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The most interesting Dallas Cowboys news of the past week had nothing to do with whom they picked or didn't pick in the NFL draft. It was Jerry Jones' post-draft revelation about the increased level of responsibility quarterback Tony Romo now carries. Just a few weeks after signing Romo to a seven-year, $119.5 million contract, Jones said Saturday that Romo would have more input in offensive game-planning throughout the week and play calling in games. That Romo would be spending "Peyton Manning-type time on the job."

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ESPN Dallas' Jean-Jacques Taylor weighs in on Jerry Jones' remarks regarding Tony Romo's work ethic, Romo's commitment to being the Cowboys' QB and more. Listen

“Tony is more involved in the finished product,” Jones said. “He is more involved, unequivocally. I’m counting that in. That ought to produce some success. It will produce some success. I’m talking about the kind of plays we run, a lot of what we do offensively."

They're not messing around, either. Romo was called in before the draft to review and offer input on some of the players the Cowboys were considering, and the team used its first three draft picks on offensive players to provide support and expanded options for its franchise quarterback.

There are plenty of reasons this makes sense. Romo is an X's and O's nerd whose contribution to the offensive game planning and play calling is likely to be of value. And even if Dallas doesn't end up running the plays he prefers every time, his increased level of investment in the process is likely to help things go more smoothly for him and coach Jason Garrett on game days. This idea is not, on its face, a bad idea.

But it's worth examining what this means for the franchise in the big picture. The Cowboys are now, for better or for worse, all-in on Romo to an unprecedented and precarious extent. Signing him long-term and increasing the power he wields within the building means that Romo, now more than ever, controls the Cowboys' fate for the foreseeable future. The number of things riding on his ability to elevate the team to playoff-caliber and championship-caliber levels has increased dramatically.

Take Garrett, for example. Whether Garrett succeeds as a legitimate NFL head coach rests more than ever on Romo. If Romo isn't up to this new task and the Cowboys flop in 2013, Garrett's job status becomes more tenuous than ever. Maybe Jones doesn't fire him, because he's stubborn and has strong personal feelings for Garrett. But another disappointing year in Dallas would be grist for the theory that Jones is the only one who thinks Garrett has a future as a great NFL coach.

And there's Jones himself, who burst onto the Cowboys' ownership scene way back when as a winner of Super Bowls but has, over the past decade and a half, become the butt of fans' angry jokes and a target of their derision. The extent to which Romo succeeds as Cowboys quarterback is likely to determine whether Jones goes down in Cowboys fans' memory as a perpetually distracted, franchise-wrecking buffoon or whether he can pull a George Steinbrenner-type late-career reputation renaissance.

Romo's success or failure in his expanded role could affect the Hall of Fame chances of DeMarcus Ware. It could determine the career path of Dez Bryant. It will decide the way history views an entire era of Cowboys history -- either paving over the painful memories of flops against the Seahawks and Giants and Vikings and Redskins or allowing them to define a decade's worth of teammates, coaches and anyone else connected with Valley Ranch.

We knew when they signed him to the extension that the Cowboys believed in Romo as their franchise quarterback. He's shown potential for greatness, and their investment in him is their way of saying they believe his ability can and will override his history of falling short in the biggest games. What we didn't know until this past weekend was the unprecedented extent to which the Cowboys were tying their success to Romo as a leader and a football mind.

Given the extent of the financial investment, the importance of the quarterback position in today's game and Romo's own eagerness to participate at this level, it's not a bad move. Offensive play calling has been a problem for the Cowboys, and if you're looking to improve it, why not involve the guy who's got to carry out the plays that are called?

If it works, they'll all be hailed as geniuses during some upcoming Super Bowl week in New Jersey or Arizona or New Orleans or wherever. But in the end, it's still going to come down to the way Romo plays. He and the Cowboys can do all of the improved, streamlined game planning they want to do, but if Romo keeps throwing bad interceptions at the worst possible moments in the biggest games ... well, at this point he's taking everybody down with him.

