if you think one player changes things to such a great degree, let me offer some additional thought:
the cowboys offense line remains healthy and is very well coached, working in unison. the best quarterback in the world, is ineffective w/o a good offense line. i remember very vividly the '93 cowboy team, when the salary cap was not in place. the boys pushed o-line pushed teams 10 yards off the ball and emmitt got all the credit, certainly wasn't the case when he was a card. under new terms of salary cap, i would suggest that the boys have the best offense line in football.
i think romo would do fine, dak happens to be in the right place at the right time for success. although highly speculative, i think romo under center, dallas would have similiar results. lee is healthy on defense as well, after injury problems last year, and dallas defense is able to contain when healthy.
it is no superbowl secret, that teams jockeying for position for playoff this time of year, that staying HEALTHY is really the game of the day. not just "skill" players, but key cogs on the line and defense too. blocking schemes can be very complicated, and even one man down effects the unit moving as one.
personally, i think romo needs some reps. his "experience" will be beneficial when they meet the upper echelon teams playing elimination games. he doesn't provide the mobility that dak does, but given time, has proven to be a very accurate qb and has more ability to read opposing defenses.
this team in previous years, and present, often times goes by the way of the health of sean lee on the defense. when he is out, the defense really takes a hit. his ability to read the offense and communicate that information to the defense on the spot is really something special. he seems to be a part of almost every tackle on the line of scrimmage. never underestimate the importance of the position of MLB.
romo has put in the years to get the call to start when ready. pittsburgh is a terrible spot for the boys (b2b road games) and a usually sloppy heinz field this time of year. steelers are hungry and in need to right the ship, if there was ever a trip rope, this is the spot. ben will pose a challenge for boyz secondary, with his pinpoint accuracy. loss to raven was ST nightmare and score (in general) was not indicative of the steelers play in the game. ben's arm looked good from 50 yards out.
also, elliott success is d/t dallas o-line with the ability to hustle on sweeps and downfield blocking for large gains. true, the qb usually gets all the accolades of game final score, or blame; but football is a team sport and teams that have a good offense line can run the ball, or draw up the defense to open up the passing game and get 1:1 coverage.
1c