IRVING, Texas - Wade Phillips knows an elite pass rusher when he sees one. Consider his coaching tree:
Reggie White. Bruce Smith. Shawne Merriman.
Now DeMarcus Ware, the Cowboys' new $78 million man.
"He's special," Phillips said Monday. "He's a special guy in that way. He's got all the things it takes and he utilizes them and he works hard at it. He's only going to get better. I don't know if he's going to get more sacks than ever, but I mean he's just going to get better, because he works so hard at what he does.
"I've been lucky to be around a lot of good ones. He's at the top of the class, and it doesn't take long to call the roll."
Most recently, Ware's toughness has impressed Phillips. He unknowingly played the last few weeks with a stress fracture in his foot, yet still recorded four sacks in his last two games.
Ware has said his foot isn't really an issue. He isn't limited in practice, but the Cowboys are decreasing some of his reps as a precaution.
"I don't think he's as strong pushing off of it as he would be," Phillips said. "But other than that, I think he's fine."
Victory Work Day
The Valley Ranch parking lot was full on "Victory Monday" morning, mere hours after the Cowboys' most impressive win of the season.
Head coach Wade Phillips gave his team the day off, which basically meant no formal film sessions. But as of early afternoon, he said 45 of 61 players (including the practice squad) had already arrived to work out and watch film on their own.
"Tomorrow we'll go over the same tape with them, except we'll leave out the good plays and (show) all the bad plays," Phillips said. "We go over all the mistakes that we made and things we need to work on."
Said defensive end Marcus Spears: "It's not a lackadaisical feeling. It's not feeling relaxed because you won a ball game. Obviously we know we have plenty more to go, but it is a boost for guys. It gives you hunger to come back, prepare, and play well again the next week."
Mellow Yellow
Phillips called Sunday's 37-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons the "best overall" performance of the season, but he knows it wasn't flawless.
One area for improvement is penalties. The Cowboys had eight for 50 yards Sunday and are tied for sixth in the league this season (45 for 381 yards).
"It bothers us and it bothers me because it hurts your drive, it hurts your chances," Phillips said. "Now, good teams overcome mistakes, but you don't want to make mistakes in the first place."
Injury Updates
Phillips said Allen Rossum's hamstring injury was the team's only significant health issue from Sunday's game. The veteran return specialist, signed two weeks ago, left the game in the first quarter after getting hurt on his first return as a Cowboy.
Previously-injured players like Roy Williams (ribs), Felix Jones (knee) and Gerald Sensabaugh (thumb) finished the game OK.
"Roy didn't get banged up any more. Felix looked like he was running fine," Phillips said. "All of the guys we were a little bit worried about going in. We were fine after the game, and that was important for us."
Less Choice
Last week, Phillips said he would like to get more offensive work for third-string running back Tashard Choice, who played well while Marion Barber and Jones were out or limited.
Choice caught a 23-yard pass on a touchdown drive Sunday but did not receive a carry. Phillips said the Falcons' commitment to stopping the run put the offense in a lot of passing situations, and Barber was primarily used in blitz protection.
"They committed the safety down a whole lot - they were bringing him down late, but they were bringing him down into the box to try to keep us from running the football," Phillips said. "And we took advantage of that."
Pro Bowl Voting
Fans can begin voting to select players for the 2010 Pro Bowl, the NFL's annual All-Star Game. Voting is available on NFL.com/ProBowl and on web-enabled mobile phones by going to NFL.com.
Balloting for the 2010 Pro Bowl will conclude on Monday, Dec. 21, following the conclusion of Monday Night Football. The teams will be announced at 3 p.m. (CT) Tuesday, Dec. 29.
The Cowboys had six Pro Bowl selections in 2008: offensive tackle Flozell Adams, guard Leonard Davis, center Andre Gurode, nose tackle Jay Ratliff, linebacker DeMarcus Ware and tight end Jason Witten.
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