Cowboy's are Romo's Team Now

Albert Breer - SportingNews.com

SAN ANTONIO -- For the past two years, there's been little question about who'd be calling signals for the Dallas Cowboys.

But it has taken longer, it seems, for Tony Romo to become The Voice in the Cowboys' huddle.

To the decision-makers in the organization, it's almost irrelevant now how he got there -- whether it was through the ouster of Terrell Owens, his becoming more comfortable in the role or natural progression.

What matters is that Romo is now there, nearly three years after winning the starting job.

"He knows this is his offense and his team," Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten said. "The best thing he's done this year, he's set such a high standard for what we're going to be on offense.

"He's challenging everyone to play at his level."

It's not like Dallas' offense has scuffled since Romo took the reins. The Cowboys' offense ranked in the top five in 2006 and '07 before dipping to 13th last year, largely because of an unsightly showing by Brad Johnson when Romo missed three games in midseason because of a broken finger on his throwing hand. Romo carries the second-highest passer rating in NFL history, tied with Peyton Manning, into the '09 season.

But in a place where the bar was set by Roger Staubach and raised by Troy Aikman, only one number really means something -- the number of Super Bowl rings. For Romo, that number is zero–the same number, for that matter, as his playoff wins.

Compounding that is Romo's performance when the stakes are raised. In September, October and November, his passer rating is 106.5 with 67 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. In December, conversely, he has a 71.9 rating and 14 touchdowns against 19 interceptions. And he's 0-2 in the playoffs.

Romo says he won't look back. But he emphasizes he has learned from those failures.

"I can't harp on it enough: Figuring out when you did something wrong and not doing it the next time," Romo said Wednesday. "Those are experiences -- the more times you go through them, the better the team will be if you have a bunch of guys who care and are willing to look at themselves honestly and improve."

Romo won't say it, but Owens' charisma and his popularity in the locker room were impediments to Romo imparting those kinds of messages in the past. When conflict surrounding Owens arose late last season, any chance of Romo taking charge was erased as the club spiraled into chaos.

And maybe the Cowboys won't acknowledge that outwardly. But it's pretty easy to read between the lines when comparing the Romo of this year to the Romo of last.

"He pushes every single player around him -- 'We gotta pick it, this is where we get better,' " tight end Martellus Bennett said. "He gets on everybody, doesn't matter if it's a lineman, receiver, running back or himself. He'll say, 'I gotta pick it up, my bad.' He's showing a lot of accountability and responsibility out there."

Providing Romo the freedom to do just that played a part in Owens' departure. The idea is that, with younger players like Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin around him–and a stable of tailbacks and tight ends–Romo will have command and will grow.

"We'll be a lot better at that position this year, and Tony will be a lot better absent injury," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Wednesday. "Tony should, because he's at that level with his maturation as a quarterback. Consequently, if he's not and we're not better there, then we won't have a successful team."

Romo says there's no more heat on him now, because being The Quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys always brings that. And coach Wade Phillips emphasized that, saying, "I don't know that there's any more pressure than there has been the last two years."

But when Jones was asked if he believes this season hinges on his quarterback's play, his answer was succinct:

"Absolutely."

And if it's truly Romo's team, then that's the truth.

Staff writer Albert Breer covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at abreer@sportingnews.com.

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