12/18/12: Cowboys chat with SportsDay beat writer Rainer Sabin

Welcome to today's live chat. The Cowboys are 8-6 after beating Pittsburgh on Sunday and are tied for first place in the NFC East standings. They now face New Orleans.

The Cowboys may have not been sending any message. But his presence wasn't really necessary. It created a distraction and angered some people who thought it was too soon for Brent to be on the sideline. Just seven days before he was in an Irving jail.

I think the Cowboys certainly have a chance to win that game. Seeing Robert Griffin III a second time will help. I do think the Redskins are a tough matchup for the Cowboys because they do have a strong running game and a multifaceted offense that can cause confusion for teh opposing defense. Dallas is susceptible to communication breakdowns because Rob Ryan's system is complex and the Cowboys have a lot of new faces.

I think Romo ultimately makes the decisions. Garrett calls the play, but Romo must decide which option is best. If he doesn't feel Miles is getting open, he won't throw him the ball. I'm sure there have been plenty of plays calling for Miles to get the ball but ultimately ended with another player making the catch.

I think so. But I also think Tony Romo has learned the weaknesses of the offensive line to the point that he can cover up its mistakes and holes. Romo has an uncanny ability to sense where the pressure is coming from, avert the rusher and get rid of the ball.

No. I don't think the defense is going to assign a player to spy Romo regardless of how much he runs the ball. Exposing Romo to more punishment would seem to be a foolish idea. You have seen what has happened to Robert Griffin III, who is a much more capable runner than Romo is.

This one is tough to call because the Saints have been so inconsistent. Last week, they looked great against Tampa. But the week before they were crushed by the Giants. I think New Orleans will be able to move the ball and score a lot of points on the Cowboys. Drew Brees is capable of skewering Dallas' secondary. But I think Tony Romo can have his way with the Saints defense, too. Expect this game to be a high-scoring affair.

He could do that. But those gaps that you see are not as big as you may think. They close pretty quickly and Romo seems to be pretty judicious when deciding whether to run or throw the ball away. I think he generally makes the right call.

Yes. He said it was fine and that he felt no pain. On Tuesday, he was at a children's hospital signing autographs and wasn't wearing a brace, splint or even tape around the finger.

It's hard to answer that question. I think the team has responded better to adversity than other Cowboys teams of the recent past. They seem to have a little more gumption and I think that helps them. They also aren't foolish enough to take the Saints lightly -- not after New Orleans beat up Tampa Bay on Sunday.