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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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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.

Former Dallas Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett inked a four-year $20 million deal with the Chicago Bears on Wednesday afternoon. The Texas A&M alum has come a long way since his rookie year with the Cowboys.

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Bennett endured four difficult years in Dallas, especially at the start when he was chastised by then-tight ends coach John Garrett for making a joke with reporters regarding a former girlfriend of quarterback Tony Romo.

He was fined an undisclosed sum for making a rap song and a YouTube video that some deemed offensive.

Oh yeah, on the field, Bennett caught four touchdown passes his rookie year but didn't score the next three seasons.

Bennett voiced his frustration about his role in Dallas and when he became a free agent, signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants last season. He caught five touchdown passes and was targeted a career-high 90 times.

Now he's with the Bears and is considered an important part of their offense.

Wednesday, Bennett was asked about his time with the Cowboys and offered an interesting response.

"I think early in my career, it’s no secret that I struggled earlier in my career," Bennett said. "But it wasn’t because of my ability or being able to make plays. It was more attitude. I think I never accepted my role in Dallas and I always was fighting with what my role was instead of just accepting
it. I did kind of accept it because I became one of the better blocking tight ends in the NFL, which was my role there. It’s helped me out throughout my whole career. I was a blocking guy down there. Really it just added some perspective for me."

Bennett was the backup to Jason Witten, considered one of the best tight ends in the league. In New York, due to injuries, Bennett was needed to become No. 1 on the depth chart.

The Bears wanted the all-around Bennett, who not only is a good blocker but an excellent receiver.

"I didn’t want to be the second guy (in Dallas)," he said. "I never want to be second. I finally got a chance to be the No. 1 guy, and I was able to make huge strides in being able to play and make plays. I think this is the next step for us up and I’m excited about it."

In some ways Bennett was doomed to fail with the Cowboys for several reasons. The team didn't know how to use him on the field or talk with him away from it. Garrett made efforts, he attended a charity event of Bennett's during the lockout a few years ago.

But Bennett needed a fresh start somewhere to grow not only as a player but as a person.

The first day of free agency is over and things will probably slow down a little on Day 2. With that, we review what we heard, saw and talked about Tuesday night and preview what could happen down the line.

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The loss of John Phillips: The Cowboys lost their backup tight end to the San Diego Chargers on Tuesday. Phillips was part of that dreadful 2009 class that produced very little for the Cowboys. Only free agent linebacker Victor Butler remains, and he's drawn interest from the New York Jets. Losing Phillips isn't a big deal because James Hanna has more upside as a solid pass-catching tight end. The Cowboys are in need of a blocking tight end, and this is where drafting someone in the late rounds could be important.

Chase Blackburn vs. Kevin Burnett: The Cowboys released backup inside linebacker Dan Connor because he refused to take a pay cut. The Cowboys are in the market for another one and like middle linebacker Blackburn, who started 15 games last season for the New York Giants at middle linebacker. He finished second on the Giants with 97 tackles and had eight tackles for loss and seven quarterback hits. He also had three sacks and six pass breakups. If signed, Blackburn, an eight-year pro, would be a nice backup for Sean Lee at the inside linebacker spot. But what about Burnett? The former Cowboys linebacker was released by the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday and might be a nice pickup to start at that vacant outside linebacker position. Burnett, who started 16 games for the Dolphins last season at one of the outside linebacker positions in the Dolphins' 3-4 scheme, would like a return to Dallas. He was credited with 109 total tackles (second on the team), picked up 2 1/2 sacks, five tackles for loss and five quarterback hits. Who would you rather have, Blackburn or Burnett?

Martellus Bennett goes to Chicago: The tight end signed a four-year, $20 million deal with the Chicago Bears. He's come a long way since his days in Dallas, when he fumed at times for not getting enough passes thrown his way. Bennett had an excellent season for the Giants and, while they wanted him to return, the Bears had a need at the position. One of the biggest problems with Bennett in Dallas was his lack of maturity and the Cowboys' inability to know how to use him. Bennett's career is summed up this way in Dallas: He caught four touchdown passes his rookie season (2008) and none the next three seasons. He caught five TD passes during his one year with the Giants. He's a good blocking tight end, something the Cowboys need, and he's athletic enough to make plays on the field. We'll see how Bennett does with Jay Cutler.

