Witten, whose SCORE Foundation received a $25,000 donation from The Home Depot, will leave for his fifth straight trip to the Pro Bowl this weekend. By the time he returns, he will know if he needs minor surgery for a left shoulder injury that bothered him most of the 2008 season.

He's having a hard time forgetting the disappointment of the Cowboys' 9-7 finish.

How close is this team to being where Pittsburgh and Arizona are now?

You can look at it both ways. At one end, you're in both games - one goes into overtime, the other until the last couple minutes - on the road. We played them good. But in the same sense, when you end the season the way we did, getting beat 44-6, there's a lot that has to be evaluated and a lot of things we have to get better at.

Leadership has been a big topic of discussion. Does this team have it?

The leadership is a lot better than people think. I think the guys do a great job of holding each other accountable and leading by example. You have to set an example of, 'This is the way we play.' But when you lose and you have a lot of different personalities, that's the first thing that's pointed to - not enough leadership and chemistry. That happens.

What do you think Tony Romo means by taking a "more active approach" in leadership in 2009?

I think he's going to demand that everybody play to a high standard. That starts with himself. It's a long season and there's going to be ups and downs, but you have to have the same standards when it's good as you do when it's bad. I'm glad to see he accepts that, but I think he's accepted that all along because he's one of the most competitive guys I know. But I think he realizes when you go 9-7 that we're not doing enough across the board.

What were your thoughts on being mentioned in the Terrell Owens stories late last year?

That was tough on me because I would hope that teammates and fans and everybody else knows you better than that and what kind of player, what kind of guy I am. ... I think I've got a high standard in trying to represent the team concept. I understand what that means, and you don't take that for granted.

There's a lot that comes with the Cowboys - good and bad. Do you ever wish it wasn't like that?

Playing for America's Team is the greatest because there's nothing like it. But at the same time, it brings a lot of different things - different personalities and different people evaluating you. ... You've got to go back to just outworking people. Nobody's going to give us anything. We understand that, and we can't allow what's outside to interfere with what we do.

How far away does next season seem?

Seems forever, especially with the way it ended. ... Our expectations were so high, and to not make the playoffs - even if we got beat in the NFC championship - it still would've been a bad year.