Dallas quarterback 2011

With Jason Garrett now running the ship, the team has taken on a new persona. They are excited, they are motivated and they are once again having fun on the sidelines. Jon Kitna, the emotional guy that he is, is once again mimicking that overall feeling; he's laughing, jumping around, slapping helmets and as the quarterback he's getting the most attention than anyone else on the team.

He's experienced, he's aggressive, he's accurate and he's a natural leader. Make no mistake, however: Jason Garrett and the coaching change is what has ultimately made the difference in this two-game turnaround, not just Jon Kitna.

For whatever reason, Tony Romo now appears to be under attack while he heals his broken collarbone. He's not the vocal, emotional leader that Kitna is and therefore isn't as effective, it's been said.

Kitna is playing just as well in Romo's place so why should the Cowboys stick with Romo long-term, I've been hearing. While I'm sure most fans would love to see Romo play with some of the external fire that Kitna possesses, how can there be any doubt that Romo is not one of the most motivated and electric players in the NFL?

How many times has Romo bailed out his offensive line, or set up his receivers with his athleticism and ability to move around the pocket?

Romo is not perfect, but he's still one of the best options at quarterback any team could possibly hope to have. Perhaps Romo is learning some valuable lessons while standing on the sideline, watching another veteran quarterback's ability to really lead his team. Romo is not perfect, despite his physical abilities has never been a quarterback that verbally inspires those around him; he's always used his actions and his on-field play to inspire his team.

With Kitna showing how being vocal is certainly valuable at times, there's hope that Romo returns an even better quarterback and leader than before. What's even more perplexing is how Romo is now under fire for remaining silent through the coaching change from Wade Phillips to Jason Garrett.

Romo has not talked to the media after injuring his collarbone and some are calling him out for not publicly addressing the coaching change. While some may view that as a problem, I see that as Romo not taking the spotlight while he's not on the field; Kitna is the quarterback and Romo has allowed him to fully embrace that role on the team.

Now the Cowboys are having to decide on whether Romo should play the final few games of the season. No matter what the record of the team, no matter what chances the Cowboys might actually have at making the playoffs -- this is a supremely bad idea. The long-term health of Tony Romo is not worth trying to win the final few games of a lost season; while some feel the momentum of playing well in December could carry over, it's not worth the risk of Romo suffering further injury and requiring surgery.

The Cowboys are now experiencing the luxury every team wishes they had: a backup quarterback capable of leading their team to victory. Kitna is playing well, even in the two losses, and there's no reason why he shouldn't finish out the season as the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. So, the question becomes, can the Cowboys win with Andy Dalton at the helm? A picture emerges from all these numbers. Andy Dalton is pretty good, and early in his career was considered very good. Good enough to get himself into the Pro Bowl three times.

But Cincinnati has been a weak team in general in recent years. His career numbers are solid but unspectacular. Of the skill players he had to work with, AJ Green was the only name I even recognized. When the team was good, Dalton was pretty good. Last Sunday, after Prescott was injured, Dalton went nine for twelve in passing. He also led the team to victory. Dalton played most of the second half, and under his leadership, the team scored one touchdown and two field goals.

The starting quarterback always gets the most reps in practice by far, and Dalton was the back-up until now. Schantz Jones 1. Williams 3. Clark 1. Lively 5. Medlicott 1. Medlicott 3.

Parrish 1 0 Kelley 2 36 6. Coleman 1 35 2. Gowans 1 30 5. Green 2 27 C. Oakes 1 2. Parsons 1 15 3. Schantz 2 36 J. Jones 4 4 F. Joseph 1 0 3. Marchuk 2 33 2. Basher 7 6 R. Mitchell 4 20 9. Downs 1 7 J. Cheadle 2 8 J. Jackson 1 6 2. Lng In 20 Season Totals 27 Williams 7 Dominy 11 Womack 4 Joseph 5 Kelley 1 6 6.

Jordan 13 0 Green 1 8 8. Joseph 2 19 9. Cheadle 1 3 3. Jurcak 3 16 5. Vance 3 22 7. Kelley 2 0. Coleman 1 0. Jordan 11 Green 4 48 Oakes 1 7 7. Dickerson 5 56 Joseph 13 Mitchell 1 0.

Harris 1 28 Jurcak 18 1. Williams 70 5. Vance 66 5.