The NFC East had its ups and downs this season, but still remained one the more competitive divisions in football.

The Redskins stunk up the joint while the Giants faded down the stretch. The Eagles looked like they were a contender, but injuries derailed their "Super" dreams, and Cowboys finally broke through in December, but still came up short against Brett Favre and the Vikings in the postseason.

Each team had talented players in 2009. Now I'm giving to you what I deemed to be the All-Star team from the Beast.

QB: Tony Romo (DAL)-With apologies to Eli Manning, Romo answered the critics this season. He threw for 4,483 yards and just nine INTs while establishing himself as the true leader of the offense. Plus, he got Dallas their first play-off win in over ten years.

RB: Marion Barber (DAL)-No back really stood out. In fact, not one ran for over 1,000 yards in the Beast. Barber led the third ranked rushing offense in Dallas so his 932 yards and seven TDs are enough.

FB: Leonard Weaver (PHI)-Weaver was a Pro Bowl choice and he stepped up along with RB LeSean McCoy when Brian Westbrook went down with an injury. He was great catching passes out of the backfield, and was solid with or without the ball in his hand.

WR: DeSean Jackson (PHI), Miles Austin (DAL)-Steve Smith from the Giants just missed out. He didn't have as many TDs or yards as Austin and Jackson took over games like no other player in the NFC East last year. I know Smith would be a great possession receiver next to either Austin or Jackson, but I couldn't justify leaving either of them out.

TE: Jason Witten (DAL)-Witten caught 94 passes for 1,030 yards. Not many tight ends put up those numbers. Easy call.

OT: Flozell Adams (NYG), Jason Peters (PHI)-Both were heavily penalized, but both were also dominant at certain times. Adams helped anchor the best offense in the East, and Peters provided some much needed protection for Donovan McNabb's blindside.

G: Chris Snee (NYG), Leonard Davis (DAL)-Davis was a Pro Bowler at guard, and Snee is one of the best guards in the game.

C: Shaun O'Hara (NYG)-I didn't think Andre Gurode was all that good this year. He certainly didn't merit a Pro Bowl selection. O'Hara is a great leader and is the best center in the division.

DE: Andre Carter (WAS), Trent Cole (PHI)-True sack masters. Cole had 12.5 and Carter had 11. Both are undersized, but still manage to get involved in stopping the run.

DT: Jay Ratliff (DAL), Mike Patterson (PHI)-There wasn't a DT even close to Ratliff in the NFC East. He dominated all season. Albert Haynesworth was a consideration, but he missed too many games.

OLB: DeMarcus Ware (DAL), Anthony Spencer (DAL)-It's a Cowboy sweep. Both were pass rushing specialists and both were damn good at it. There was almost no other OLBs to pick.

MLB: London Fletcher (WAS), Keith Brooking (DAL)-Brooking brought fiery leadership to the Cowboy defense. That's something Fletcher has been doing in DC for the past few years.

CB: Terence Newman (DAL), Asante Samuel (PHI)-Newman had 57 tackles and three FFs to go along with three INTs and 18 passes defensed. He edges out teammate Mike Jenkins. Samuel is a classic ballhawk. He had nine INTs this year.

S: Gerald Sensabaugh (DAL), Quintin Mikell (PHI)-Mikell makes it by default. Sanseabaugh isn't sensational, but he is reliable.

K: Davis Akers (PHI)-Akers made 86.5% of his FG attempts. Plus, he had 139 total points. He was important since the Eagles struggled to score TDs in the red zone.

P: Matt McBriar (DAL)-McBriar averaged 45.1 yards per punt. He was in the top ten in both average and net average. No one else came close in the NFC East.

Return Specialist: DeSean Jackson (PHI)-Jackson made plays all over the field. His speed gave him the ability to score from multiple positions including as a returner.

Coach: Wade Phillips (DAL)-As much criticism as Phillips receives, he got it done this year. He brought the Cowboys together and they responded well to his leadership. Though they didn't advance to the NFC Championship, they certainly made some huge progress in the long-term scheme of things.

---JACK ANDERSON.

Too small. Too slow.

