It’s been a long season for Tony Romo, as legions of skeptics have come out of the woodwork to question his credentials as a franchise quarterback. And really, it stems from years of tribulations for Romo.

There was last season’s December swoon. Two years ago, the playoff disappearing act he and the Cowboys pulled off against the Giants. And, of course, this:

Almost like a childhood star cast into the spotlight at too young an age--given too much, too soon. And his demise has been painful to watch because a lot of his failures are so rooted in fundamental shortcomings, and it’s almost as if he just doesn’t have the mental makeup to be an NFL quarterback. He’s not ready for the spotlight now, and maybe, he never was.

That was the rhetoric before today, anyway, and after he began the game with an 0-2 first quarter passing and more anemic offense from the Cowboys, that rhetoric likely intensified in Cowboys households across the country. But then, just when you thought Romo was done, it all started clicking.

The Cowboys were a juggernaut in the second quarter, and Romo was nearly perfect, hitting 13 of 15 passes, for 185 yards and 2 TDs. Dallas is leading Atlanta 17-7 early in the third quarter, and things are suddenly looking up for Romo. Because child stars can have comebacks, you know.