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IRVING, Texas – Until the Cowboys win in December, the closing month will always be the toughest stretch of games.

Three of the Cowboys’ December opponents had winning records in 2012 (Chicago, Green Bay, Washington) and two made the playoffs (Packers, Redskins). The Bears finished 10-6 in 2012 and lost out on a wild-card spot due to tiebreakers.

Winning at Chicago in December is a difficult challenge, but the Bears have changed coaches and have parted ways with future Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher. The Cowboys will also look to avenge a 34-18 drubbing last season at Cowboys Stadium in which Tony Romo was intercepted five times.

The first time Green Bay played in Cowboys Stadium, it won Super Bowl XLV. Aaron Rodgers is at the top of the quarterback charts in the NFL and Clay Matthews signed an extension this week. The last time the Cowboys played the Packers happened to be Wade Phillips last game as coach, a 45-7 thrashing at Lambeau Field on Nov. 7, 2010.

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Ian Fitzsimmons and Richard Durrett examine the recently-released NFL schedule and agree that the Cowboys don't have any reason to complain. Listen

Every Cowboys fan should remember what happened when their team visited Washington to close the 2012 season. Romo was intercepted three times and the Cowboys limped home with a 28-18 loss to finish 8-8 for the second straight year. Any trip to FedEx Field has been a grind for the Cowboys. Robert Griffin III makes it that much harder.

Closing the year at home against Philadelphia will be nice after the Cowboys failed to win de facto NFC East championship games at MetLife Stadium to the Giants and FedEx Field to the Redskins in 2011 and ’12. In fact, the last time the Cowboys made the playoffs was in 2009 when they ended the year by beating the Eagles and beat them again a week later in the wild-card round.

What could help the Cowboys entering December is a late bye (Nov. 17) and the 10-day break after the Thanksgiving Day game. That time off could benefit the team’s health.

PHOENIX -- Some Dallas Cowboys-related news and notes after the first day of the NFL owners meetings.

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Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith comments on the proposed rule change that would make it illegal for runners to lower their heads and initiate contact with tacklers. Listen

Brian Urlacher a Cowboy? Executive vice president Stephen Jones was asked about the possibility of signing veteran free agent linebacker Brian Urlacher. Jones expressed a fondness for Urlacher, calling him a Hall of Famer, but said it was doubtful it would happen. Jones' point is it wouldn't make sense to sign Urlacher to backup Sean Lee, only to cut him after a year. "You don't ever dismiss Hall of Famers in my book," Jones said. "It would be difficult. He obviously plays what Sean plays. To move everything around for a year doesn't really make a lot of sense. But at the same time, you don't ever rule it out."
Jones was also asked about wide receiver Laurent Robinson, who was released by Jacksonville last week. Robinson has lingering concussion and ankle issues that give the Cowboys pause. "We got to look at the big picture with Laurent," Jones said. "He had some injuries that we're going to be doing our homework on and be going from there."

Can you spare a dime? The Cowboys are down to $102,050 in salary cap space. To make any moves, the Cowboys would have to restructure some contracts or release more players. Of course, signing quarterback Tony Romo to a long-term deal, which would lower his 2013 cap number, is a priority and would create some space.

A crazy training camp: With Larry Allen and former coach Bill Parcells getting inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer, the Cowboys have been invited to play in the Hall of Fame Game, which gives them five preseason games. It creates a crazy travel plan for the Cowboys. Camp would start in Oxnard, Calif., then the team would travel to Canton, Ohio. After the game, the Cowboys most likely would travel back to the West Coast. The team would play one or two preseason games before coming back to Dallas to finish the preseason.

Running back rule changes: NFL officials showed reporters video of legal and potential illegal hits used by ball carries with the crown of their helmet as the league is promoting player safety. "I don't think Emmitt (Smith) ever violated it," said Jones, a member of the NFL's competition committee. "When people first hear it they say, 'Oh my God, we can't do that.' Then they see what the league is talking about in terms of really being in the open field and really dropping that head and using your head as a weapon." If a ball carrier uses his head and isn't penalized, he's still subject to a fine if the rule change is passed. "As a runner in this league, you don't last long if you run tall," said St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher, who added that the NFL wants to bring the shoulder back into the game instead of players leading with their heads.