ESPNDallas poked and prodded the Cowboys schedule was released on Thursday.

Now, I've decided to take another look at it.

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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

Positive September: The Cowboys have a chance to finish 3-1 or 4-0 in September. The toughest game of this early season stretch is the opener against the New York Giants, who are 4-0 at Cowboys Stadium. The last time the Cowboys finished September perfect (4-0) was 2007. Over the last two seasons, the Cowboys are 4-2 in September, a solid mark. However, that Week 2 loss at Seattle was a painful one last season. In 2011, the Cowboys lost the season opener against the New York Jets, but rallied to win an emotional game at San Francisco, 27-24, where Tony Romo suffered a broken rib and a punctured lung. Miles Austin (hamstrings) was also hurt in that game. If the Cowboys can finish September on a positive heading into the Week 5 game against Denver, then maybe, just maybe, this team might be headed to big things in 2013.

Tony Romo vs.: Coach Jason Garrett says quarterbacks get to much of the blame and or credit when it comes to wins and losses. He's right in some ways, but last year, Romo was outplayed by opposing quarterbacks, Russell Wilson, Jay Cutler, Robert Griffin III and Drew Brees, too many times last season. Outside of taking on the NFC East again, Romo, who already has two wins over Peyton Manning, has to make sure he performs well early in the season or the criticism he heard from signing a new contract will extend into the regular season. The Week 4 matchup against Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers proves to be interesting. You can almost compare Romo's career to Rivers'. Romo takes on Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, Brees and Cutler this season. I would like to know if Romo will face Matt Flynn or Terrelle Pryor on Thanksgiving Day when the Oakland Raiders visit Cowboys Stadium.

Why the Raiders on Thanksgiving Day: It seemed like a natural to have Peyton Manning face Romo and the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. Instead, we have the Raiders take on the Cowboys for the second time in five seasons. Maybe the Raiders were given the date as a favor to the Davis Family to showcase the Raiders in front of a national audience. The Raiders were on of the worst teams in the NFL last season and while every team gets a prime time date, thanks to the Monday and Thursday night schedules, the Raiders didn't seem fit for a Thanksgiving Day appearance again.

The Dallas Cowboys will have four games in prime time, including a Dec. 9 contest on ESPN against the Chicago Bears.

With the 2013 schedule now released, we look at five key games for the Cowboys:

Sept. 8 vs. New York Giants: The Giants have never lost at Cowboys Stadium. Never. Ever. Never. Ever. Could that change in the season opener? It's the Cowboys' first Week 1 game at home since 2007. In that contest, the Cowboys beat the New York Giants, 45-35. For New York, beating the Cowboys in Week 1 would be revenge after losing in Week 1 in 2012 to the Cowboys, the night the Giants received their Super Bowl rings. Getting off to a strong start is important for the Cowboys, given their struggles at the end of the season.

Oct. 6 vs. Denver: The Cowboys have beaten Peyton Manning the last two times they've faced him, but that was when he played for the Colts. This time, Manning brings the Denver Broncos to town with a new weapon in wide receiver Wes Welker. With a rather easy September schedule gone, facing the Broncos will be a good early-season test for the Cowboys' secondary and pass rush. Manning is one of the best at getting rid of the ball quickly, so defensive ends DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer will need to pressure the pocket.

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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

Oct. 13 vs. Washington: It doesn't matter when these NFC East rivals meet, it's a special contest. Add Robert Griffin III to the equation and you might have an early-season letdown by the Cowboys. It's these games early on that have hurt the Cowboys in the past, whether it's Jason Garrett messing up clock management or Tony Romo committing major turnovers. The Cowboys have to win games like this. It's uncertain how Griffin will play given the type of knee injury he sustained, but the Cowboys have to contain him to win.

Nov. 10 at New Orleans: The Saints are angry. They lost their head coach and one of their best defensive players to Bountygate. Sean Payton has returned and, while he's been humbled by the year-long suspension, believe he wants to beat the Cowboys. The Saints knocked off the Cowboys last year when the game didn't mean anything to them. Guess what happens this year? Romo is an excellent quarterback in November, posting a 21-4 mark, and if the Cowboys start their annual playoff run, it starts here in the Superdome.

