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The Dallas Cowboys lost both games to the Washington Redskins in 2012, and Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III let his fans know about it during an after party for the White House correspondence dinner that was attended by Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz on Saturday.

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"We made Cowboys Stadium our home," he told the crowd, according to Associated Press. "And that's what we want to continue to do. ... Rehab's going great. We're having a great draft right now, and I'm all in for Week 1 -- just like you guys are."

In the first meeting between the teams, Griffin threw for 311 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-31 victory on Thanksgiving Day.

Griffin is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery and played with a brace in the regular season finale against the Cowboys at FedEx Field.

During the rally Griffin ran in place and did some jumping jacks.

"I'm good. You guys saw me jumping. I mean, I can run a little bit," he said, running in place some more. "I'll be good. No worries. I'll take it slow, but at the same time, I'll be ready to go."

ESPN Dallas' Calvin Watkins and Mike Jones of the Washington Post discuss what to expect from the Redskins in the NFL draft.

Click here to listen.

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware said his surgically repaired right shoulder is almost fully healed to the point where he has full range of motion and is lifting weights.

Ware is participating in some portions of the Cowboys' voluntary offseason program and hopes to do more when the team's organized team activities begin in May.

"It feels really good right now," Ware said Sunday night at the annual Taste of the NFL: The Ultimate Cowboys Tailgate Party from the Gaylord Texan. "But I hadn’t had any impact yet. That’s the whole deal of how much impact can you take? You don’t want to take it too early and have a setback."

Ware played with one arm for the last month of the season. He hyperextended his right elbow in early December and dealt with a torn posterior labrum late in the season. Ware needed an elbow and a shoulder brace for the final month of the season, and if the Cowboys' regular season finale didn't mean anything against the Washington Redskins he most likely wouldn't have played.

There was a possibility Ware might also need elbow surgery, but rest allowed that injury to heal.

"If you’re playing out there with a cast on, an elbow brace and shoulder brace on and you have one arm and you’re going against a guy who’s 350 pounds, it’s a little bit different," he said. "But I feel like if you get out there and give it all you got and what you got, some people would have been sitting on the sideline, and I wasn’t. So it’s getting out there and doing what you can do to help the team."

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.

Finally, after a delay and weeks of wondering, the NFL schedule will be released at 7 p.m. CT today.

Here's a primer for the Cowboys:

Who they play: The home games are against the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders. The road games are against the NFC East and Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers.

Reunion games: The Cowboys will face former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, now in New Orleans. Defensive line coach Rod Marinelli takes on the Lions, whom he was the head coach for from 2006-08, at Ford Field and the Bears, where he was an assistant/defensive coordinator the last three seasons, at Soldier Field. Of course, Tony Romo faces his favorite team growing up, the Packers.

The strength of schedule: Cowboys' opponents had a .475 winning percentage last season. There are four teams on the schedule -- Washington, Green Bay, Minnesota and Denver -- who reached the postseason last year.

Who plays on Thanksgiving? The Cowboys have alternated NFC-AFC opponents on Thanksgiving Day, with the Redskins (NFC team) visiting Cowboys Stadium last season. Possible opponents this season could be Denver and Oakland. The Cowboys faced the Raiders on Thanksgiving in 2009, so the Broncos appear the favorite for 2013.

Late season schedule: The Cowboys posted a 3-2 mark in December last season and it still wasn't good enough to reach the postseason. The Cowboys were a combined 5-7 from 2009-11 in December. A late-season road game in New Orleans or Chicago could have playoff implications, if that's what the schedule reads.

IRVING, Texas -- Tony Romo finished third in the NFL last season with 4,903 yards and was sixth with 28 touchdowns, but he was tied for the league lead with 19 interceptions.

Overall, Romo committed 22 turnovers, four fewer than Mark Sanchez (26) and one fewer than Andrew Luck (23). In the first five weeks of the season, Romo had seven touchdown passes and nine interceptions.

In the last five games of the season, Romo had 12 touchdowns and just four interceptions -- three in the regular-season finale at Washington.

Quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson speaks with Romo regularly during the season and admits that, while the turnovers aren't acceptable, sometimes Romo is trying to do too much.

