Tony Romo best Cowboy QB of all time

[WPBCowboysFan]

Why do you (and any others) believe that? Specifics.

 

[Chuck 54]

Different eras.....more of a passing game with defense limited to help QBs.
Rooms great, but both Aikman and Staubach were the best big game QBs ever for Dallas.

Give me one game with any team in any ERA to win....I take Roger and Aikman every time.

Love Romo, but let's not forget that he did indeed spend almost half his career labelled as the guy who makes the huge mistake at crunch time...that was a fact, and his more recent greatness can't rewrite that history. By his own admission, he took a while to learn to protect the ball and punt to come back later.

This organization is blessed to have had 3 such wonderful QB's, especially since only Aikman was a top draft pick.

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

If you take Troy, Marino, Elway, Montana, Young, Kelly, etc in their prime and put them in today's offense friendly NFL, they would dominate. You can't say the same for today's QB's if you put them in the other era. The game was different.

I think Romo would be good in any era

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

I guess you didn't see the video of Roger saying Romo was better. He was being honest.


Why do you (and any others) believe that? Specifics.

Ok, I will say this. This morning before I got on line I was thinking about this very thing. I was thinking about Romo being the best Cowboy QB ever and all the reasons that could be given to make the case. But he just isnt. No matter how hard one tries to make the case, it just falls short. Roger is the best ever.

 

[black label]

Hard for me to take my homer glasses off but when I do

I take Romo over Rodger

 

[perrykemp]

Divisional round rating:
Romo 82.2
Aikman 89.7

Conference championships:
Romo N/A
Aikman 100.3

Super Bowls:
Romo N/A
Aikman 111.9

The bigger the game, the better Troy played.

What else needs to be said really?

 

[Rogerthat12]

You mean like this?

Did Roger miss the ball or something?

 

[perrykemp]

I've been following the Cowboys since '69 and Romo does everything that Roger did EXCEPT consistently threaten opponents with a scramble from the pocket. And Romo has the leeway to CALL HIS OWN PLAYS (something Roger DIDN'T have - and maybe was a factor in his early retirement).

Both Roger and Tony are true greats at the QB position - and a strong argument could be posited for either of them as the Dallas Cowboys QB 'GOAT'. No losers in THAT argument. We're all winners for having experienced those two amazing players.

Could Romo of held up under the incredible brutality allowed in the NFL 70s, 80s, 90s game? Quarterbacks took an incredible beating back then compared today.

Heck, Romo is having trouble holding up health wise in today's game.

 

[Bullflop]

I admire Roger, Troy and Tony for what they were, have been and still are. They are all #1 in my book.

Each of them performed in quite different eras. Singling one out for the glory is to take a lot for granted.

 

[bayeslife]

Disagree totally.

I wonder what people would say if Romo and Roger swapped career defenses they had to play with.

 

[perrykemp]

I wonder what people would say if Romo and Roger swapped career defenses they had to play with.

or alternatively Roger had HOF talent at TE and WR in Witten and Dez as well as 4 1st round talents on OL...

 

[bark]

B

Could Romo of held up under the incredible brutality allowed in the NFL 70s, 80s, 90s game? Quarterbacks took an incredible beating back then compared today.

Heck, Romo is having trouble holding up health wise in today's game.

Excellent point perry.
People just don't understand how brutal the game was back then.
I love me some tony Romo but yes I don't think he holds up in the 70's.
People talk about Tony's toughness and for good reason , but go back and watch the beating don Meredith took as a qb.
The dandy gets my vote as toughest and as far as the greatest, it's laughable to compare aikman or Romo to roger
Roger =the greatest to ever wear the star and it's not even close.

 

[ErikWilliamsHeadSlap]

Never saw Staubach so cannot comment. But even Landry wasn't sure he was the best on the team at one point. I loved Troy. Just the kind of QB I want at the helm. But I admire Tony more. He wasn't even supposed to have an NFL career. He had to work harder to get where he is. Any of the three of them could lead a good team to a championship. Because Doug Williams and Trent Dilfer has. And you cannot convince me that they were 1/10th the QB Romo is.

We have been lucky to have the QB's we have had. God knows what comes after Romo. Maybe nothing ever again.

 

[MichaelValentino]

................

Tony Romo didn't take a snap as a quarterback until his 4th season in the NFL.

Troy Aikman was the Super Bowl MVP in his 4th season.

Tony Romo's best season was last season when he was the #1 rated QB.

Troy Aikman's best season was the postseason.

Regular season stats mean didley when you talk about the best quarterback, a position whose job is strictly to guide your team to victories.

