25-year old linebacker Sean Lee has replaced Keith Brooking in the starting lineup, and he was a tackling, big play machine for the Cowboys last night against the Jets.  Lee had 12 tackles, 1 pass defensed and a interception that he returned 37 yards.  Lee should be able to put up huge numbers for the Cowboys in 2011.  Lee played in 14 games as a rookie for the Cowboys last year and he had 32 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 passes defensed and 2 interceptions (one returned for a TD).  The Cowboys hope that Sean Lee becomes a cornerstone for the defense starting this year.

30-year old Tony Romo’s season ended early due to a fractured collar bone but he’s still the Cowboys’ starting QB without a doubt.  Romo played in 6 games for the Cowboys last season and he completed 148 of 213 passes (69.5%) for 1,605 yards with 11 TD passes and 7 INTs (94.9 QB Rating).  Romo also carried the ball 6 times for 38 yards (6.3 ypc) last season.  Romo has now played in 89 games in his NFL career and he has completed 1,326 of 2,070 passes (64.1%) for 16,650 yards with 118 TD passes and 62 INTs (95.5 QB Rating).  Romo also has carried the ball 136 times for 413 yards (3.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career.

38-year old Jon Kitna replaced Romo in the starting lineup when he was injured and he showed that he still has a lot left in the gas tank.  Kitna played in 10 games for the Cowboys last season and he completed 209 of 318 passes (65.7%) for 2,365 yards with 16 TD passes and 12 INTs (88.9 QB Rating).  Kitna also carried the ball 31 times for 147 yards (4.7 ypc) with 1 TD run last season.  He has now played in 138 games in his NFL career in which he has completed 2,671 of 4,432 passes (60.3%) for 29,658 yards with 168 TD passes and 163 INTs (77.5 QB Rating).  Kitna has also carried the ball 310 times for 958 yards (3.1 ypc) with 11 TD carries in his career. 

27-year old Stephen McGee finally got onto the field last year and he held his own.  McGee played in 2 games for the Cowboys last season in which he completed 22 of 44 passes (50%) for 238 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs (81.4 QB Rating).  McGee also carried the ball 13 times for 74 yards (5.7 ypc) last season.  The Cowboys have to feel pretty good about their #3 QB right about now.

VERDICT:  The Cowboys got a lot of production out of the QBs in 2010 even with the injury to Tony Romo.  The Cowboys hope that Romo can stay healthy in 2011.

28-year old OLB DeMarcus Ware played great for the Cowboys despite not having much help.  He has played in 15 games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has 61 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 9 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery.  He has 12.5 of the Cowboys’ 30 sacks this year showing just how great he is as teams double him quite often and he still gets to the opposing QB.  Ware has now played in 95 games in his first six years with the Cowboys and he has 417 tackles, 20 passes defensed, 77 sacks, 25 forced fumbles and 1 interception that he returned 41 yards for a TD.  Ware is by far the best defensive player on the Cowboys and I think the only thing that can truly stop him is a injury.

28-year old TE Jason Witten is on fire right now for the Cowboys.  Witten has caught 32 passes for 350 yards (10.9 avg) with 4 TD grabs in his last four games for the Cowboys as he has earned the trust of Jon Kitna.  Witten has now played in 14 games this year and he has caught 82 passes for 911 yards (11.1 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  The Cowboys are really happy with Witten who has stepped up with Dez Bryant out for the year and Roy Williams banged up.

No one knew what to think when 30-year old starting QB Tony Romo went down to injury.  Romo played in 6 games for the Cowboys before hurting himself and he completed 148 of 213 passes (69.5%) for 1,605 yards with 11 TD passes and 7 INTs (94.9 QB Rating).  Romo also carried the ball 6 times for 38 yards (6.3 ypc) so far this year.  Jon Kitna is proving right now that he still has a lot left in the gas tank.  Kitna has played in 7 games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has completed 148 of 226 passes (65.5%) for 1,703 yards with 11 TD passes and 8 INTs (89.5 QB Rating).  Kitna has also carried the ball 23 times for 102 yards (4.4 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  Kitna has done a great job of replacing Romo as he is playing almost at his level and the Cowboys need him to keep up the good work.

