Tony Romo: Dallas Cowboys' Fate Rests Solely On His Shoulders

The Dallas Cowboys have been an enigma for years, and are entering this season as one of the biggest question marks in the league.

The success of this year's team will rest squarely on the shoulders of QB Tony Romo, who has yet to prove capable of bearing that burden. Romo has folded in December the past three years, and the Cowboys have been a combined 4-8 in those three Decembers.

This year there will be even more pressure on Romo thanks to the departure of clubhouse cancer Terrell Owens. Romo is now the unquestioned leader of the team, and he'll need to fully embrace that role if the Cowboys are going to be successful.

Romo leads an offense that can attack the middle of the field with bruising RB Marion Barber and TE Jason Witten, Romo's favorite target. Youngster Felix Jones also proved last season—before being lost for the season with a hamstring injury—that he can be the explosive threat the Cowboys have been pursuing for years.

But the loss of Owens has turned the team's receiver corps from a strength to a weakness. Last year, Roy Williams showed no signs of being a No. 1 receiver after being traded from the Lions, and Patrick Crayton talks a bigger game than he plays.

The Cowboys will need unproven players like Sam Hurd and Miles Austin to step in and produce in order to keep defenses from stacking the box and shutting down Barber and Witten.

Elite talent has existed in Dallas for the past three seasons, but the Cowboys have been unable to turn that into anything worthwhile. Last season, the team blamed its downfall on lack of chemistry. But now Owens, Pacman Jones, and Tank Johnson are all gone, so there are no longer any excuses.

Now it's Tony Romo's show, and it should be interesting to see if he sinks or swims. My prediction? The Cowboys start hot and finish cold yet again. They go 10-6 in the regular season, then lose in the first round of the playoffs.