No other quarterback in the history of the NFL won more games in a single decade than Troy Aikman.

Troy Aikman did not have many comeback victories. That's because the basic requirement in order to qualify is that you had to be behind at some point.

You cannot talk about the "best" in Cowboy history without discussing championships, like it or not, fair or unfair, the whole point behind regular season games is to be good enough to get into the playoffs.

Divisional round rating:
Romo 82.2
Aikman 89.7

Conference championships:
Romo N/A
Aikman 100.3

Super Bowls:
Romo N/A
Aikman 111.9

The bigger the game, the better Troy played.

However, Troy wasn't the best QB in Cowboy history.

Questions:

How many offensive starters on the Super Bowl championship team in 1971 started for the Super Bowl championship team of 1977?

Which Cowboy is tied for the record of most NFL seasons as the #1 rated quarterback?

Which NFL quarterback has the comeback from the greatest deficit upon entering a playoff game for which he was not the starter?

This. In spades.

I love Tony Romo. He's a great QB and a great player. He is also a classy guy. I am behind him 100% and want to see him win multiple SBs.

But in this conversation, I take both Staubach and Aikman over Romo.

Plasticman makes a compelling argument for Aikman over Romo. Consider also that in SBXXVIII, Aikman was playing one week after suffering a concussion vs SF in the first half of the NFCCG. He took less than half the snaps in practice the week leading up to the SB, which that year was played one week, not two, after the conference finals. In the first half he badly underthrew Irvin for his only INT in three SB appearances. Indeed, if not for his concussion vs the 9ers, his playoff stat line would be even more impressive. The Aikman of SBXXVIII was not the passing surgeon that he was the year prior vs. Buffalo, and Dallas knew they had to rely on the O-line and Emmitt to take control of the game in the 2nd half.

If not for the 1st quarter meltdown vs the 9ers in the 94 NFCCG (w/out Erik Williams, with a banged-up Emmitt nursing a pulled hamstring sustained the prior week in the blowout over GB, with the leadership vacuum left in the wake of Jimmy Johnson's departure), Aikman would have won 4 SBs in a row and his name would be mentioned in the same breath with Joe Montana - let alone Tony Romo.

As for Staubach, we can throw out the passing stats, at least when compared to today's QB numbers. As others have said, it was a different era. Staubach started eight seasons in the NFL, and only two of those followed the 1978 rule changes which prevented defenders from hitting receivers and backs downfield (before the ball was in the air) and which allowed O-linemen to extend their arms in pass blocking (vs. keeping their elbows bent and forearms in front of their bodies). The first rule change opened up passing lanes; the second took a huge advantage away from the D-linemen - and let's not forget that in the 1970s the NFL experienced its golden age of great defensive fronts and great D-linemen.

Staubach became a starter during the 71 season at the age of 29. In eight years as a starter, Staubach posted a record of 82-28, took Dallas to six NFC title games and four SBs. In his last two seasons, at the ages of 36 and 37, he led the NFL in QB rating. In 78, he threw 25 TDs, which tied for 2nd in the league - at a time when only five QBs threw for more than 20 TDs. The following year, he threw 27 TDs, which put him third in the league, when seven QBs threw for more than 20 TDs.

Roger took the 75 team, with 12 rookies and with Preston Pearson and Robert Newhouse leading the running game, to SB X. There he faced one of the greatest teams in NFL history - and arguably the greatest defense of all time. Roger was sacked 7 times in the game and played heroically just to keep the Cowboys close to the heavily favored defending champion Steelers. Dallas lost 21-17 largely because of the incredible play of two Steelers, Lynn Swann (game MVP) and L.C. Greenwood (four sacks, despite lining up against future HOFer Rayfield Wright).

In SB XIII, Roger again played heroically against a great team. But for a dropped TD (Jackie Smith), a freak play (Randy White fumbling the kick-off with a cast on his right hand - the Steelers scored on the next play) and bad PI call (on Benny Barnes vs. Swann) - as well as Coach Landry getting away from the running game despite Tony Dorsett gashing the Steelers D for 38 yards on his first three carries - Roger would have a third ring.

Unfortunately for Staubach (and the Cowboys) they had to face the Steelers in two SBs. Joe Montana, who was utterly brilliant in his four SBs, never faced a defense even remotely as good as the 75 and 78 Steelers. In fact, in his four SBs Montana never faced a defense as good as the 77 Denver defense, which was truly great in its own right.

