1, ANDRE GURODE AND MARC COLOMBO
An enigma to Bill Parcells in his first three seasons, Andre Gurode came on this season at center, starting every game.
He mostly avoided the mental errors that plagued him at guard and improved his shotgun snap during the season. He has the size, power and athleticism to handle the spot for years to come, but just as Marc Colombo, he is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent.
The Cowboys have to wonder if Gurode's play was tied to this being a contract year.
Signed with the future in mind last season, Colombo quickly snatched the right tackle job away from Rob Petitti in training camp and started every game.
Not the most athletic, Colombo made up for it by not putting himself in bad positions. He had just one holding penalty all season and allowed 4.5 sacks.
2, MAT McBRIAR
The Australian punter will be making his first Pro Bowl appearance next month after having one of the best seasons in team history and one of the best in the league in nearly 45 years.
Mat McBriar averaged 48.2 yards per punt, the highest average in the league since Yale Lary averaged 48.9 yards in 1963. His 38.6-yard net average was also the fourth best in team history.
3, THE QUARTERBACK
The Cowboys enter 2007 knowing they have a young quarterback who can get the job done. Tony Romo was named to the Pro Bowl and finished with the third-best passer rating in team history (95.1), though his late-season struggles point to a learning curve that must still be overcome.
At all costs, owner Jerry Jones wanted to avoid going to the top of the draft to select a quarterback, potentially wasting millions. In Romo, Jones has some background in which to make an informed decision as to whether to offer him a long-term lucrative deal this off-season.
4, THE OFFENSIVE SYSTEM
The Cowboys put up 425 points, more points in a season than they ever scored when the Ring of Honor triplets Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith were playing and the most since 1983.
For only the second time in franchise history they had a 1,000-yard rusher (Julius Jones) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn), and Marion Barber led the NFC with 13 rushing touchdowns. The offense did this with new game planners in Tony Sparano, who called the plays, and Todd Haley.
With the potential loss of Bill Parcells, might Jerry Jones think about keeping the offensive staff intact to ensure Romo's development in his second year as a starter?
5, DEVELOPMENT OF DEMARCUS WARE
Without Greg Ellis for nine games, DeMarcus Ware was the only consistent pass rush threat and faced a lot of extra attention. He finished with 11 ½ sacks and will be making his first Pro Bowl appearance.
His sack total was the most in a season by a linebacker in team history and the first time the Cowboys have had a player reach double digits in sacks since 1996.
But Ware's overall game improved, too. He was a force against the run because he would not allow running backs to get to the corner, pushing them back inside for others to make plays. He also showed the ability to make catalytic plays, with his fumble return for a touchdown at Philadelphia and his glue-like interception return for a touchdown at Atlanta.
E-mail tarcher@dallasnews.com
