According to a report by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo may have forgotten what down it was when he threw an incomplete pass to Sam Hurd at the conclusion of Dallas’ loss to the Broncos on Sunday.

Following the final incomplete pass to end the Cowboys hopes, a video caught on KDFW Fox-4 shows Romo seemingly telling his linemen to line back up. He then flashes three fingers to one of the game officials.

After hearing the response, Romo screams and walks off field.

If true, Romo apparently forgot about the spike to stop the clock on second down.

When asked about the series of events, coach Wade Phillips didn’t know anything about a discrepancy. He said that on the sideline they knew what down it was and any questions would need to be directed at Romo.

Romo is human – he makes mistakes like everyone else. But this is a biggie if it’s true. As a quarterback, you have to know the situation at all times, including what freaking down it is.

That said, if Phillips and the rest of the Dallas sideline knew it was fourth down, it’s part of their responsibility to let their quarterback know the situation. He’s got to worry about relaying what the play call is, how the defense is set up and everything else so a simple, “Hey Tony, it’s fourth down – this is it, buddy” could have been relayed.

The media tends to pin wins and losses solely on Romo, which is unfair. That said, he seems to be regressing as a decision-maker and he misfired badly on a couple of throws on Sunday, one of which got his marginally talented receiver Roy Williams decked in the ribs.

I’ve written several times in the past how Romo is at a crossroads in his career. Outside of a career day in Tampa, he hasn’t played well this season and he certainly didn’t help himself stave off criticism if he did forget what down it was on Sunday. If the Cowboys continue to stumble, an offseason quarterback change might be forthcoming.

According to a report by Yahoo! Sports columnist Michael Silver, the real reason why Terrell Owens was jettison in Dallas was because the team didn’t think quarterback Tony Romo could be a leader with T.O. in the locker room.

Yes, it has plenty to do with Tony Romo(notes). Absolutely, Owens’ penchant for being a major pain in the ass played a role. And, as most of us have suspected, this did come down to his effect on team chemistry. Oddly enough, however, T.O.’s popularity in the Cowboys’ locker room is precisely why he was asked to clear out his belongings.

The bottom line, team executive vice president Stephen Jones said Thursday, is that he and his father came to this conclusion: For the team’s highly paid quarterback to become a truly influential leader, the big man on campus had to be jettisoned.

“It’s hard to take over leadership when you’ve got a strong personality like Terrell,” Jones said.

“If you look back at our old teams [from the 1990s], a lot of people would say maybe Michael [Irvin] was the leader. Then you might say, ‘He was a receiver. What about Troy [Aikman]? He was the quarterback. Wasn’t he the leader?’ And the answer is, yeah, Troy was a leader. But if Michael wasn’t supportive of him, Troy would’ve had problems.

“A lot of our players thought the world of Terrell – they still do. They loved the way he prepared and how hard he played, and everybody respected his skills and what he’d done in the league. And with him here, I think he was always going to carry that kind of weight.”

What must be frustrating for the Cowboys is that, as the article notes, T.O. is a hard worker. As a football player, it’s hard to find someone who works harder at the craft than Owens. Don’t forget, we’re not talking about a young player here – Owens is 35-years old. He’s at an age where most receivers are lucky to find a role as a slot receiver and T.O. is still a viable No. 1.

But the problem is that when things go from great to bad, Owens turns into a cockroach and invests the locker room. He simply can’t lead when it matters most and worse yet, he creates a hurdle that his teammates must overcome. It would be one thing if he couldn’t lead. It’s quite another when he becomes a distraction for others like Romo, who eventually need to be leaders when things go bad.

Either way, T.O. is gone and Romo is out of excuses. He’s already proven that he’s a good quarterback – now he has to show that he’s a great quarterback. It’s his team and he has to grasp the opportunity that’s in front of him.

New attitude, new stadium, new workout regime and no T.O. – it’s now or never for Tony Romo.

Everything you read and hear about Romo is that he remains straddling the line between good and great. He obviously has more than enough talent to compete in the NFL, as his career numbers (10,562 yards, 81 TDs, 46 INTs, 94.7 QB Rating) certainly indicate. But he’s been called out for not being enough of a leader and his overall workout habits have come into question now as well.

According to a report by the Dallas Star-Telegram, Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett had a “come to Jesus meeting” with Romo about his conditioning habits. Garrett instructed his quarterback to not only get into good enough shape to allow him to have another fast start, but the kind of the shape that won’t allow him to wear down as the season progresses.

Team personnel have noticed that Romo tends to break down towards the end seasons because he’s not in good enough shape physically when he enters camp. He makes more mistakes as the season progresses because his legs get heavy and he loses mental focus.

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