Jean-Jacques Taylor

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ARLINGTON ­ We spent all off-season trying to figure out what the heck Jerry Jones meant by "Romo Friendly."

Now, we know.

Every question you've had about the phrase Jerry coined while explaining the reasons for T.O.'s release should've been answered Sunday in the Cowboys' 38-17 blowout win over Seattle.

This is all you need to know: One minute into the second quarter, Romo had completed passes to Jason Witten, Miles Austin, Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd and Roy Williams.

Uh-huh. That's right. Much-maligned Roy Williams caught a pass in the first quarter. Heck, he even caught a touchdown pass in the third quarter.

Forgive me, I digress.

The point is that wherever the coverage took away receivers, Romo successfully went the other way with the ball.

Hence, "Romo Friendly."

Romo took that approach the entire day, finishing the game 21-of-36 for 256 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and his third consecutive passer rating of more than 100.

Ten players caught passes, and Romo can drop back and throw the ball wherever he wants without worrying about appeasing T.O.'s ego. This is the Romo we saw in 2007, when he strung together seven consecutive games with a passer rating of at least 100.

Actually, the Romo we've seen the last three games is better because he's not making dumb decisions. This Romo has not thrown an interception in 120 pass attempts, spanning 13 quarters.

This is the first time Romo has gone three games without an interception.

Wow.

"He's playing great," Crayton said. "He's in control. He's making plays and not making mistakes."

Here's some perspective: Romo has had interception streaks of four, five, six and eight games since becoming a starter in 2006.

It took Romo 5 ½ games this season to find the comfort zone between gunslinger and bus driver ­ two analogies he abhors.

Too bad. It's the truth.

Besides, it's the easiest way to describe the inner struggle Romo wages to fight his natural inclination to make something good happen every play.

There are times when a sack or an incompletion is a good play. Some plays are destined to be disastrous, something good quarterbacks recognize and prevent from happening.

Every quarterback throws interceptions.

Bad routes. Miscommunications. Hail Mary throws. Poor reads.

Mistakes happen, but when is the last time you remember Romo forcing a stupid throw into coverage like we saw him do with regularity early in the season?

"Either you're good enough to see it and not throw the ball to the other team, or you're not," Romo said. "I'm seeing things. It's as simple as that. I'm just not throwing it and hoping or things of that nature."

It won't always be as easy as it was on Sunday when Dallas totaled 362 yards, 26 first downs and hogged the ball for 34:45.

Hurd won't always take a four-yard crossing route, outrun two defenders and run through two others for a 36-yard touchdown and a 7-3 first quarter lead. Crayton won't always make a sliding catch to convert on third-and-11, and Williams won't always catch a slant, run through a tackler and stretch the ball over the goal line as he did on the touchdown that gave the Cowboys a 21-10 lead.

Austin caught only five passes for 61 yards, but he scored a touchdown and drew two pass interference penalties. Felix Jones even gained 30 yards on a pass Romo threw in the flat because everyone else was covered.

A few weeks ago, we all know Romo would've forced the ball into a bad spot, hoping to make a play.

"For us, it's just about improving and getting better," Romo said. "I can say it 55,000 times, but it's true."

Fine. No problem.

But the next two weeks against Philadelphia and Green Bay will tell us whether this "Romo Friendly" offense is equipped to handle good teams.

It all starts with the quarterback. It always does.

Bill Nichols

With 482 yards in his first three starts, Miles Austin has the best three-start total by a Cowboys wide receiver.

Miles Austin (2009), 482 yards

Oct. 11, at Kansas City, 250 yards

Oct. 25, vs. Atlanta, 171 yards

Nov. 1, vs. Seattle, 61 yards

Terrell Owens (2007), 472

Nov. 4, at Philadelphia, 174 yards

Nov. 11, at NY Giants, 125 yards

Nov. 18, vs. Washington, 173 yards

Michael Irvin (1993), 435

Oct. 3, vs. Green Bay, 155 yards

Oct. 10, at Indianapolis, 112 yards

Oct. 17, vs. San Francisco, 168 yards

Michael Irvin (1992), 428

Sept. 20, vs. Phoenix, 210 yards

Oct. 5, at Philadelphia, 105 yards

Oct. 11, vs. Seattle, 113 yards

Terrell Owens (2007), 402

Oct. 21, vs. Minnesota, 103 yards

Nov. 4, at Philadelphia, 174 yards

Nov. 11, at NY Giants, 125 yards