Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee has heard the criticism that his team lacks a leader in the locker room, and he’s ready to step into the role in his third year.

In February, defensive end Jason Hatcher questioned whether the Cowboys had a player who could keep everyone in the locker room accountable. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett responded by saying there was nothing wrong with the team’s dynamic.

Working at the team’s practice facility Friday, Lee said he would call out any issues that might arise among the players.

“If there’s something that needs to be addressed I have no problem addressing it,” Lee told the Dallas Morning News. “I think all my teammates realize that I have their back. I want to see them do the best.

“I want to see our team win a Super Bowl and be successful, so I have no problem stepping up and saying something if I find something that I feel is wrong.”

After a second-year campaign in which he became a starter and led the team in tackles (105) and interceptions (four), Lee said his next step would be becoming a more vocal presence.

“I think playing more last year, being a guy that makes the calls in the huddle, I’m definitely going to have to step up from a leadership standpoint on the field and off the field,” said Lee, who was sporting a red Texas Rangers hat. “I got a ton of great guys on the team right now to look up to. Guys like obviously Tony (Romo), Jason (Witten) and DeMarcus (Ware). So, there are a lot of guys that I’m looking up to and trying to be like, but at the same time, trying to become a better leader myself.”

Gotta love it when the head coach breaks news in his combine news conference. Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told reporters on hand in Indianapolis today that the team plans to move Doug Free from left tackle back to right tackle and move Tyron Smith from right tackle to left tackle. This move has been expected, given the brilliant way Smith played as a rookie in 2011 and the fact that Free struggled in his second season on the left side. But Garrett is confirming it, per our man on the scene, Todd Archer:

“The starting point for us next year is Tyron will start at left tackle and Doug will start at right tackle,” Garrett said. “The versatility that Tyron had coming out is something we were really attracted to. He was a right tackle in college, as you know, but we felt like he had the physical traits to play left tackle. Same with Doug Free. We felt he could play either side.”

When the Cowboys drafted Smith last year, they weren’t sure whether they were going to lose Free to free agency, and one of the reasons they liked Smith was that they believed he had the ability to play left tackle if they needed one. Once they signed Free, they decided to leave him where he’d played well in 2010 and break in Smith at the position he’d played in college.

But Smith was the Cowboys’ best offensive lineman in 2011, and Free struggled, so the Cowboys have decided to use their best tackle on Tony Romo’s blindside, which makes sense. A couple of questions linger, though:

1. Where’s Kyle Kosier going? He played left guard next to Free during Free’s big year in 2010, then moved over to right guard to play next to Smith and help break in the rookie. Was Free’s drop-off in play due in any part to Kosier moving to the other side? Will Kosier move back to the left to play next to Smith and help continue his development, or will he stay on the right to help Free? Kosier’s a key figure on the Dallas offensive line, as a player and as a leader, and his status is worth monitoring in light of this move.

2. Is Free a good player who had a down year in 2011, or an average player who had a great year in 2010? The sense I get from talking to people around the league is that it’s the former — that Free still shows the skills to be a top-level tackle but just didn’t get the job done this past year. The Cowboys expect him to bounce back, and perhaps a move back to the right side will allow him to do that without undue pressure.

3. Will Smith need time to adjust? He didn’t play left tackle in college, and there are differences to which he’ll have to become accustomed. Smith is thought of as a great enough athlete to make the adjustment. He may well have been the left tackle at USC had he not been on the same team as Matt Kalil. My guess is he won’t skip a beat, and that the Cowboys will benefit from this move. Their bigger line problems are at guard and center.

It seems like as the 2011 NFL regular season rolls to a conclusion, the person we hear from the most with Dallas Cowboys’ related news is Jerry Jones. He is the owner and general manager, but it almost seems lately he is their chief PR man as well.

This week, Jones has even more news about his team to deliver to the press and the public in general.

The first thing that Jones wanted to make clear is that Jason Garrett will be his head coach in 2012. Jones said that, even if Dallas loses to the New York Giants on Sunday night and misses the playoffs, there is zero-percent chance he fired Garrett.

I agree with this stance. Jason Garrett has been head coach for just over one year. If a team drops a coach without giving them a fair chance, and one full season is not a fair chance, they will end up like the Oakland Raiders.

Garrett, in his head coaching career is 13-9. A lot of people talk about his play calling, but in his first year in Dallas calling the plays, the Cowboys went 13-3, the best record in the NFC. That was four years ago. Now that he is the head coach, a lot more is expected of him.