Dec. 29 vs. Philadelphia: The regular-season finale has been dreadful for the Cowboys the last two seasons. Losses in the last two finales have cost the Cowboys playoff berths. Will this game mean the same thing? Will it get flexed to a Sunday night game? If the Cowboys want to reach the postseason, beating Chip Kelly's Eagles at this stage of the year could mean everything. Yes, again.

IRVING, Texas – The NFL has decided to delay the announcement of the 2013 schedule, which was set to be announced Tuesday.

“It will not be tomorrow but could be in the next week or two,” an NFL spokesman told Pro Football Talk. “We’re working to finalize it.”

In addition to their NFC East foes, the Cowboys will host Green Bay, Minnesota, Oakland, Denver and St. Louis and travel to New Orleans, Kansas City, San Diego, Chicago and Detroit.

If there is one lock it is that the Cowboys should play Denver on Thanksgiving, which means Peyton Manning’s first trip to Cowboys Stadium. With CBS broadcasting the game, the holiday game has to be against an AFC foe. In 2009, the Cowboys played the Raiders on Thanksgiving, so it would make little sense to replay that game four years later.

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Fitzsimmons & Durrett discuss Tony Romo's contract extension and what it says about Jerry Jones. Listen

The Tony Romo contract has raised all sorts of ire among fans and some media members.

How can the Cowboys give Romo a $108 million contract with one playoff victory, three Pro Bowl appearances and a 1-6 mark in win-or-go-home games?

The market dictates so is one reason and another is the Cowboys believe Romo can deliver on a Super Bowl championship. But comparing Romo to the Manning Brothers, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger is almost unfair because these men have won Super Bowl titles.

So why not compare Romo's resume to some other good quarterbacks who haven't won a Super Bowl. We picked the following: Matt Ryan, Matt Schaub, Jay Cutler and Philip Rivers

Below is a statistical comparison:



Is Romo better than Ryan? Better than Schaub? Is Romo worth the money after comparing him to other quarterbacks?

You decide.

Forbes released America's Most Disliked Athletes this past week, and I was surprised to see Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo on the list.

Romo is 10th.

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ESPNDallas.com's Todd Archer joins Coop and Nate to discuss the Cowboys' salary cap situation and Tony Romo. Listen

The interesting thing about Romo is his off-the-field antics have been nothing to worry about. He plays soccer and basketball in the offseason, has had a few celebrity girlfriends, visited Cabo during the bye week of the playoffs in 2007, and last year donated $1 million to Dr. Tony Evans' Urban Alternative to help raise money for a national Church Adopt-A-School initiative.

He's never been in trouble with the law. Never been popped for PEDs. He's played in pain and challenges his teammates in private and in public settings.

So why the hate?

Romo plays for America's Team, the Dallas Cowboys, and with that comes expectations. Since becoming the starter in 2006, Romo has won one playoff game and is 1-6 in win-or-go-home games.

Some of Romo's biggest disappointments have been on national television -- most recently, his three-interception game in the regular season finale at the Washington Redskins with a playoff berth on the line.

It's a hard life, but until Romo pushes his team to a deep playoff berth, some fans might hate him.

If you judge Romo on a small sample, 2010-12, he is one of 14 NFL quarterbacks with over 10,000 passing yards. He's thrown for 10,692 yards -- 11th most in the NFL -- and his 70 touchdown passes ties him for eighth among QBs from 2010-12. Romo has also thrown 81 passes of 25 or more yards -- eighth most in the league. That's more than Michael Vick, Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger.

The problem, of course, whether it's Romo's fault or not, is he plays for the Cowboys, and the expectations are high for this team. Until Romo gets a Super Bowl, they will continue to be. And at 33 when the 2013 season starts in September, time is starting to run out on him.