21-year old rookie WR Dez Bryant is really starting to look like he’s going to be a big impact player for the Cowboys.  He has played in all six games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has caught 22 passes for 265 yards (12.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Bryant has also returned 11 punts for 186 yards (16.9 avg) with 2 TD returns and 2 kickoffs for 25 yards (12.5 avg) so far this year.  So Bryant has already touched the football 35 times for 476 yards (13.6 avg per touch) so far this year.  The sky is the limit for Bryant as I see him being the #1 WR on this team by the time the 2011 season starts.

28-year old OLB DeMarcus Ware is one of the most feared players in the league to opposing QBs.  Ware has played in 5 games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has 24 tackles, 7 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 85 games in his first six years with the Cowboys and he has 380 tackles, 20 passes defensed, 71.5 sacks, 23 forced fumbles and 1 interception which he returned 41 yards for a TD.  Ware is one of the best defensive players in the NFL and he’s still in his prime!

The Cowboys expected a lot more than they have gotten out of 28-year old WR Roy Williams until this year.  Williams played in 25 games in his first 1 1/2 with the Cowboys and he caught 57 passes for 794 yards (13.9 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  This year though, Tony Romo has been looking Williams’ way quite often and he is responding well.  Williams has caught 12 passes for 191 yards (15.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year as he is rewarding the Cowboys for sticking with him despite his subpar play his first 1.5 years with them.

The Dallas Cowboys can finally take a little sigh of relief, as they ended their 14-year playoff drought with a big win over the Philadelphia Eagles.  Tony Romo, who has been labeled a choke-artist, was probably most relieved.  The talented quarterback had a QB rating of 104.9, throwing 2 touchdowns on 23/35 for 244 yards.  He also led the Cowboys to a huge second quarter, helping the Cowboys easily put away the Eagles by outscoring them 27-7 in that quarter.  Romo got a ton of help from his running backs too, with the Cowboys gaining 198 rushing yards as a team.  Felix Jones had a huge day, rushing for a touchdown and 148 yards on 16 carries for a great average of 9.3 yards per carry.  Tashard Choice helped as well, working hard for 42 yards and 1 touchdown on 14 carries.

The Cowboys defense was outstanding in this game too, forcing the Eagles into 4 turnovers and holding them to just 56 rushing yards.  They sacked Donovan McNabb twice, but they pressured him all game holding him to 230 yards on 19/37 passes, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.  Bradie James was a nightmare for McNabb, as the linebacker had 6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 2 QB hits, and 1 pass defensed.  The Cowboys completely dominated this game on both sides of the ball and it was an emphatic way to end their playoff-win drought.  The Cowboys have won four straight and are looking more and more to me like the favorites to come out of NFC playoffs.  They will have to go through Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings next week in Minnesota.

29-year old Tony Romo is proving to be one of the best QBs in the NFL despite constant criticism of his game.  Romo played in all 16 games for the Cowboys this season and he completed 347 of 550 passes (63.1%) for 4,483 yards with 26 TD passes and 9 INTs (97.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 35 times for 105 yards (3.0 ypc) with 1 TD run this year.  Romo has now played in 77 games in his NFL career and he has completed 1,178 of 1,857 passes (63.4%) for 15,045 yards with 107 TD passes and 55 INTs (95.6 QB Rating).  Romo has also carried the ball 130 times for 375 yards (2.9 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career.  Romo is one of the best QBs in the NFL so the critics need to leave this guy alone as he could at least start for 25 other teams in the NFL right now.

37-year old Jon Kitna is the back-up and he didn’t even get on the field this season for the Cowboys.  But, he does have a lot of experience and he would likely do well if forced into the starting line-up due to a injury to Tony Romo.  Kitna has played in 128 games in his NFL career and he has completed 2,462 of 4,114 passes (59.8%) for 27,293 yards with 152 TD passes and 151 INTs (76.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 279 times for 811 yards (2.9 ypc) with 10 TD runs in his career.