A Star is Born

If you play sports on the major collegiate or professional level in America, odds are that you're under a pretty strong spotlight. But there are degrees in everything and not all spotlights carry the same glare. There are certain positions that are more glamourous than others; Centerfield for the New York Yankees, Masters champion, head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, etc. In football, the position that carries the biggest spotlight is behind center for the Dallas Cowboys. Not everyone that has taken snaps in Texas Stadium turns out to be Roger Staubach or Troy Aikman, but when you have a big game, people take notice. On Thanksgiving Day in Dallas this season, the Tony Romo Bandwagon made a stop and loaded up a lot of new passengers. Romo threw five touchdown passes against the Tampa Bay Bucs as Dallas moved to 7-4 on the season. Granted, it's waaaaay early to start talking about Tony Romo as if he is the next Troy Aikman(the next Danny White? Maybe) but since replacing Drew Beldsoe as the Cowboys' QB, Romo has brought Dallas' season back from the brink by going 4-1 as a starter. Had it not been for a few drops and one ball that was underthrown, Romo would have emerged from Thursday with a perfect passer rating. It was easy to mistake Romo's #9 for the more famous #8 of the Cowboys as he put on the 22-for-29 for 306 yards performance. The second half alone was enough to wow observers, 9-for-10...which makes him an unreal 29-for-31 in his last three games after halftime. Granted, it won't be that easy for Romo through the rest of the season. Teams will get more tape on him and will start to figure out how to defend the Cowboys, but Romo seems like he has all the tools to adjust and to keep Dallas in the playoff hunt. He steps up in the pocket, doesn't lock onto his receivers, and he has the confidence of his team. This time last year, the Cowboys were also 7-4 after their annual holiday game. But they stubled down the stretch, winning only two more games and missing the playoffs. That team was led by the immobile Drew Bledsoe, this seems like a much different season with Tony Romo making plays in the spotlight.