Financial market for pass rushers down: Some big-name pass rushers -- John Abraham, Osi Umenyiora, Elvis Dumervil and Dwight Freeney -- are still on the free agent market. Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett signed with Seattle. It would have been interesting to see what Anthony Spencer would have commanded on the market, which seems slow. "Obviously, whatever happens in the markets affects others," Jones said. "You have to look at those things. But to say how it effects him and get into the details, that’s unfair."

This scouting combine story from Todd Archer tells us that the Dallas Cowboys were planning a switch from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense even before the 2012 season ended. According to coach Jason Garrett, they believe they have the right kind of personnel to make the switch:

"You just go through all those scenarios and at the end of it we felt good about, 'Hey, we can do this and it won't take us three years to do this,'" coach Jason Garrett said. "And we certainly want to continue to add pieces to it and make that defense better, but we felt good about the flexibility and versatility of the guys we already have."

Monte Kiffin and defensive line coach Rod Marinelli agreed with Garrett's analysis after they joined the staff. They used players such as Simeon Rice, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and Brian Urlacher as frames of reference for DeMarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, Sean Lee and Bruce Carter.

Well, yeah. I mean, if all of those guys at the end of that sentence play like all of the guys at the beginning of that sentence, then yeah, the Cowboys will really have something. But there are some "ifs," and most of them are tied to health. For instance, I think Lee can be a brilliant playmaking middle linebacker in a 4-3. But he has to stay on the field, and he's had trouble doing that. And then there's this later in the story from former Cowboys exec Jeff Ireland, comparing Ware to Cameron Wake, who moved from a 3-4 outside linebacker to a 4-3 end last year for Ireland's Dolphins:

"We felt like when Wake was in a three-point stance he probably was a better rusher than he was in a two-point stance," Ireland said. "I don't know that about DeMarcus. I'd have to study that, but I'm sure he's equally efficient in a three-point or two-point stance, so I don't think it will be that tough."

Ware is a very interesting part of all of this. Again, I don't think it's a question of his ability to perform effectively in a 4-3 but rather his ability to hold up physically while playing closer to the ball and mixing it up more directly with bigger offensive line bodies. Ware has shown some signs the past couple of years that his body could be beginning to break down, and if that is a trend and not an aberration, then a move like this isn't going to help with it.

This transition to the 4-3 is one of the very interesting stories of the Cowboys' offseason, so we'll continue to examine it as it goes along. I think they have the right kinds of players to pull it off, but a lot depends on who goes, who stays and who shows up to play it once the salary cap is straight and free agency and the draft have settled.

IRVING, Texas – Since the firing of Rob Ryan and the hiring of Monte Kiffin last week, the Cowboys’ defensive players have had to reconcile the loss of a coach they enjoyed playing for with the arrival of a coach considered one of the best defensive coordinators in football.

Linebacker Sean Lee is right in the middle of that process.

“I owe so much to Rob because he made be a better football player,” Lee said. “I learned so much from him about all aspects of football, but it’s one of those deals that the Cowboys wanted to move in a different direction defensively and wanted to move from a 3-4 to a 4-3, and we brought in a great guy in Coach Kiffin to learn from.”

Lee has yet to meet Kiffin but is anxious to learn the 4-3 and the new responsibilities that will come his way. Kiffin will be Lee’s third defensive coordinator in four years, following Wade Phillips and Ryan.

“As soon as we can get in there and watch film and start learning the defense I think there are a lot of guys who want to get a jumpstart so they can come into the (organized team activities) feeling confident in trying to perfect this defense,” Lee said.

There will be a lot to learn with the Cowboys making the scheme shift under Kiffin with players like DeMarcus Ware, Lee, Bruce Carter, Jason Hatcher and possibly Jay Ratliff moving to different roles.

