2011 AJay Awards

It's not that it hasn't been done in a hundred different places by many people, but I wanted to do my own little bit of recognition for who I believe were the top performers for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2011 season.

- Tony Romo - There isn't enough that can be said for Romo. He may have a couple games in him where he makes mistakes that cause a loss, but overall, he gives Dallas the best chance at winning and he puts his heart into his play. Many will criticize different aspects of Romo, but he's absolutely been the best option Dallas has had at quarterback since Aikman.

- DeMarcus Ware - I don't think anyone questions how good Ware is... this was a productive year for him, which was a nice surprise because he was getting double teamed almost every down. He still battled all season long with Jarred Allen for the league lead in sacks, and if it weren't for injuries, he may have topped Allen and won NFC Defensive Player of the Year himself.

- Laurent Robinson - Speaking of surprise, this guy was one of the biggest surprises of the season. Signed midway through the first half of the year, Robinson quickly became a reliable and valuable asset, making clutch catches and clutch touchdowns. He was pretty consistent all year as well, while Miles Austin and Dez Bryant both flip flopped injuries throughout.

- Sean Lee - This was practically Sean Lee's first season, since

he was injured all of last year, and it has been quite a year for the Penn State alum. Lee's performance was exceptional, and when he got injured and missed a game, it was evident how valuable he was... there is a huge drop off between him and the next guy (Keith Brooking.)

- DeMarco Murray - Another shock which nobody saw coming was the emergence of Murray, who took over when Felix Jones and Tashard Choice got hurt and cut, respectively. His first major game was against St. Louis, in that game he not only took his first carry for a 90-some yard touchdown, but he ended up with 250 rushing yards and broke a Cowboys record in the process. If it weren't for injury, he was on pace to break single season records as well, and he didn't even play much for the first 5 games.

Those players are tops on my list... there were certainly other players who I thought had a great year, but these five stuck out enough to stay in my memory.