Cowboys' Bryant confesses: 'Tony inspired me' to play

Following Dallas' 18-16 victory over the Redskins on Monday night, Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant couldn't hold back his admiration for Tony Romo.

"I wasn't for sure about going tonight but if a guy with a puncture lung and broken rib can get out there and play I can. Tony inspired me," Bryant tweeted after the game.

Romo's heroics aside, we do hope Bryant -- who has 11.8 million reasons to do whatever it takes to get into games -- would have made an effort to play whether or not his quarterback was was on the field. Still, we get what Bryant's saying.

No PR firm could have generated the sea change in Romo's reputation as much as his gutsy play in back-to-back wins over the 49ers and Redskins.

Before, many viewed him as the guy vacationing with Jessica Simpson in the hours before the team's 2008 playoff loss to the Giants. Suddenly, he's the "gutsy" dude refusing to sit out despite his torn-apart innards, winning over everyone from the hard-to-please Warren Sapp to his own mall-roving wideout.