by DAVID MOORE, dmoore@dallasnews.com , THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS

The psychological trauma inflicted on the Cowboys that December afternoon in Philadelphia will be revisited in the days leading up to Sunday's return engagement. Before you get lost in the motivation for this game and begin to toss the words revenge and redemption about, keep in mind there is only one question the Cowboys must answer.

Why is this team better than the one that ended last season with a sickening thud?

"It's still to be determined if we're better or not," receiver Patrick Crayton said.

Good answer.

An air of entitlement was one of many issues that chipped away at last year's team. What 44-6 did was strip away all pretenses.

These Cowboys are into accountability, not excuses. Attention to detail is more important than making a big splash. Crayton calls this a blue-collar team, a statement that would have been met with derision 11 months ago.

The loss to the Eagles wrought changes in the coaching staff and personnel. It forced the sort of critical introspection a more gentile loss would not.

"If you don't make your goals, you need to look at things and see what you need to do," coach Wade Phillips said. "Our goal wasn't to go 9-7 and have a winning season.

"This team has a good chemistry. They are hard workers. We have a lot of guys that play a role, whatever that is. They accept it and they try to do really well at that role.

"That's a good sign."

How will these Cowboys differ from the team that took Lincoln Financial Field last season? Running back Felix Jones and left guard Kyle Kosier will play. Marion Barber is much healthier than the running back who limped to the finish in 2008. The offense has said goodbye to receiver Terrell Owens and hello to Miles Austin.

There are five new starters on defense. Gerald Sensabaugh is a dramatic upgrade over Keith Davis at strong safety. Keith Brooking is a more vocal leader than Zach Thomas at linebacker.

"Nothing against Zach because he made a lot of plays for us, too," Phillips said. "But I think Brook has certainly helped us. I think players are being more accountable because of him.

"He makes you be that way."

The special teams have undergone an extreme makeover with Joe DeCamillis. Crayton calls the portion of practice under their new special teams coach "30 minutes of hell." The Cowboys also have David Buehler booming kickoffs and a healthy Mat McBriar punting, something they didn't have last December.

The changes are significant. Still, does their absence fully explain 44-6?

"Why did we fall apart?" Crayton asked. "We just flat out got our tails whupped, man.

"No excuses or anything else."

The Cowboys had lost two of their previous three games and were hanging by a dysfunctional thread when they played in Philadelphia last season. This team has won three straight and is building momentum. Owner Jerry Jones believes the Cowboys are ready for a game of this magnitude, a declaration he would have been hesitant to make after the team's 2-2 start.

"Really, we have no choice but to be ready," linebacker DeMarcus Ware said. "They've been scoring a lot of points. We've got to find a way to slow them down."

The players stop short of calling this a must win. Those rarely occur in early November. Crayton labels it "a have-to-win."

How much will Phillips refer to the last time his team played in Philadelphia to get ready for this one?

"I don't know," he said. "It's still last year's team.

"Whatever motivates this team, that is what we want. If it's last year and it gets under their skin, that's what we want. But we want this year's team to be motivated by how we're playing and what we're doing."

Sounds reasonable and fits the approach the Cowboys have adopted. Still, if Phillips wants to ensure the attention of his team this week, there is only one thing he must say.

44-6.

Worst Cowboys defeats

Diff. Score Opponent Date

44 44-0 vs. Chicago 11-17-85

41 48-7 vs. Cleveland 10-16-60

41 54-13 at Minnesota 10-18-70

40 43-3 vs. Minnesota 11-13-88

38 44-6 at Phila. 12-28-08

38 45-7 vs. Baltimore 10-30-60

38 38-0 vs. St.L. Cards 11-16-70

A different brand

The Cowboys have won three straight heading into their game against the Eagles. A look at how Dallas has played over that stretch vs. the three games before last year's 44-6 loss:

2008 2009

Record 1-2 3-0

Pts./gm. 19 33.7

Pts. allowed 20.3 19.3

Turnovers 7 4

Romo QB rating 72.1 119.0

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