At quarter-post of the NFL race, it’s not – contrary to popular criticism – the “same ol’ Cowboys.”
Why? Because at this point you can’t blame Tony Romo. At least not rationally.
I know Peyton Manning is getting all the attention and accolades heading into this week’s game at AT&T Stadium. But the other quarterback is having himself a pretty decent season in the middle of another ho-hum start for his team.
The Cowboys’ quarterback is completing 72% of his passes (3rd in the NFL) and has a splendid touchdown-to-interception ledger of 8-1. His only pick came against the Giants when rookie Terrance Williams ran the wrong route.
To put his lone interception into perspective, only two quarterbacks have thrown 0 interceptions in 2013: Manning and the Titan’s Jake Locker. A season ago through four games Romo had already thrown eight picks.
“Well, I think I’m doing a couple of things different, a couple of things I worked on this offseason that have allowed certain things in different situations to be a little bit easier,” Romo told Denver reporters on a conference call Wednesday afternoon. “I found something pretty important, I think, in the throwing motion that’s allowed me to throw from a little bit different position. That’s calmed certain things down. I think a lot of things go into play. We’re getting good offensive-line play. A lot of different things come into play with that stuff.”
Critics, of course, will complain that Romo’s merely dinking and dunking and his refusal to throw deep is a reason for the Cowboys’ lack of offensive explosiveness and their mediocre 2-2 record. As I‘ve agreed before, Romo does need to take more shots down the field. But as soon as he throws a pick on a bomb, the critics will chortle with “todja so’s.”
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To have any chance at upsetting the Broncos, the Cowboys need Miles Austin back, a consistent running game and for Romo to be, well, Romo. Face it, he’s played well enough to maybe not be Peyton Manning, but to be at least 3-1 if not 4-0.
If you’re stubborn enough to think Romo is still a Cowboys’ problem, perhaps I should introduce you to NFL quarterbacks named Josh Freeman and Matt Schaub.
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently writes a sports/guy stuff blog at DFWSportatorium.com and lives in McKinney with his fiancee, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
