Despite being the reason for the season and all that, I'm pretty sure Tony Romo could do without December and January, two months that haven't been very nice to him during his professional tackle football career.
Sunday against the Steelers he threw three interceptions -- including the game-deciding pick-six -- and mixed in a fumble for good measure. After the game, Romo took full responsibility for the outcome, and tight end Jason Witten also suggested he deserved a few fingers pointed in his direction (Dominic Raiolagladly obliged on behalf of disgruntled fans everywhere).
That said, fans also took issue with Stay Puft Wade's coaching skills, as well as Boy Genius' play-calling abilities.
As the Dallas Morning News' Tim MacMahon writes this morning, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett also deserves a share of the blame. The biggest "WTF" moment came when Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend admitted after the game that he knew what play was coming just before Romo threw him a pass intended for Witten that, 25 yards later, resulted in six Pittsburgh points.
"It was a route that they had been running all night," said Townsend, who picked off Tony Romo's pass and returned it 25 yards for a tie-breaking touchdown. "Coach LeBeau made a great call, and it worked out for us."
But that wasn't Garrett's biggest gaffe, at least according to MacMahaon.
Garrett's most glaring mistakes, though, came much earlier in the game. His play-calling at the end of the Cowboys' second possession was puzzling, to say the least. On third-and-2 at the Pittsburgh 34, he motioned T.O. into an empty backfield and ran a toss right to him. On fourth-and-1, he motioned Tashard Choice out of the backfield and ran a fullback dive to Deon Anderson, who got stuffed by James Harrison. It was a classic case of getting too cute, putting the ball in hands of players who aren't used to having it in that position.
And it's those plays, when they don't work, that will cause a fan base to turn on you. All will be forgotten if the Cowboys win their three remaining regular-season games and make the playoffs, but such a scenario isn't without it's own problems. For starters, it'll mean Wade Phillips will likely keep his job, which, as best I can tell, nobody wants (not even Wade, I'd guess).
Of course, owner Jerry Jones has never had any issue firing guys to get what he wants (hi, Tom Landry!), and if Jones thinks Garrett should be the head coach in 2009 -- even if the Cowboys win the Super Bowl (hey, it could happen) -- well, Garrett will be the head coach. And then we can all wonder if he's worthy of the gig after a so-so performance as the team's OC these past two seasons.
On Tony Romo's Game-Deciding Pick, Steelers Knew What Play Was Coming originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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