“I don’t think it’s as big a move as people think,” Lee said. “We’ve played 4-3 in different situations, even with Coach Phillips and the way the defensive line lined up. There were aspects of the 4-3 there. Now there’s obviously going to be a learning curve and it’s going to be tough and it’s going to take some work, but I think we have the guys that are athletic enough and versatile enough to be able to transition to this 4-3.”

The comparison that has been made to Lee in the switch to the 4-3 has been Chicago’s Brian Urlacher. It can be argued that Kiffin did not have a talent like Lee at middle linebacker during his time in Tampa Bay about to enter his prime.

“We’ll see what different variations are and how the defense is, but (Urlacher) is the guy who changed the way you play it and set the precedent for many years,” Lee said. “So that’s a great guy to look at but we’ll see what the defense is. Until I learn it I can’t say for sure what we’re doing, but Urlacher is a guy for sure in this defense that’s had a ton of success and a lot of people look to.”

IRVING, Texas -- Wherever the Cowboys travel their following is always there, even in New York, Philadelphia and Washington.

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ESPN NFL insider Chris Mortensen comments on the national perception of the Dallas Cowboys. Listen

In the 2005 season opener at San Diego, Cowboys’ fans were so loud the Chargers had to use a silent count late in the game.

On Monday, Cowboys Stadium was hardly a home-field advantage. Of the 90,080 on hand, a number of them were Chicago fans and let their presence be known. As one “Let’s go Bears” chant broke out late, linebacker Brian Urlacher was seen mouthing, “Wow.”

“Last time we came down here, there’s nothing like hearing the “Let’s go Bears,” chant early and throughout the game,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said after the game. “I thought our fans were outstanding. The Chicago Bear colors were all around, they really were. I’m glad we are able to give our loyal fans that type of effort.”

Jason Garrett was asked about how loud the Bears fans were on Tuesday.

“Oh, the Bears have a great national following,” Garrett said. “They’ve had it for a long, long time, so that doesn’t surprise us. And certainly the way the game went, we gave them some reasons to get fired up. That’s just the nature of it. The Chicago people love their Bears. They have for a long, long time.”

Another visitor to Cowboys Stadium has a great national following, too. Pittsburgh visits Dec. 13. The last time the Steelers came to the area in 2004, Terrible Towels overran Texas Stadium. Cowboys Stadium could be more of the same.

After a 6-2 record to open the $1.2 billion stadium in 2009, the Cowboys have a 7-10 home record.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- For four years Kyle Orton got to see Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher up close and personal. Now the Cowboys’ backup quarterback, Orton gets to see Sean Lee on an everyday basis.

Perhaps tonight’s game at Cowboys Stadium could be a changing of the guard at inside linebacker in the NFC between Urlacher, an eight-time Pro Bowler, and Lee.

“Brian prepares great and he’s done it for years, and I think when Sean gets that experience Brian has, they can read plays, identify formations and help everybody out on the field,” Orton said. “Everybody talks about Brian’s speed and length and coverage, but really the best part about him is how he helps everybody out with what plays are coming and how he tries to come after you.”

Jason Garrett first saw Urlacher play in person on Sept. 17, 2000, when he was serving as the New York Giants’ backup quarterback. Urlacher was credited with 13 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry and Garrett could not believe somebody so big could move so well.

“The one thing we saw from the get-go was the guy had juice,” Garrett said. “He’s running sideline to sideline and making a ton of plays in the run game and the pass game. He’s carrying tight ends down the field, like we’ve seen him for all these years. But there was something about the passion for playing and to be a Bears’ Mike linebacker with the history they’ve had at that position, he just seemed like a great asset right from the start. He certainly was a challenge for us that day and a challenge for a lot of teams for a lot of years since then.”

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys enter their home contest against the Chicago Bears with an opportunity to remain in first place in the NFC East on "Monday Night Football."

We preview.

