Romo Good, Roy Bad

OK, Cowboys fans, you can stop worrying about Tony Romo. He is, in fact, the real deal. He isn't a Johnny-come-lately, flash-in-the-pan gunslinger as apt to throw it to the bad guys as the guys wearing stars.

Not since Roger Doger has a Cowboys' QB averaged over 23 yards per completion in a game. Not since 2000 have the Cowboys scored so many points. Not since Troy to Jay have we seen a Dallas signal-caller make such deadly use of his tight end.

Not even the potential loss of Terry Glenn for the season can dampen our spirits when it comes to this Cowboys' offense. Thanks, Romo!

Romo good!

The other side of the coin, or the line of scrimmage, is another story entirely. The Cowboys still don't get enough consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks, even with Mr. Fix-It coaching them. They give up huge ground gains to pedestrian running backs. And worst of all, they still can't cover a wideout.

The most glaring offender (or offensive defender) is none other than Roy "oops-I-missed-another-one" Williams. We all remember a time when Roy was the Enforcer, a real bad ass. A ball might be caught, or a run broken, but the hapless fool who ventured too far on the Cowboys' side of the ball faced certain retribution and would certainly need a bottle of Tylenol.

These days, however, if he isn't whiffing on a tackle, or getting burned by Plaxico Burress for a TD, he is being plowed under by the tattooed tight end, Shockey.

It's enough to make you scratch your head. This once-proud perennial Pro Bowler looked lost out there...all night long. He is supposed to shine close to the line of scrimmage. He is supposed to be a juggernaut when he blittzes. Instead, he just gets manhandled by guards, tight ends, and whomever else happens to see him and summarily dismiss him.

Roy bad. Real bad.

The success of the Cowboys' 2007 campaign may come down to one question: "Is Tony good enough to cover Roy's bad ass?"

Stay tuned.