Tony Romo Doesn't Need Change, Jason Garrett Needs To Trust Run

For the last two years, people have asked me about Tony Romo and his high interception count.

I've said that you take the good with the bad.  He makes plays on the move and turns what should be sacks into 15-yard gains, bad snaps into first downs, and busted plays into touchdowns.

So if he throws a few interceptions, I can live with it.

However, I couldn't live with his performance on Sunday night against the Giants.

Now, that doesn't mean I'm blaming just him for the Cowboys losing, because it's not all his fault.  Despite throwing three interceptions, he gave the Cowboys the lead with three minutes to go with his two-yard TD run, and the defense let the Giants move down the field with very little effort. 

Still, Romo has been interception-prone in his career. We all remember the Monday night game against the Bills two years ago where Romo threw five interceptions. Last season's game against the Steelers was also a harsh reminder, as Romo threw three interceptions in that game.

In three years as a full-time starter, Romo's finished in the top 10 in most interceptions each season.

However, his abilities have won games for the Cowboys, and no matter what any analyst says, Romo is a legitimate quarterback in this league.

The problem to me is Jason Garrett.

Garrett has always been known as a pass-happy coordinator, and although he's not Mike Martz, he routinely lets Romo throw the ball in games where the run is effective.

It was no secret that the Giants' defensive game plan was to stop the pass and not the run, as evidenced by the 251 yards rushing the Cowboys had as a team.

On Sunday night the Cowboys had no problem running the ball, but they only had 29 carries. In the fourth quarter, where they could have kept possession of the ball and used the clock, Garrett let Romo keep passing down the field. 

Even in Week One, the Cowboys had just 24 carries.

When you have three solid running backs and one of the biggest offensive lines in the league, you should be a running team, and the Cowboys have to be that. Come December—and, if they're lucky, January—running the ball is what's going to get them to the Super Bowl, not 40-yard bombs.

Romo may be interception-prone, but the Cowboys' success doesn't hinge on limiting where he throws or even how many times he throws. Rather, it hinges on letting the running backs do more work for him.

After all, you can only take what a defense gives you, and the Giants gave them everything on the ground.