, as will left guard Kyle Kosier, who has been out the last six weeks with a foot injury.
The guy in question is rookie running back Felix Jones, who missed yet another practice Monday with a strained hamstring that has kept him out of the last three games.
Although Jones said he feels 100 percent and is ready to play, Phillips said he remains concerned, especially because he was unable to practice.
Whether or not the Cowboys are at full strength, the Redskins likely won't care. They didn't care before when they handed the Cowboys their first loss of the season and did so in a fashion that kept them off-guard all day.
Starting off with a few big plays in the passing game, the Redskins put the Cowboys on their heels, before finishing them off with a power running game.
"We didn't play well in that game at all," Thomas said. "They did a really good job of mixing it up on us. We've got to pick it up this time around.
"We just got to get it together. I think we can. It's all about being positive and not looking back. When you look back, then it affects you this week. We have to start looking ahead and get that confidence we had earlier in the year. We've got to get that back."
Restoring confidence. Playing more fundamentally sound. Finding a sense of urgency. The Cowboys are in need of all of that.
More than anything, they just need a win.
"This is where we are . . . but we control where we end out," Phillips said. "I think that's the big thing. We can do it by winning this game this week. And that's a step toward where we want to be. That's how we approach it. Three or four weeks ago, it's completely changed in a lot of areas of a lot of teams. Three or four weeks from now, there will be big changes."
The Cowboys can only hope their big changes will be for the better.
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