IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys know they are putting quarterback Tony Romo's health at risk by not running the ball, but the short-term goal of winning games is taking priority.
The Cowboys set a franchise low last week with nine rushing attempts against the Vikings. They also won, 27-23, with Romo throwing 51 passes, including nine on the final, game-winning drive.
The Cowboys won the game, but every one of those 51 passes exposed Romo to a potential season-ending hit. Romo was sacked three times by the Vikings, but it's simple NFL math that the more times he drops back, the more likely he will be injured at some point.
"We still need to get better at some part of our protection pickup, but we really thought that he wasn't getting hit," offensive play-caller Bill Callahan said. "He wasn't getting knocked all over the lot, so to speak. We felt it was manageable, we felt he had time [to throw] and he felt he had time, so we stayed with those particular calls based on the coverages he was getting."
But Callahan understands that games where the numbers of runs is in the single digits isn't good for the health of the quarterback, or the team.
"We would love to take any kind of pressure off the quarterback," Callahan said. "To give him a breather, so to speak, so he doesn't have to carry the entire offense."
Romo often avoid hits by getting rid of the ball quickly. He also has the awareness and quickness to slip away from pressure. But he isn't successful 100 percent of the time.
Romo has already been injured once this season. He took a shot to the ribs in the season opener against the Giants. He didn't miss a game, but needed pain-killing injections to play the next several weeks.
He suffered another painful rib injury in 2011 and ended the season playing with a swollen hand. The year before that, he missed 10 games with a broken collarbone, thanks to another devastating sack.
Romo said he can't be concerned about limiting his exposure to injury.
"It's about winning the games," Romo said Thursday after practice. "If you're worried about things other than that, then you're not in the right job as a player or coach. Our football team takes that approach every week."
Romo managed to stay healthy in 2012 with a similar imbalance in the offense. The Cowboys rushed for 1,265 yards in a 2012, their lowest total ever for a 16-game season.
The low rushing total was attributed in part to top running back DeMarco Murray missing six games with a sprained foot. But Murray started Sunday against the Vikings and had just four carries.
This season, the Cowboys rank 26th in the league with 681 rushing yards after nine games. The Cowboys are rolling the dice that Romo can stay healthy another full season without a running game to protect him.
For now, the Cowboys are more concerned about winning games. The 5-4 Cowboys are in first place in the NFC East with a chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
Often, it's Romo putting himself at risk. He has the leeway to change from running plays to passing plays based on the defensive looks he sees at the line of scrimmage.
Callahan declined to say how many times Romo checks out of running plays, but said the coaching staff trusts his decision-making.
"Like we've said 50 times, everyone wants balance. We want it as well," Romo said. "At the same time you have to call a game to win."
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