One of the most hated? That's unfair to Romo. He is a good quarterback and just hasn't won the big enough game to get his team to the Super Bowl.

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ESPNDallas.com's Todd Archer joins Coop and Nate to discuss the Cowboys' salary cap situation and Tony Romo. Listen

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is about to become a rich man. He could command an average salary of $20 million.

Flacco's average would put him in line with Drew Brees ($20 million), Peyton Manning ($19.2 million) and Michael Vick ($16 million) among the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. (Vick gets knocked off the list if he isn't with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013.)

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is entering the final year of his deal in 2013 and is almost certain to get a contract extension, which, of course, would also lower his cap number and continue the long-term stability at the position.

But how much do you pay Romo?

Does Romo's agent look at what Flacco is about to get and say his client is better?

Or does Romo, whose average salary is $12.7 million, get more of an average salary in the range of say Matt Schaub, whose average is $13.2 million? What about Philip Rivers, who gets an average salary of $14.03 million?

Romo's salary could be in line with that of Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who also becomes a free agent after the 2013 season.

Cutler might command an average salary of $15-18 million. Do the Cowboys push Romo to that number?

Romo is a good quarterback. But he has struggled in late-season games, as his 1-6 record in win-or-go home games would attest. The length of Romo's contract is another topic. Should Romo get a three-year contract extension? How about a five-year extension?

What about drafting a quarterback in 2013? How would Romo respond to that? Would it upset him if the Cowboys used a pick on a quarterback?

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Chris Mortensen joins Galloway & Company to discuss the Cowboys' chances of making the Super Bowl and where Tony Romo ranks among NFL quarterbacks. Listen

Romo halted contract extension talks during the 2012 season to prevent it from becoming a distraction. It was a smart move at the time, but did Romo lose some leverage with the Cowboys by struggling in the regular-season finale at Washington, when he threw three interceptions?

One other option the Cowboys have: Don't extend Romo. Let him play out his contract, then use the franchise tag on him in 2014 if he plays well. Make Romo earn his money, given that he'll be 33 when next season begins and has led the Cowboys to just one playoff victory in his career.

Suzy Kolber and Chris Mortensen discuss what changes the Cowboys should make in the offseason; Eric Mangini breaks down how the 49ers can defend against Joe Flacco; and the NFL32 crew discusses whether it would be better to have Eli or Peyton.

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys tabled contract extension talks with quarterback Tony Romo until the offseason. His contract runs through 2013, and the sides would like to extend it.

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Quarterback Tony Romo talks about setting the record for the most touchdown passes in Cowboys history. Listen

However, the Cowboys have some salary cap problems for 2013. The projected salary cap for next year is $121 million and the Cowboys are roughly $20 million over the cap with 44 players under contract.

A source said these salary cap problems won't hinder the team when it comes to reaching a possible contract extension for Romo.

The Cowboys have roughly $132 million tied up in cap space and will lose $5 million in space due to penalties administered by the league for how the Cowboys structured contracts in the uncapped year in 2010.

Releasing players and restructuring contracts to clear cap space should help the Cowboys get under the cap.

Then there's the question of what to pay Romo.

Of some recent contracts completed, Houston's Matt Schaub appears to be a baseline to what Romo might get. Schaub signed a five-year $66 million deal with $29.1 million guaranteed earlier this year. San Francisco's Alex Smith signed a three-year $24 million deal with $9 million guaranteed.

The big one is Denver's Peyton Manning, who inked a five-year $96 million deal with $18 million guaranteed. Several of these contracts have incentive clauses that increase the guarantees.

The Cowboys could give Romo a two or three year contract extension. One of the main reasons Romo stopped contract talks was because he didn't want it to be a distraction during the season. Romo has declined comment on his contract status and the club has granted his wishes to wait until the offseason to work on a new deal.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 10:

Tough times. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles will meet for the 103rd time on Sunday but it'll be just the first meeting since Oct. 28, 1990, in which both teams have sub-.500 records. The 2-4 Eagles beat the 3-4 Cowboys 21-20 that day. Randall Cunningham threw touchdown passes to Anthony Toney and Calvin Williams in that game, and the Eagles held Emmitt Smith to 52 yards on 14 carries. It's the first Cowboys-Eagles game since Dec. 5, 1965, that finds each team at least two games under .500. That day, the 4-7 Cowboys beat the 4-7 Eagles 21-19 as Don Meredith threw for two touchdowns and ran for another and Bob Hayes caught five passes for 106 yards.