Those were the two knocks Emmitt Smith heard all the time before he entered the NFL. Sure he was a star in high school and a Heisman contender at Florida. He just didn't have the tools to be a productive back at the professional level.

Whoops.

Detractors will be quick to point out that the NFL's all time leading rusher had a massive offensive line to run behind, plus Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin keeping the defense from focusing on him. True, Emmitt Smith had a great team around him. So did Franco Harris, so did Tony Dorsett, so did Roger Craig, so did Marshall Faulk, and so did Thurman Thomas. Emmitt beat them all.

It's not just about what number 22 had around him, it's about what he brought to the table. He had deceptive power in his short (not small) frame and possessed other worldly balance. The thing that put Emmitt over the top though, was his feel for the game. It was just something you couldn't teach. He had the ability to move at the last second to avoid direct hits and he could sense where a hole was going to open. Sure his line opened up creases, but another back might just slam into where the hole should have been. Emmitt glided to the line looking for something, anything, and then BOOM, through the crease and into the secondary.

And then there was the heart. Emmitt wanted to be the best. Always. It was that competitive fire that kept him running with a separated shoulder against the Giants in a big late season game, it kept him attacking the 49ers with a bum hamstring until the other one finally snapped, and it eventually kept Emmitt driving even when his best years were behind him.

The later version of Emmitt was a frustrated star who had seen his team collapse around him. First Jay Novaceck retired and Charles Haley left. Then Irvin went down to a neck injury (and to the applause of Philadelphia fans.) Finally, Troy Aikman succumbed to concussions and had to leave. Suddenly, Emmitt was one of the only players on the Cowboys who remembered winning. He lashed out, he brooded and pouted. Yet he still ran.

Some chide Emmitt for staying past his glory years just to get the rushing record, but you have to take his whole package. Smith didn't want to leave unfinished business, his drive wouldn't let him. He had set a goal as a rookie to become the all-time leading rusher and he was going to do it. Once he left the Cowboys, Smith broke down during his press conference because he knew those years were over. His time as one of the most feared runners in the league on a Super Bowl champion were over.

Emmitt still didn't stop though. He went to the Cardinals, a team with no idea of how to win. He stayed two years in the desert before finally hanging it up for good. He couldn't stop running, it was what he was meant to do.

---BRAD SEAL.

That's Payton on the left, with offensive assistant David Lee, right front, high-fiving with Cowboys quarterbacks Vinny Testaverde, left back, Tony Romo, center back and Drew Henson during 2004 training camp

When I was asked to contribute a piece about Sean Payton’s time with the Dallas Cowboys, I thought to myself “what exactly did he do here?”

As I sit here today, I’m still not sure what the answer to that question is. His official title was quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach, but we all know who was in charge with Parcells around.

I wasn’t too excited when I found out that Payton was coming to Dallas. All I remembered was that head coach Jim Fassel replaced him as the offensive play caller with the Giants in 2000. Under Fassel’s play calling, the struggling Giants went on a late season run that took them to the Super Bowl. Now the guy that was apparently the thing holding the Giants back was coming to Dallas. Yippie.

The Cowboys ranked in the middle of the pack on offense while Payton was here, but he was saddled with three different quarterbacks in Quincy Carter, Vinny Testaverde, and Drew Bledsoe. He helped all three achieve 3,000 yard passing seasons and that has to mean something considering the lack of time and talent he had to work with.

The problem with Payton’s stay in Dallas is that he was under the considerable Parcells shadow. Parcells talked to the press, he brought in the players he wanted, and he made it clear the decisions went through him. Parcells is generally conservative though he will play to his team strengths (Drew Bledsoe threw the ball a ton when Parcells was coaching New England). The Cowboys did not have a strength at the quarterback position, so the Cowboys didn’t let loose on offense.

Once Payton left for New Orleans, Tony Romo emerged, so it looks as though the Cowboys suddenly got better on offense once he departed. We all know that’s not true since New Orleans has gone supernova on offense while Payton has been in charge.

