Romo's steady side helps Cowboys surge in NFC East

By SCHUYLER DIXON
Associated Press Writer

IRVING, Texas(AP) — Tony Romo has gone from swashbuckling to
steady. Dare we say “workman-type”?

Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips came up with that answering a
question about his quarterback after Sunday’s 38-17 victory
against Seattle. Romo had just finished his career-best third
straight game without an interception, which happens to coincide
with a three-game winning streak that ties Dallas with
Philadelphia atop the NFC East and sets up a first-place
showdown Sunday night.

Phillips was trying to describe his whole team, but the
connection was notable. And the coach continued the theme
Monday, even after some time to think about it.

“We all know Tony played well and has been consistent throwing
the ball for most of the games this year, but really the last
three,” Phillips said. “He’s thrown it to who he needs to throw
to.”

Romo’s gunslinging reputation – the bad side of it – grew in the
first regular-season game at Cowboys Stadium. With a record
crowd and huge television audience watching, he threw three
interceptions that led to three New York touchdowns in the
Giants’ 33-31 win.

His fourth interception was a big one in Denver, wiping out a
great scoring chance in a 17-10 loss. But that was also the last
one. There have been eight touchdowns among the 106 Romo passes
over the past three games.

“You’re always looking to never make a mistake, everyone being
on the right page, everyone doing the right things,” said Romo,
who was a steady 21 of 26 for 256 yards with three touchdowns
against the Seahawks. “You’re always striving for that each
week. The reality of it though is that it’s not going to happen
every week.”

One other major factor in Romo’s favor coincides with the past
three games: the emergence of receiver Miles Austin. That’s all
the time it took for people to start calling him the No. 1
receiver on a team with Roy Williams and his $45 million
contract.

Perhaps the label came quickly because Austin has 482 receiving
yards in his first three starts, the most of any player since
1970.

Austin has taken short passes a long way, which he did twice to
help save the Cowboys in a 26-20 overtime victory at
then-winless Kansas City. He and Romo have connected on deep
routes, too, including one that put Dallas ahead for good in a
crucial game against Atlanta two Sundays ago.

“I’m just getting more balls my way, so it’s making me more
alert and I’m ready for an opportunity any time it rears its
pretty head,” Austin said.

The nagging concern for Dallas is the inability of Romo and
Williams to find each other. Drops by Williams and bad throws in
his direction by Romo overshadowed his second touchdown of the
season against the Seahawks.

Still, productivity elsewhere and general efficiency by the No.
2 offense in the NFL are a relief for a franchise that spent
three years answering daily questions about whether Terrell
Owens was getting the ball enough.

“The good thing is we’re not saying, ‘Well, we’ve got to get the
ball to Roy Williams,”’ Phillips said. “You can get caught up in
that.”

Romo hasn’t completely thrown the flash in the trash can.

One of his best highlights during the three-game winning streak
was a spin-dart-and-toss touchdown to Patrick Crayton against
Atlanta. The difference, though, was that Romo slowed down when
he found open space and made sure Crayton was open before
delivering the 5-yard scoring pass.

Even if Romo was more careful, Crayton said, the Cowboys need
those plays from their quarterback.

“He’s not a game manager,” Crayton said. “They don’t pay him to
be a game manager. They pay him to make plays, and that’s what
he’s doing.”

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