IRVING, Texas --Pro Bowl voting ends today, and as always, the Cowboys have a familiar list of contenders (with one newcomer) for the NFC squad.
Here are the five with the best shot to make it to Hawaii:
DeMarcus Ware -Jason Babin (18.0) and Jared Allen (17.5) have actually passed Ware (16.0) in the sack standings. A neck stinger has limited him the past three games though, and he's still arguably the best pressure player in the game today. Just think about this: where would the Cowboys' pass rush be without him?
Tony Romo -Used to think 2009 was Tony Romo's best season in terms of efficiency: production, plus limiting turnovers. Aside from two miserable fourth quarters in losses to the Jets and Lions, Romo has been highly efficient -- especially considering he played the first half of the year with a fractured rib that clearly limited his mobility. This recent stretch of six or seven games is the best I've ever seen him play, particularly his accuracy and field awareness on the move. He should get in with Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees.
Jay Ratliff -He's still facing double teams, and he hasn't been 100 percent lately, either. But Ratliff has had a strong season under new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. He has been disruptive against the pass and run, even though his stats (34 tackles, two sacks) aren't eye-popping. There isn't a nose tackle in the league quite like him.
Dan Bailey -Only San Francisco's David Akers (135) has more points among kickers than Bailey's 132, and his .889 field goal percentage is fourth-highest in the conference. He also has four game-winners, and five if the Cowboys hadn't called timeout before he drilled a 49-yarder against Arizona.
Jason Witten -Witten's streak of seven straight Pro Bowls might be in jeopardy because New Orleans' Jimmy Graham and Atlanta's Tony Gonzalez have been great. Witten is still right there, though, tied for 10th in the conference with 68 catches. He's still Romo's safety valve.
Honorable MentionIf not for a season-ending ankle injury, DeMarco Murray would have been the Cowboys' first 1,000-yard rusher since 2006 and pushed for the Pro Bowl much the way Romo (2006) and Miles Austin (2009) did as midseason breakout stars . . . Sean Lee essentially had been playing with one hand for several games, and it's tough to grab an NFC spot from inside linebackers like Brian Urlacher and Patrick Willis. But nobody was playing better than Lee at his position at the start of the year, and he's a cornerstone for the Cowboys' defense going forward. Great young player.
