Ratliff is a private man who would rather discuss his intimate thoughts with his teammates and coaches.

And while the Cowboys' starting nose tackle is polite when declining requests, even having teammate Jason Hatcher playfully close a meeting room door on some reporters trying to talk to Ratliff. Ratliff makes his noise on the field.

He'll be in the middle of things again today when the Cowboys host the Seattle Seahawks .

Ratliff leads the team with 19 quarterback pressures, is second on the team with six sacks and fifth in total tackles (53). He takes on double teams on a regular basis, freeing up inside linebackers Bradie James and Zach Thomas to make tackles in the running game.

"He penetrates up the field when you have a center and a guard on him," Thomas said. "If he can penetrate in between, they have to check and see who has got him before one can come off. It's not about having a big guy in there taking on a double team where they have to stay on."

Ratliff has developed such a quickness that in last week's victory over San Francisco, he beat center Eric Heitmann so badly that he forced quarterback Shaun Hill to throw a pass away on a critical third-and-goal.

"I think he's playing really good and making production plays for us," defensive line coach Todd Grantham said.

Grantham says Ratliff is having a Pro Bowl season.

Ratliff doesn't have the name recognition as other interior linemen such as the Tennessee Titans' Albert Haynesworth, the Pittsburgh Steelers' Casey Hampton or the New York Jets' Kris Jenkins.

In fan voting for the Pro Bowl, Ratliff doesn't rank in the top five among defensive tackles in the NFC.

The fans account for just one-third of the voting. Coaches and players will have a say about Ratliff's season.

Among nose tackles who play in a 3-4 scheme, Ratliff has more sacks than Jenkins (31/2), San Diego's Jamal Williams (11/2) and Hampton (zero). "I've been saying it for a long time, Jay does everything well," defensive end Chris Canty said. "He's redefining how to play the nose tackle position. People are starting to pay attention because of his sack numbers, but even before then, he's just been a great Football player."

Ratliff plays with an intensity that could be attributed to where he was drafted.

He was a seventh-round pick out of Auburn in 2005. He played different positions on the line before settling in at the start last season. Ratliff took over at nose tackle when then starter Jason Ferguson was lost for the season with a biceps injury.

The Cowboys thought so much of Ratliff that they signed him to a five-year extension worth $20.5 million last December. In the off-season the Cowboys traded Ferguson to Miami, a further indication of their support for Ratliff.

In training camp, the team thought about moving Ratliff to defensive end, something that bothered him.

Yet, the Cowboys have kept him at nose tackle when the season started and have been pleased with his performance.

"He's not the biggest guy sometimes, but he plays good technique and he fights the double team," coach Wade Phillips said. "If they don't double team, we can see what happens, especially in the passing game."

3:15 p.m. today (Ch. 4)

How Ratliff measures up

How Jay Ratliff compares with four players considered among the best nose tackles in 3-4 defenses this season:

Player Team Ht, Wt. Tackles Sacks Pr/hits

Casey Hampton Pittsburgh 6-1, 325 12 0 3

Kris Jenkins NY Jets 6-4, 349 30 31/2 8

Jay Ratliff Dallas 6-4, 302 53 6 19

Vince Wilfork New England 6-2, 325 56 1 2

Jamal Williams San Diego 6-3, 348 47 11/2 2

Pr/hits-Quarterback pressures and hits