There are two things that make Tony Romo a special quarterback: his exceptionally quick release and his mobility.  Romo specializes in making plays downfield even when the offensive line breaks down. He uses his quick feet to move around the pocket, all the while continuing to look downfield for the opportunity to make a play.

Below is a play where Tony Romo displays both his athleticism to escape the pass rush and then uses his quick release to make a pivotal play late in the game. In week three of the 2011 season, the Dallas Cowboys are trailing the Washington Redskins 16 to 15 with 2:14 remaining in the fourth quarter. What is important to note about this game is that in the previous week, Romo fractured his ribs against San Francisco and the offensive line has played poorly up to this point in the game. On third down and 21, the Cowboys needed to convert this play in order to have any chance at winning the game.

The Cowboys deploy their 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end, two wide receivers) on this key third down play. Dez Bryant (circled in red) is at the top of the screen , Jason Witten in the slot, and Laurent Robinson at the bottom of the picture. The Redskins decide on third down to blitz eight players and leave no safety to help behind their cornerbacks. They believe they will be able to hurry Tony Romo and make him throw the ball well short of the first down marker. And with Romo’s injury and a shaky Dez Bryant, that seemed to be a pretty good bet late in the game. The plan for Dallas is to use Dez Bryant on a quick blitz beater  by running a slant and hope that he can beat cornerback DeAngelo Hall after the catch.

DeAngelo Hall drops into coverage, allowing Dez Bryant to become open on his slant pattern. But the main problem on this play is that the two Redskin rushers (circled in blue) are blocking Tony Romo’s throwing lanes. Knowing that a deflected ball essentially ends the game for the Cowboys, Romo holds onto the ball a little longer to see if something will develop later with his receivers.

Initially, the offensive line and the two running backs do a good job at picking up Washington’s blitz. Romo can check on his first option and then quickly look on the opposite side of the field to Witten. But when Romo decides to go back to Dez Bryant, he slides to his right to attempt a pump fake in the direction of Dez Bryant. But a rusher breaks through his block and has a clear path towards Romo. Tony Romo uses the pump fake to get DeAngelo Hall to jump towards Dez Bryant and because of that, it allows this play to eventually succeed. However, the more pressing issue is the free rusher coming right at him.

Romo’s ability to quickly move outside the pocket and avoid the pressure gives himself enough time and space to set his feet and find his target to throw the ball. Tony Romo is a warrior when it comes to being able to pass the ball when he knows he is going to take a hit. He can be fearless when the game is on the line and when the team desperately needs him to make a play. The pump fake that he used in the previous shot allowed Dez Bryant to gain inside leverage on Hall and Bryant streaks towards the middle of the field. But what is also important here is something you don’t even see in this picture. Because Tony Romo has one of the fastest releases in the NFL, he is able to wait a fraction of a second longer to deliver the ball to Dez Bryant. Romo’s release buys Dez a few extra moments to create space between him and the defender.

Romo delivers a strike to Dez Bryant, even as he is getting hit. But give Dez Bryant credit on this play as well. He catches the ball about five yards short of the first down marker and yet, he grinds out seven more yards on the play to get the critical first down.

Obviously, this is just one play in which Tony Romo makes a big play in a key divisional game. But Romo has made a career out of moving around the pocket and making plays downfield despite his shaky offensive line. One of Romo’s best attributes is that he can make up for a below average offensive line with his mobility. And if the Dallas Cowboys want to compete for a title in 2013, they are going to need Tony Romo to do more of the same.

Bold statement? Yes, of course (would you expect anything less from me?)

Understatement? Never. Nope. Not even close. I’ve come up with my top three offensive reasons why I think we can rock the playoffs…

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Will Miles Austin return to stardom in 2013?Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The team was the third ranked passing offense in 2012. Yet, they have a interesting situation developing with their current group of wide receivers. Dez Bryant is the Cowboys clear cut number one wide receiver, but the offenses’ key to success  in 2013 may rely on their former number one receiver Miles Austin.

While the Dallas Cowboys spent a third round pick on Terrance Williams in hopes that he will eventually take over the number two spot, he isn’t ready yet to fight for the job. Dwayne Harris and Cole Beasley are nice, productive players, but they are best slotted as third and fourth wide receivers. Miles Austin enters the season as the player opposite of Dez Bryant, but needs to return to form to help the Cowboys return to the playoffs.

In 2009, Miles Austin put together a season that rivaled Dez Bryant’s breakout campaign of 2012. That season, Austin caught 81 balls for 1,320 yards and 11 touchdowns. Heading into the 2010 season, Austin was widely considered a top 15 wide receiver at worst.

Last summer, the tandem of Miles Austin and Dez Bryant was a hotly debated issue. The Atlanta Falcons wide receiver duo Roddy White and Julio Jones expressed their opinion on Dallas’ young playmakers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slV44j6lKs8

Michael Irvin proceeded to ask Roddy White if Miles Austin and Dez Bryant were a better combination than him and Jones. White laughed at the question and responded with the answer, “Are you serious?” That was some serious bulletin board material for Austin and Bryant in 2012.

So I decided to look at how the combination of Miles Austin and Dez Bryant fared last year among some of the league’s best tandems:

In a down year for Miles Austin, the duo still managed to finish among the league’s best pairs of wide receivers. And do you want to know a scary thought? Assuming both players stay relatively healthy, I believe this is the absolute floor for Miles Austin and Dez Bryant for the 2013 season. Dez Bryant disappointed in the first half of the season, and then proceeded to break out in the team’s final eight games. I wrote a piece about Dez Bryant’s second half of the season when compared to some of the elite wide receivers in the NFL today.

Last year was not Miles Austin’s best year by any means. He was slowed all year due to chronic hamstring issues. It was a very disappointing season for Miles Austin to say the least. He finished the season with 66 receptions for 943 yards and 6 touchdowns. And what is most disappointing is that Austin didn’t register a catch in either Redskins game last season; both of which were critical games to the team’s potential playoff run. But what is encouraging is that we saw glimpses of what Austin can still be. Through the first four games of the season, Austin registered 18 catches to go along with 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. When Miles Austin is healthy, he can still be one of the best number two wide receivers in the league.

Now back to the original point of why Miles Austin may be the difference maker for the 2013 Dallas Cowboys. Let’s remember just why Miles Austin broke out in 2009. When healthy, Austin is one of the premier slot wide receivers in all of football. Although he doesn’t possess the same skill set as a Wes Welker or a Danny Amendola, he is a bigger target and can make plays downfield from the slot position. He can make athletic plays on the ball and creates big separation between him and the defender. Austin has the flexibility to play on the outside as well.

The Dallas Cowboys are counting on Miles Austin to be the playmaker that he was in 2009 again. Teams are going to be focusing on shutting down Dez Bryant this season and Austin needs to make them pay when they roll their coverage to Bryants’ side of the field. Austin has all the physical tools to dominate on both the outside and in the slot thus giving Tony Romo two of the best players at their position in the league. Both starting receivers can win their one-on-one battles on the field in a variety of ways. If Miles Austin can stay healthy (and I know that is a big if), I fully expect him to return as the star wide receiver that he was for the Dallas Cowboys in 2009. If that does indeed happen, I anticipate this offense finishing among the league’s best in 2013.