Tuesday, October 14 2008 -- Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Tony Romo is out for about four weeks after suffering an injury in the team's 30-24 OT loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Romo, who has started 30 straight regular-season games for the Dallas Cowboys, broke his right pinky in the first play of overtime.

Concerning Romo, coach Wade Phillips noted on Monday, "We don't know how long he'll be out. It depends on how fast that heals." He added, "I'd say week to week, depending on quickly he heals. Different people heal differently."

With the Cowboys' starter out, Brad Johnson looks to be the starter. Johnson has been in the league for 17 years, playing with four different teams. His QB rating is 83.1 and his completion rate is 61.8%. He has thrown 164 touchdowns in 161 games and 117 picks. In his first season with Dallas, which was 2007, he completed seven of 11 attempts for 79 yards. He threw no TDs and no INTs. The year prior, with the Vikings, he was 270 of 439 for a 61.5 completion rate and a rating of 72.0. He threw nine touchdowns and 15 picks that season.

Putting Johnson in place of Romo is extremely dangerous. Johnson, who is 40 years old, has seen little playing time over the past few years and has been inconsistent.

In 2008, Romo, this far, has sported a QB rating of 103.5 and a completion rate of 64.0%. He’s thrown 14 TDs and five INTs. He’s also been sacked seven times.

The starting quarterback's injury will not require surgery. The Cowboys, who are now 4-2 in an ever tightening NFC East division, now need to win with their back-up calling signals. Johnson, who won the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has not started since 2006. At that time, he was playing for the Minnesota Vikings.

In a short amount of time, less than two full seasons, Tony Romo has become the anchor, rudder and gyroscope of the Dallas Cowboys. Backup Johnson is a smart player who will keep his team in the game until the clock runs out. If the Cowboys can win a few games over the next month without Romo, that will be a big plus for players and fans alike.