Jenkins and Jones drawing interest: Free agent cornerback Mike Jenkins and running back Felix Jones didn't have any visits the first day of free agency. But with the biggest day of this period over with, both are starting to draw interest. The former first-round picks, especially Jones, need to prove to NFL teams that they can stay healthy for an entire season and are willing to accept backup roles. It will be interesting to see if Jenkins, a former Pro Bowler, gets a two- or three-year contract to become a starter or maybe gets his role changed to possibly get snaps at safety, where he played some in 2012.

The good news: The Cowboys couldn't participate Tuesday because they have just $175,000 in cap space. Anthony Spencer signed his franchise tender, and the team can continue having talks with their defensive end about a long-term deal. Also, if the team can finalize a new long-term deal with Tony Romo, it'll lower his salary cap number from $16.8 million and open the door for the Cowboys to sign some second-tier free agents.

INDIANAPOLIS – Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery thought so highly of former Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis that hr interviewed him for the Bears’ head coaching vacancy.

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Emery eventually hired Marc Trestman, but he was able to get DeCamillis away from the Cowboys, naming him special teams coordinator and assistant head coach.

"I was extremely surprised and felt very good that we were able to get him on this staff," Emery said. "Obviously, we had lost Dave (Toub). He had moved to the Chiefs. And we interviewed Joe D. for the head coaching position, so I felt very good about him as a coach and glad to have him."

Emery and DeCamillis worked together in Atlanta, so they had a background together, but Emery came away impressed with DeCamillis in the interview process.

"For those who know Joe D. in the coaching community and throughout the league, he’s a very detailed, well-prepared individual,” Emery said. “We sat down, and he had an iPad ready for me and an iPad ready for himself and he said, ‘I’m ready to go.’ I had to slow him down a little bit. I wanted to revisit with him. We had worked together, but I wanted him to take me back through his career then we moved forward. He had an excellent interview."

DeCamillis had been with the Cowboys since 2009 and generated some interest from Jacksonville about its head coach opening in 2011. The Cowboys replaced DeCamillis at special teams with Rich Bisaccia.

The ESPNDallas.com Hot Button debate this week is about whether the Cowboys should keep Anthony Spencer.

As far as I’m concerned, if the Cowboys are going to invest big money in a defensive player this offseason, they’d be better off signing another one of agent Jordan Woy’s clients who is entering free agency after his first Pro Bowl appearance.

They know defensive tackle Henry Melton is a great fit for the Tampa 2 scheme, having seen him tear it up for Rod Marinelli’s Chicago defense the last two seasons. (Just pop in the tape from the Bears’ visit to JerryWorld this season.) They think that Spencer will be able to make the transition from 3-4 outside linebacker to an undersized 4-3 strongside end.

They’re both Pro Bowlers primed for big paydays, meaning the cap-strapped Cowboys would have to get creative to create room for either Spencer or Melton to be on the roster next season.

The 26-year-old Melton, a Grapevine native who started his career at Texas as a running back, just makes more sense than the 29-year-old Spencer -- especially considering the importance of a disruptive 3-technique tackle in Monte Kiffin's Tampa 2 scheme.

Of course, the Bears would rather not let the Cowboys or anyone else have a chance to sign the 6-foot-3, 295-pound Melton, who has 13 sacks over the last two seasons. He expressed optimism this week that he’ll have a deal done with the Bears before free agency begins March 12.

"We were talking during the season," Melton told The Waddle and Silvy Show on ESPN Chicago 1000. "I expressed my interest in coming back and staying here. We didn't get anything done. All the coaching changes and all that have delayed it. Hopefully we can get back on schedule of getting something done.

"We were getting somewhere, but we couldn't really come to a deal. Hopefully we can get back on track, because I do want to stay in Chicago.”

If the Bears allow Melton to test the market, it’s easy to envision him coming back home to reunite with Marinelli. The Cowboys’ new defensive line coach helped Melton develop from a fourth-round project into a Pro Bowler during their three years together in Chicago.

"It was sad to see my man Rod go,” Melton told ESPN Chicago 1000, “but it's just how the game is."

The Cowboys would be sad to see Spencer go after a career year, but it’d be a better business move if they could sign Melton.

The Cowboys finalized the hiring of Rod Marinelli as defensive line coach Friday, beginning a trickle-down effect for the rest of the defensive coaching staff.

