I am not a Romo-basher. If anything, I am a Romo apologist. But the fact of the matter is, if the Cowboys want to go anywhere for the remainder of this season, he simply has to do more.
 
Don't get me wrong. I understand that in the last two losses, he's completed 70% of his passes, for 641 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. Nobody can argue that Tony Romo lost those games.
 
But he didn't win them.
 
Both weeks, in a one score game, he failed to take the team down the field for a score when he had a chance to do it. He has made tremendous progress this year in reducing careless and costly mistakes, but at the same time, he's reduced some of that great playmaking that won me over as a fan.
 
It is tough to make this argument. To put Romo in historical perspective, he has already, through 13 games, thrown for more yards than Troy Aikman did in any complete season. He needs only one more touchdown pass to tie Aikman's career best for a season. As of today, he has the second best career passer rating in NFL history.
 
But the Cowboys don't have Emmitt any more. They don't have a dominating offensive line. They don't have a shut-down defense. What they have is Tony Romo, a guy who has previously thrown for the 9th best single season TD total in NFL history. A guy who has earned more than a quarter of his career victories in fourth quarter or overtime comebacks. A guy who is playing in an offense redesigned in the off-season to be more "Romo-friendly."
 
Romo has done enough not to lose all year (except for that first game against the Giants,) but now he needs to do enough to win. That's not to say the Cowboys can't still be a running team. They'll need to slow this game down - a lot. And this week especially, there is a bigger risk for turnovers. Trying to keep up with the Saints can make quarterbacks press - ask Darren Sharper about that.
 
It's (once again) the biggest game of the year, against an undefeated team. Although it is often said that any NFL team can beat any other "on any given Sunday," unfortunately, Dallas plays the Saints on Saturday. What the Cowboys need is a playmaker. Well, they have one, and he touches the ball every single down. (Well, except for that "Razorback" thing.)
 
Time to make plays, Tony. I've had your back through some pretty ugly games. Prove me right.