Could Romo get well? Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has a league-leading 758 passing yards over the past two weeks. The Eagles have allowed opponents to complete 6 of 8 passes thrown at least 15 yards down the field in the two weeks since the firing of defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, according to ESPN Stats & Info's next-level numbers. On the road this year, Romo has a 57.6 completion percentage, 14.7 yards per attempt, five touchdowns and no interceptions on throws of 15 or more yards downfield. What we're trying to get at here is that, if this is the week you see the Cowboys' deep passing game come back, don't be too surprised.

Kinda tired of packing and unpacking. The New York Giants are 0-5 all time in Cincinnati, where they'll face the Bengals on Sunday. Overall, they are 3-5 in eight meetings against the Bengals. If it's a close game, don't be surprised. The past three meetings between these teams have been decided by three or fewer points, and seven of the eight all-time matchups have been decided by a touchdown or less. Worth noting, however, is that they haven't played each other since Sept. 21, 2008, when the Giants won 26-23 at Giants Stadium.

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ESPN NFL insider Darren Woodson says Jerry Jones is still the best owner in sports and it isn't even close. Listen

You look familiar. The Bengals lost last week to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. On Sunday, they'll become the third team in history to play against Peyton and Eli Manning in consecutive games. The Baltimore Ravens beat Eli and the Giants in Week 14 of 2004, then lost to Peyton and the Colts the next week. The 2006 Titans beat the Giants in Week 12 and the Colts in Week 13.

Playing into their hands. The Giants are tied with the Chicago Bears for the league lead with 17 interceptions. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has thrown at least one interception in each of the Bengals' eight games this season and has a total of 11 for the year. Only the Cowboys' Romo and Cleveland rookie Brandon Weeden have thrown more. The last quarterback to throw an interception in each of his team's first nine games was the Cowboys' Troy Aikman in 1990. This is Dalton's second season in the league, and 1990 was Aikman's second, as well.

We do "Final Word" on Fridays, when we offer our famous "five nuggets of knowledge" about the division's games that week. I'm going to do that Friday, have no fear, but by then only two of the NFC East's four teams will have yet to play their Week 1 games. So, with the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants set to kick off the NFL season Wednesday night in New Jersey, I thought I'd offer five nuggets of knowledge about tonight's game, with the help of ESPN Stats & Information:

The worth of Witten. Over the past three years, according to Stats & Info's "next level" numbers, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has completed 73.5 percent of his passes to tight end Jason Witten. During that same time period, the only higher percentage among quarterback-tight end combos was the 75.3 percent that Peyton Manning completed to Dallas Clark in Indianapolis. Witten is doubtful for tonight's game with a spleen injury.

Breaking the Boys. Giants quarterback Eli Manning has 31 career touchdown passes in 15 career regular-season games against the Cowboys. That's his highest total against any opponent, and only three quarterbacks in NFL history have thrown more touchdown passes against the Cowboys: Jim Hart (35 in 24 games), Phil Simms (34 in 23) and Sonny Jurgensen (33 in 22).

Wednesday wonder. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, there has not been an NFL game played on a Wednesday since Sept. 22, 1948, when the Rams beat the Lions 44-7. The NFL's kickoff game has been held on Thursday nights in recent years, but this year's was moved to Wednesday so as not to conflict with President Barack Obama's acceptance speech Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention. On a personal note, after tonight, I will have covered an NFL game on every day of the week other than Friday. Yes, I was at the Tuesday night game between the Vikings and the Eagles in Philadelphia two years ago.