However, in the 2011 season, his first full season as the head man, he has had to deal with a starting quarterback breaking his ribs, his starting wide receiver missing half the year with a bad hamstring and his explosive new rookie starting running back going down with a season ending injury. That is a lot to deal with. Add in the fact that their leading tackler has been playing with a cast on his hand and the best player on the entire team, DeMarcus Ware, has been playing hurt as well.

It sounds like I am making excuses for the Cowboys’ record but I’m not. I am just stating the facts. Dallas proved this season they can beat any team they play, and all but one loss was due to mental lapses at the end. That is on Garrett but it is something he will grow with as his career wears on.

Jerry Jones says he is not going to fire Garrett if Dallas loses. In my opinion, that is a good thing because it means he is going to let his coach actually try to build something here. Playing hot potato at head coach is no way to develop a franchise.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: CBSSports.com

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If the Dallas Cowboys continue to play without mental toughness, franchise legend Emmitt Smith thinks the team will get blew out … blowed out on Sunday against the New York Giants. Blown out.

The Hall of Fame running back told Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com that he doubts the team has enough leadership and toughness to win the de facto NFC East Championship game on Sunday night.

“Talent-wise, I think they have it. Leadership-wise, they have some good leaders on the ballclub. Do they have enough? Probably not. Can they go up to New York and be mentally tough in this situation? I think Jason [Garrett] has done a very good job of preparing the guys to be physically and hopefully mentally tough, but I think mental toughness is the thing needed in games like this.

“Mental toughness for four quarters or five quarters, if you have to go that far. But that’s something our Cowboys have not been able to do in close games. And that’s where mental toughness comes into play.”

It was that exact mental toughness that allowed Smith to become the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, a three-time Super Bowl champion and the guy who succeeded Drew Lachey as “Dancing With the Stars” champion. He’s completely right though; as he pointed out later, the Cowboys have lost four games this season after holding fourth quarter leads. And in one of those, it was a timeout by Jason Garrett that played a hand in defeat. Is the team getting its cues from its coach?

The bright side is that the Cowboys are playing the Giants, a team whose mental toughness comes and goes without advance warning. One day they’re beating New England and hanging with the defending Super Bowl champions, the next they’re getting swept by the Washington Redskins.

Related: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Redskins

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t give their fans a very Merry Christmas with their performance Saturday.

In a game where little was on the line, the Cowboys couldn’t do anything to build on the momentum from the previous week at Tampa Bay.

But the Cowboys and Giants did wrap a big present and put it under NBC’s tree. The network of Sunday night football gets a chance to wrap up its season with a ratings bonanza.

But given one final chance to show they deserve to be in the playoffs as the NFC East Champions, can the Cowboys demonstrate the ability to receive?

Opportunity has knocked on the door all season long. The season opened on NBC’s big stage in New York and the Cowboys couldn’t close the deal against the Jets.

Fourth-quarter leads have led to head-scratching failures in many cases. The Cowboys probably realize they should be sitting down at the postseason party with 11 or 12 wins and letting Stephen McGee and Sammy Morris play out the string Sunday as they rested up for the playoffs.

The completely mediocre Broncos and Chiefs with gaping holes all over the roster should be fighting it out on NBC to be the last team in.

The Giants are in the same boat as the Cowboys as at times they look better than their record. They have an excellent quarterback and a couple of name players who can rush the passer. But the only consistency has been their inconsistency.

Both are considered dangerous teams in the NFC. We’d be surprised if the NFC East winner made it to the Super Bowl, but an upset win at New Orleans or San Francisco wouldn’t shock anyone.

I’ve been picking Dallas to win this division all year. There’s a chance I’m proven wrong on Sunday night.

As easy as I can make the argument that the Cowboys should already have won this division, there’s the fact that they are 2-3 in division games and those two wins were the result of a little bit of luck with a wild scramble pass to Dez Bryant and then a missed field goal in overtime turning two Washington victories into narrow Dallas escapes.

It’s not Tony Romo that has given me reason to doubt. It’s more a result of the defense and Jason Garrett’s brief history in decision-making down the stretch of close games.

I’ll pick the Cowboys one more time. They were the better team for 55 minutes just two weeks ago. But seizing on opportunities, the way the really good teams do in this league, has been a season-long problem for the Cowboys.

I guess we’ll watch and find out if everything really does begin and end in New York, at least for the Cowboys of 2011. Recent history doesn’t favor the Cowboys in any game considered big. Their previous “last-chance” for playoff finale at Philadelphia three years ago was a disaster.

