Takeaways Are Tony Romo’s New Best Friend

Tony Romo’s had a pretty good week, believe it or not.

His ribs must feel like Floyd Mayweather’s heavy bag, but at least he doesn’t have to look up “pneumothorax” in the dictionary again. Nothing’s cracked. Nothing’s punctured. Sure beats the beating he took at Candlestick Park two years ago.

It gets even better for Tones. This week, he’s gotta be smiling about the Cowboys defense handing him six takeaways in a 36-31 win over the Giants. Twice the Cowboys scored touchdowns on defense, courtesy of 73-year-old Monte Kiffin’s Tampa 2 scheme. You’re only as old as you feel, folks.

In recent years, the Cowboys haven’t scored enough points to justify the yards they’ve piled up. There are lots of reasons for that: turnovers, drive-crippling penalties, uneven play-calling. Romo and the offense must be better, but they need some help, too.

Six takeaways won’t happen every week. But the defense’s measly 16 for the entire 2012 season was unique in its own incompetent way. Romo was navigating a mighty long field with a bad offensive line and a stubborn affinity for at least one or two impulsive throws per game.

Enter Kiffin and his right-hand man Rod Marinelli. Team Takeaway.

Their defense did let Eli Manning pass for 450 yards. Some chunks were inevitable with the Giants playing catchup. Some were the result of schematic breakdowns. But Kiffinelli has this group on the attack. They’re proactive, not reactive. When was the last time a Cowboys defense played that way? Wade Phillips’ group in 2009, the last season Dallas made the playoffs?

The Cowboys don’t have to be perfect on defense. They just need to get the ball in Romo’s hands a couple more times a game.

Think back to the 2009 Saints. They had the eighth-worst defense in the league, allowing 358 yards per game. They also had the 2^nd-most takeaways, delivering 38 extra possessions to Drew Brees. It balanced out their shaky defense. It helped them win 13 games and clinch homefield advantage. Hell, they won the Super Bowl by picking off Peyton Manning for a touchdown.

More takeaways doesn’t always mean more wins, but here’s a pretty telling stat: 10 of the 16 teams that clinched first-round byes since the Saints’ Super 2009 season ranked top-10 in takeaways. Here’s the breakdown:

2009: Saints (2^nd), Vikings (T-22), Colts (18^th), Chargers (T-19)

2010: Patriots (2^nd), Falcons (7^th), Steelers (3^rd), Bears (4^th)

2011: Packers (T-1), Saints (31st), 49ers (T-1), Patriots (3^rd)

2012: Broncos (T16^th), Falcons (T5^th), Patriots (2nd), 49ers (T-14th)

No surprise the Patriots are on this list three times. Wanna know why they’ve made the playoffs 10 of 11 years with a healthy Tom Brady – besides having Tom Brady and Bill Belichick? Since 2001, New England has consistently been top-10 in points off turnovers. The two years they didn’t rank that high: 2002, the lone season Brady didn’t make the playoffs; and 2008, the year they missed the playoffs with Matt Cassel as an injury fill-in.

There’s no guarantee the Cowboys will score more points with Bill Callahan calling plays. No one’s asking Romo to be Brady. But if the defense gives him shorter fields like in Week 1, he won’t have many excuses for leaving points on the board.

That’s reason enough to smile this week – even if it hurts.

(Photo Credit: DallasCowboys.com)