The Tough Cowboys (w/poll)

One thing I enjoy about this season so far is the toughness theme. There have been the media questions about the rigors of the low-contact camp, and how prepared the players would be for the physical and mental aspects of the game. And the celebrity aspect sometimes tends to distract from the real toughness of the game. Then in the first two games...

• Romo takes a helmet to the chin and gets sandwiched on the ground between three huge Browns, and we all see him grimace in pain and watch in fear to see what he has injured, but he goes back into the huddle and completes over the middle to Witten and leads a TD drive with blood dripping out of his chinstrap and down the front of his shirt, before getting 13 stitches. And on the mental side, Romo donates a couple TDs to the Eagles through mainly his mistakes, but then comes back and shows composure the rest of the game, leading five more scoring drives (3 TDs and 2 FGs).
  
• Barber damages the cartilage in his ribs against the Browns, an injury that commonly causes extreme pain just to breat h, but wearing no extra rib-protecting pads has 22 touches for 111 all-purpose yards and 2 TDs against the Eagles, the only evidence of the pain he was in being that he didn't bounce up like Tigger immediately as usual after each play.
  
• Witten (who we already have the image of rumbling hatless and then with a bloody nose last year) separates his shoulder early in the second quarter of the Eagles game, makes a pit stop in the locker room to get it put back in and get a pain shot, and then goes back out and leads the team with 7 catches for 110 yards, including a 42 yarder to set up the FG just before the half, and a 32 yarder to set up the game winning touchdown. 

And these are all offensive captains. Toughness builds leadership through respect.

Honorable mentions... 

•  Isaiah Stanback dislocates his shoulder returning a kick in preweek 3, puts off surgery that he'll need eventually and ably fills in for injured Austin and Hurd with 2 catches in Week 1 (thanks to BoyzRback for reminding me about Stanback, duh).
• Miles Austin who according to Hard Knocks had a grade-3 MCL sprain in preweek 2, supposed to be out 4-6 weeks, but actually only missed 3 games and was back in Week 2 contributing with 2 catches.
  
• Kyle Kosier suffered a sprained right foot and hairline fracture in preweek 4 and was supposed to miss 4-6 weeks, but is apparently ready to go for Week 3. 
  
• Zach Thomas at age 35 out for most of the season last year with a concussion, still obviously a total baller making plays all over the field, tackling in the backfield and breaking up passes deep over the middle, tied for the team lead with 12 tackles over 2 games.

"Tough" has been used a lot by commentators over these first couple games to describe the Dallas Cowboys. Yes, we have an incredibly explosive offense, and everything else. But on top of all that, they are showing that they are seriously tough football players, mentally and physically, and this is becoming a theme in their media  coverage and part of the character of the team. To me this is a great indication that they'll be able to overcome adversity and maintain their intensity and focus as the season progresses, and to lead their team because of it. And it is a great early muffler of all haters who think Romo and the Boys might be soft. Their actions are proving that in addition to being superbly talented, they are also some tough SOBs!