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With Marinelli on board to coach the defensive line, Brian Baker's time with the Cowboys appears to be over.

The defensive coaching staff will have some familiar faces in 2013, with Jerome Henderson (secondary) and Matt Eberflus (linebackers) returning to the coaching staff. If Rob Ryan becomes the defensive coordinator in St. Louis, it will be interesting to see if he tries to hire Eberflus. But the Cowboys might block any potential move by Eberflus.

The offensive coaching staff still needs some work. Skip Peete, the Cowboys' former running backs coach, has been hired in Chicago, and the Cowboys have yet to hire a replacement.

Former Arkansas and Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt interviewed with the Cowboys this week for an offensive position, maybe the running backs job or possibly the tight ends gig. Tim Spencer, who was released of his duties in Chicago this week, is a possibility. Anthony Lynn, a former Cowboys coach now with the New York Jets, has one year remaining on his contract. The Cowboys have tried to hire Lynn in the past, but the Jets have not allowed them to interview him.

John Garrett is still employed at Valley Ranch as the tight ends coach, but he applied for a head coaching job at Delaware and didn't get an interview. Dave Brock, an assistant coach at Rutgers, took the job Friday.

There are rumors Garrett might not return in 2013. If Garrett leaves, there's a chance Mike Tice, the former offensive coordinator in Chicago, could take the position.

The Cowboys also need to hire a special teams coach to replace Joe DeCamillis, who took that position in Chicago and was also named assistant head coach.

Steve Hoffman, a former Cowboys kicking coach, is free after his time in Kansas City ended in 2012. Rich Bisaccia, the San Diego Chargers' special teams coach the last two seasons, who also worked in Tampa Bay when Monte Kiffin was there, could be considered.

Rob Ryan said it would take him five minutes to get a new job. It didn't take former Cowboys running backs coach Skip Peete much longer to find a new gig.

Peete was hired by the Chicago Bears on Thursday after new coach Marc Trestman released the bulk of the offensive coaches Thursday, which included running backs coach Tim Spencer.

Ryan has been linked to the St. Louis Rams, but nothing official has happened. Last week while on vacation, Ryan said he hadn't spoken to anyone.

CHICAGO -- There are expected to be no shortage of candidates eying the Chicago Bears' special teams coordinator position in the wake of Dave Toub departing the organization after nine seasons.

One veteran assistant believed to be interested in the job is Dallas Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis, according to a source familiar with the situation.

DeCamillis was one of the 13 known candidates to meet with Bears general manager Phil Emery about the club's vacant head coaching position, but DeCamillis was not among the finalists invited to Halas Hall for a second interview.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle facing DeCamillis in any potential move to Chicago is the fact he is under contract with the Cowboys through the 2013 season. Unless the Bears offer the 47-year old the title of assistant head coach, Dallas would need to release DeCamillis from his contract in order for him to accept the same position with another organization.

Another source told ESPNDallas.com that DeCamillis hasn't asked to be released from his contract with the Cowboys.

Highly regarded for his work in NFL circles, DeCamillis has been a special teams coach since 1988 when he broke into the league with the Denver Broncos. DeCamillis followed a five-season run in Denver with stints with the New York Giants (1993-96), Atlanta Falcons (1997-06) and Jacksonville Jaguars (07-08) before arriving in Dallas in 2009.

One reason the Bears' job is so attractive is because Toub left behind a solid nucleus of special teams contributors, including: place kicker Robbie Gould, punter Adam Podlesh, long snapper Patrick Mannelly, Eric Weems, Blake Costanzo, Sherrick McManis and Craig Steltz. Former Pro Bowl return man Devin Hester is signed through next season but it's unclear what the Bears plan to do with Hester after a disappointing season.

At some point this offseason, Jason Garrett will lean back in his favorite chair, close his eyes and ponder what might have been.

There were 2,035 plays in the Cowboys’ 2012 season, but some are more memorable than others -- and it doesn’t matter whether they went in the Cowboys’ favor or against America’s Team.

What if Dez Bryant’s pinkie hadn’t come down out of bounds against the New York Giants in the final minute? Or what if a Washington safety hadn’t knocked the ball out of Bryant’s arms, breaking up an apparent touchdown, in the fourth quarter?

What if Eric Frampton had recovered New Orleans receiver Marques Colston’s fumble instead of tight end Jimmy Graham?