But just as we pull out our new calendars, they get one more chance to prove this team is different.

Dallas fans felt like they got the short end of the “Dirty Santa” game on Saturday evening. Garrett, Romo and Rob Ryan will see if they can do better for a Happy New Year.

Read More: Felix Jones (RB – DAL), DeMarco Murray (RB – DAL), Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys

During the Cowboys win over the Buccaneers on Saturday, Felix Jones’ hamstring tightened up on him. Jones had tied his career high with 22 carries in the win. Since DeMarco Murray was lost for the year, Jones had 38 carries for 214 yards and nine catches for 54 yards in two games.

With Demarco Murray and Phillip Tanner both out with injury, the next man up is Sammy Morris for Jason Garrett’s offensive unit as they prepare for the Eagles on Saturday.

Here is the full injury report for the Dallas Cowboys in week 16:

Held out of practice:

• Nose tackle Josh Brent (knee)
• Wide receiver Andre Holmes (hamstring)
• Running back Felix Jones (hamstring)
• Safety Danny McCray (ankle)
• Wide Receiver Kevin Ogletree (knee).

Limited in practice:

• Cornerback Mike Jenkins (shoulder)
• Right guard Kyle Kosier (foot)
• Nose tackle Jay Ratliff (rib muscle strain)
• Wide Receiver Laurent Robinson (shoulder)
• Outside Linebacker DeMarcus Ware (stinger)

For all news and information regarding the Dallas Cowboys, please visit Blogging the Boys. Go check out all things Philadelphia Eagles at Bleeding Green Nation.

The Dallas Cowboys are hoping the loss of DeMarco Murray won’t derail their
season.

It looks like a trip to London may have been the catalyst to ending the
hopes of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Two teams looking for answers meet Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium
with the Cowboys trying to avoid a third straight loss and the Buccaneers on a
seven-game slide.

Dallas (7-6) dropped into a first-place tie in the NFC East with the Giants
after blowing a late 12-point lead in Sunday’s 37-34 home defeat to New York.
The Cowboys had a tying field goal blocked at the end, marking the second
straight game they have failed to convert one at the close of regulation.

Perhaps a bigger loss happened in the first quarter when Murray fractured
his right ankle. Murray, averaging 137.4 rushing yards over the Cowboys’ last
five victories and on pace to become the franchise’s first 1,000-yard back since
2006, has been placed on injured reserve.

Felix Jones, who gained 106 yards on 16 carries Sunday, becomes the starter
again. The Cowboys signed journeyman Sammy Morris on Monday.

“DeMarco has been a big part of this offense and big part of this football
team,” quarterback Tony Romo said. “We are lucky to have a guy like Felix,
obviously, who can step in.”

Dallas could have put a stranglehold on the division had it won Sunday. The
Cowboys still would win the division by capturing their final three games, and
can even win it by losing to Tampa Bay (4-9) and winning the last two.

“We still control our own destiny,” coach Jason Garrett said. “I think our
players understand.”

The Buccaneers have matched their longest losing streak within one season
since the 1987 club dropped its final eight games. Tampa Bay missed the playoffs
at 10-6 last season and began 2011 with a 4-2 mark before an Oct. 23 loss to
Chicago in London started this skid.

The losing has put third-year coach Raheem Morris’ job in jeopardy.

“It’s great for you guys to scare my family half to death and talk about
that stuff all throughout,” Morris said. “But for us, man, it’s a mentally tough
business. It is move on. It is next opponent. It’s next man up. It’s the Dallas
Cowboys. … For me, a chance to ruin Jason Garrett’s season, and let you talk
about him.”

Tampa Bay seemed to have a budding star on its hands in 2010 in Josh
Freeman, who had 25 touchdown passes and just six interceptions. That ratio has
dropped to 12 TDs and a league-high 18 interceptions this year.

Freeman returned last Sunday after missing a game with an injured throwing
shoulder, but the results were disastrous as the Buccaneers fell 41-14 at
Jacksonville.

Tampa Bay has allowed the most points in the NFC (370) and has lost four
times at by least 19.

“You might think guys might be kinda down,” Freeman said. “Like I said,
we’re upset about losing. Guys are coming to work and they’ve been wanting to do
something about it to correct it.”

Freeman is relishing the chance to go up against a Dallas defense that
allowed 510 yards last Sunday for the highest total by a Cowboys opponent in
five years.

