Why Tony Romo's Legacy Will Forever Be Altered This December

The Dallas Cowboys reach this zenith every single December it seems. Is this the year that the 'Boys finally get over the hump? Will the Cowboys make it past the first round of the playoffs and maybe to the Super Bowl? Is this December different from the previous ones?

We ask these questions every single December, and I feel that we'll be right back at this same point next year.

Mr. Antonio Ramiro Romo has his legacy on the line this month, and there are a few reasons why that's true. Romo's record of December 8 to 10 by my count, and also many believe that his performance begins to slide as the seasons trudges on. The Cowboys are set to face the Giants, Bucs, Giants and Eagles to finish the 2011 campaign. Dallas needs to win at least three of their last four to make it to the playoffs. But here is where the water gets a little murky for Romo.

If Tony has a spectacular December, meaning his quarterback rating is over 100 and he has no turnovers and throws six touchdowns, but the Cowboys lose and fail to make the playoffs, he's tarnished. Some kind of way Romo has to almost will the Cowboys to victory, see Tim Tebow. If the defense has a big letdown or Dan Bailey can't make a game-winning field goal, then Romo still fails.

Dallas has to win and Tony has to play well for the negative talk of Romo's play to subside.

On the other side, if Dallas wins all four and Romo plays poorly, then Dallas won in spite of Romo's play. The Cowboys won and are in the playoffs but then the talk will turn to "How can Dallas win in spite of Tony Romo?" Antonio is walking a path slicked with ice, oil and banana peels, and if he fails to navigate his way correctly he'll have a pretty hard fall.

Keys to Romo's Success

What's great for Romo is that he has enough weapons around him that he'll have a hard time failing. Romo will have to create a path to failure. Against the Jets he made a key mistake that created a winning opportunity for New York. With the Lions he played reckless enough for Detroit to stage a comeback. Romo hasn't played that way lately and unless he feels that he's being forced to make plays then we shouldn't see the Romo we saw against the Jets and Lions.

Tony will rely heavily on wide receiver Laurent Robinson and tight end Jason Witten. Romo and Robinson have great chemistry in the red zone as Laurent has seven touchdowns this season. When Tony begins to scramble, Robinson seems to know where Tony likes to place the ball and his favorite spots on the field. He simply turns his head and body upfield and Romo gets him the ball.

With Witten we know that he's Tony's favorite receiver and he's always in Romo's line of sight. He will be key for Dallas against the Giants and Eagles, two teams that will more than likely go after the Cowboys' fragile offensive line.

Lastly, Romo will need head coach Jason Garrett to balance the offense. Last game against the Cardinals running back DeMarco Murray received only 12 carries and Tony threw the ball over 40 times. Dallas was nowhere near falling behind and had no reason to rely so heavily on the pass. Garrett cannot get that out of balance against the Giants next week.

This is not the end for Tony but I believe we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Whether that light leads to the promise land or to a freight train remains to be seen, but Romo needs to make a splash this December. He needs to take the Cowboys on his back and show his franchise, and doubters, that he's capable of moving this team forward.

If not, then we'll be back here in December of 2012 singing the same sad love song...again.

-JH