Romo says accuracy is not about footwork

That's interesting because Romo himself said that early in his career he wasn't very accurate or good at throwing the ball. I think it was the "A football life."

I think it's important if you're not very accurate to begin with. Can't hurt. The footwork and mechanics that come from that should help Dak. I'm hoping to see a lot of quick release passes. Set up and get the ball out.

pitt33 said:

Interesting take from Romo. All quarterbacks are different in a sense. Strong armed quarterbacks don’t always rely on good footwork to deliver the ball accurately. Rodgers and Jeff George come to mind. And I go back to Aikman who pretty much says you have accuracy or you don’t. But there is no question Dak’s footwork is a lot to be desired from a technical standpoint.

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Yes, QBs point of view is biased towards what they personally had to work on and what came naturally to them.

Aikman didn't need to work on throwing mechanics in the NFL. He already had⁹ prototype skills in that area. He did have to work on the footwork of dropping back with the correct timing, reading defenses, anticipating CB reactions and all of those issues but very little on the mechanics of throwing.

Romo did require significant work on his mechanics. He changed his throwing mechanics more than most QBs; however, he did it gradually over several years.

Kitna discovered years into his career that changes to his lower body mechanics made a huge improvement in his velocity and accuracy.

Accuracy: Mechanics vs Vision/Anticipation
Part of accuracy is vision/anticipation.

If you shoot trap/skeet or a bird in the air with a shotgun, the shotgun does most of the mechanics for you. The shooters accuracy is primarily their ability to see the target and "aim" correctly with the proper timing of when to fire.

Some of Dak's missed deep throws were more about his "aim" than mechanical issues. His brain has to estimate where the WR will be when the ball arrives. Much of that is specific to the WR and the route.

Also on throws when he is moving forward he sometimes over-throws his target. That's due to the physics of his forward motion adding to the velocity of the pass. QBs just have to remind themselves to take a little off or aim a little low when moving forward.

Next is the issue of how pressure affects throws. Romo developed a compact motion that allowed him to throw accurately with players in his space. Dak's less compact motion makes it a little easier for defenders to affect his throws.

Mechanics Changes 2018
Early last season and in the preseason Dak was using a more over-hand throwing motion (i.e. the more prototype motion). His spirals were nice and tight and it appeared he was generating velocity more easily. The issue was that his aiming points had to change to correlate to the new throwing motion. Also for anybody that's made that change you know that the ball tends to "stick" in your hand on occasion especially if you have large hands. I saw a couple of those 'stuck" ball throws. The ball will be a line drive to the ground in front of the target.

As the season progressed Dak backed off of the changes going back somewhat to what he was more comfortable with.

I expect him to have perfected that motion that he was using in training camp last year when camp opens this year.

Summary:
Dak's accuracy issues have been drastically exaggerated.

Once fans/media latch on to a narrative, it becomes an exaggeration contest.

It's just like pitching--proper mechanics help with accuracy but there are many pitchers in the HOF who threw pitches ten different ways and had accuracy.

Streetwise said:

That's interesting because Romo himself said that early in his career he wasn't very accurate or good at throwing the ball. I think it was the "A football life."

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Yea it was. But I think it was more that he was inconsistent.

His take on teaching himself to throw and constantly tweaking is really fascinating.

erod said:

Recently, Tony Romo was on 105.3 The Fan discussing the mechanics of throwing the football, and he had some interesting perspective on the work Dak is doing.

Romo qualified himself by admitting he was an obsessive geek when it came to arm angles, shoulder position, and release points to get the ball into certain windows with accuracy depending on what side of the field and type of throw was required. He spent hours upon hours trying to perfect this over his career for different situations.

He said footwork is overrated in terms of accuracy. He said that he instead focused on shoulder and arm position, and that the footwork just naturally follows. His reasoning was that, because QBs are often on the move or off balance when throwing, footwork is never going to be consistent anyway, but shoulder position and arm angle can be if you can rotate your upper torso into position before the throw.

In essence, he was saying he was already accurate from a perfect throwing position (no pass rush pressure) right out of college, but he had to learn to throw accurately from different live-action positions when he had to lean or slide from pressure. Being able to do that and put balls over the top of coverage and in tight windows is what separates QBs in the pros.

That makes a lot of sense.

