Who Is the Most Respected Cowboy In Redskins Nation?

Yesterday, I asked you who was the most hated Dallas Cowboy in Redskins Nation. I think we can all agree that the debate ended in a 5,786 player tie. Ha...

Today, I want to flip the script somewhat. I had intimated there could be a "most loved" Dallas Cowboy...I was wrong. There is no such thing. Instead, I will ask for the "most respected" player to don the...excuse me...throwing up in my mouth...star.

I see a star, and I'm hating. It has always come down to that for me, but for the purposes of this discussion I figured I could try really hard to thoughtfully ponder whether or not there is a guy I can't help but respect.

I am way too young to have ever seen Roger Staubach play, but as a guy who grew up on the outskirts of Annapolis, I can't help but have respect in my heart for a Navy man. I am going to rule him out for me though (I know we have some readers old enough to give him his due!).

I look at a player like Troy Aikman and I can't help but feel like he is not someone I absolutely hate. He was a great player, he was a great leader and he was--by all accounts--a great teammate. I think that if Troy had not gone on to become such a solid television analyst, I would never be mentioning him. He has calls things the way he sees them, and he has not spared Dallas any criticism when he believed it was warranted. I don't get the impression he goes out of his way to throw barbs in Washington's direction the way so many other TV guys from Dallas have done over the years.

I don't think Aikman fully escapes hatability (still think this should be a word), but he is easy to consider respecting because of the way he played and the way he has elevated his career beyond just that of a "former Cowboy."

Is it possible to have a most respected Dallas Cowboy in Redskins Nation? I can see people jumping on the Stephen Bowen/Jason Hatcher bandwagon, and I came close to going that route myself. Everyone is in play, so let's hear it!