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Dallas Cowboys have a plan to keep Tony Romo healthy

By The Sports Xchange
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo spent most of the last NFL season injured so the team plans to rely on their running game to keep their star QB healthy in 2016. Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
1 of 3 | Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo spent most of the last NFL season injured so the team plans to rely on their running game to keep their star QB healthy in 2016. Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI | License Photo

The Dallas Cowboys have a strategy to keep quarterback Tony Romo healthy this season by establishing a running attack and controlling the football.

The biggest difference for the Cowboys between 12-4 in 2014 and 4-12 in 2015 was the absence of Romo, who missed 12 games after twice fracturing his left collarbone.

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The Cowboys were 3-1 with Romo in the lineup and 1-11 without him last season. Roughly two months after undergoing the Mumford procedure in hopes of preventing further injury to his left clavicle, Romo was a full participant last week at organized team activities.

"At the end of the day, it's all about Tony's health," Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told the XEPRS-AM in San Diego, via the Dallas Morning News. "We've got to keep him healthy.

"We did (make) a big pick (with first-round running back) Ezekiel Elliott that I think really helps everybody. Not only going to help the rushing game, but because he is so gifted catching the ball out of the backfield, pass protection. I think all of that will do a lot to Tony and at the same time take a lot of the pressure off the defense in terms of controlling the ball like we did two years ago. We're excited about where we sit right now as a team."

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Dallas selected Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Elliott is projected as the starter for the Cowboys, who are excited by his combination of quickness and speed.

"That's exactly what we're thinking," Jones said. "Obviously run the football. The other thing, when you've got a veteran quarterback who is a big student of the game, he can certainly move Zeke around and get the right matchups. You put him there in the backfield, they're going to have to respect the run. They can't necessarily throw their nickel and dime packages in if he is in the backfield, knowing with our offensive line and what he can do as a runner, that can certainly change the game."

Darren McFadden led the Cowboys in rushing last year with 1,089 yards and the team signed former Washington Redskins workhorse Alfred Morris in free agency.

"Zeke was a flanker in high school. He's got great ball skills catching the ball and we can certainly split him out," Jones said. "It will be a big challenge for any inside linebacker to try to cover him. We should have some great matchups out there. Not to mention we've got guys like Dez Bryant, Cole Beasley, Jason Witten and guys like that. Hopefully this offense can move the football, move the chains and control the football."

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