Beginner's luck? The Cowboys and the Giants have played five times in season openers, and the Cowboys are 5-0 in those games (by a combined score of 194-72, by the way!). The last time they met in a season opener was 2007. The Cowboys won that game 45-35 and went on to finish 13-3 and win the NFC East. But they would lose a home playoff game that season to the 10-6 Giants, who went on to win the Super Bowl.

Keep 'em in coverage. Don't expect the Cowboys to blitz much tonight. Dallas sent five or more pass-rushers on just 34.5 percent of its opponents' pass plays in 2011, and their numbers when they did so ranked near the bottom of the league. While they've upgraded at cornerback with Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne, that doesn't necessarily mean they should be more aggressive in this game against Manning. The Giants quarterback threw 18 touchdown passes last year when teams sent five or more pass-rushers at him -- the most of any quarterback in the league against the blitz.

In the final 20 days before the start of the regular season, we are counting down the top 20 players in the NFC East. For a full explanation, see this post. And if you want to read any of the other posts that have run since we started this series, you can find them all here, in this link.

No. 1 -- Eli Manning, Giants QB

This wasn't easy, and the fact that it wasn't easy to pick a two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback as the best player in the division says a ton about the rest of the players in the division. It was a very tough, close call between Manning and Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware for this spot, and I gave more than a passing thought to Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, who finished third.

But in the end, Manning deserves the spot. He's earned it by performing with incredible consistency at a high level and in the biggest of spots. He ranks behind only Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Matt Hasselbeck in passing yards among active quarterbacks, and each of those players has at least a three-year head start on him. He's fifth (behind those same four guys) in touchdown passes among active quarterbacks. Only Peyton Manning, Brady, Brees and Ben Roethlisberger among active quarterbacks have engineered more game-winning drives, and only Peyton Manning and Brady have more comeback victories.

So Eli is a top-level quarterback in terms of production (and in spite of a stubborn, lingering reputation to the contrary), but what truly sets him apart as a great player is the way he's performed during the two Super Bowl title runs the Giants have made with him under center. He has a 61.5 career completion percentage, a 17-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his 11 career playoff games and has led the team from behind to beat Bill Belichick, Brady and the New England Patriots in two separate Super Bowls. He's the unquestioned leader of his team, the calming influence which Giants players know they can count on in tough times, a key to his team's uncanny ability to handle adversity and a proven champion without whose individual performance those Super Bowl titles would not have been possible. The best quarterback in the NFC East is the most clutch quarterback in the NFL right now and is the division's best player.

The rest of the rankings:

2. DeMarcus Ware, LB, Cowboys
3. LeSean McCoy, RB, Eagles RB
4. Trent Cole, DE, Eagles DE
5. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, Giants
6. Hakeem Nicks, WR, Giants
7. Tony Romo, QB, Cowboys
8. Justin Tuck, DE, Giants
9. Jason Babin, DE, Eagles
10. Victor Cruz, WR, Giants
11. London Fletcher, LB, Redskins
12. Michael Vick, QB, Eagles
13. Tyron Smith, T, Cowboys
14. Brian Orakpo, LB, Redskins
15. Jason Witten, TE, Cowboys
16. Dez Bryant, WR, Cowboys
17. DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles
18. Osi Umenyiora, DE, Giants
19. Evan Mathis, G, Eagles
20. Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Giants

In the final 20 days before the start of the regular season, we are counting down the top 20 players in the NFC East. For a full explanation, see this post.

No. 7 -- Tony Romo, Cowboys QB

Romo may be the ultimate example of a player whose reputation fails to jibe with reality. His inability to elevate the Dallas Cowboys to Super Bowl contenders during his time as their starting quarterback has come to define him. Critics ignore the facts of poor offensive line play and substandard defense and blame Romo for failing to win more than one playoff game to this point. Games such as last year's in which Romo helped blow second-half leads with interceptions against the Jets and the Lions don't help.

