IRVING, Texas - DeMarcus Ware's finally feeling the strength back in his leg that he'd lost after a thigh injury which has hampered him since October.
The time off with the Week 11 bye and an extended rest between the Thursday matchup against the Raiders and this Monday's coming game against the Bears has helped many of the banged up Cowboys repair their injuries, including Ware.
"I'm glad I had this time off," Ware said. "I was doing a lot of the moves I usually don't do. I was doing them in practice, feel really confident in it and got all my strength back, so I'm really happy about that."
Ware said he feels good now, which should help a Cowboys rush that's struggled to reach the [embedded_ad] quarterback n recent weeks.
The Cowboys had at least three sacks in five of their first seven games, but they've compiled two sacks or fewer in each of their last five games.
Ware started the season strong and healthy with four sacks through the first three weeks, but he has just one sack since. If he's healthy and the Cowboys are to get Sean Lee back, as expected, that should help with the rush on the quarterback.
"It sets up really well because we've got a lot of guys back," Ware said. "It felt like we had two bye weeks, to be honest with you. You had a good 10 days off, getting ready for a late Monday night game, and longer time to prepare."
The Bears are one of the better teams in the league at protecting the quarterback, and Josh McCown's done a nice job getting rid of the ball quickly with starter Jay Cutler out. Chicago's allowed two sacks or fewer in six of its past seven games, but the Bears did allow four sacks in their last game.
While protecting against the pass with two of the most formidable threats in football on the outside will be crucial for the Cowboys' defense, Ware's first concern is with stopping Matt Forte and the running game.
"When it goes down to simple football, you've got to get turnovers, stop the run and don't let them get the big plays," Ware said.
