Who Wears the Crown: Identifying the Cowboys' Best Player at Midseason Mark

The Dallas Cowboys have had their ups and downs so far this season but there are several players who have been key contributors to the more positive parts of 2012. There have been noticeable standouts on this Dallas team halfway through this season and now it's time to crown the best of the best.

This list took into account a player's individual 2012 season statistics, his impact on the game and overall consistency. Here are the Cowboys' top five players at this season's halfway mark.

5. Sean Lee

Sean Lee is one of the true leaders of the Cowboys' defensive unit and he leads by example. Whenever you watch Dallas play, you can expect Lee to be mentioned several times in a given contest.

The Penn State alum has already recorded 58 tackles on the season, earning 40 of those in just three games. Lee is arguably the team's best tackler not named DeMarcus Ware and his surefire wrap-up skills are exactly what any coach wants out of his linebacker.

The other great thing about Lee is the fact that he has a knack for creating turnovers. He already has one forced fumble and one interception this year. That gives him one more forced fumble than he had all 2011 and three shy of his INT total that year.

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan knows that he can count on Lee to give him nothing but production each game day. This Cowboys linebacker is nothing but consistent and his play makes the unit as a whole stronger.

Lee is currently nursing a big toe injury and if he can't go against the Giants in Week 8, Dallas would be without one of its very best on defense.

4. Brandon Carr

Brandon Carr making this list may have some Cowboys faithful scratching their heads but he belongs among these names.

There was a nice article done by Jeric Griffin of Rant Sports that shows you can't base everything off statistics when it comes to the Cowboys' cornerbacks Carr and Morris Claiborne.

According to Griffin, the Dallas duo is giving up an average of just 71 yards and .5 touchdowns per game. While Carr may not have any interceptions to show as a Cowboy just yet, not hearing his name mentioned during contests isn't completely a bad thing.

Carr and the secondary have kept pretty much contained every No. 1 receiver they've faced this season. The likes of Hakeem Nicks, Sidney Rice and Vincent Jackson were all held to under 40 yards in their games against Dallas.

What's also great about Carr is that Rob Ryan has utilized the cornerback's ability to play safety if called upon. When Barry Church went down with his injury against the Buccaneers, Carr stepped up and filled his role on defense. He wasn't burned by Josh Freeman once during the game and Carr actually played the position quite well.

With his versatility and ability to shut down the opposition's best receiver, Carr deservedly earned title of the Cowboys' fourth-best player so far this season.

3. Jason Witten

Tight end Jason Witten has been the poster-boy for consistency his entire career, yet this season didn't start off on that same note.

Witten was making costly drops early in the year, notably against Seattle and Tampa Bay where he posted a combined six receptions on 18 targets. It was obvious this trend was bugging the seven-time Pro Bowl selection and he has more than made up for his earlier mistakes.

Since those weeks, Witten has caught all but four balls targeted his way by quarterback Tony Romo. When the Tennessee alum was struggling, it was easy to notice that the Cowboys offense was out of sync.

Without their sure-handed tight end contributing, Dallas struggled to move the ball down the field against the Seahawks. The next week was more of the same, with the team having to defeat the Bucs in spite of Witten's play.

When Witten got back to his old ways however, the Cowboys' offense saw more success moving the chains. His biggest game came against the Bears where he posted 13 receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown.

Some would say that doesn't matter when looking at the fact the Cowboys lost 34-18, but that was due to turnovers, not Witten's play. If you were to take away No. 82's efforts that night, the Cowboys offense wouldn't have even been able to sniff the red zone that night.

The Cowboys offense is far more deadly when the opposing defense has to account for receivers Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Witten in the passing game. Dallas' tight end is back to his reliable ways and continues to be one of the most vital and productive members of this team.

2. Tony Romo

Tony Romo may have his critics and some recent mistakes to fuel them but the fact remains he's one of the best players Dallas has.

The Chicago game is still fresh in the minds of many NFL and Cowboys fans but that doesn't change Romo's overall production in 2012. 

Throwing out the interception parade against the Bears, the Cowboys QB has just one game with less than 250 passing yards and 1,636 on the year. The Cowboys may have a .500 record with the offense being the weak link, but it's not completely Romo's fault.

He has had to deal with both Jason Witten and Dez Bryant's case of the "drops" and a mediocre offensive line. Romo was the better quarterback on the field in Week 1 when he faced Eli Manning. The same statement could be made when looking at the games against Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Carolina.

Fans might be disappointed with the 'Boys' 3-3 record but there's no way it would be better with Stephen McGee or Kyle Orton under center. The Chicago game aside, the Cowboys have not been losing games because of Romo but because of the failures of those protecting or catching the ball from him.

Romo deserves to be mentioned among Dallas' all-time great quarterbacks at least statistically and as one of the best current Cowboys.

1. DeMarcus Ware

The Cowboys have played six games this season, linebacker DeMarcus Ware has more sacks than his team has played games.

Ware has 6.5 sacks in 2012, 13 behind his 19.5 total last year. The Troy alum has driven the likes of Eli Manning, the elusive Cam Newton and Josh Freeman to the turf already this season.

While Sean Lee is certainly a leader on the defense, Ware is the clear general of the Cowboys defensive unit. He creates pressure on the opposing quarterback almost single-handily at times whether Rob Ryan is lining him up on the right or left side of the gridiron. 

Ware's presence on the field instantly makes the Cowboys' opponents prepare and account for what he might do to disrupt their offense. This creates double-team situations on him which opens opportunities for the likes of Anthony Spencer and Lee to get to the ballcarrier.

The defense has actually been Dallas' strongest unit this season and there's no question that Ware is a big reason for that. 

After the Ravens defeated the Cowboys in Week 6, Baltimore Sun writer Aaron Wilson used the headline "Ravens hold Cowboys, DeMarcus Ware to one sack" to describe the game. Wilson felt it was so shocking that Ware was contained by Baltimore that he felt it was necessary to include in his headline.

No. 94 is one of the most dominant forces in the NFL today, arguably the league's best linebacker and the best player wearing the star on his helmet this season.