Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Just How Good Are Tony Romo and Miles Austin?

by Daniel Nations
Written on November 04, 2009

The Romo-to-Austin connection is only a few weeks old, but it is already taking its toll on the NFL. The Cowboys are 3-0 with Miles Austin as a starter and Tony Romo hasn't thrown an interception in that time. But just how good are they?

Miles Austin is 10th in the NFL in receiving yards with 563, which is amazing considering that 482 of those yards came in his only three starts. He's also in a five-way tie for second-most receiving touchdowns with 6, trailing Vernon Davis by just one touchdown. And along with Donald Driver, Hines Ward and Reggie Wayne, he has ten catches for 20+ yards, which leads the NFL.

The connection has also helped propel Tony Romo to the top of the league. Like Austin, he's tied for 10th in the NFL in passing with 1,908 yards. That's on pace for a 4,000+ yard season. His QB rating of 96.8 puts him at 9th in the league, and despite being known for turning the ball over too much, his four interceptions put him among the ranks of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Phillip Rivers, who have also thrown four picks this year.
But the real question is whether the Cowboys can keep this connection open when it counts: in December.