These Things I Tell You Are True

Look, Cowboys fans, this isn't going to be easy to accept, but you're going to have to try:

It's not Tony Romo's fault you have a terrible defense. 

You can talk all you want about choking and a bad hold and all that stuff, but the fact of the matter is, when your defense gives up more than 40 points 3 times in a season, it's not the quarterback's fault. When you've only held opponents under 20 points twice, and in one of those games the opposing quarterback was playing with a concussion and thought his teammates were killer cyborgs from the planet Zargulon, it's not the quarterback's fault. When you're last in the league in passing yards allowed and near last in rushing yards allowed, when you're out-rushed by 40 yards a game on average, it's not the quarterback's fault. Yeah, you can point to the Broncos game and say he threw the pick that sealed it for Denver, but the fact remains that he led an offense that put up 48 points on the board against the Broncos. Nobody else, not even the Patriots, has gotten close to that mark.

So, if you're scoring lots of points, and your passing game is the only thing you've got going for you that's even league-average, and you're surrendering more points than a mime at a high school debate club practice, then maybe, just maybe, the issue isn't the quarterback. Blame your defense. Blame your coach. Blame your owner for his insane meddling. God knows there's enough blame to go around. But in zeroing in on one of your best players, and on one of the few who's actually performing, you're not just taking the easy road or making a mistake.

You're acting like Philadelphians (See: Schmidt, Mike - fan reaction to). And nobody wants that.