The problem with Romo is that he becomes less effective when he starts throwing the ball more than 34 times a game. Part of that is defense. Part of that is playcalling. Part of that is Romo audibling into pass plays. And part of that is Romo not being as great as some people make him out to be.
Here's a look at Romo's pass attempts per game and his FO.com DVOA ranking throughout the years:
2006: 31.0 (5th)
2007: 32.5 (6th)
2008: 34.6 (11th)
2009: 34.4 (7th)
2010: 35.5 (11th)
2011: 32.6 (4th)
2012: 40.5 (10th)
2013: 35.7 (10th)
Here's how the defenses for the Cowboys ranked using FO.com's methodology:
2006: 14th
2007: 9th
2008: 9th
2009: 10th
2010: 27th
2011: 16th
2012: 23rd
2013: 30th
So, it's not ALL on the defense. And the defense isn't the sole cause for Dallas throwing more. It's just the more Romo starts throwing the ball, he becomes less effective. I would surmise that it comes down to the following:
1. Playcalling becomes more predictable.
2. Teams can start blitzing more and Romo isn't as effective against the blitz
3. He is more apt to turn the ball over.
The only year that Romo had some limit on his pass attempts per game and had one of his lesser seasons was 2008, when he injured his throwing hand.
Furthermore, our relying on Romo to throw the ball more seems to coincide more with injuries on defense. Historically, defensive players are more than twice than likely to get injured than defensive players. So, if you're throwing the ball more, that means more time on the field for the defense and more injuries are likely. And our big injury years on defense...came in 2012 and 2013....when Romo averaged the most pass attempts per game of his career.
Certainly, this falls on Garrett. But, it also falls on Romo who likes to audible out of running plays. Both need to learn that less is more when it comes to his performance.
YR