Tony Romo Injury: Cowboys Must Find Permanent Replacement for Fallen Star

The Dallas Cowboys 2011 season took another bad turn Sunday, when quarterback Tony Romo exited the game with hurt ribs.

Romo finished the first half against the San Francisco 49ers, but did not start the third quarter. John Kitna replaced him.

When the Cowboys lost Romo last season for 10 games because of a broken clavicle, Kitna started nine games and threw for 16 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.

With another injury and years of failures in big games, it's time that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones finds a permanent replacement for Tony Romo at quarterback.

Time after time, when important games are to be won, Romo finds a way to lose them.

Consider these stats. His career record in the NFL playoffs is 1-3, and in games during the month of December, Romo is just 8-8.

He cannot win games of any consequence. Not only have his playoff losses been bad, the Cowboys lost to some teams they should have beaten.

We all remember the botched snap against the Seattle Seahawks in the 2006 playoffs, but in 2007, after the Cowboys went 13-3 and clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, Romo threw for just 201 yards with an interception in a 21-17 loss to the New York Giants.

Not only does Romo choke in big games, he isn't a leader. He doesn't lead by example or with his words. The quarterback has to weather the storm and succeed through adversity, and Romo can't do that.

Jerry Jones has to find a new quarterback to lead the Cowboys back to the Super Bowl. Romo is clearly unable to handle the pressure of being the Dallas Cowboys quarterback.

There are a few options for him. There's the draft next April, and although the Cowboys likely won't be bad enough to select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck No. 1 overall, the Cowboys have plenty of talent to put together a trade for a top draft pick.

Jones could also look to free agency or explore a trade for a new quarterback.

Whichever quarterback Jones finds to replace Romo with, that player will be surrounded with top receivers and the best tight end in football, Jason Witten.

Tony Romo's inconsistent health and poor play in big games during his career has made it clear he cannot lead the Cowboys to the Super Bowl.

Dallas won't win a Super Bowl in the near future unless they can find someone who can handle the pressure of being the leader of the Cowboys.

Nicholas Goss is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter for the latest sports news: Follow @NicholasGoss35