The series: The Cowboys lead the all-time series 13-9 and have won two of the last three meetings. This will be just the fourth meeting between the teams in the last 14 seasons. At one point, the Cowboys had defeated the Bears in six consecutive games from 1973-84.

It's Monday night: The Cowboys are making their 74th appearance on "Monday Night Football," second most in league history. Miami has made the most appearance with 78. The Cowboys lead the NFL with 43 MNF victories. The Bears and Cowboys have met only once on "Monday Night Football" with the Bears winning 22-6 on Sept. 2, 1996. With Lovie Smith as the coach, the Bears are 7-2 on Monday nights, including winning five of the last six contests.

Spencer and Forte status: Cowboys outside linebacker Anthony Spencer is listed as questionable with a pectoral muscle injury. He is a game-time decision. If he plays, Spencer will wear a harness. Spencer is second on the team with two sacks and leads with nine quarterback pressures. Matt Forte, the Bears' starting running back, is questionable with an ankle injury. Forte was limited all week in practice. Forte has rushed for just 111 yards on 23 carries this season. Expect both players to participate on Monday night.

Cowboys offense struggling: After scoring 24 points in the season-opening victory against the New York Giants, the Cowboys have totaled just 23 points the last two weeks. You can point to any number of reasons for the struggles, from lack of a running game to an inconsistent offensive line to the playmakers -- Dez Bryant and Miles Austin mainly -- not getting enough touches.

Carr vs. Marshall: In the last two games against the Cowboys, Brandon Marshall has nine catches for 194 yards and two touchdowns. But Brandon Carr wasn't defending him. Carr is a big cornerback who can use his power to redirect receivers off their routes. It should be a good one-on-one matchup between the two players. Jay Cutler was questioned about targeting Marshall too much this season. Is it too much?

Bears pass rush is deadly: The Bears lead the NFL with 14 sacks, with 10.5 of the sacks coming from the front four. The Bears don't blitz a lot, instead asking the front four of Israel Idonije, Henry Melton, Stephen Paea and Julius Peppers to bring the pressure. The Cowboys' offensive line has allowed seven sacks this season, including four last week in the victory over Tampa Bay. The Cowboys' front has struggled, with tackles Doug Free and Tyron Smith combining for 12 penalties.

Where is Witten? Jason Witten, who leads the NFL with five drops, says he's healthy and doesn't make any excuses for his slow start. Tony Romo's favorite target is going through a tough stretch right now. Is this the start of a decline for Witten or just a bad stretch?

Where is Urlacher? Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher has no tackles for loss and, based on the coaches' stats, is tied for the team lead with 21 total tackles. Some believe Urlacher is on the decline, but this is a game where he needs to establish himself as a force.

The Cowboys host Monday Night Football this week, taking on the Chicago Bears at Cowboys Stadium. For more on the opponent, we talk with ESPNChicago.com's Michael Wright, who has covered the Bears for the last three seasons.

Q: How are the Bears in their new offense?

A: They're playing in a new offense, so they’re going to have to deal with the inevitable growing pains of implanting their third system in four years. Offensive coordinator Mike Tice wants to play what he calls a “duh” offense. That means he wants to exploit advantageous matchups, especially when it comes to the box count which will determine what checks they make at the line. The key early on is for this team to be able to establish the run first, and then work play action off that so they can take a few shots downfield. Because the offensive line struggles tremendously, Tice will look for ways to get the ball out of Jay Cutler’s hands quickly with three-step drops. He’ll also employ tons of max protection in the passing game, in addition to keeping in tight ends on the left side and sending running backs over to chip block.

Q: Is Jay Cutler beloved in the locker room and in the Chicago community?