"I think that happened a lot this year," Wilson said. "He tried to make up for mistakes and trying to convert third-and-longs. It leads to bad plays."

Romo had a 74.0 passer rating on third-down plays in 2012. Those included several third-and-long situations, but elite quarterbacks find ways to convert those plays.

"We talk about (game management) all the time," Wilson said. "Certainly you want to take care of the football. We’ve got to do a better job with that. Always talking about game management and things."

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Romo has a 1-6 record in win-or-go home games, with the only victory coming in the 2009 playoffs against the Philadelphia Eagles. He's suffered bad NFC East losses to the New York Giants, Washington Redskins and the Eagles in big moments.

"The way we look at it, or the way I look at it, is the Cowboys are 1-6 in win-or-go-home kind of games," he said. "Now, he’s been the quarterback and whatnot and there’s certainly that responsibility, but he’s just got to play. We talk about mental toughness, playing every play the same, regardless of circumstance. So that’s what we talk about it."

James Hanna

Position: Tight end

How acquired: Sixth round (186th overall), Oklahoma

What he did: Hanna finished the season with just eight catches for 86 yards. Hanna was third on the depth chart behind John Phillips and, of course, Jason Witten for the majority of the regular season. But injures to Miles Austin and Dez Bryant in the regular-season finale at Washington forced the Cowboys to put Hanna on the field in key situations. Hanna had three catches for 20 yards -- with his longest catch going for eight yards -- against the Redskins. Hanna was considered a pass-catching tight end coming out of Oklahoma, but there was some concern about whether he could block well enough on a consistent basis. Hanna struggled in this area until later in the regular season, but he did a nice job in the passing game overall.

Where he fits in the future: Phillips is a free agent, and it appears he in unlikely to return. If that's the case, Hanna would move into the role of No. 2 tight end behind Witten. Hanna has displayed an ability to run good routes and make catches. The Cowboys' 2012 draft class was marred by injuries, but Hanna was one of a few who remained healthy for the bulk of the season. The Cowboys need durable players moving forward, and Hanna's ability to stay on the field is a positive.

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 finish the countdown:

No. 1: Tony Romo interception vs. Redskins

Situation: First-and-10 from Dallas 29
Score: Washington leads, 21-18
Time: 3:06 left in fourth quarter

Taylor's Take: Romo needed to move the Cowboys 71 yards for a go-ahead touchdown, and he had more than three minutes and all three timeouts to do it. Romo, feeling pressure up the middle from an unblocked blitzing linebacker, tried to throw a pass to DeMarco Murray along the left sideline. If he gets it over linebacker Rob Jackson, who peeled off into coverage after initially rushing the passer, Murray might gain 20 yards. Instead, Romo threw the ball off his back foot and didn't get enough loft on the ball. Jackson made a leaping interception -- it was Romo's third turnover -- effectively ending any hope of a comeback.

Season Impact: All the change that Jerry Jones has implemented at Valley Ranch is the direct result of Washington loss. If the Cowboys had won the game, captured the NFC East and hosted a home playoff game, there’s no way Jones would be the Ambassador of Change that he’s become since the season ended. But Jones is mad, embarrassed and needs to sell hope to a frustrated fan base.

Monte Kiffin’s worst nightmare came true: He’ll have to face Chip Kelly’s offense twice per season now.

Kelly, who was hired Wednesday as the Philadelphia Eagles' head coach, schooled the 72-year-old Kiffin in the college game. Kelly’s Oregon offenses averaged 601 yards and 50 points against Kiffin’s USC defenses, with the Ducks winning two of those three games.

Kiffin simply never figured out how to stop Kelly’s zone-read-intensive spread offense. The most humiliating USC-Oregon matchup for Kiffin was the last time they met, when the Ducks rolled up 730 yards in a 62-51 Oregon win in November.

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota had 400 total yards in that game, completing 20-of-23 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 96 yards on 15 carries. Oregon running back Kenjon Barner rushed for 321 yards and five touchdowns on 38 carries.

Sure, the Cowboys have a heck of a lot better defensive personnel than USC did. But you don’t reckon that LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, among other Philadelphia offensive players, would look pretty good in those wild Oregon uniforms?

