Red Dragon
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Disclaimer: I've never served in the military. Neither have Romo or Dak, of course. But there is a stereotype that the Air Force is known to be a very strict organization in which "you are not allowed to do anything unless the book says you may," whereas the Navy is more easygoing and says "you are allowed to do things unless the book expressly forbids you from doing them."
Romo was a "Navy type," Dak was an "Air Force type." Romo was willing to take risks, Dak isn't.
During the Romo era, football fans applied a hyper-strict standard to Tony: It didn't matter how many great plays Romo made, all they focused on were the errors. Turnovers led to crucifixion. The game against the Peyton-led Broncos is a classic example. It didn't matter that Romo threw for 500 yards and 5 TDs in that game; all people cared about was the ONE interception he threw near the end. It didn't matter if Romo did things 99% right; all people could focus on was the 1% wrong.
Dak himself knows that all too well - he was one of Romo's fans turned critics. In December 2012, Dak went into a Twitter meltdown after the Cowboys' season-ending loss to the Commanders, blasting that he was done defending Romo. Dak was still in college at the time, a freshman.
I think Dak very much took the "Romo lesson" to heart once he became Cowboys QB himself and decided that he ought to be the "anti-Romo" - that Cowboys fans would be OK with him being excessively cautious, always playing it safe, always taking sacks, always doing everything conservatively and timidly - as long as he didn't commit the "high-profile" errors such as interceptions. And for a while, Dallas fans and the media did indeed praise Dak's "better safe than sorry" approach. They lavished praise on him for going five consecutive games without an interception.
But before long, Cowboys fans learned the bitter truth: A quarterback who is excessively timid and risk-averse can kill his team's playoff hopes just as surely as a gunslinger who plays too aggressively. It's just that the death takes a subtler, different, form.
Dak became a QB terrified of taking risks. So much so that he'd rather throw a dinky three-yard checkdown on 4th and 13 that's guaranteed to fail, than a deeper pass beyond the sticks that might be picked off. Because Dak learned from the Romo experience that fans didn't mind losing so much as they minded losing a bad way. "Failure to convert on 4th down" didn't elicit the same foaming-at-the-mouth rage from fans as "game-sealing interception", even though both led to defeats all the same. Dak would rather take a sack than throw the ball away..........because throwing the ball away might lead to it being picked. He would rather dink and dunk than throw the ball deep, because throwing deep is.........risky. No matter what, he had to be the anti-Romo.
The hyper-criticism of Romo turned Dak into a timid and fearful QB. He would rather be anything than Romo.....even if it meant losing. Cowboys fans got what they wished for - a QB the opposite of Romo - and they got what they got.
Romo was a "Navy type," Dak was an "Air Force type." Romo was willing to take risks, Dak isn't.
During the Romo era, football fans applied a hyper-strict standard to Tony: It didn't matter how many great plays Romo made, all they focused on were the errors. Turnovers led to crucifixion. The game against the Peyton-led Broncos is a classic example. It didn't matter that Romo threw for 500 yards and 5 TDs in that game; all people cared about was the ONE interception he threw near the end. It didn't matter if Romo did things 99% right; all people could focus on was the 1% wrong.
Dak himself knows that all too well - he was one of Romo's fans turned critics. In December 2012, Dak went into a Twitter meltdown after the Cowboys' season-ending loss to the Commanders, blasting that he was done defending Romo. Dak was still in college at the time, a freshman.
I think Dak very much took the "Romo lesson" to heart once he became Cowboys QB himself and decided that he ought to be the "anti-Romo" - that Cowboys fans would be OK with him being excessively cautious, always playing it safe, always taking sacks, always doing everything conservatively and timidly - as long as he didn't commit the "high-profile" errors such as interceptions. And for a while, Dallas fans and the media did indeed praise Dak's "better safe than sorry" approach. They lavished praise on him for going five consecutive games without an interception.
But before long, Cowboys fans learned the bitter truth: A quarterback who is excessively timid and risk-averse can kill his team's playoff hopes just as surely as a gunslinger who plays too aggressively. It's just that the death takes a subtler, different, form.
Dak became a QB terrified of taking risks. So much so that he'd rather throw a dinky three-yard checkdown on 4th and 13 that's guaranteed to fail, than a deeper pass beyond the sticks that might be picked off. Because Dak learned from the Romo experience that fans didn't mind losing so much as they minded losing a bad way. "Failure to convert on 4th down" didn't elicit the same foaming-at-the-mouth rage from fans as "game-sealing interception", even though both led to defeats all the same. Dak would rather take a sack than throw the ball away..........because throwing the ball away might lead to it being picked. He would rather dink and dunk than throw the ball deep, because throwing deep is.........risky. No matter what, he had to be the anti-Romo.
The hyper-criticism of Romo turned Dak into a timid and fearful QB. He would rather be anything than Romo.....even if it meant losing. Cowboys fans got what they wished for - a QB the opposite of Romo - and they got what they got.
this is his talent level since high-school and trust it ain't gonna change at 25 or 26 etc etc.....
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