A: He's taken a lot of heat for how he reacts on the field. There’s probably about a 50-50 split in the locker room and a 70-30 in the Chicago community. Within the locker room, Cutler certainly isn’t the most beloved figure. But at the same time, the team totally supports him. Ultimately in the NFL, players don’t necessarily have to like one another to perform once the lights come on. In the community, there’s an interesting dynamic at play. It seems that Chicago considers itself a blue-collar, working community. So Cutler’s body language, aloof demeanor and tendency to shirk responsibility for shoddy performance don’t sit well with a certain segment of the fan base. But there’s also a segment of the fan base that recognizes that Cutler is arguably the best quarterback to ever play for a team that traditionally has endured horrible play at that position.

Q: The Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall connection has struggled at times. Can it get better?

A: Yes, it can improve. But they need the pieces around them to do their parts. At this point it seems that Marshall and Earl Bennett are the only receivers Cutler totally trusts. So obviously, they’ll get the majority of looks from the quarterback. Once the Bears get the running game popping to take some of the pressure off Marshall, and allow for more diversity in the offense, you’ll see the Cutler-Marshall connection become more impactful. But at this point, Cutler forces too many throws to Marshall, who already has a penchant for making the circus catch, but drops routine passes.

Q: So is Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher on the decline?

A: He’s 34, so that’s inevitable. But Urlacher still possesses the physical attributes to make this team’s Tampa 2 system go. Urlacher is coming off arthroscopic knee surgery performed in August, and the team has been adamant about limiting his practice repetitions so the linebacker can make it through a 16-game season. So he’s still playing his way back into shape after missing about 95 percent of training camp and the entire preseason. But if you go off his performances thus far, you’ll see that every game he’s gradually improved and is trending toward more improvement.

Q: If Matt Forte can't play, who's the starting running back?

A: Forte recently returned to the practice field and said he expects to be healthy enough to play against the Cowboys. But Bears coach Lovie Smith cautioned against being overly optimistic about a Forte return for Monday night’s game. So if Forte can’t go, they’ll ride with Michael Bush, who they signed to a four-year contract in March worth $14 million. Bush started in Forte’s place last week when the Bears faced the Rams, and Smith acknowledged he took some hard shots in that game, including one that forced him out and thrust third running back Kahlil Bell into action. The word around Halas Hall is that Bush suffered a shoulder injury against the Rams. But the extent of the injury at this point is unclear, and he did attend practice Wednesday. So while it appears Forte might be set for a return, look for Bush to play if he can’t go. If Bush’s shoulder isn’t sufficiently recovered for Monday night though, you’ll likely see Kahlil Bell in the lineup.

Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and Cowboys tight end Jason Witten ask the NFL32 crew for some draft advice about their teams.

IRVING, Texas -- The chance of Sean Lee playing Sunday against Seattle remains slim, but the Cowboys are fitting the linebacker for a cast for his dislocated left wrist.

"Typically what happens is there are a lot of different iterations of that thing. What is comfortable? What feels good?" Garrett said. "And you kind of keep working through those kinds of things."

Lee, who suffered the injury on the final play of the first quarter against Philadelphia, missed his second straight day of practice on Thursday and he will not practice until the swelling subsides. And even then there is a chance he will not have enough strength to play. According to a league source familiar with such injuries, if Lee requires surgery, then he would miss the rest of the season.

In 2009, Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher dislocated his right wrist in the season opener and missed the rest of the season.

ESPN.com’s NFL writers rank the top 10 linebackers in the league today. Next week: Top 10 cornerbacks.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis beat out a strong and diverse field for top billing in ESPN.com's latest positional power rankings.

All eight panelists ranked Willis among their top three, elevating the 26-year-old perennial Pro Bowler above James Harrison and DeMarcus Ware as our No. 1 linebacker in the NFL.

Even 12-time Pro Bowler Ray Lewis, the dominant linebacker of his era, pointed to Willis as a worthy successor to his undisputed reign. Not that Lewis is finished just yet. He placed fifth in the rankings behind Willis, Harrison, Ware and the Green Bay Packers' Clay Matthews. But there was no more complete linebacker than Willis.

"Nobody in the NFL plays their position better than Patrick Willis, and that is saying a lot," said Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc., whose insights helped shape my ballot. "He is as good a linebacker as Peyton Manning is a quarterback, as Andre Johnson is a receiver, as Adrian Peterson is a running back. He has no weaknesses."

