The O-Line needs to buy time for a QB and for the receivers to get open on deep routes. The QB can make an O-Line look better with a quick release, pocket awareness, and good footwork. The Receivers can make both the O-Line and QB look good by running good routes and working to get open. When you have all 3 in place you have a great passing game.
The other part of pass protection is the TEs & RBs. If your TEs & RBs are adept at picking up blitzers then the QB has more time to read and throw. If not, you may have the best O-Line in the league and your QB still gets killed.
Romo does a very good job of buying time with his pocket awareness and ability to avoid the rush and still make plays. He also has a pretty quick release.
I think our biggest problems are:
1. Roy Williams - He does not run good routes and does not work to get open. Considering his size, he is easy to jam at the line and doesn't do much to get past the defender. He gives up too easily as well. When you watch him and Austin you see two completely different receivers at work. Austin doesn't give up on his route when he gets jammed and works hard to get open. Williams doesn't.
2. O-Line intelligence - We have a very big, strong, athletic O-Line overall that does a good job one-on-one against a DL. They do not do a very good job of reading and picking up stunts and blitzes. I don't know if this is on Gurode as the O-Line playcaller or on all of them to some extent. Landry always looked for a combination of athleticism and intelligence in his players, particularly on the O-Line. I think we focus too much on size and strength and not enough on intelligence with our OLs.
3. TEs & RBs not picking up blitzes - People underestimate the value of Emmitt Smith as a pass protector. He bought Aikman time consistently with his ability to read the blitz and make the block. This, IMO, elevates him to the #1 spot all-time as a RB over Jim Brown and Walter Payton. Payton was also good at pass blocking but not as good as Emmitt, who was the best non-FB I've ever seen at it. Moose Johnston was also excellent at it so Troy had a lot of time on most deep pass plays and it wasn't just due to the O-Line.
Witten has become one of the best blocking TEs in the game and I believe this elevates him to a tie with Tony Gonzalez as the best TEs in the game today. Gates is probably a better receiver but is nowhere near as good in pass protection as Witten. I though John Phillips did a very good job for us but Bennett is a poor blocker.
Unfortunately the rotation at RB has hindered them from getting into a flow at pass protection during the game. Choice has the potential to be a very good blocker but he needs more playing time to become consistent at it. Barber can be good but has mental lapses at times. Felix is not there yet but has his moments. Deon Anderson had far to many missed blocks and should not be brought back in 2010.
Our best pass protection schemes were when we used Witten or Phillips in the backfield as an H-Back but then that takes one of our better receivers out of the pattern. We need a good blocking FB that is big enough to take on LBs and DEs and quick enough to get from one side to the other as needed, and smart enough to know who to pick up.
4. Playcalling - I think we have too many plays that take too long to develop, both in the run game and the passing game. The quick hits worked well for us and opened up the deeper plays when our receivers could work a double move on the defenders. Unfortunately, Roy is not good at selling the short route and getting the defender to bite on the first move so he doesn't get open much. Austin does it very well and Crayton & Hurd are getting better at it. Crayton got open a number of times on that type of play.
Garrett needs to be better at mixing up his plays and going deep at times. He kind of got away from the deep pass altogether late in the season as guys weren't getting open and teams were blitzing like crazy.
The bottom line is that it is not just one area or one player that is the key, they all need to work together to make it work. Yes, you can have an extraordinary player at one position that can make everyone else look better but no one, regardless of how good they are, can do it by themselves. The greatest QB in the world cannot win games without the rest of the team being at least better than average.
Peyton Manning has a very good O-Line in front of him and Jeff Saturday is one of the most intelligent Centers in the game. They adjust well to stunts and blitzes and his receivers do a good job of getting open, particularly Reggie Wayne. Dallas Clark is another major weapon for him.
We were able to get to Brees and take him out of his game... until we started playing conservatively and let them back into the game. If you can put pressure on the QB, it doesn't matter how great he is, he isn't going to have the time to throw. The Colts were unable to put consistent pressure on him in the SB and the Saints beat them because of it.
Free seems to be a smart guy and just needs more experience and upper body strength to be a very solid LT for us. Gurode is a very good blocker but I think he lacks in intelligence. Not that he's stupid but that he doesn't think quickly enough for the job.
:bang2: 
