Cowboys’ offense beginning to jell

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The last time the Dallas Cowboys had a playoff winner, their offense was built around Troy Aikman either handing off to Emmitt Smith or throwing to Michael Irvin.

These days, Tony Romo has a lot more options.

Handoffs might go to Marion Barber, Felix Jones or Tashard Choice. Sometimes, Choice will take a snap himself.

When Romo drops back, he’s probably looking for Miles Austin or Jason Witten. But he also might throw to Patrick Crayton or Roy Williams. Or to one of those running backs.

Or maybe he’ll really mix things up and throw to third-string tight end John Phillips, like he did for the Cowboys’ first touchdown in their playoff-skid-busting victory over Philadelphia on Saturday night.

“When you get guys involved like that, anything can happen,” receivers coach Ray Sherman said Monday.

The Cowboys are rolling into the second round of the playoffs for a variety of reasons. The versatility of their offense is among the biggest.

The last four weeks, Romo has put together an early go-ahead touchdown drive, then built on it pretty quickly. It’s a combination of having a lot of capable players and understanding how to use them.

Want proof?

During their winning streak, the Cowboys have scored 12 touchdowns — six running, six receiving. They’ve been scored by all three running backs (Barber 3, Jones 2, Choice 1; a breakdown that also reflects how the carries have been distributed) and from five pass catchers (Austin 2 and 1 each from Witten, Crayton, Williams and Phillips).

“A lot of guys can participate and a lot of guys can play their role and a lot of guys can come through for you,” coach Wade Phillips said. “That makes a difference.”

Dallas came into this season determined to have an offense able to excel on the ground or in the air. Sure enough, both units ranked among the top 10 in the NFL — sixth in yards passing and seventh in yards rushing.

The Cowboys’ overall total of 399.4 yards per game was second to New Orleans, which also happened to be the only other team among the top 10 in both passing and rushing.