Oh, and Oregon isn’t the only zone-read spread team that lit up Kiffin’s defense last season. Unranked Arizona racked up 588 yards in a 39-36 upset over USC, when the Wildcats had a 350-yard passer, a 250-yard receiver and two 100-yard rushers. The Trojans weren’t at a talent disadvantage in that game.

It remains to be seen how much zone read the Eagles will run under Kelly. That will likely be determined in large part by whether he keeps Michael Vick – and whether Vick can stay healthy – or goes with Nick Foles as quarterback.

There’s little doubt, however, that the Eagles will feature a fast-paced offense. The Patriots, who picked Kelly’s brain and borrowed heavily from his system, had the NFL’s fastest average snap time at 24.9 seconds last season, according to ESPN Stats and Information. Oregon’s average snap time last season was 20.9 seconds.

Even if the Eagles don’t run much zone read, the Cowboys better get ready for it.

It’s a staple for the team they’re chasing in the NFC East, the Washington Redskins, although Robert Griffin III’s serious knee injury could certainly slow that down. Same with the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton. The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, a couple of teams that look like contenders for years to come, also run some zone read with electrifying young quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick. And there are more of those dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks coming up through the college ranks.

The NFL game has changed since Kiffin’s legendary tenure with Tampa Bay. Unfortunately for him, it’s starting to look a lot like those Pac-12 teams that gave him so many problems.

It remains to be seen if Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett will lose his play-calling duties for the 2013 season.

What we do know is owner/general manager Jerry Jones has talked about making changes after on another 8-8 finish, and he wants people uncomfortable at Valley Ranch.

Here's what Garrett said after the season ended when asked about his play-calling duties: "Yeah, again, this is 18 hours after the game last night, so we’re not getting into all those discussions right now. I would certainly anticipate the status quo from that standpoint."

That comment came, as Garrett said, the night after losing to the Washington Redskins in the regular-season finale.

In an interview on KRLD-FM, Garrett addressed the issue again: "We would just talk it through. Again, Line 1 for me in the position that I'm in is what's best for the Dallas Cowboys -- in every way, shape or form, however we're doing. Anything and everything is on the table. If we think collectively that something can help us in doing something different than we're doing it now that's going to make us a better football team, I'm open to it," Garrett said. "I've made no bones about that from the beginning. I just believe in that from the bottom of my heart."

If Garrett does release play calling duties, who should take over?

Offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Bill Callahan?

Quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson?

Is looking outside the organization an option? Hue Jackson, who interviewed for the offensive coordinators position with the Carolina Panthers this week, is somebody worth mentioning. Tony Sparano, the former offensive coordinator with the New York Jets, could be given another tour of Valley Ranch. Pete Carmichael Jr., is a free agent, after working as the New Orleans Saints' offensive coordinator this season. What about him? Jim Caldwell has done a solid job since taking over as Baltimore's play-caller. Caldwell interviewed for the Cowboys' head coaching gig that eventually went to Wade Phillips in 2007.

If Garrett loses his responsibilities, the smart money is to make Callahan taking over.

But at what cost?

Does Garrett lose power, not only in the organization, but in the locker room, too?

Players play for themselves, but they also need strong leaders in front of them. Garrett was praised by the players last season for how he handled the team during tough times. He brought the team together and bonded with his group after practice squad player Jerry Brown was killed in a car crash.

Garrett remained in touch with Josh Brent, the man charged with intoxication manslaughter resulting in Brown's death. You can even go before the season when Garrett maintained his support for Dez Bryant, who was charged with hitting his mother during an incident over the summer. Garrett talked about not only supporting Bryant, but his mother, as well.

Players notice things like that. They want to know the head coach has their back.

But does Jones have Garrett's back? By taking the play-calling duties away from him, do the players think that Garrett is on a short leash because of a potential move?

I remember what Garrett said after the season regarding self evaluation: "I have to get better. Trust me, one of the first things out of our mouth is collective responsibility, starting with me the head football coach."

Garrett said he's open to change.

But at what cost?

