ProfootballFocus.com is one of the web's leading advanced NFL stat sites. There individual player grades are quickly become the Internet's key resource when using statistics to measure a player's worth, behind the standard yards per carry, sack totals or passer rating. Some don't agree with PFF, and I've come across some ratings that don't agree with the eye test, but the site has definitely earned the prestige they carry.
On of PFF's writers, Khaled Elsayed, has run a series that lists the top 100 players of the 2010 football season based on these analytics. Despite stumbling out the gate and finishing with a 6-10 record, there were a couple of Cowboys that earned a nomination.
Tight end Jason Witten and outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware, widely considered the most talented Cowboys, both made the top 20. Witten was the top rated Cowboy, clocking in with the 11th best performance in the NFL. Ware ranked 16th overall. With a 6-10 record, a team probably didn't have many stellar individual performers. As is the case, the Cowboys didn't have any other player make the top 100 list.
More...
11. Jason Witten, TE, Dallas Cowboys
The only thing you could ever really hold against Witten was a lack of touchdowns. Then he goes and puts nine on the board in 2010. So I ask, what more could you want in a tight end? The man who has topped (by some distance) our tight end rankings the past two years remains the prototypical TE, and what others should aspire to be. He doesn’t drop passes, is a big target for his quarterbacks and is on another level when it comes to his blocking. It’s rare to find a tight end who can do either the receiving or blocking part of their job as well as Witten does both.
Best Performance: Week 5 versus Tennessee (+4.5)
Key Stat: Has dropped just 4.39% of catchable balls the past three years.
16. DeMarcus Ware, OLB, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas may have struggled, but DeMarcus Ware just continues to astound. 79 times he pressured the quarterback this year, and while his work in run defense dropped off, that figure is a ridiculous amount of pressure for one man to get. Remarkably spent only 11.48% of passing plays dropping into coverage, as Dallas got really predictable in how they used him.
Best Performance: Week 2 versus Chicago (+11.3)
Key Stat: Had an ‘In The Green’ pass rush grade of +1.0 or more in 13 out of 16 games.