“Dallas is kind of on the bubble right now, what are they, 7-6?” Freeman
said. “So I can’t think of anything happier than to go out and get a win this
week and that may put a damper on their hopes.”

Sunday’s lackluster defensive showing ruined a strong performance by Romo,
who threw four touchdown passes for the first time since 2007 and recorded his
fifth 300-yard effort of the year. Romo’s passer rating is a career-best 100.6
for the NFL’s fourth-highest mark, and he’s fifth in the league with 26 TD
passes.

The Cowboys are headed back on the road, where they have played three
overtime games and two others decided on scores within the final 30 seconds.

Garrett’s clock management has come into question after some of the close
games. He called a timeout before Dan Bailey missed a 49-yard field goal attempt
at the end of regulation in a 19-13 OT loss at Arizona on Dec. 4 and also let
some extra time elapse last weekend before calling a timeout with the Cowboys on
defense late in the game.

“The nature of our team is we’ve played a lot of close games,” Garrett said.
“We’ve won maybe half of them and we’ve lost some other ones. You have to look
at situations, see what happens, some way, somehow process it, learn from it and
hopefully go forward.”

Dallas has won the last three meetings with Tampa Bay. Romo needed only 16
completions to throw for 353 yards and three scores in the last matchup, a 34-21
win Sept. 13, 2009.

There are quite a few reasons why the Dallas Cowboys fell to the Arizona Cardinals in overtime but one of the big ones that flies off the stat sheet is DeMarco Murray(notes) carrying the ball 12 times for 38 yards.

This game was Murray’s weakest performance since taking over the starting role and his worst game since Week 6 when Felix Jones(notes) was still the starter. Here are some interesting numbers to make you wonder why head coach Jason Garrett was not calling Murray’s number more.

In Murray’s first game against the St. Louis Rams, he ran the ball 25 times for 253 yards and a touchdown. The next week, against Philadelphia, he carried the ball eight times for 74 yards and Dallas lost big to the Eagles. Some might argue that the Eagles taking the big lead was why Dallas did not run Murray.

True enough, Dallas was down 14-0 after the first quarter and 24-0 after the second, but only running the ball eight times might have a lot to do with Dallas only having four drives in the first half. In the first half of the Eagles game, Romo completed four of eight passes with an interception and was sacked three times. However, in the last four drives of the game, Tony Romo(notes) threw the ball 23 times, scrambled once and was sacked once. Murray never ran the ball.

Dallas lost 34-7.

Against Seattle, Murray ran 22 times for 139 yards. Against Buffalo, Murray ran 20 times for 135 yards and a touchdown. Against Washington, Murray ran 25 times for 73 yards. Against Miami, Murray ran 22 times for 87 yards. Dallas won all four of those games.

Then, in Week 13, in a game that Dallas only allowed one Arizona touchdown in regulation, Murray ran 12 times and Dallas lost.

When DeMarco Murray runs over 20 times and Dallas controls the clock, they can beat anybody. When Murray is given the ball to get Dallas into range for field goals, Dallas can win close games against tough defenses. When Dallas keeps Murray sitting on the sidelines, they are nowhere near as good.

Jason Garrett took DeMarco Murray out of the game plan in Week 13, and as a result, the New York Giants game in Week 14 is more important than ever.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Arizona Cardinals and there is one person to blame for the defeat: Jason Garrett. With time running out, Tony Romo(notes) completes a clutch pass to Dez Bryant(notes) to set up Dallas in position to win their third straight game with a field goal. Then, right as Dallas prepares to kick the field goal, Garrett calls time out and ices his own kicker.

Dan Bailey(notes), who missed his first field goal since Week 2 earlier in the game, kicked the ball right through the uprights for what should have been the win. Because of the time out, Bailey had to hit it again and missed short, sending the game into overtime.

In overtime, the Dallas defense rushed Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb(notes) when he flipped out a desperation pass to backup running back LaRod Stephens-Howling(notes), who then ran it 52 yards for the game winning touchdown.

The final last time out of regulation is enough for any Dallas Cowboys’ fan to shake their head in disbelief.

Add to the frustration the fact that DeMarco Murray(notes) only got 12 carries in the game, which when added to Felix Jones(notes) six carries, gave Dallas the least amount of runs in any game since Murray came on the scene. Explain why Dallas doesn’t run the ball more against a team they should be able to dominate, especially since the running game is why they are winning now?

