Tony Romo and The Cowboys

            Tony Romo was heavily criticized last year for his decision on how many times he threw T.O. the ball. Yet, this year he throws more to Miles Austin than he did to T.O. last year and there are no complaints. Why? Is it because the Cowboys, whom are 18-31 in December games since 1997, finally have a winning season in December? Or because Miles Austin keeps his mouth shut and just plays the game? I think it’s because Austin has kept his mouth shut and has proven that he can be a reliable receiver. For anyone that watches the Cowboys it is clear that Austin has become Romo’s go to guy. Maybe this will be the year the Cowboys will make a name for themselves without T.O.

            Austin is averaging a little more than nine catches in the last eleven games. Five times this year he has recorded 100 yard games. He has caught eleven touchdown passes this year. Based on these stats and the fact that Austin doesn’t complain it is clear to see why Romo keeps giving him the ball and why he was elected to the Pro Bowl.

             Romo and the Cowboys had not won a playoff game until last week when they beat the Eagles. Romo and Austin connected seven times for 82 yards and a touchdown. The future looked promising for the Cowboys and many people were jumping on the band-wagon. Romo and Austin and the bromance that has been executed on the field looked to be unbeatable against an aging Favre and slumping Vikings.

The Cowboys and Romo were playing unstoppable football and many people believed they were finally going to make their mark in the playoffs and beat the Vikings to continue on to the NFC Championship game.

            Those aspirations were great until they ran into future Hall of Famer Brett Favre and company. Favre proved why he is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game with completing 15 passes for 234 yards, four touchdowns and no turnovers. Favre showed everyone, including Romo, how to be a clutch quarterback.

            Romo was the opposite of clutch for the ‘boys. He completed 22 passes but for only 198 yards and one interception. Romo grew up idolizing Favre and the way he played the game. On Sunday Romo got to see firsthand how spectacular Favre really is. Favre outplayed the much younger Romo in every facet of the game. But in all fairness it wasn’t completely Romo’s fault. His offensive line was almost useless. Romo was sacked six times and hurried plenty of other times. Romo fumbled the ball three times and lost two of them. As the game progressed it looked as if the Cowboys line was delivering look-out blocks for Romo. You know the ones where they turn to the quarterback and yell “look out!” Romo seemed out of synch all day. He was able to connect with his go to guy only four times for 34 yards. How can you expect a team to win when the quarterback can’t get enough time to throw to his most reliable receiver? People need to be doubting the offensive line not the quarterback for this pathetic excuse of a game. One positive to think about is at least they know who the head coach will be.

            For all the Cowboy fans out there don’t give up completely. They are returning the core group including head coach Wade Phillips. Phillips was able to lead the Cowboys to their first playoff victory in thirteen years. Romo is an advocate of Coach Phillips and says “He's done a great job, kept the team together through a lot of tough times this year. He's done a fantastic job as coach of the Cowboys.” Many other Cowboys have stepped up and voiced their support of Phillips. The biggest change that needs to be made by the Cowboys is getting a kicker. Suisham was one for three and was about as useless as the offensive line.

            The Cowboys took arguably the biggest and most important step into becoming a serious Super Bowl contender next year; they finally won a playoff game. Ask most athletes what the hardest part of being in a slump is and they will tell you taking the first step to getting out. For the Cowboys they have taken that first step and were able to gain some confidence in themselves and quarterback Tony Romo. Plus, Romo has a reliable number one receiver that lets his play do the talking and not his mouth.