Willis, a three-time Associated Press All-Pro first-team selection, is the first 49ers player since Ronnie Lott to earn Pro Bowl honors in each of his first four seasons. Joe Thomas and Peterson are the only other 2007 draft choices with four Pro Bowls.

Apples and oranges: Comparing linebackers from 3-4 schemes to their 4-3 counterparts proved problematic for some panelists. AFC East blogger Tim Graham ranked Ware first among pass-rushers three weeks ago, but only ninth among linebackers.

"Patrick Willis, Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis would be great linebackers in a 3-4 or a 4-3," Graham explained. "DeMarcus Ware and Cameron Wake might not even be linebackers if they played in Indianapolis, Tennessee or Minnesota. At some point, I had to value elite pass-rushing abilities on my list even though those players aren't universal-type linebackers."

There was room for differing views. ESPN.com's John Clayton and AFC North blogger James Walker ranked Ware first among linebackers and first among pass-rushers. AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky ranked Ware first among linebackers and second among pass-rushers.

"Separating Ware, Willis and Harrison is like splitting hairs, because it really depends on what you want in a linebacker," said Walker, who went with Ware, Willis and Harrison atop his ballot. "Ware is a slightly better pass-rusher than Harrison, and Willis is a future Hall of Famer in his prime. Age also has to be a consideration if you’re building a defense, and Harrison will be 33 in May. But they're all great."

First things first: Graham and NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert joined me in ranking Willis first. AFC West blogger Bill Williamson had Willis second only to Harrison.

"When I think of linebacker play in the current day, James Harrison pops out," Bill Williamson said. "I think he’s the gold standard of complete linebacker play. Look at his signature play in the Super Bowl against Arizona. That play will forever be part of NFL lore. Patrick Willis, who is also a great player, doesn’t have that play on his résumé. Plus, Harrison is an ornery cuss on the field. The man was born to be a 'backer."

Willis can't match Harrison in Super Bowl memories -- he could use a quarterback, for starters -- but he's not hurting for signature plays:

• There was the time, as a rookie in 2007, when Willis tracked down and tackled Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Sean Morey 62 yards downfield, in overtime, to save the game.
• There was the time in 2008, when Willis picked off Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and weaved his way 86 yards to the tying third-quarter touchdown -- the longest interception return by a linebacker since Willis entered the league.
• There was Willis' crushing hit against the New York Jets' Brad Smith in 2008, the hit that left Hasselbeck with a broken rib in 2009 and the two-game stretch last season when Willis collected 28 tackles despite wearing a cast following in-season hand surgery.

Lewis pointed to Willis when ESPN's Dana Jacobson recently asked him which young linebacker reminded Lewis of himself.

"I just love the way he plays the game," Lewis said. "He plays the game with a fire. He reminds me of myself -- a lot, a lot, a lot."

Unanimous decisions: The top five finishers received votes from all eight panelists. The gaps between highest and lowest votes fell between four and seven places for all but Willis, who ranked no lower than third.

Seifert ranked Lewis third. I had Lewis 10th and feared I might be measuring him against himself. No list of top linebackers would be complete without him, I thought, but a younger generation is taking over.

Hugs for Suggs: Lewis' teammate, Terrell Suggs, finished just out of our top 10 despite getting a No. 5 ranking from Kuharsky.

"I unabashedly love Suggs, and frankly would have placed him higher if I thought there was any way he needed help to crack the top 10," Kuharsky said. "To me, there is a great deal of subjectivity in ranking this position when mixing guys from 4-3s and 3-4s, so I did a lot of know-them-when-I-see-them ranking. Suggs is absolutely a top-10 guy to me."

Clayton, Seifert, Graham and I did not list Suggs on our ballots while searching for the right mix of 3-4 and 4-3 talent.

