Tony Romo: Why Cowboys Need to Find Another QB If Romo Fails This Season

It's come to that point in time, Tony Romo.

You can either perform like the elite quarterback you've shown glimpses of becoming in the crucial moments of games, or you can once again fold and show you aren't the man for the job in Dallas.

It's been a rough road for the 31-year-old gunslinger of the Cowboys, a player with such promise that has yet to live up to the high expectations.

On Sunday at the New York Jets, Romo was on the verge of getting the Cowboys off to a great start after a dismal 2010 season. He was making all the throws, showing poise in the pocket and frankly, making a mockery of the Jets' vaunted defense.

But when the game was on the line, when you expect elite quarterbacks to rise to the occasions, Romo did what he's always done, the same Romo who holds a 1-3 record in the postseason: He choked.

In the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Cowboys were up 24-10 on the Jets' 2-yard line and in reach of putting the game away. But something happened. Something that should have been shocking but that has proven to be just another ordinary crucial moment for Romo: Romo fumbled the ball near the goal-line. The Jets recovered and proceeded to go on to a 27-24 victory over a stunned Cowboys team.

And it wasn't the only big mistake Romo made in the fourth quarter. With under a minute to play, with the score tied 24-24, he decided to blindly sling the ball right into Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis' hands, who only had to stand there before the ball met him comfortably.

It ended up setting up the game-winning field goal, a 50-yarder by former Cowboys kicker Nick Folk. And no, I'm not making any jokes about Folk's last name. We've all heard enough.

This is one of the biggest quandaries for a sports team. Whether to hold onto a player who generally gets them to the playoffs with his stellar play or whether to go a different direction because that same player does nothing when he gets there.

If I may switch sports for just a moment, this is the same problem the Miami Heat are dealing with, as LeBron James continues to prove he's great, but not great enough.

What do you do with a player you owe so much to, but also doesn't appear equipped to get you to the ultimate goal, the championship?

In my opinion, the Cowboys should look for another quarterback, or at least draft a strong quarterback prospect, if Romo fails this season.

It's one of the most difficult things to do because you're always waiting for players like Romo to get over that hump. You say, "If he could just win playoff games, he would be fine."

But you simply don't "just win playoff games." It takes a certain type of individual, one who can not only excel but play better in the biggest moments of a game.

Romo doesn't have this. He never has. And there's nothing to indicate this will change.

Romo has done everything in his power to convince the Cowboys he will not be an elite quarterback. If you want a playoff team, you go with Romo. If you want a Super Bowl, you make the difficult decision of going a different direction.

The Cowboys play great as a whole against the Jets on Sunday, and Romo was a big part of that up until a certain point.

But in the end, it was he who didn't come through.