Tony Romo: 5 Ways Dallas Cowboys QB Has Proven He's Elite in 2011

Since becoming the Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo has been in the forefront of the NFL public eye, with many having negative views on the three-time Pro Bowl selection.

The media coverage and public opinion of Romo is as up and down as his critics believe his game to be, but this season, No. 9 has proven he's entered the elite status of NFL quarterbacks.

Here are the top five reasons the Dallas quarterback deserves to be in the upper echelon of players at his position.

Rising Above Offensive Line Struggles

The Cowboys had to make some tough cuts on the offensive line this past offseason, letting go of former center Andre Gurode and guard Leonard Davis due to salary-cap constrictions, and the inexperience of their replacements has shown throughout 2011.

Tackle Doug Free was one of Dallas' most expensive offseason signings and has been inconsistent at best after his big payday.

Free has struggled to protect his quarterback, blowing many assignments that have led to Romo taking a hard hit from the opposition.

New center Phil Costa has also had a difficult regular season, noticeably giving his quarterback high or low snaps and struggling to remember the snap count on multiple occasions.

Despite all of these issues by his big men, playing with arguably his worst offensive line in his career, Romo has found a way to have one of his most productive years under center.

Romo already has 29 touchdowns and more than 3,000 passing yards with two more games to go.

December Success

Everyone has heard the rap against Tony Romo falling apart in December and January, but this season has been a different story so far for the Eastern Illinois alum.

Fresh off a near-perfect November, the Cowboys quarterback has eight touchdowns, no interceptions and a 121.4 passer rating in the last month of 2011.

Sure, Dallas has lost two of their December contests, but those are on the shoulders of head coach Jason Garrett and kicker Dan Bailey, not Romo.

In fact, Romo led his offense down the field at the end of the fourth quarter in both the Arizona and New York game, only to see poor clock management and a missed field goal cost his team wins on both occasions.

Playing Through Injury

Earlier in the 2011 season, Romo suffered what looked to be a multiple-week injury, when he suffered two broken ribs and a collapsed lung against the San Francisco 49ers.

It looked as if the Cowboys' starter was done for the game, only for fans to watch and see No. 9 lobby his way onto the football field and rally his team to a victory against the now-NFC West champions.

Not only did Romo come back into the San Francisco game, but he also played the next few weeks with a Kevlar vest over his still-recovering ribs in order to stay away from the sidelines.

Owning Up to Mistakes

It hasn't been a season without its share of down moments for Romo, most infamously his late interception against the New York Jets and the back-to-back interceptions for touchdowns against the Detroit Lions several weeks later.

While these moments were the perfect fuel for non-believers of the quarterback, the fact that Romo didn't tiptoe or downplay his mistakes and publicly took the blame for both losses is exactly what you want from the face of your franchise.

For years, critics have claimed that the newly married quarterback didn't embrace his leadership role on the team, but this season it seems he's finally looking comfortable with the "C" on his jersey and has matured as a player.

Smart Decision-Making

Romo has been categorized as a Brett Favre-like gunslinger throughout his career, but as the 2011 season has gone on, he has been making better decisions with the football.

He has just two interceptions since the end of October, and if you look back on highlights of games like this past Saturday in Tampa Bay, when Romo has extended offensive plays, more often then not they've helped his team rather than hinder it.

A few seasons ago, it wouldn't be uncommon to see half of those roll out of the pocket plays go for interceptions, and the other half to end up in 30-yard plays, but as this season has gone on, we've seen less of the former and more of the latter.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Romo mentioned that he feels as if there are things he is able to do over this season that he couldn't do earlier in his career, and the visual evidence is showing itself each week.