[superpunk]

"There was no way he was going to be stopped from playing in this ballgame and helping our football team," coach Jason Garrett said. "When you're a coach and you're a player and a guy has that determination and shows that mental and physical toughness for playing, it's contagious. Beyond that, he makes a ton of plays."

Quarterback Tony Romo paid Bryant what he considers the highest form of praise: "He's a football player, isn't he?"

Bryant didn't just play with that fractured finger protected by a splint, pretending that the pain didn't exist. He made a major contribution to the Cowboys' third consecutive win, catching four passes for 59 yards and a touchdown to extend his scoring streak to six consecutive games, not to mention drawing defensive attention that opened up opportunities for teammates.

[View Full Quote]"He's in that fraternity of tough guys," tight end Jason Witten said. "That's not easy to do what he did."

Consider the source of that ultimate compliment.

Witten, a 10-year veteran, has missed a grand total of one game in his career. He has played with a broken jaw and broken ribs, among other ailments. He searched far and wide for a doctor who would tell him his lacerated spleen had recovered so he could play in this season's opener.

Oh, and Romo is the quarterback who fought through the pain of a punctured lung and fractured rib to lead a Cowboys comeback last season, then played several weeks with the rib still healing.