That’s the story of the NFL every year.

A play here or there and the Cowboys would’ve made the playoffs. It’s the reason why Garrett is forever saying every play in every game matters.

“It allows you to argue your point to your players that it’s really really close each and every week in this league,” Garrett said. “The importance of getting all of the details right and making sure you’re on point can make a difference in this ball game and here’s why.

“All these things that happened to us this year where plays went against us. If that play had been different we would’ve won that game. Or, similarly, plays that went for us that helped us win ballgames. There were a number of those too. It’s the nature of the NFL.”

Without further ado, let's continue the countdown:

No. 6: Tony Romo interception

Situation: Third-and-9 from Dallas 21
Score: Chicago, 3-0
Time: 2:46 left in second quarter

Taylor's Take: The veteran tricked the youngster and the result was yet another defensive touchdown for Chicago. Cornerback Charles Tillman tricked Dez Bryant into thinking he was playing a coverage that called for Bryant to run a deep route instead of a curl. Romo threw the curl and Bryant wasn’t even in the screen when Tillman intercepted the pass. He returned it 25 yards for a game-breaking touchdown and a 10-0 lead.

Season Impact: This was among the low-points of Bryant’s season. He made a poor read on his option route and the result was a game-changing interception. He had one 100-yard game in his career and there were questions about whether he’d ever get it. Of course, he wound up with 92 receptions for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. This loss dropped the Cowboys under .500 for the first time this season.

Cowboys special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis was scheduled to interview with the Chicago Bears this morning about their head coaching vacancy.

It's uncertain who the favorite is for the Bears job, but the recent success of Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, a former special teams coach with the Philadelphia Eagles for nine seasons, should bode well for DeCamillis' candidacy.

Last year, DeCamillis was denied an opportunity to become the special teams coach with the Oakland Raiders. The Cowboys thought so highly of him that they blocked him from interviewing. The Cowboys were not allowed to block the interview with the Bears and now face the possibility of losing DeCamillis.

The Raiders' special teams job also became open again at the end of the season when the franchise let go of Steve Hoffman.

It will be interesting to see if the Raiders go after DeCamillis again. Hoffman, incidentally, was the Cowboys' kicker/quality coach from 1989 to 2004.

IRVING, Texas -- Toward the end of a discussion with the team's beat writers, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett was asked about Monday's coaching firings around the NFL.

Norv Turner, whom Garrett played for with the Cowboys back in the 1990s, was fired as the coach of the San Diego Chargers. Turner was a finalist for the Cowboys' job in 2007 before Jerry Jones decided on Wade Phillips. Garrett interviewed with Jones to become an offensive coach before Phillips was hired.

Turner and Garrett spoke daily before the interview.

With Turner out of the coaching profession for the moment, could he be someone Garrett might want to hire?

"Norv Turner is someone I respect a great deal," Garrett said. "He’s a great football coach, he’s a great friend of mine. But we’re just trying to focus on today here in Dallas."

The NFL is a tough business for a coach. Lovie Smith was fired by the Chicago Bears after a 10-win season. Andy Reid, the longest tenured coach in the NFL, was let go after his Philadelphia Eagles finished last in the NFC East. In total, seven NFL head coaches were fired on the day after the 2012 regular season ended.

"It’s a part of our job unfortunately and it’s a part of this profession," Garrett said. "A lot of those guys are really good football coaches and have done a good job with their programs over the years. It’s part of it. Nobody likes to see it. It affects human beings' lives and their families' lives and their staff’s families’ lives and all of that. We are very empathetic to all of those situations."

IRVING, Texas -- It's unknown if outside linebacker Anthony Spencer will practice today at Valley Ranch. He missed the Week 4 game against Chicago with a pectoral muscle injury.

If the Cowboys don't have Spencer, Victor Butler takes over the starting role as he did in Week 4. Butler had one tackle in the Bears game.

Coach Jason Garrett was asked Thursday morning if the return of linebacker Alex Albright from a neck injury means he could compete with Butler for Spencer's spot.

"It's not so much competition for those guys," Garrett said. "You try and figure out who do you have left and what role they fit best. Alex has been a really good special teams player for us. We feel he deserves an opportunity to play a little bit on defense when we can get him in there. Victor has done a nice job for us on defense. We're all hopeful that Spence can play and will get healthier and healthier as the week goes on. We do have a couple of those young guys to be able to fit a role on defense and on (special) teams is something we look forward to seeing."

