As Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo watches tape of the Broncos’ secondary in preparation for Sunday’s game, he’s noticing something he doesn’t like: According to Romo, the Broncos break the rules and get away with it.
Romo said the Broncos should get called for pass interference and defensive holding more than they do, and that they’ve been able to push the boundaries of the rules without getting too many penalties.
“They grab, they hold, they’ve almost put a lot of pressure on the refs – whether or not they’re going to call the game close or not,” Romo said, via USA Today. “If they get called once or twice, that’s a good thing. But they’re all over guys as far as using the little tricks, I guess you could say, that good linebackers and good secondaries use when they’re playing man coverage.”
The Broncos haven’t necessarily gotten away with it quite as much as Romo suggests: Through four games Denver’s defense has been called for pass interference five times, for holding four times and for illegal contact once. But Romo making his case publicly may be a not-so-subtle suggestion to the officials working Sunday’s game that they need to be keeping a close eye on the Broncos’ secondary.