On the flip side, Jon Kitna is ALL about footwork. He uses the phrase "ankle's eye" when throwing, as if you need to position your front foot toward the target to get it there accurately. I think that is important for Dak because he's tall and has a big windup compared to Romo. However, that doesn't apply when you can't set your feet. Dak throws well rolling to his right, but not as much to the left.

The important point is that Dak develop enough confidence in his arm and accuracy that he can throw sooner and in tight coverage, particularly in the red zone where things are really compact. The reports are that he looks more comfortable, but live action will tell soon enough.

And Dak's biggest issue is throwing from the pocket, so Kitna is certain right to focus there. However, as he moves around in the pocket, Romo's approach is valid as well.

Certainly worth watching early on this season.

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Romo was infamous for throwing the game killing interception. Would that be considered an accuracy problem?

HoosierCowboy said:

It's just like pitching--proper mechanics help with accuracy but there are many pitchers in the HOF who threw pitches ten different ways and had accuracy.

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You know what really helps accuracy more than anything?

A clean pocket.

I don't agree with Tony on this one. I mean, Tony was a guy who did try a lot of different platforms, from which to throw but he was also a guy who wanted to move around in the pocket. Not every QB or Offense is like that. A lot of guys beat you by getting the ball off quickly and just flat getting it there, accurately, before the DB can react. That is all about Footwork and Mechanics. I think it depends on what kind of QB you are. Tony did not have a cannon. Some guys do and for them, it's different. Truth be told, the problem with throwing accurately and with velocity is actually keeping the shoulder closed and making sure that the footwork and the actual platform are solid. At least, that's my experience.

erod said:

Recently, Tony Romo was on 105.3 The Fan discussing the mechanics of throwing the football, and he had some interesting perspective on the work Dak is doing.

Romo qualified himself by admitting he was an obsessive geek when it came to arm angles, shoulder position, and release points to get the ball into certain windows with accuracy depending on what side of the field and type of throw was required. He spent hours upon hours trying to perfect this over his career for different situations.

He said footwork is overrated in terms of accuracy. He said that he instead focused on shoulder and arm position, and that the footwork just naturally follows. His reasoning was that, because QBs are often on the move or off balance when throwing, footwork is never going to be consistent anyway, but shoulder position and arm angle can be if you can rotate your upper torso into position before the throw.

In essence, he was saying he was already accurate from a perfect throwing position (no pass rush pressure) right out of college, but he had to learn to throw accurately from different live-action positions when he had to lean or slide from pressure. Being able to do that and put balls over the top of coverage and in tight windows is what separates QBs in the pros.

That makes a lot of sense.

On the flip side, Jon Kitna is ALL about footwork. He uses the phrase "ankle's eye" when throwing, as if you need to position your front foot toward the target to get it there accurately. I think that is important for Dak because he's tall and has a big windup compared to Romo. However, that doesn't apply when you can't set your feet. Dak throws well rolling to his right, but not as much to the left.

The important point is that Dak develop enough confidence in his arm and accuracy that he can throw sooner and in tight coverage, particularly in the red zone where things are really compact. The reports are that he looks more comfortable, but live action will tell soon enough.

And Dak's biggest issue is throwing from the pocket, so Kitna is certain right to focus there. However, as he moves around in the pocket, Romo's approach is valid as well.

Certainly worth watching early on this season.

Click to expand...

I want Dak to get better at what he is good at....Winning. If Dak does that (win), the Cowboys will win a Super Bowl.

Terry Bradshaw completed on 51% of his passes. But he could lead a team to win 4 Super Bowls. Roger Staubach completed 57% of his passes. But he could lead a team to 4 Super Bowls and he retired as the NFL all time passing leader. Troy Aikman threw for 20 TDs in a season one time. But he could lead a team to 4 NFC Championship games in a row and win 3 Super Bowls in 4 years. Romo is the all time leading passer in Dallas Cowboys history. Jon Kitna lead a team to 0-15. Please don't mess up what Dak is good at doing...Winning.

All I want do is win...No matter what!

Locked on Cowboys podcast discusses this exact topic and Romo’s comments.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podca...e-dallas-cowboys/id1151519475?i=1000444842326

eromeopolk said:

I want Dak to get better at what he is good at....Winning. If Dak does that (win), the Cowboys will win a Super Bowl.

