[alexamenos]

Spags making some sense...

...he [Romo] is going to need a little help from his friends. No, sorry, from his big friends. Because Romo is human, and the more pressure defenses get on him, his percentage for making mistakes goes up. Makes sense, right?

And just as team's figured out at the end of the 2006 season, and that was with the mighty Bill Parcells as head coach and Tony Sparano calling plays, and just as they figured out by the end of the 2007 season, they figured out the last three-quarters of the 2008 season that the best way to stop the Cowboys was to stop Romo.

In other words, in the true spirit of Texas Hold 'Em, go all in on Romo with the pass rush. Blitz, blitz and blitz some more. Bet you get to Romo before Romo gets to you. And whatever you do, do not give him time to either sit in the pocket or slide in the pocket, as he did in 2006 and mostly in 2007, to buy time for his unconventional plays.

Because the more unconventionally you have to play quarterback, the lower your percentage of success. That's just the way it is.

And the poor Cowboys, they never could - have - figured out how to protect Romo. Not against these great defenses. And unfortunately for them, they lost the one element to best counter all the pressure teams put on the Cowboys - that threat to take the football to the house.

Felix Jones.

Look, who you worried about running by you on this offense? Marion Barber? Please. Tashard Choice? Not really. Terrell Owens? Not if you don't let him off the line. Miles Austin? Not proficient enough as a receiver.

So here they came, right after Romo, to be damned as the Browns and Eagles and Packers were in those first three games to get beat by his innate ability to create.

Think about it: Us creative ones need our space. They gave Romo little.

The Cowboys ability to pick up the blitz, er, inability, and that goes for the offensive line, the backs, the tight ends and the receivers to understand about cut-off routes, is why this team ultimately finished 9-7 and why this offense averaged just 16.5 points over the final month of the season when the Cowboys went, ugh, 1-3.

Check this out: In his 13 starts this season Romo was sacked 20 times. But 13 of those sacks came in the final four games - 65 percent in 25 percent of the games.

In 13 starts this season, Romo fumbled the ball 13 times, losing seven. But in the final four games, he had six of those fumbles, losing three.

In his 13 starts this season, he was intercepted 16 times. But of those 16, six of those came in the final four games - 38 percent in just 25 percent of the games.

And in two of those final four games, Romo suffered a severe enough back contusion to probably have missed at least one game - he played on - and suffered separated cartilage in the last one that would have sidelined him this week if the Cowboys had somehow won.

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