1. When I think of playoff caliber I think of being mentally tough enough to endure cold weather during this time of year like the '08 Giants did in negative 4 degree weather versus Green Bay. (this right here eliminates nearly half our team b/c many of them should poor effort in the fridged Chicago temps a few weeks ago, ex: Bruce Carter)
2. When I think of playoff caliber, I think of physically tough players that are capable of standing up to teams like the Niners/Ravens/Seahawks. Tackle strong, Run hard, Block to the end of the whistle. (This eliminates Morris Claiborne. The man simply does not enjoy the physical side of the game. If we're in a road game in Seattle and its him versus Lynch in the open field, do you trust him to make the tackle? I know I don't)
3.Finally I believe playoff caliber means being able to show consistency and having an established identity of who you are as a player. In order to win the Super Bowl you must win 3 or 4 games in a row, this requires CONSISTENCY. This means no drop balls, no mistimed routes, no ill advised penalties or turnovers. (I'm sorry folks but this eliminates Romo. I know everyone likes to blame his supporting cast, but the fact of the matter is he can get you 500 yds & 5 tds, yet still find a way to be the goat at the end of the game. His play is too erratic and not conducive for a win-or-go-home environment. In 2011 I witnessed one of the greatest clutch performances from Eli Manning in that game at Candlestick versus the Niners. His defense let him down a bit but he made some spectacular throws in that 4th quarter over and over and over again and led his team to victory. Romo cannot do that on the biggest stage.)
Using that criteria, my list is:
Tyron Smith: rock of the team
Ronald Leary: physical player, plays till the whistle
Travis Frederick: establishing an identity quickly as a smart player, little to no snap errors
Dwayne Harris: tough as nails, can be legitimate difference maker in a close playoff game
Dan Bailey: ice cold, showed he can kick in different weather conditions
Sean Lee: if healthy, he's one of your playmakers and overall consistent player
George Selvie: this guy was the surprise of the 2nd half of the season IMO. i expected him wear down, he didn't. i think he needs more experience but I think he responds well when the defense is maligned.
Cole Beasley: a guy who knows his role and performs it without error
Barry Church: physical player who will be needed in "run first" type of game in a cold weather environment
Orlando Scandrick: rarely gets beat badly and rarely misses a tackle, solid
Players I left off:
Dez Bryant: still prone to erratic play. must clean up ball security and catch more of those deep jump balls, dropped a few. i have hope for this guy.
Tony Romo: damaged goods, mentally he must be sapped for all the misfortunes he's caused throughout his career, I think the late turnovers thing is in his head at this point. I don't think you can go 3-4 straight games in the playoffs without bad Romo showing up.
Witten/Ware: prone to drop a ball or get penalized at the wrong time. Ware rarely shows up in big games, all playoff games are big. I think I might be tough on Witten but his drop in the Philly game is something I still haven't gotten over.
Carr: inconsistent player, period.
T. Williams: too many drops, needs to get stronger to deal with big physical corners like Seattle.