But the easy criticisms and unfair reputation obscure the reality that Romo performs pretty consistently as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. His career passer rating of 96.9 ranks among the greatest quarterbacks in league history. Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning are the only active quarterbacks with a higher career completion percentage. His career fourth-quarter numbers are excellent. And for all of the talk about interceptions, Romo only threw 10 of them last year against 31 touchdowns. His career TD/INT rate is 2.07 to 1.

Romo deserves to have a lot of the same things said about him that are said about quarterbacks with better reputations. He moves well in the pocket. He keeps plays alive, makes something out of nothing. He has shown an ability to overcome poor line play and a revolving door at running back and still deliver top-level production. He has shown an ability to help make receivers better. He deserves to be ranked among the current greats at his position and, obviously, among the best players in the NFC East. And if he ever does find a way to lead the Cowboys to a championship, the reputation might finally match up with the reality.

Rankings so far:

8. Justin Tuck, DE, Giants

9. Jason Babin, DE, Eagles

10. Victor Cruz, WR, Giants

11. London Fletcher, LB, Redskins

12. Michael Vick, QB, Eagles

13. Tyron Smith, T, Cowboys

14. Brian Orakpo, LB, Redskins

15. Jason Witten, TE, Cowboys

16. Dez Bryant, WR, Cowboys

17. DeSean Jackson, WR, Eagles

18. Osi Umenyiora, DE, Giants

19. Evan Mathis, G, Eagles

20. Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, Giants

OXNARD, Calif. -- Rob Ryan is talking really big about Brandon Carr, the Cowboys’ new $50 million cornerback.

“He was the best player in free agency by far, not even close,” Ryan said.

Yes, Ryan clarified, the best player in free agency. Not just the best corner.

That means Ryan considers Carr, who hopes to make his first Pro Bowl in his fifth NFL season, a better player than Peyton Manning, Mario Williams, Carl Nicks and Mike Wallace among others.

Of course, Ryan’s boasts about his personnel should be taken with a whole salt shaker after last year, when he bragged about having the best defensive talent in the NFL and delivered mediocre results. There is no question, however, that the Cowboys like what they’ve seen from Carr in his first five practices after signing a five-year deal.

“This guy has been everything we expected,” Ryan said. “He’s a leader, he helps the other guys around him and the other thing is he’s a tough kid. He’s given us everything we wanted as a team. We need smart and tough, and that’s exactly what he is, and he’s competitive. You see him knocking receivers off the line of scrimmage.

“This guy’s not nervous about playing under the big lights. He’s here in Dallas. It is a different world here. Everything you do is scrutinized, but this guy won’t flinch. I can promise you that.”

Ryan suddenly flipped the politically correct switch when asked whether Carr ranked among the best corners in the league, saying he doesn’t see every corner. Ryan also didn’t bite when asked whether Carr is the best corner he coached, which would put Carr above big-dollar Eagles corner Nnamdi Asomugha.

“I don’t like comparing everybody else, because all I do is get ripped on anyways,” said Ryan, still smarting from the backlash of bragging that Dallas had two receivers better than Detroit’s Calvin Johnson a couple days before Megatron scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns in the Lions’ comeback at Cowboys Stadium. “(Expletive), I thought our receivers were better than somebody’s.

“I’m not going to say that, but I know one thing: He’s a great football player. So whatever great is, he’s just as great as anybody else’s.”

IRVING, Texas – Since the Cowboys are 50 days away from kicking off the 2012 season at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants, why not take a look at who they will be playing in 2013?

In addition to their NFC East foes in Philadelphia, Washington and Giants, the Cowboys could face a challenging out-of-division docket in two years.

Green Bay, Minnesota, Denver, Oakland and an NFC West team will visit Cowboys Stadium, so at the very least the Cowboys will have to prepare for Aaron Rodgers (Packers) and Peyton Manning (Broncos). The away games will come against Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City, San Diego and an NFC South team, which means games against Matthew Stafford (Detroit), Jay Cutler (Chicago) and Philip Rivers (San Diego).

Depending on where the Cowboys finish in the NFC East will determine which foes from the NFC West and South they will face.