Terry Bradshaw completed on 51% of his passes. But he could lead a team to win 4 Super Bowls. Roger Staubach completed 57% of his passes. But he could lead a team to 4 Super Bowls and he retired as the NFL all time passing leader. Troy Aikman threw for 20 TDs in a season one time. But he could lead a team to 4 NFC Championship games in a row and win 3 Super Bowls in 4 years. Romo is the all time leading passer in Dallas Cowboys history. Jon Kitna lead a team to 0-15. Please don't mess up what Dak is good at doing...Winning.

All I want do is win...No matter what!

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The quarterbacks you mentioned played with the greatest rosters ever assembled. Romo and Kitna did not.

Future said:

Yea it was. But I think it was more that he was inconsistent.

His take on teaching himself to throw and constantly tweaking is really fascinating.

Click to expand...

Ironically, it's like a golf swing.

erod said:

Recently, Tony Romo was on 105.3 The Fan discussing the mechanics of throwing the football, and he had some interesting perspective on the work Dak is doing.

Romo qualified himself by admitting he was an obsessive geek when it came to arm angles, shoulder position, and release points to get the ball into certain windows with accuracy depending on what side of the field and type of throw was required. He spent hours upon hours trying to perfect this over his career for different situations.

He said footwork is overrated in terms of accuracy. He said that he instead focused on shoulder and arm position, and that the footwork just naturally follows. His reasoning was that, because QBs are often on the move or off balance when throwing, footwork is never going to be consistent anyway, but shoulder position and arm angle can be if you can rotate your upper torso into position before the throw.

In essence, he was saying he was already accurate from a perfect throwing position (no pass rush pressure) right out of college, but he had to learn to throw accurately from different live-action positions when he had to lean or slide from pressure. Being able to do that and put balls over the top of coverage and in tight windows is what separates QBs in the pros.

That makes a lot of sense.

On the flip side, Jon Kitna is ALL about footwork. He uses the phrase "ankle's eye" when throwing, as if you need to position your front foot toward the target to get it there accurately. I think that is important for Dak because he's tall and has a big windup compared to Romo. However, that doesn't apply when you can't set your feet. Dak throws well rolling to his right, but not as much to the left.

The important point is that Dak develop enough confidence in his arm and accuracy that he can throw sooner and in tight coverage, particularly in the red zone where things are really compact. The reports are that he looks more comfortable, but live action will tell soon enough.

And Dak's biggest issue is throwing from the pocket, so Kitna is certain right to focus there. However, as he moves around in the pocket, Romo's approach is valid as well.

Certainly worth watching early on this season.

Click to expand...

I think its both.....Romo had good work and was natural in dropping and putting his feet in position. I don't' dispute that when under pressure then your footwork is not perfect, but if not under pressure (by NFL standards), when you set your feet you should be in position to throw....that's one of Dak's problem, when Brady, Aikman, Romo, Manning, etc. drift and move in the pocket, the feet are in position, in fairly good position...when Dak drifts or moves in the pocket, most often than not his feet are in horrible position often at the same level parallel to each other and he tries to arm his way through..... once you have that natural feet movement and setting your feet, then you can work on arm angle, release point, etc....

A better quarterback said it can't be learned or something. Now I don't know what to believe.

CowboyRoy said:

You know what really helps accuracy more than anything?

A clean pocket.

Click to expand...

yes--and excellent receivers

pitt33 said:

Interesting take from Romo. All quarterbacks are different in a sense. Strong armed quarterbacks don’t always rely on good footwork to deliver the ball accurately. Rodgers and Jeff George come to mind. And I go back to Aikman who pretty much says you have accuracy or you don’t. But there is no question Dak’s footwork is a lot to be desired from a technical standpoint.

Click to expand...

Aikman is wrong when saying you either have accuracy or you don't. Accuracy can be built and improved upon.

America's Cowboy said:

Aikman is wrong when saying you either have accuracy or you don't. Accuracy can be built and improved upon.

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A lot of fans think different. I can't see how you can't make tweaks and improvements.

Interesting thread.

Bottom line is that Dak need to throw 1000 passes each day this offseason.

Different angles, different depths, on the move to the right, on the move to the left....all those things.

Streetwise said:

That's interesting because Romo himself said that early in his career he wasn't very accurate or good at throwing the ball. I think it was the "A football life."

Click to expand...

So it can't be taught, but it can be learned.

CowboyRoy said:

Romo was infamous for throwing the game killing interception. Would that be considered an accuracy problem?

Click to expand...

LOL .....Just had to throw this in huh Roy?