The Cowboys had one practice last week and Spencer did participate. But he didn't work out Monday or Wednesday, which could mean he suffered a setback from a physical standpoint or the team is being cautious with his health.

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys moved running back Lance Dunbar to the active roster Monday with the goal of putting him on special teams.

Coach Jason Garrett said Dunbar can return kicks and play a gunner role on the special teams unit.

If Dunbar moves to the return team, could this mean Felix Jones' days as the lead kick returner are over?

Jones has struggled at this spot, averaging 21.5 yards per return, 24th in the NFL. He's only returned three kicks the last two games mainly because the kickers have sent them too deep into the end zone. In the Chicago game, Robbie Gould sent seven of his kicks into the end zone, five for touchbacks.

That's not Jones' fault, yet, his 236 kick return yards and lack of speed raise concerns about his availability on the unit.

"If you evaluate it, there are a lot of areas where we can get better," Garrett said. "We can certainly block it better. You like to think the returner can make some things happen as well. It's not been a strength for us. We got to do a better job of getting our offense a better drive start. We'll look at that and continue to look at that."

Jones isn't the only man in the end zone waiting on kicks. Dwayne Harris and Phillip Tanner are the other returners, but have yet to return a kick.

The Cowboys worked out Kevin Ogletree, Morris Claiborne and Dunbar on kick returns in practice the first month of the season. None have gotten a chance to do it in a game.

It might be time to make a switch, especially if Jones isn't producing as a kick returner.

Special teams ace Danny McCray said he's surprised the kick return game has struggled this season.

"For as hard as we work, yeah," he said. "By far one of the hardest positions or hardest phases of the game is kick return, so we just got to keep working at it and getting there."

On his Tuesday morning radio show on KRLD-FM, Jerry Jones said he's not sure if Felix Jones is being taken off the unit because he still has a burst but on Dunbar he mentioned, "got some burst to find the soft spot."

Jerry Jones would like to see how Dunbar looks in practices this week before making a full-time move.

"If you look at the film, there’s one block here or one person there not just the whole team," McCray said. "On that team, if one person doesn’t get their block, it just looks bad."

IRVING, Texas -- Cowboys outside linebacker Anthony Spencer, who missed the Week 4 game against Chicago with a pectoral muscle injury, participated in Monday's practice at Valley Ranch.

Spencer did individual drills and some game-plan work but "not everything" in practice.

"I feel good," Spencer said. "I feel way better than I did last week. No setbacks."

Spencer was off to a strong start before his injury. He has 21 tackles, two sacks, nine quarterback pressures and two tackles for loss. Prior to the Bears game, Spencer was leading the team in quarterback pressures.

Victor Butler replaced Spencer in the lineup and finished with one solo tackle.

It appears Spencer will play this week at Baltimore, and if that's the case he'll wear a harness to stabilize the shoulder area.

Other injuries of note: Punter Chris Jones (knee) and center Ryan Cook (hamstring) missed practice. Several players, including wide receiver Miles Austin, were getting some extra stretching on their hamstrings.

IRVING, Texas -- Coming off the bye week, the Cowboys have made a roster move, promoting running back Lance Dunbar from the practice squad to the active roster.

Wide receiver Raymond Radway, who worked out Friday, was signed to the practice squad.

But there is another move pending. Punter Chris Jones missed the Week 4 game against Tampa Bay with a sprained knee and in his absence, Brian Moorman was signed.

Maybe for one game only.

Coach Jason Garrett said Jones could return to practice this week, maybe even today, at Valley Ranch.

Prior to his injury, Jones had a net average of 44.4 and allowed just 22 return yards.

As of now, the Cowboys have two punters on their active roster. The Cowboys most likely would release Moorman if Jones is able to show the medical and coaching staff he can punt with no problems.

"He hurt his knee a couple of weeks ago and did a good job of fighting through it, punting throughout that ballgame," Garrett said. "We'll see what he does today and go forward this week."

Moorman wasn't bad in the loss to the Chicago Bears. He punted three times for 111 yards, sending two inside the 20. But the Cowboys value Jones more and want him to return as the full-time punter. If Jones isn't ready from a physical standpoint, what Moorman did against Chicago should give the team confidence he could perform well again this week at Baltimore if needed.