The defense played fine, limiting running back Beanie Wells(notes) to 67 yards in the game and the only touchdown of regulation. But there is little you can do when the offense puts you behind the eight ball one too many times.

There were so many good points in the game that were soured, such Dez Bryant’s great punt return in the fourth quarter than was called back because of holding. Felix Jones averaged 37 yards on kick returns, putting Dallas in a spot to do damage. Yet, somehow, Romo dropped back to pass 42 times in the game and they never even tried to run with Murray, punting over and over on the day.

This was a horribly coached football game, and with how the New York Giants played against Green Bay, Dallas blew their chance for a safety cushion. The end of the world is not coming for Dallas but they have to ask Jason Garrett what he was thinking in this game and hope he fixes it next week.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

I have spent a lot of time the last month trumpeting the arrival of DeMarco Murray(notes) to the Dallas Cowboys’ lineup. With the lackluster running back play since Emmitt Smith left, I have longed for the Cowboys to find a running back who can actually dominate the game.

Now, Dallas has DeMarco Murray and thankfully Jason Garrett knows what he has and did not plug Felix Jones(notes) back into the starting lineup because Dallas needs Murray to win the NFC East.

But, as much as I love the fact that Murray is getting his due, I feel that Jones needs to play as well. In his first game back from injury, Jones finished with five carries for 18 yards. In his second, he got one reception. This is not the proper way to utilize someone of Jones’ capabilities.

Murray needs to get 20 or more carries a game and I am fine with that. But Jones needs to get a few runs as well. Jones also needs to be utilized out of the backfield as a receiver. I know Murray is doing fine in that regard but I was a fan of Murray at the University of Oklahoma and he can get hurt if he is over-utilized. There is no reason that Jones can’t be a weapon like Darren Sproles(notes) is in New Orleans.

The reason they dumped Tashard Choice(notes) was because he was too similar to Murray in size and running abilities. They knew they needed a thunder and lightning combination, to steal a name from the New York Giants. Of course, Choice also fumbles and has already proven to be unwanted when the Redskins dumped him as well. But Dallas knew that Murray and Jones were just different enough to give them two distinct weapons in the lineup.

Murray needs to continue to get his 20 carries a game but let Jones get involved as well. Jones can’t do the goal line, but on a second and long, he might be a good person to throw a screen to or execute a draw up the middle. It is just as I expected when the season began. As much as he wants it, Jones is not an every down back but he is still a dangerous weapon. Dallas just needs to figure out how to use him.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has followed the Dallas Cowboys since he was a child, his favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s. Through the great years of the ’90s and the hard times of the ’80s, Shawn never turned his back on America’s Team.

Source: Dallas Cowboys

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It remains to be seen whether this group led by Tony Romo, DeMarcus Ware and rookie sensations DeMarco Murray and Dan Bailey can consistently beat winning teams in high-stakes games. But the bottom line on this recent surge is that they’ve put themselves in position to find out.

The Cowboys (7-4) will head into the final five weeks of the season atop the NFC East. They’ll either be tied with the Giants or a game ahead of them, depending on what happens when New York plays in New Orleans on Monday night.

“We needed to get going,” Romo said. “We had some tough losses earlier in the year, and we were in position to win some games. At some point you’ve got to get on a roll and stack the wins together. Getting these four wins was very big.”

Dallas and New York still have two meetings left, including the finale on the road on New Year’s Day. The Cowboys’ other three games are all against teams with losing records, but none are gimmes. They’ll be on the road against Arizona and Tampa Bay, and both are .500 at home, and they will play host to Philadelphia on Christmas Eve.

The Eagles were the last team to beat the Cowboys, and they spanked them 34-7 in the most lopsided loss of coach Jason Garrett’s tenure. Philadelphia also is coming off a victory over the Giants and could be back in the division race by then.

Thus, it all comes back to how Dallas plays down the stretch. Do well, and the Cowboys will make the playoffs. Struggle, and they’ll give Garrett and owner-GM Jerry Jones a better idea of which players are and aren’t keepers in 2012 and beyond.

“We’re trying not to think of it in the overall big-picture yet,” Romo said. “It’s strictly about the week-to-week and the process. … At the end of the year, those things will add up and that’s what will be talked about.”

Romo laughed as he said that, admitting he was parroting some of Garrett’s pet phrases. He knows that over the three-day weekend — the reward for having played three times in 12 days — everyone will be analyzing how far they’ve come and what they have left to return to the playoffs after a bottoming-out season last year.

