IRVING, Texas -- It takes some folks longer to accept the truth than others -- and it doesn't matter whether we're talking about a significant other, a colleague or the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback.
Immediately after the Cowboys' 28-17 loss to San Francisco, Tony Romo simply wasn't ready to accept what we all knew -- he wasn't ready to play after limited practice and playing time in training camp and the preseason.
After watching video of one of his worst performances in recent memory and discussing it with head coach Jason Garrett and playcaller Scott Linehan, Romo is finally ready to handle the truth.
Hey, the first step in solving a problem is acknowledging one exists.
It's imperative for Romo to play well Sunday against the Tennessee Titans because 0-2 is a death knell in the NFL. Since 1990, only 23 of 198 teams that started 0-2 have made the playoffs. The Cowboys have started 0-2 seven times in franchise history and made the playoffs once. The 1993 Cowboys started 0-2 -- while Emmitt Smith was in the midst of a contract dispute -- but won Super Bowl XXVIII.
We all know there's no Super Bowl coming for Dallas this season, but the last time the Cowboys started 0-2 Jerry Jones fired the head coach after eight games and promoted Jason Garrett.
If Romo hadn't had two back surgeries in the past year there wouldn't be nearly as much trepidation about his raggedy performance against San Francisco. We're trying to figure out whether Romo struggled because he didn't practice much in training camp or because his back is bothering him. If it's the back, then this might be the beginning of the end for Romo, whose six-year, $118 million contract kicks in this season. Then the focus becomes finding the next quarterback next season instead of fixing this defense.
That's why Romo's second start carries more importance than a usual Week 2 game. Every player needs practice; Romo more than most. He's an improvisational quarterback, a dude who has created big plays from chaos since Bill Parcells made him the starter in 2006. Romo needs the practice so that when he spins and twirls and whirls he still knows where his receivers and the opponents' defenders should be, something he can do only if every movement is instinctive. The game moves too fast for Romo to actually think about what he's doing. It needs to be muscle memory, which can only come through practice. It's no different than a basketball player practicing acrobatic layups, so he can react instinctively during the game.
We all saw last week what happens when Romo doesn't practice. The game moves too fast. He threw interceptions on three consecutive possessions for the first time in his career. Each was the result of a horrible decision.
"I think that. situationally, when you're in it, you need to be boom, boom, boom, boom, boom," Romo said. "And you go through it and after the snap you know [snaps fingers] these things come into your brain. Without them, you're just playing. And if you're just playing, over the course of 30 throws you're going to have some you don't necessarily feel comfortable with. Each one needs to be the most important throw of the game and you need to have that mental thought process among some other things that give you the advantages."
Tennessee applies so much pressure under defensive coordinator Ray Horton that they're going to make Romo make quick decisions under duress.
Last week, Tennessee harassed Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith all day in a 26-10 victory. The Titans sacked him four times, recorded six hurries and knocked him down seven times while forcing three holding penalties and two illegal procedure flags. Horton, who spent seven years as a secondary coach with Pittsburgh before being hired by Arizona as defensive coordinator in 2011, likes to bring pressure with his 3-4 defense, especially on third down. The Titans blitzed Kansas City on six of 10 third-down passes.
Now you should understand why the Cowboys need Romo to be mentally sharp against Tennessee.
"What can happen is you lose certain subtle things that need to continually be there beforehand. I think that comes with playing," Romo said. "I think I needed that, and maybe what I found is I needed to get that part of it sharper, and that comes with playing. ... I'm disappointed it obviously took a game to get to that point, but it'll be different going forward."
It better, or the calls for Garrett's replacement will grow louder and stronger. Starting 0-2 is a road to nowhere.