Monte Kiffin is the leading candidate to become the Cowboys’ next defensive coordinator, ESPN’s Ed Werder reports.

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Ed Werder discusses the Cowboys coaching changes with Ben and Skin. Werder says that Monte Kiffin is the best choice to replace Rob Ryan, next season's offensive playcaller is up in the air and Jason Garrett has been destabilized. Listen

Would that be a wise move?

The 72-year-old Kiffin, credited as the inventor of the famed “Tampa Two” 4-3 scheme, earned a reputation as one of the legendary defensive coordinators in NFL history during his 13-year tenure with the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay ranked among the NFL’s top 10 in scoring defense 11 times and total defense 12 times under Kiffin. The Bucs were top five in both categories six times, including a double No. 1 overall rank during their Super Bowl championship season.

You won’t find many NFL defensive coordinators with more impressive resumes. However, the Tampa Two zone would be a curious scheme fit for a franchise that made two major investments in press-man corners last offseason, giving Brandon Carr a five-year, $50.1 million deal and trading up to draft Morris Claiborne with the sixth overall pick.

And Kiffin didn't enjoy nearly as much success during his foray into college football to coach on his son Lane’s staffs at Tennessee and USC. In fact, Kiffin’s last season at USC was awful.

The Trojans became the first team in 48 seasons to go from being No. 1 in the preseason polls to unranked at the end of the season. USC finished the season 7-6, losing five of its final six games, a skid that started when Kiffin’s defense allowed 39 points to Arizona and 62 points to Oregon. USC ranked 40th in the nation in scoring defense (24.3 points per game) and 60th in total defense (394.0).

Oregon’s dominance of Kiffin’s defense is especially alarming. The Ducks racked up 730 total yards in their win at Los Angeles Coliseum, with running back Kenjon Barner rushing for 321 yards and five touchdowns.

Chip Kelly stayed at Oregon instead of taking the Eagles’ job, but the Cowboys will still have to face a team that runs a lot of zone read out of the spread twice per season, assuming Robert Griffin III recovers from his serious knee injury. The Redskins just so happen to be the team that ended the Cowboys' season and could dominate the division for the next decade.

How can the Cowboys be confident that Kiffin can help them catch up with the Redskins?

Our five-part series on what went right and what went wrong for the Cowboys continues with No. 4:

The Cowboys were a mess at the end of November.

But coach Jason Garrett had the team just where he wanted them. The Cowboys were 5-6 and heading into a dreaded December schedule with tough games at Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and a rematch with Washington.

The Cowboys had lost four of five games earlier in the season and it appeared their playoff dreams were bleak. A wild 38-33 win over Philadelphia was followed by tragedy struck.

Practice squad player Jerry Brown was killed in a car accident. Backup nose tackle Josh Brent was charged with intoxication manslaughter in connection with the death of his teammate, and the Cowboys were forced to move on.

The Cowboys upended the Bengals, 20-19, in one of the more emotional games in franchise history. A stunning overtime win over Pittsburgh the next week clinched a winning December and set the Cowboys up for a potential playoff berth with the New York Giants struggling to finish the season on top of the division.

But losses to New Orleans and the Washington Redskins in the regular-season finale gave the Cowboys a 3-2 finish for the season. It was in sharp contrast to 2011, when the Cowboys finished the 1-4 in December/January.

You could say the Cowboys' finish to the season went badly, especially the loss in Landover, Md.. But they kept their playoff dreams alive until the final day. It backed up Garrett's boast of taking things one day at a time. It was something the Cowboys needed to do, given the emotional state of the team after the Bengals win.

Garrett should be given credit for how he managed the Cowboys though the final weeks of the season. While the team didn't reach the postseason, he put them in the right place when it counted considering where they were in November.

The Washington Redskins will host the Seattle Seahawks in an NFC wild-card game Sunday afternoon. At one point during the regular season, the Redskins were 3-6. But they won seven consecutive games, including five against the NFC East, to emerge as the champions of the division.

The New York Giants started the season 6-2, but a 3-5 finish cost them a first-place lead in the division. Big Blue is sitting at home watching the postseason.

The Philadelphia Eagles started the season 3-1 but lost eight straight. Eventually things fell apart, leading to the firing of coach Andy Reid.