“We’ll come back to work on Monday and hopefully everybody gets a chance to decompress a little bit, take a breath, get refreshed and ready to go and we’ll get … going again,” Garrett said.

The Cowboys wouldn’t be in such great shape without the emergence of Murray and Bailey.

Murray was a third-round pick who was expected to help complement Felix Jones. The lockout and a hamstring injury slowed him so much that when Jones went out with an injury, Dallas didn’t immediately hand him the job. Then he ran for 253 yards in a game he didn’t start and there was no doubt they had a special player.

One of the biggest question marks during the offseason last year was what would come of the Dallas Cowboys defense after the midseason dismissal of head coach Wade Phillips. The defensive secondary was the biggest concern on the defensive side of the ball, along with some aging linebackers, Bradie James and Keith Brooking.

Defensive Coordinator: Rob Ryan

Head coach Jason Garrett hired the flamboyant coach Rob Ryan to run the defense, changing not only the schemes employed by Phillips, but transforming the personality of the defense as well. While Phillips has long been considered a defensive guru in the NFL, his defense could be characterized as bend-but-don’t-break, containment style. By comparison, new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has employed a Katy-bar-the-door attacking defense. This style has helped cover up some of the problems in the secondary.

In the early part of the season, Dallas’ rushing defense ranked near the top in spite of a record of three wins and three losses at the time. After meeting the Philadelphia Eagles in their seventh game, however, this ranking dropped significantly as quarterback Michael Vick and Eagles running back LeSean McCoy ripped through the Rob Ryan defense for 235 rushing yards. Vick also passed for 279 yards and two touchdowns in the game, spanking the Cowboys 34-7. Currently, the Dallas defense ranks eighth against the rush.

The bright spot on the Cowboys defense continues to be the play of DeMarcus Ware, who ranks second in sacks with 12. The Cowboys rank eighth in the NFL with 22 sacks overall.

Defensive Discipline

While the offense ranks among the league’s worst penalized teams, the Cowboys defense has the best record in the NFL for yards given up on penalties. It also ranks second for the least number of passing plays of over 40 yards in length. These are significant accomplishments, which show that the Cowboys defense is not prone to giving up yards easily on big plays or getting beat with penalties. In spite of the aggressive style of defense, and the risks associated with pass rushing schemes, Rob Ryan’s defensive philosophy is working well, and it is hard not to see the improvements over the previous years under Wade Phillips.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

IRVING — The Dallas Cowboys like their chances of making a serious run at the playoffs despite their 4-4 record, and that’s not just because of how soft their upcoming schedule appears to be.

Some optimism is based on the recent play of running back DeMarco Murray, and how the rookie’s success is affecting quarterback Tony Romo. Murray rushed for 139 yards on 22 carries and caught four passes for 47 more yards in Sunday’s 23-13 home win over Seattle.

An improved running game created more offensive balance against Seattle, helping Romo go 19 for 31 for 279 yards and two touchdowns. What’s more, Romo wasn’t guilty of an interception and wasn’t sacked.

Murray has shown that his club-record 253-yard output in his first extended play against St. Louis was no fluke. When Felix Jones returns from a high ankle sprain, Jones could wind up as Murray’s backup.

The news for the Cowboys from Sunday wasn’t all good. Wide receiver Miles Austin left in the second quarter with a right hamstring injury and didn’t return. Austin is expected to be out for as long as a month.

Missing all of last Sunday’s game with injuries were linebacker Sean Lee (left wrist), punter Mat McBriar (left foot), cornerback Mike Jenkins (right hamstring) and Jones. Coach Jason Garrett said he was hopeful McBriar and Jones would be available for Sunday’s home game against Buffalo.

Rookie punter Chris Jones was signed off the practice squad for the Seattle game, averaging 43 yards on four punts.

Austin won’t be back anytime soon, sidelined by the latest in a series of hamstring problems that have plagued him throughout his six-year career. With Austin out, more will be expected from wide receivers Dez Bryant, Laurent Robinson and Kevin Ogletree.

Jones’ injury created an opening for Murray, and he’s taken advantage with 466 yards over his last three games.

“He runs really, really hard,” Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said. “Obviously we have seen those big runs he’s had, but he turns 2- or 3-yard gains into nice 10-yard gains. He takes some big hits and he gets up. … He’s been a dynamic player for us.”

After Sunday’s meeting with Buffalo (5-3), the Cowboys are at Washington (3-5), home against Miami (1-7) and at Arizona (2-6).