Tony Romo: Why 2011 Is Do-or-Die Time for the Controversial Dallas Cowboys QB

Any team in the National Football League worth its salt is always in search of a championship. The Dallas Cowboys are no different.

Dallas is led by Tony Romo, the ninth-year man out of Eastern Illinois, and so far his tenure as starter for Dallas has been contentious.

Most of Romo’s problems have been sensationalized, like who he’s dating and the colors his wife chose for their wedding.

He’s passed for over 16,000 yards and 118 touchdowns, led the Cowboys to their first playoff victory since 1996, and if not for injuries, he would be a perennial Pro Bowler.

Simply put, Tony is the least of the Cowboys worries.

But the 2011 season will mark the 16th consecutive season that the Cowboys haven’t reached the Super Bowl. The team hasn’t been close enough to even sniff the NFL’s pinnacle, and Romo has been blamed for both of their playoff loses since he’s taken over as starter.

With the amount of talent on the Cowboys roster, some fans and most pundits believe that Dallas has fallen short of expectations due to the play of one Antonio Ramiro Romo.

While Tony has made his fair share of mistakes, he isn’t fully to blame for the ‘Boys inability to progress in the playoffs. The offensive line faltered against the Giants in their 2007 matchup and the team was riddled with penalties.

The Cowboys racked up 84 penalty yards on 11 flags, the Giants had eight quarterback hurries to the Cowboys four and their offensive line was pushed around in the second half.

Romo and his teammates understand that with Tony as the starter, he’s the team’s best chance at winning a Super Bowl. But if the Cowboys fall short of that goal again this year, maybe next his time in Dallas will be cut short.

NFL quarterbacks are judged by winning but their ultimate adjudicator is also the playoffs and Super Bowls. So far, Tony has one playoff win and zero Super Bowl appearances.

If the Cowboys quarterback wants to hold off his critics for at least one more season here are a few things he must complete in 2011.

Escape the injury bug

Last season, Romo started six games and only finished five of them. In Week 6 against the Giants, Tony was blasted by Giants linebacker Michael Boley.

That hit caused Tony to break his collar bone and lose the rest of the 2010 season.The Cowboys season was already hanging off of a cliff, and Tony’s injury seemed to accelerate their nose dive.

If Tony isn’t able to prove in 2011 that he can take the wear and tear of the NFL, then more doubts will begin to arise that he isn’t durable enough to last an entire NFL season.

Romo broke his pinky finger in a 2008 game against the Cardinals, and as a result, the ‘Boys went 1-2 in their next three games without Tony.

Romo has to prove his durability.

Become the Cowboys unquestioned field general

Now, of course Romo serves as the team’s field general because he’s the quarterback. But when Romo went down with an injury and backup quarterback Jon Kitna took over, some fans celebrated Kitna’s fiery nature.

Kitna was often seen yelling at players on the sideline constructively, leading prayer after games and trying his best to keep his team involved when they were down.

Fans gravitated towards Kitna because his hot personality was in sharp contrast to Romo’s sometimes cool nature.

If his team is to fully support him, he needs to show them that he’s their unquestioned leader.

Gain the full support of his teammates

This last point jumps off of the previous one. It's obvious that either Romo’s play or his demeanor in the huddle or off the field has instilled doubt in some of his teammates minds.

Early this offseason, backup tight end Martellus Bennett said that Romo should compete with Jon Kitna for the starting quarterback job. While Bennett’s assertion that Romo needs competition may not be shared by all Cowboys players, it did raise questions.

Why would a teammate openly lobby for a quarterback competition of the team has full faith in their leader?

According to an article on NBC’s Pro Football Talk website Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett believes that Tony still has a lot to learn in terms of leadership.

The 2011 NFL season is make or break for Romo as some Cowboys fans, and players, are teetering toward dissent with their support for Tony.

His skill and ability has been proven on the field but his ability to lead is still debatable.