If you took the 2004 Carolina Panthers and the 2005 Eagles and replaced them with the 75 and 78 Steelers, Tom Brady would be 2-4 in the SB, and not 4-2 (we won't even mention Pete Carroll's inexplicable play calling that cost his team last year's SB). Put Brady on the 75 Cowboys and Dallas would not have been down four points with a desperation throw into the end zone to end that game. Roger took a beating in that game that Brady has never had to face in a playoff game. Brady is great - no one can deny that - but against that punishing Steelers front seven, Brady would have wilted had he taken the punishment Roger had to take in SB X.

The 75 Steelers had eight Pro Bowlers and five All Pros on defense; the 78 D had six PBs and three APs. They had some of the greatest players of all time at their respective positions (Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, Mel Blount). Terry Bradshaw was surrounded by more talent than Staubach was, on both sides of the ball. I am a lifelong Cowboys fan, but that is the truth.

If not for Pittsburgh's great teams, especially the 75 team with the "dead ball" rules in place and Dallas with no bonafide rushing game (post Duane Thomas/Calvin Hill, pre Tony Dorsett), Roger would have four rings and people would mention him with Montana and Johnny Unitas as the greatest ever.

Granted, you can counter with, "Then he should have played better in those Super Bowls." With Percy Howard and Drew Pearson being mugged by Blount and with the Pittsburgh front seven dominating the Cowboys O-line in 1975, what more could Staubach have done? Do you think Romo would have led the Cowboys to victory against that team on that day? In January 1979, I think a combination of things (see above) as well as Coach Landry's play calling hurt Dallas. After taking the opening kick-off and with the line opening up huge holes for Dorsett, Landry called a double-reverse. Drew Pearson fumbled Dorsett's handoff and Pittsburgh recovered. To this day, I wonder why that play was called. Pittsburgh was reeling and they knew they had no answer for Dorsett's speed and slashing style. Either keep with the run or go to play action in that situation. Then, late in the 2nd quarter, Landry called for a play that resulted in a score in SB X. On the sidelines, Roger argued with Coach Landry. He was not comfortable calling that play in that area of the field. Too bad Roger didn't audible as Blount intercepted him inside the 20 yard line. In any event, Staubach played a great game in SB XIII. He faced a team for the ages.

Had Dallas won either of the SBs vs the Steelers, Staubach would universally be discussed as a top-5 QB all-time.

We all have our own opinions on this matter. For what it's worth, my top 3 Dallas QBs are Staubach, Aikman and Romo (with White and Meredith rounding out the top five).

I hope Romo winds up with four rings, but having watched Staubach in the 70s, I'd still go with Roger as Dallas's GOAT.

 

[Wayne02]

2 playoff wins. Stats are great, but playoff wins and super bowls are greater. Romo is behind Staubach and Aikman.

 

[MichaelValentino]

Never saw Staubach so cannot comment. But even Landry wasn't sure he was the best on the team at one point. I loved Troy. Just the kind of QB I want at the helm. But I admire Tony more. He wasn't even supposed to have an NFL career. He had to work harder to get where he is. Any of the three of them could lead a good team to a championship. Because Doug Williams and Trent Dilfer has. And you cannot convince me that they were 1/10th the QB Romo is.

We have been lucky to have the QB's we have had. God knows what comes after Romo. Maybe nothing ever again.

Coach Landry was hesitant to replace Craig Morton with Staubach, that is true. But let's not forget, Dallas selected Morton out of Cal at no. 5 in the 1965 draft. Morton was gutsy and had a cannon for an arm. And he threw 36 TDs on 509 combined attempts during the 1969-70 seasons - which was a pretty impressive TD per attempt ratio, especially in that era (it would be very good today, for that matter). By the end of the 71 season, Coach knew who was better. Any remaining doubt would have been erased in 1975 and beyond.

 

[QT]

I wonder what people would say if Romo and Roger swapped career defenses they had to play with.

How bout swap with Aikman's D? Haley, Woodson, Norton (1st 2 superbowls), Lett, and Deion later...
Shoot, even add Aikman's special teams with Kenny Gant and Kelvin Martin or Kevin Williams as the return guys. Heck, or even Deion as a return guy too...

You have to agree Aikman had much better special teams then Romo. And like Jimmy Johnson always said back in the day.... You have to win 2 out of the 3 phases of the game.

 

[JS22]

What else needs to be said really?

Team sport.

I wonder how Troy would have done with Romo's version of the Cowboys circus.

 

[TrailBlazer]

He is in the conversation but Aikman has him beat until he wins a SB. Win in the playoffs or you will be quickly forgotten.

 

[DFWJC]

I'll never get why it's necessary to try to compare players we love across football eras.

It's a forum though, so guess I can't complain to much.