Fit to be tied: The players tied for ninth on our list illustrate the varied criteria for the position. Kansas City's Tamba Hali is a pure pass-rusher in the Chiefs' 3-4 defense. Carolina's Jon Beason is a traditional 4-3 linebacker with the versatility to play multiple spots. He changed positions twice in 2010.

Beason peaked at No. 5 on my ballot. NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas had Beason sixth and considered ranking him higher.

"There was a time when I would have ranked Beason in the same echelon as Willis," Yasinskas said. "I think he has a chance to re-emerge if Carolina can put a better team on the field, particularly by getting better at defensive tackle and keeping blockers off Beason. If that happens, I think Beason can be as good as any linebacker in the league."

Youth on his side: New England's Jerod Mayo appeared on six of eight ballots, ranking sixth overall between Lewis and Urlacher. At 25, Mayo was one of two linebackers younger than Willis to earn a spot among the top 10. Matthews, 24, was the other. Graham ranked Mayo third.

"Nose tackle Vince Wilfork might be the anchor of the Patriots' defense, but Mayo is the one who ties their defense together," Graham said. "Mayo is a tackling machine who compensates for shortcomings at outside linebacker and injuries along the defensive line. He would be a star in any system."

On an island: Four linebackers received a single vote. That list featured Brian Orakpo (Clayton), Lance Briggs (Seifert), London Fletcher (Walker) and Wake (Graham).

Best doesn't mean most valuable: Matt Williamson called linebacker the toughest position to evaluate. I'll close by passing along a few of his thoughts:

• "Willis is so exceptional it would be a coin flip with Ware. Willis has no weaknesses, but if I were a general manager, I would take Ware because pass-rushers are so hard to find. You can get away with a C-level middle linebacker and still have a good defense. You can have a two-down run-stopper and pull him out in nickel."
• "Ray Lewis would not be in my top five at this point. For his age, he is still exceptional and a borderline Pro Bowler, but he doesn't run like he did. I remember when I was with the Browns, I looked at every report the team had written since 1999 and Lewis had the highest grade ever given out. He was nearly perfect."
• "Hali is a one-trick pony, a pass-rusher, but he is great at it -- as good as any pass-rusher in the league."
• "Beason is like Patrick Willis, but he is 95 percent of him. He can play outside, inside, he's smart -- but there is so little around him that people don't realize how good he is."
• "Pass rushing is Clay Matthews' greatest gift, but he is the prototypical outside linebacker. He's a great technician and way more explosive and athletic than people realize. He's good in coverage, not great, but they line him up all over."
• "London Fletcher is underrated, but not in this conversation. How Beason is to Willis, Fletcher is to Lewis. He is smaller and slower than Lewis, good among older guys."
• "Brian Urlacher is still a really good player, but the top 10 might be a stretch. I would take him ahead of Lewis, behind Beason and Willis among 'Mike' 'backers. He is good in coverage. People forget that he was a safety at New Mexico. He doesn't run like he used to and is just not as dynamic as he was in the day."
• "The Steelers have the best linebackers in the league. LaMarr Woodley is very strong and in that conversation too. Definitely top 15. Harrison is great against the run, extremely strong and one of the few linebackers in the league that is a difference-maker from an attitude standpoint. He brings attitude to the table like a Jack Lambert or a Dick Butkus or a Ray Lewis type. He is feared. He is one of the best leverage players in the league, great in pursuit, tenacious as hell. The other guy to know about is Lawrence Timmons. He will be spectacular."

The Cowboys will face a defense that will present them a different set of challenges as opposed to what they faced last week in Washington.

Lovie Smith and former Lions head coach Rod Marinelli have once again hooked up and continue to put the Bears in the Tampa 2 scheme that they ran with great success for the Buccaneers under Tony Dungy.

In 2009, the Bears were a banged up defense and struggled without several key members in the lineup. This year, with the addition of Julius Peppers from Carolina, it gives them a much more dynamic pass rusher than you have to deal with off the edge.

