Can Tony Romo deliver without his star receiver?

by Massimo Russo

This game can be so cruel sometimes – cruel enough to throw some bitter salt in the fruity punch of a dramatic win. Tony Romo’s heroics in the final quarter Sunday was his 24th game-winning, comeback drive, the most by any quarterback since the ’06 season. However, the Cowboys’ 27-26 thrilling W over the rival Giants was followed by some terrible news. Elite receiver Dez Bryant broke his foot, sidelining him for at least four to six weeks and possibly longer according to various reports.

With Bryant out, what will offensive coordinator Scott Linehan’s game plan be without Bryant’s prowess in the slant game, crossing routes, his vertical game, physicality on fades in the redzone, and most importantly, drawing double coverage to single up Romo’s second, third and fourth options? Linehan needed to abandon the ground game against the Giants when the Cowboys fell behind, but the running back committee (as I’ve been expecting) did their damage in the passing game. Dallas’ trio set of runners, Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar present speed and elusiveness in the open field, and Linehan’s game plan worked mightily on the underneath routes, taking advantage of the Giants’ suspect linebackers.

Linehan and head coach Jason Garrett will still try to establish the ground game in a run first system, but having runners they can deploy out in space, there’s still room to isolate the oppositions back sevens (if the backs aren’t making splash plays on the ground). 65 of the Cowboys’ 80 rushing yards against the Giants came from Randle, and 131 yards came from the screen game – 70 of them from Dunbar, who caught 8 of 12 passes Romo connected with the backs. That’s 211 total yards between the ground and air Randle, McFadden and Dunbar produced.

What caught my attention was how Linehan utilized his backs, particularly Dunbar (Shane Vereen style) lined up as a receiver. Linehan flexed him out to the perimeter and had him lined up behind Bryant on quick screens to run after the catch while Bryant blocked for him downfield. He also had him leak out on option routes, singled up on a linebacker (that’s a mismatch) and as a check down option for Romo. The key here is when you have a runner that can be used as a flanker – it draws defenses away from the main read, forcing a linebacker or a defensive back to man him. Slot receiver Cole Beasley and tight end Jason Witten demand attention in the middle, and if Dunbar, McFadden and Randle continue to get open looks in space on screen game concepts, back sevens will need to key on them. That could open up more one-on-ones for Witten and Beasley – plus man looks for Romo on the perimeter.

Speaking of the perimeter, Terrance Williams (reminds me of Terry Glenn) will take over as Romo’s number one option. Williams has sneaky speed and quality route running skills, but his radius isn’t at the level of Bryant’s for Romo to throw him the ball in tight spots. That doesn’t shut down Romo’s chances to stretch the field with Williams. Not to mention, Linehan’s 12 personnel packages with tight end Gavin Escobar, Witten’s sidekick able to run the seams and Linehan potentially sending Beasley on a deep crossing route can draw attention from the back end. That, along with a few other concepts can trigger the deep ball opportunities for Romo to connect with his receivers on the outside.

Over the next few or several weeks, lots of burning questions surrounding Dallas’ Bryant-less passing game will need to be answered. Will Linehan try to create traffic by using more pick routes to free Romo’s targets up? Will he use more motioning and some gadget plays to catch opposing back sevens out of position? Will he rely on multiple intermediate concepts (shallow crosses, RB/WR screens, swing passes, wheel routes, and slants) and trust his receivers to gain yards after the catch? Having great protection up front and Linehan’s influence has helped Romo lean more on his arm from the pocket – mitigating his out of structure habits. If defenses are giving Romo open looks underneath, he’s taking them and isn’t forcing the issue. If defenses are in press coverage and showing the blitz, he’s recognizing them better than he’s ever had.

Losing Bryant’s big playmaking ability hurts, but good coaches know how to make adjustments. Let’s not forget, Romo’s no ordinary quarterback or some rookie learning the X’s and O’s – he’s one of the best signal callers in the game that his team has confidence in. That gives me reasons to believe he can keep Dallas’ offense functioning without his bread and butter receiver.

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