Finally, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is back to his old self again

OK, we all knew Cowboys QB Tony Romo was returning against Washington.

What we did not know, not for sure, was which Romo?

Would it be the Romo with his big grin, unafraid and undaunted, who had invigorated Dallas since first being named starter two years ago? Or that player we saw in the games before he broke his pinkie, looking unemotional and unhappy on the sideline?

What we learned Sunday was Romo is back. Really back.

Watching him after his touchdown pass to Martellus Bennett, he looked like Romo. With a huge smile, he jumped and pumped his fist And just like always his teammates fed off his chutzpah.

“We were a lot more confident as a group,” wide receiver Roy Williams admitted.

Because, even rusty, even with a few longer throws that looked hard for him, Romo has a way of infusing a team with confidence. They get the feeling that he will find a way and he usually does.

It was weird talking to Romo the week of the bye, just the confidence he was talking with and how he kept alluding to how he knew things were going to be different. I had a feeling then this was the Romo we’d see on Sunday. That said, he was better than I expected.

It felt as if we were watching the same kid from the Buffalo comeback, whose game was all about fun and heart. It certainly looked like it. And this change in Romo, more than anything else, is why it is not too big of a stretch to imagine the victory against Washington as a real bridge to bigger and better, and possibly even a longer playoff stay.

Coach Wade was technically right when he said this was not Romo at his best, especially early. But it was him at his best, finding a way anyway.

So, yes, Romo is back. His pinkie healed.

More important, though, it looks as if whatever was wrong is no longer, and he is back to being him.

So while I try to figure if Jay Ratliff has supplanted DeMarcus Ware as MVP of this defense, let's chow down on a helping of Monday Musings:

1. Calling all Terence Newman haters, and you know who you are and what you said about him. Please e-mail your apologies by noon CST Wednesday. I'll try to pass them along to him.

Because I'm guessing he probably tired of hearing how Owner Jones misjudged by paying him this off-season. Criticisms usually focused on him being too often injured and not a shutdown corner when healthy, with Redskins as proof. Except Newman had been trying to play through injury and thus was ineffective. What we saw Sunday was what Newman is capable of when healthy — his interception and that huge pass defense on fourth down late in the fourth that gave the ball back to the Cowboys for good and, of course, how he turned Santana Moss into a non-factor.

2. Just say no to bringing Pacman back.

Do not bring that train wreck into a team that finally seems to be re-tracked, Jerry, if NFL commish Roger Goodell goes stupid and decides to reinstate him.

3. What I love about NBC analyst John Madden is his love for players like Cowboys defensive tackle Jay Ratliff.

Madden has been a big fan since before Ratliff became big time. He loves how this kid played probably because he plays in such a way that probably elicits Madden telestrator sound effects.

And I stand by my assertion that right now with what he's doing from where he’s doing it, he may be Dallas’ defensive MVP.

4. Let's just say two games against T.O. has left Redskins cornerback Carlos Rogers unimpressed.

OK, downright disappointed.

“They talk a lot about their receivers, but they didn’t do anything,” he said, which is not exactly true since T.O. had a big catch leading to the Cowboys’ first touchdown.

Rogers’ impressions probably remember hitting T.O. midway through the second quarter, thus causing him to drop a very catchable ball, resulting in a Redskins interception. And T.O.’s very pedestrian five catches for 38 yards.

What Rogers obviously forgot was Miles Austin also is included in “their receivers” and he had two huge catches to extend drives, including catching that flip pass.

5. A happy thought for your day: Running back Felix Jones is injected into this suddenly confident, suddenly trending upward Cowboys team — likely this week.

6. From the what-others-are-saying-about-us files: WaPo columnist Mike Wise believes Washington resuscitated an otherwise DOA Cowboy franchise Sunday.

“But to give a tin-man franchise like the Dallas Cowboys its heart back, to not keep down their rivals right when they appeared ready to fold early on national TV?” he writes in Monday’s edition. “That borders on inexcusable.”

Obviously, national perception or at least NFC East perception of the Cowboys was as gutless chokers, with a propensity for quitting at first sign of difficulty.

And Wise backed this up, adding: “For all of Romo and T.O.’s Fantasy League potential, the Cowboys entered this season as the Dallas Mavericks of the NFL: Heavenly regular-season team, hellish playoff team.”

This was true and may be true again. On Sunday, though, the Cowboys proved this to be capable of withstanding a punch, getting back up and punching back.

7. The not-so-nice section: Special teams were ugly again for this Cowboys team. And how long until this gets fixed?

Can we get this fixed? Or find somebody who can?

Criticizing any aspect of this Cowboy team after a big victory such as Sunday may seem blasphemous. I tend to buy into Big Bill thinking that after a victory is a good time to address nagging problems.

And special teams play has been a throbbing pain.

Special teams play is a good indication of a team’s focus and prep, which does not speak well of the job Bruce Read is doing. They have a big screw-up every week and a couple of bad ones.

Yes, the Cowboys won but giving up the huge kickoff return right before halftime could have erased all the hard work that went into that victory.

8. Last word goes to Redskins running back Rock Cartwright, because he, better than any Cowboys, seems to understand exactly how big their victory was at FedEx Field.

“We could have put those guys out of the playoff hunt, but now they're right back in it,” he said.

9. Your homework assignment was to get your butt (back) on the record. When does this Cowboy season end? Week 17? Playoffs, no win? Super Bowl parade?

We here at LBOH headquarters were not overrun with folks, trying to answer last week’s question. Apparently everybody thought it was pretty obvious they were done. Until now.

In no particular order, as we do every week, we present my favorite responses:

Mark Hertelendy of Easton, Md., needs two answers, noting: 1. If this season were a horse, we’d have already shot it — no sense letting the poor thing suffer, ya know? When does the season end? It already did ... but in the interest of “specifics”, I think by the end of the Baltimore game, we are “officially” eliminated. 2. On the other hand, if the scarecrow (Wade Phillips/RHG) can get a new brain and the tin men (Cowboys can get a heart … then I think we can hang on all the way ’til the Eagles game … and then we'll be “officially” eliminated … J OK, a splash of sarcasm yet again for you Jen . . . but I know you like it :-). Plus, this way I can spread my guess over several games and can thus claim “credit” somehow, some way :-).

Bob Womble had a slightly happier take with “the Cowboys season is not over yet but I can certainly understand them being written off. They need to play hard the rest of the season and if they don't they won't make the playoffs.”

My favorite comes from Kent Hoeffner of Fort Worth who adds a history lesson that may become very relevant, writing, “I honestly don't have a feel for what the rest of the season holds in store. (Not a very sexy position to take; ‘I dunno — we’ll have to wait and see’ is just not what sports-fan talk is about.) I’m old enough to remember a 5-4 Cowboys team under Landry that turned their season around. And believe it or not, I had a feeling about that team and its destiny in part b/c of their remaining schedule and in part b/c of the leadership of Staubach, et al. because he summed up his view quickly with ‘The Cowboys season has come unraveled.’ “

10. Your turn: How much credit do you give Coach Wade for beating the Redskins? Click here to turn in your homework. Please remember to include your name and location for credit purposes. I am all about credit.