The Dallas Cowboys had a 3-5 start, but despite a 5-3 finish, losing their final two games to New Orleans and Washington cost them a playoff berth.

One would believe the future looks bigger in Washington with a rookie quarterback, Robert Griffin III, and quite possibly some defensive talent returning from injury for the 2013 season.

The Giants have been a strong team, led by an elite quarterback, Eli Manning, that has proven to be mentally tougher than most teams in the NFC East.

The Eagles seemed to be rebuilding but as of today are without a head coach and have questions about who will be the quarterback in 2013.

The Cowboys?

Jason Garrett isn't going anywhere, and neither is the quarterback, Tony Romo. However, numerous injuries -- five to defensive starters -- and an inconsistent offensive line hurt the Cowboys in 2012. Is depth an issue going forward? If so, are the Cowboys losing the arms race against the rest of the NFC East?

"It's a competitive division, the NFC East has been a competitive division for a long, long time, and we understand that," Garrett said after the loss to the Redskins to close the season. "But we have to focus on ourselves. It's about us. (The loss to Washington) was about us. It wasn't about the Washington Redskins. We didn't (do) what was necessary to win that ballgame. We have to live with that and we have learn from it and go forward."

Jerry Jones created a firestorm on the radio, message boards, Twitter, Facebook, and wherever else people talk about the Cowboys these days, when he said change needs to happen.

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Ed Werder joins Ben and Skin to discuss Jason Garrett's future with the Cowboys and Jerry Jones' mindset following another 8-8 season. Listen

Jones made these comments on Wednesday afternoon during a radio appearance on KRLD-FM. Most assume the change involve coach Jason Garrett, who also said he's open to change, especially when it comes to the play calling duties.

But could Jones have meant something about Rob Ryan, the defensive coordinator?

Ryan did a wonderful job in mixing and matching different players because of the numerous injuries he endured. Ryan lost starting nose tackle Jay Ratliff, and his backup, Josh Brent.

Ryan also missed his starting safety Barry Church, his two starting inside linebackers, Sean Lee and Bruce Carter and solid run stopping defensive end Kenyon Coleman.

Slot corner Orlando Scandrick was also lost.

Ryan and the rest of the coaching staff never used the injuries as an excuse. But it was clear, Ryan didn't have his best personnel for the majority of the season and with the season on the line, at Washington in the regular season finale, Ryan had his best pass rusher, DeMarcus Ware, play with one arm, which will need surgery soon to repair shoulder and elbow damage.

Jones said numerous teams have health issues and they're able to overcome them.

It seems Ryan's job status is secure, as it should be, but maybe Jones wants the defensive coordinator to make some changes to how he does things.

The owner and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys isn't happy.

What we heard Wednesday morning was a man who is tired of the same old story. Jerry Jones offered support for coach Jason Garrett and the long-term future of quarterback Tony Romo.

But he's not offering support for a lack of execution late in the season. He's not offering support for missing the playoffs again.

Nor should he. He has every right to be upset because what the Cowboys have shown him the past few years is unacceptable.

"I'm very upset; I'm very irritated," Jones said on his weekly radio show. "I really did think as we went into the last part of the season, I know we had injuries, but the teams we're playing had injuries. I know we could have put more on the field if we hadn't gotten those injuries."

The owner of America's Team is irritated, frustrated and flustered. He seemed embarrassed to watch a rookie quarterback, Robert Griffin III, lead a team past Jones' bunch and into the playoffs. He watches Seattle, with a rookie quarterback, Russell Wilson, play in January.

He watches Indianapolis lose a Hall of Fame quarterback, Peyton Manning, draft a rookie, Andrew Luck, lose its coach, Chuck Pagano, for an extended period and still make the playoffs.

Jones has a quarterback, Romo, whom he likes; an elite pass-rusher in DeMarcus Ware; a $50.1 million cornerback in Brandon Carr; two highly regarded draft picks in Tyron Smith and Morris Claiborne; and solid second-round picks, Sean Lee and Bruce Carter, who man the middle of the defense.

Jones has this but no recent playoff success.

To read more of this column, click here.