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Cowboys win won't silence Romo critics

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Alex Marvez

Alex Marvez is a Senior NFL Writer for FOXSports.com. He has covered the NFL for the past 17 seasons as a beat writer and is the former president of the Pro Football Writers of America. He also is a frequent host on Sirius XM NFL Radio.

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Updated Sep 29, 2009 11:58 AM ET
     
 

ARLINGTON, Texas

His postgame departure from the locker room came on a golf cart that drove through a bevy of gawking Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Not a bad way for Tony Romo to end one of his rougher weeks.
Romo is off the hook from public abuse — at least temporarily — following Monday night's 21-7 home victory over Carolina. He played a solid but unspectacular game, completing 22 of 33 passes for 255 yards. There were no touchdown throws but no turnovers either — a marked improvement from the previous outing that subjected Romo to the kind of scorn normally reserved for embattled Cowboys coach Wade Phillips. Eight days earlier, Romo's three interceptions were the deciding factor in a 33-31 loss to the New York Giants that ruined his team's inaugural regular-season game at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. "I would say this week is going to be better than last week," Romo deadpanned while flashing a half-smile. "That's a fair assessment." Getting a fair assessment of where Romo stands in his seven-year career isn't as easy. After the game, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he feels strongly that Romo is "the quarterback that can win where we want to go." Recent history indicates otherwise. The star on Romo's helmet has faded since his meteoric 2006 rise under then-coach Bill Parcells. Romo began his career as a starter with an 18-6 record. He is 11-8 since and has lost both of his playoff appearances. That has raised doubts about whether Romo was worth the $67 million contract extension Jones granted midway through the 2007 season. Dr. Phil would have a blast psychoanalyzing reasons for the decline. Some will point to the Yoko Effect — i.e. Romo's ill-fated relationship with Jessica Simpson. Romo's image still hasn't recovered from his retreat with Simpson to Cabo San Lucas before Dallas' 2007 playoff loss to the New York Giants. Questions began to arise about whether Romo had his priorities in order and the drive to become a consistently great player. This perception and knocks on Romo's leadership were enhanced by his ho-hum reaction after big losses. Like Simpson, Terrell Owens is another piece of baggage Romo has shed in 2009. But the wide receiver's stinging criticism of Romo and a misfiring Cowboys offense in 2008 left another black mark. Not all the knocks are justified. Romo missed three games last season with a damaged thumb and was never the same player upon his return. Compounding the problem were other offensive injuries and a lack of continuity, especially because of Owens' throw-me-the-ball demands and wide receiver Roy Williams' difficulty in adjusting after his midseason arrival from Detroit. Romo knew something had to change. So did Dallas management. Owens was released. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett returned to a more diversified attack with renewed emphasis on the running game (Dallas gouged Carolina for 212 rushing yards even without injured starter Marion Barber). Romo also has tried to reinvent himself. He talked in the preseason about being a better leader and the team having "narrowed its focus" by ignoring outside chatter. Romo seemed on the right track after a 34-21 season-opening victory at Tampa Bay. But the harsh public and media response after the Giants game shows how little faith many have in him. Even the number of Cowboys legends bashing Romo continues to grow. Last week, Tony Dorsett joined Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman with his $.02. Dorsett told FOXSports radio that he didn't know why on "God's earth Romo has been anointed a superstar" and the media "has given him too much credit for doing nothing." "The criticism is meaningless to me," Romo said about fallout from the Giants loss. "If I throw four TDs last week, everyone thinks you're amazing and might be this or that. It's the same as if people tell you you're no good. It doesn't matter. It's all about improving and doing it on the field." In that regard, the Cowboys still have a long ways to go. The crowd of 90,588 fans showered the team with boos as the winless Panthers (0-3) entered halftime with a 7-0 lead. Dallas was forced to settle for field goals on two drives that reached the Carolina 1-yard line.
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This game was decided largely by the Dallas defense and a special-teams coverage unit that kept Carolina pinned deep throughout. Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme — who is on far shakier ground than Romo — continued his decline. Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman returned a Delhomme interception 27 yards for the game-sealing touchdown with 5:07 remaining. Just the fact that Dallas hadn't dispatched the overmatched Panthers earlier speaks volumes about where the Cowboys (2-1) really stand after three weeks. So does Jones saying his team had a "desperate attitude" following the Giants loss even with the season so young. Yet while the Cowboys' overall psyche may be shaky, Romo insists his isn't. "I am much tougher on myself than any of you guys ever will be," Romo told the media. "I have goals I hope to achieve as an individual and collectively as a group. I get frustrated and disappointed when I don't live up to what my standard is. That's why I come back with a purpose to improve. My sole focus this week was to understand why I did certain things and not make those mistakes again. "Sometimes you have to go through the growing pains to get there." But after three-plus seasons as a starter and no postseason success to show for it, it's understandable why some Cowboys fans are growing tired of waiting for Romo to truly become an elite quarterback. Alex Marvez will appear with co-host Marty Schottenheimer from 1 to 3 p.m. ET Tuesday on Sirius NFL Radio, Channel 124.

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