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At least that’s how things were supposed to go for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys in the first round.
As teams continued to pass on Manziel and the Cowboys' pick inched closer and closer, it appeared that it was a perfect match. However, Jones passed on Manziel and drafted Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin instead.
It certainly wasn’t the sexiest of picks, but it was definitely a strong move for the Cowboys. In fact, Dane Brugler of CBS Sports says Martin is going to be spending a lot of time at the Pro Bowl over the course of his career:
What the pick of Martin ultimately shows is that Dallas is committed to current quarterback Tony Romo.
They aren't just committed to him for the 2014 season either. This pick shows that they're locked in with Romo for the foreseeable future.
One has to wonder whether or not the Cowboys are putting too much stock in Romo—not only for next year, but for the 2015 season and beyond.
You see, even if Dallas were to draft a player like Manziel, it wouldn't have been for the 2014 season. Romo is coming off a year in which he threw for nearly 4,000 yards, 31 touchdown passes and only 10 interceptions.
So, Manziel wasn't playing this upcoming season for the Cowboys, and that wasn't the point of the Cowboys selecting Manziel.
No, the point of drafting Manziel was to set up the Cowboys with a dynamic quarterback for the next 10 years.
Romo will be 34 years old when Week 1 rolls around. He'll also be coming off back surgery after less intrusive treatments weren't enough to take away his pain. Back surgeries are never easy to fully recover from, and they can sometimes lead to even more issues in the surrounding areas.
We also can't forget to mention the issues that Romo has had during clutch situations over the course of his career in Dallas. He's never been able to get the Cowboys deep in the playoffs and always seems to have that one negative, game-changing play during crunch time.
However, instead of getting their future quarterback—and someone who could play if needed this year—the Cowboys have now put all of their offensive trust in Romo.
That 34-year-old quarterback with a surgically repaired back controls all the stock in Dallas.
There's really no reason that Cowboys fans should be upset with the team selecting Martin over Manziel. Martin is fantastic in pass protection, so he'll be a huge help in keeping Romo upright.
Unfortunately, Martin can't turn back the hands of time, return Romo's back to 100 percent health or install the clutch gene. So, while getting an NFL-ready blocker and a player who can become a perennial Pro Bowl player is a solid move, it can't help the bigger issues surrounding Romo.
You can't help but feel like the Cowboys are putting too much faith in Romo for this year and the following seasons.
While they might not feel the full effects of passing on a player like Manziel this year, it's a move that'll likely come back to haunt Mr. Jones sooner than later.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
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