Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys Are Ready to Embrace a Ground-and-Pound Style

When the Dallas Cowboys gave Tony Romo a $108 million contract extension, including $55 million in guaranteed money, before last season, who would have thought they were giving all of that loot to a complementary player?

Certainly not owner Jerry Jones.

Romo has been at the center of everything the Cowboys have done—good, bad or otherwise—since taking over as quarterback in 2006.

Romo owns all of the Cowboys passing records, and his continued status as one of the league’s premier quarterbacks is the reason Jones begrudgingly and infamously passed on Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel in the 2014 NFL draft.

Yet two games into the 2014 season, Romo, at least in the words of coach Jason Garrett, is “a complementary player” in the Cowboys offense?

The lounge act while running back DeMarco Murray is in the big room?

#YESSIR!!! As Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin likes to brazenly tweet.

That was the case in the Cowboys’ 26-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans Sunday. It is also the plan going forward.

The Cowboys rushed 43 times for 220 yards, led by a career-high 29 carries for 167 yards from Murray, while Romo passed for just 176 yards.

It’s the just the fifth time in team history the Cowboys have won a game in which Romo has passed for 176 yards or fewer. It’s never happened on the road before Sunday.

“It’s a changing of the guard,” tight end Jason Witten said. “We have been talking a long time how this running game is going to be. I’m sure all of you have said 'We'll see.' We are committed to it. The way we start games. The way we finish them. It’s good to see.”

The Cowboys have actually been talking for several years now about how they want to run it more and run it better, while changing their identity from a pass-happy team to more of ground-oriented physical style they used to win three Super Bowls in the 1990s.

The Cowboys copied the winning foundation from those dynasty teams by building up front first with three first-round picks in the offensive line—tackle Tyron Smith in 2011, center Travis Frederick in 2013 and guard Zack Martin in 2014.

"I think the commitment to the run game has been an ongoing process around here for a long time," Garrett said. "It starts with getting personnel on our offensive line and allocating the resources to that. It all follows with a plan we’ve had really for a couple or three years to be able to do this and be this kind of a football team—a physical team that controls the line of scrimmage and can run the ball, early, in the middle and at the end of games. I think [Sunday] was a good example of that. I thought we did a really good job up front of blocking their guys."

Now the big question remains whether the Cowboys can stick to their guns and continue to stubbornly pound the ball with Murray behind this massive offensive line.

Much of that goes back to Romo, who has been known to check out of running plays at the line of scrimmage in the past. He did so in the season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers on a crucial red-zone series in the first quarter

Instead of running on 2nd-and-1 at the 2-yard line in a game in which Murray rushed for 118 yards on 22 carries, Romo checked to a pass and was sacked, forcing the Cowboys to settle for a field goal in what would become a 28-17 loss.

Garrett said the issues of Week 1 were handled and dealt with. He also said Romo is on board with the new philosophy.

“No,” answered Garrett when asked if Romo would have to be convinced to evolve with the team’s changing style. “Tony has been practicing with us all year long. He understands what the point of emphasis has been for our team.”

Romo averaged 35 or more attempts a game last season and 40 or more in 2012. So he is used to slinging it around. But coming off of his second back surgery in as many offseasons, Romo has no problem taking a lesser role with the full understanding they still can beat teams throwing the ball as the games warrant.

"It's about winning," Romo said. "We've done the stat thing plenty of times. It's about winning and if our football team can continue to run the ball like we can, I'm all for these types of games and that's exciting when you have the opportunity to have a team that can do that." 

“Honestly 53 complementary players is ideal,” Romo continued. “That’s what you want on your football team. There will be games where I’ve got to play at a high level for us to win. You’ve got a back like DeMarco Murray and a line that can pound in the running game, it gives you a chance. I like the way the team and I are heading.”

The Cowboys are heading from pass-happy to ground-and-pound.

And if it leads to a playoff berth for the first time in four years, Jones won’t mind paying $55 million guaranteed to a complementary player, and Johnny Football be damned.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.