I’m not sure if Payton has been so brilliant on offense in New Orleans because he finally has the Parcells weight removed from him or if he’s successful because of Drew Brees’ arrival. It’s probably a combination of both. Payton has definitely grown as both a play caller and a coach though and he can thank his stay in Dallas as the final step to prepare him for life as a successful NFL coach.

---BRAD SEAL.

Following the franchise's first playoff victory since 1996, the Cowboys have given head coach Wade Phillips a contract extension. Owner Jerry Jones stated that Phillips is now signed through the 2011 season, a two-year extension on his current deal.

Phillips, who called the plays for the Cowboys defense this season, is also due for a raise. In 2009, the coach made about $3 million, making him one of the lowest paid coaches in the league. Jones has not released the exact figures of the extension.

Check back with NFL Blog Blitz for more news and commentary on the Cowboys.

Defensive line: B-

The defensive line was somewhat of a bright spot. Jay Ratliff, Igor Olshansky, and Marcus Spears did a good job bottling up Adrian Peterson. Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher were non-factors rushing the passer. Spears missed a great opportunity for a sack when a pump fake by a rolling Brett Favre caused Spears to leap into the air only to watch Favre deliver a touchdown to Sidney Rice.

Linebackers: B

An early sack by Demarcus Ware had me believing that the matchup with Phil Loadholt and Bryant McKinnie would favor the Cowboys, but Brett Favre adjusted by getting the ball off earlier, even if it meant throwing into coverage. Minnesota used rollouts effectively to get Favre away from Anthony Spencer and Ware. While there were many pathetic performances to choose from, I think the single event that summed up the game for me was Keith Brooking's taking offense at the Vikings' final touchdown. While I love the emotion that Brooking has brought to the team in 2009, sometimes it's just a little too much.

Secondary: C+

The Dallas secondary did a reasonably good job in coverage. However, breakdowns at critical junctures put the Cowboys in a big hole early. No mistake was bigger than Gerald Sensabaugh's inability to get his head turned in time to make a play on a Favre pass that ended up in Rice's hands for a spectacular catcn-and-run to open the scoring. Sensabaugh never knew what happened. Terence Newman no longer looks like much of an asset on the field. He's often in the area and is a sure tackler, but he's no longer forcing the quarterback to throw to the other side. That may be a result of the superior coverage that Mike Jenkins has displayed. Jenkins was the victim of a Favre-to-Rice chuck-and-duck when he couldn't defend Favre's pass, which led to a Vikings touchdown. Orlando Scandrick was aggressive, tackled well, and covered well, even if he got away with a hold or two.

Special Teams: D

David Buehler had two touchbacks in two attempts. Mat McBriar turned in his average performance. That was it, though. The kick return team stinks on ice. Patrick Crayton missed a huge opportunity when he fumbled a punt just before halftime.Crayton recovered the fumble, but he had just one linebacker to beat to spring himself for a huge yardage, if not a touchdown. Shaun Suisham missed two long kicks, the first of which flipped field position and preceded the first Vikings touchdown and the second of which dampened any hopes the Cowboys might have had to get back in the game.

Coaching: D

Jason Garrett has a long way to go as a playcaller. His election to run a play from the Razorback at the Vikings 10-yard line left me scratching my head. It's a formation that has produced little outside of a fluky 66-yard run several weeks ago. It gained but a yard and helped stall yet another drive in the red zone. I've no idea whose decision it was to give the ailing Marion Barber snaps when Felix Jones was playing so well, or to start Colombo over Free, or to keep running Williams out there when he and Romo can't produce, but that has to stop if the Cowboys want to take the next step. Whether it was poor execution, poor preparation, or poor strategy, Garrett is ultimately responsible for getting points on the board, and it's been the same story over and over in Cowboys losses. It's the offense that isn't getting the job done.

All in all, it was a nice season for the Cowboys, but they enter the offseason inspiring only a little more confidence than year's past. The playoff monkey is off their collective back, but, ironically, that win might prevent them from solving the myriad problems the team faces if 2010 should be an uncapped year. The last eight teams standing would face certain free agency rules, which just might mean that Dallas needs to solve the issues organically. I wonder if there are any more Miles Austins hiding on the roster.

---BRIAN COOLEY.