Peppers tends to play the open side of the formation which is away from the tight end, so a matchup against just one of the offensive tackles is possible if the Cowboys want to set the formation to one side or the other. Peppers is one of those defenders that doesn’t give you much of a hitting surface when blockers set on him. He has shown the ability to dip his shoulder and work underneath the tackle. He can be explosive from the backside as Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford learned.

Peppers does a nice job in the running game because he is difficult to hook or reach. He has very long arms and he uses them to keep blockers off him as he works down the line and into the backfield.

At the other end is Mark Anderson. Anderson is not a bulky player, but he is very quick. When Smith and Marinelli slant this line, Anderson is a problem to block on the move because he is a feel for how to beat blocks.

Anderson is the type of player that just keeps coming at you. He doesn’t want to fight these tackles toe to toe, so he needs to be on the move.

The type of player that tends to give Andre Gurode and Leonard Davis fits are the ones with quick movement off the snap. Davis and Gurode will struggle because they have to move their feet and extend the blocks. It’s the big inside guys that try to bull rush them that tends to be easier for them to block. The Bears have two of these types of players inside. Tommie Harris and Anthony Adams are both quick, up-the-field guys. Their game is based on movement more than strength.

The linebackers for the Bears are a veteran group. Brian Urlacher was throwing his body around. Lance Briggs was effective on the blitz, causing a turnover on the Lions’ 1, and Pisa Tinoisamoa can really run. This group was very active attacking the Lions.

That’s understandable because of a second-year quarterback at the controls for Detroit. It will be interesting if they try to blitz Tony Romo and allow this secondary the responsibility of playing coverage.

It’s a Cover 2 look (safeties on the hash) with the corners playing short and the safeties behind. The Bears secondary will also use a technique of the corners turning their rears to the sideline and trying to funnel the receivers inside. In the Cover 2 look as well, you will a see deep drop by Urlacher in the middle of the field.

Romo always talks about patience when playing a Cover 2 team and taking what they give you.

Charles Tillman is the better of the two corners. Zackary Bowman was picked on by the Lions. I would think that the Cowboys might do the same.

*The Bears on offense were able to move the ball on the Lions, but turnovers and red zone problems allowed to Lions to hang in the game and even have a chance to win it in the end.

The Bears will struggle to block the Cowboys’ front. Tackles Chris Williams and Frank Omiyale will have a difficult job of blocking DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer in the passing game.

Williams is the better player here because he plays with some strength. Omuyale just doesn’t play with much upper- or lower-body strength at all. You see him come out of his stance then get worked back. He is always fighting just to sustain his block. The Bears will chip with their backs out of the backfield.

At center for the Bears is veteran Olin Kreutz, who is an old-school type of player. Kreutz is one of those guys who skills have left him, but he gets by because he has the ability to hold, trip and clip. Kreutz will have his hands full with Jay Ratliff. Ratliff just plays with too much quickness for Kreutz, who will have a hard time adjusting.

The Bears might not have big names at wide receiver, but what they do have is a group that can really run. Johnny Knox is a 4.29, Devin Hester a 4.41 and Devin Aromashodu a 4.35.

Knox is a smooth route runner that will go all over the field to catch the ball, Hester is outstanding in the open field with the ball in his hands, but the interesting player to me is Aromashodu. This player can cover some ground on the outside and does a nice job in the slot. In the Lions game, Cutler was going to him more than the other receivers.

It will be interesting if the Cowboys try to press these receivers and not allow free access in the routes. If the secondary can hold up on the outside, it will make Cutler have to face this pass rush and the possibility to creating turnovers. In the Lions game there were several times where Cutler was under pressure and just unloaded the ball.

Running back Matt Forte had two huge plays in the passing game for the Bears that resulted in touchdowns. Forte’s running style is that of a slasher. If he had a problem in the Lions game, it was his inability to punch it in from the 1, but the Bears really didn’t do a very good job of securing the hole. The Bears like to pull guards in short yardage, which was a big problem against the Lions. The Cowboys need to be careful in this game not to allow Forte to have a similar game to what he did against the Lions.