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The criticisms of Romo in previous years has been that he can be inconsistent at times and he does not have the Joe Montana and Tom Brady-like bottle to win the big games.

Romo has lost his share of big games with the Cowboys. He also and during the .

But things appear to have changed in 2009 and heading into 2010. The Cowboys followed thoses losses to the Giants and San Diego with season-ending wins over the New Orleans Saints, Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles.

Tony Romo has struggled to play under pressure in the past

Particularly in those contests against New Orleans and Philadelphia, Romo showed he can win the big games when they count and his play under center has been one of the big reasons why Dallas enters this weekend's playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league.

Over the past three weeks, Romo has averaged 303 passing yards per game and in the last six outings he has thrown 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

Those numbers are telling. Romo has always been physically able to make all the throws needed to be a successful NFL quarterback. But he has not always appeared mentally strong and consistent - he would hit a receiver perfectly in stride on one throw, and fire an errant pass at his feet just seconds later.

And while his scrambling behind the line of scrimmage made for exciting viewing, it would often end with a critical turnover. But Romo has taken care of the football at a time of the year when interceptions and fumbles can prove to be their most costly.

I think Romo has also benefited from the . At first glance, it may seem strange to think a quarterback could benefit from losing a wide receiver with 1,006 career catches in his locker but Owens has made a career out of being a pain in the neck to the men throwing him the ball... just ask Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb.

Had he wished to do so, Romo could have spread the ball around freely to his receivers knowing none of them was as likely to sulk or fly into a tantrum as Owens if they were not heavily involved in the game plan.

As it turns out, Romo has focused mainly on Miles Austin and Jason Witten, but he has also formed useful connections at times with Roy Williams (the one who has come closest to the occasional meltdown) and Patrick Crayton. That pair have scored 12 touchdowns this season on Romo passes.

More importantly, Romo does not have to deal with the distraction - either in person or through the media - of an That seems to have taken a massive load off his shoulders and this is now clearly Romo's team.

As well as becoming a more consistent passer, Romo has become a workaholic and a firm leader in Dallas. He has not just gone through the motions of hollering and shouting at his team-mates - instead he has been a leader more through his actions.

He began throwing passes to Williams two weeks before Cowboys players gathered for off-season workouts in March, no Dallas player has a more complete grasp of the playbook than Romo and he even volunteered to go back to holding on field goals at the start of December.

It seems that Romo has grown up and matured into an elite quarterback. And so much of that development appears to have been mental and not purely physical. A character who has been described as flaky and likely to crumble under pressure suddenly looks much more capable of making a run deep into the playoffs.

Of course, until he wins a game or two in the post-season, Romo is going to continue to hear talk about how he cannot succeed in the high-pressure situations. Like it or not, that is the reality of the situation and there's nothing he can do about that apart from be successful on the field in the coming month.

But with a strong offensive line in front of him, the running back duo of Marion Barber and Felix Jones rounding into form, potent receiving options in Austin and Witten and an aggressive and confident defence on his side, Romo will feel confident he has every chance of leading the in-form Cowboys all the way to Super Bowl 44 in Miami.

And judging by their form in recent weeks, the Cowboys will be a feared opponent for any team in the NFC, starting with the Philadelphia side they blanked 24-0 just last weekend.

You can catch live commentary of the Green Bay Packers against the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday at 2100 GMT on Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú 5 live sports extra. (Available on the web to UK users only). Highlights of this weekend's NFL play-offs will be on Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú 2 on Monday 11 January at 0010 GMT.