TOM KUEHN
ANOKA, MN
Will Romo's injury open the door for the Cowboys to draft a high QB?
Nick: I don't think really high, but third-round maybe. And I think I would've said that before the injury. They tried to get a young QB in the middle rounds with Stephen McGee and that experiment didn't work. Maybe this time they get a guy who plays as a senior in college. Yes, I think it'd be a smart move to get a young quarterback. But it's tough because you can draft a linebacker or safety who could possibly help you right now. You get a quarterback knowing he'll wear a headset all year. Jerry Jones never has been patient enough for that.
Rowan: I think it does. It wasn't, and still isn't, a given this would be the year the Cowboys would spend a relatively high pick on a quarterback, but the injury to Romo could play a role in that. I think Kyle Orton showed he's a perfectly capable backup, but the serious back injury to Romo may speed the Cowboys' decision to look for another potential long-term solution. I'd be shocked with a first-round selection still, but in the early to middle rounds I could see them grabbing someone. The issue is there's plenty of other areas they need to address, particularly defensively.
SCOTT PETERSON
ARNOLD, MO
In a game with Romo out and the success of Murray lately, why does Jason Garrett continues to pass heavy in close games? Murray only had 6 touches the second half and 17 total in a close game.
Nick:I think to be fair, you need to mention the success Murray was having, or lack thereof. Go back and look in the second half, there are runs in every drive until the end. You mentioned the six touches, it was actually eight touches for a total of 9 yards. At some point, you can't keep doing something that isn't working. I think eight touches for a back when the team is down, isn't too bad. But he never had anything longer than six [embedded_ad] yards. There have been some games when the offense went away from the run, but in this case, he averaged 3 yards per carry all night. I think Murray got his chances and didn't do much with it, and he also fumbled the ball in the first drive of the game.
Rowan: I think this one was more a result of what the production was in that department. Unlike the past month prior, Murray was averaging just three yards a carry in this one and had a long of just nine yards. That said, I still think this coaching staff believes running plays are almost give-up plays – that they are just there to set up bigger plays that come from the pass. They say they strive for balance but rarely achieve it and their philosophy would suggest otherwise. Balance isn't always the right answer, but you can trust they'd pass 50 times if they're successful through the air. They aren't going to run 30 times when they're successful on the ground.
