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Only it wasn't a catch, at least according to Rule 8 Section 1 Article 3 of the NFL Rulebook. Incomplete pass by Romo. Turnover on downs. Packers ball.
That overturned "catch" became one of the most controversial plays in NFL history, sparking outrage, memes and becoming yet another extremely visible example of postseason failure by Tony Romo.
With this week's news that Romo will be moving to the other side of the camera as a color commentator for CBS, Bleacher Report revisited the play by asking experts from across the sports world (and avowed Cowboys fan/Power 105.1 host Charlamagne Tha God) one simple question:
"If Dez caught it, would Tony Romo still be in the NFL?"
Mike Freeman, NFL Columnist at B/R
I think Jerry Jones would have still been looking for a younger quarterback, and I still think they would have drafted Dak Prescott. Jones loved Prescott, and I think short of having Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers or Troy Aikman emerging from a time capsule like Khan from Star Trek, he was going to get Prescott. So, bottom line, I don't think Romo would be on the team.
Joy Taylor, host of FS1's Undisputed
If Dez caught the ball, would Tony Romo still be in the NFL? No. One play doesn't preclude you from injury, which is why Tony Romo has traded in his jersey for a CBS sports jacket. Had Dez made that catch—and it was a catch—against the Packers in the 2014 divisional round, I do believe they would've gone to Seattle the following week and upset the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game. These two teams played each other in Week 6, with the Cowboys handing the Seahawks their lone home loss of the season. With that impressive win under their belt, there's no reason to expect the Cowboys couldn't pull off the upset once again.
Because of Dez's catch, and an upset win against the Seahawks, Romo "now" has the Cowboys in the Super Bowl against the Patriots. While I think they would beat the Seahawks, I can't imagine them beating Tom Brady and the Patriots. So they lose, but he does lead Dallas to its first Super Bowl appearance in nearly 20 years.
So with these hypotheticals, he would still be retiring this week, but how do we view Tony Romo? He would now be viewed in a better light (a Super Bowl appearance is still a Super Bowl appearance.) That, coupled with his franchise-best marks with the Cowboys, it could be an easier argument for Tony Romo to be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, although it's still a mighty stretch. Overall, the biggest indictment of Romo's career for me is his lack of postseason wins.
Charlamagne Tha God, host of Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club
I don't think Dez catching that ball would have prolonged Romo's career. Romo physically just wasn't able to do it anymore—as a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan, I'm extremely happy that he's gone. When I saw Romo announce his retirement, literally the first thing I thought was, "Thanks for nothing." The guy gave me anxiety for at least eight years straight, so even though statistically he's one of the best to ever do it, his stats never translated into any significant wins for my Cowboys.
Personally, I'm glad it's officially the Dak Prescott era. If anything, Romo should have stuck around, been a glorified backup and let Dak and Zeke get him his first Super Bowl title.
Danny Kelly, NFL writer at The Ringer
This is an amazing hypothetical, and in a world where that Dez no-catch had been ruled a catch, it would've been really fun to see Romo go to Seattle for a chance to play in the Super Bowl that year. But ultimately, I don't think it makes a difference as to whether or not he'd still be playing today. To borrow from Final Destination, it's tough to imagine that a Super Bowl run in 2014 would've saved Romo from major injuries that robbed him of the 2015 and 2016 seasons. And realistically, if Dez had caught that pass and the Cowboys had gone on to beat Seattle and New England for the Super Bowl title, Romo's retirement decision would've seemed even easier. So, while it's kind of a boring answer, I don't think that reversing that play would've made much difference.
Clarence Hill, Cowboys beat writer for the Star-Telegram
No, Dez's catch/non-catch had no bearing on the injuries he suffered the past two seasons.
Chris Simms, NFL Lead Analyst at B/R
If Dez caught the ball, does that mean Romo doesn't hurt his back? He's a guy who's inevitably going to be underrated—to me, he's been one of the best quarterbacks in football for the last 10 years. The fact that people don't want to say that because he didn't win a lot of playoff games or win the Super Bowl is so stupid, when people also constantly say that football is "the ultimate team sport." But of course when it comes to Romo, one guy makes the difference.
My other argument is that he's one of the best playmaking quarterbacks I've ever seen. He never really had a great defense around him—for all the talk of 8-8 and 9-7 seasons, people are missing the scope of the discussion. Those were 4-12 or 5-11 teams, but because Tony Romo was so good and the most clutch quarterback in football from like 2006-2013—he was the best fourth-quarter quarterback in the game—it's going to be one of those legacies we'll look back on a little like a Fran Tarkenton.
If they went on to beat Seattle, and beat New England, I think the conversation about Tony Romo is about him being one of the all-time greats. I don't think it means he would still be playing, I think he would have called it quits quicker.
Dan Fouts, CBS color commentator and Pro Football Hall of Famer
It's an interesting premise for sure—you can argue both sides of it 'til you're blue in the face, but I have no idea of knowing. Injuries happen to all of us at some point, and injuries are not hypothetical.
Jeremy Mincey, retired NFL defensive end who played for the Cowboys from 2014-2016
Dez caught it! What other way can you see it? I could care less about what anyone else says—I've seen hundreds of thousands of catches, and that was definitely one of them. We would have won the Super Bowl! You want me to tell you why? We were so close, and we had so much momentum that you could feel it in the locker room. We felt unstoppable. Seattle was a hell of a team that year, [but] nobody dominated the run like we did—we just needed a little more pass rush and corner help.
I used to listen to that Tony Romo choking riff-raff when I was with the Jaguars, but when I became a Cowboy, I was like, "This guy's so admirable." I loved how he approached the game, I loved his mentality towards the game, I loved that he loved the game like that. I wish I loved it like that! Maybe Mince would have been an all-time great, if I loved it as much as Tony did. He was an inspiration to me.
If we'd won, that would have meant he retired earlier! You've got smart people out there—people know when to hold and know when to fold. I'm one of them, definitely. Tony's one of them too, I promise you.
Terrell Davis, NFL Network commentator and Pro Football Hall of Fame Electee
Absolutely, it was a catch. We saw the play—he caught the ball, he took three steps, then he tried to dive. Because he was trying to score a touchdown—a football move—he lost control. But that was after he caught the ball! To me, the way you call a catch is if a drunk man at a bar can see that it's a catch, it's a catch. Dallas was on a roll. That whole playoffs season was like karma—Green Bay lost in the same flukey way as Dallas. With Romo gone, there are just not that many good quarterbacks now.
All I know is that when I watched Tony play, I saw a damn good quarterback. I wouldn't say great, but I'd say damn good. I don't know where I'd rank him, if he's elite—all that doesn't matter to me. I understood why people judged him, and fair or unfair that position requires that sort of scrutiny. But it's not basketball, where the best player is almost guaranteed to elevate their team to championship status. Dallas was lucky to have him, and unfortunately they didn't do anything with him, but we could go back to the Dan Marino argument with that.
I know the offer had to be sweet—this is a man who can go out there and name his price. But again, it boils down to health. The mental grind he's been through these past few years has probably taken its toll. I mean that [broadcasting] job is forever, and you're not getting hit, not taking a physical pounding. If he were looking to me, I'd say, you're doing the right thing. Get out while you can. It's amazing how great you feel when you're not playing.
Ultimately, I think Jason [Garrett] did the right thing, but it's hard not to think about the what ifs. You look at Denver two years ago, when Peyton Manning came back in for Brock and was able to walk off into the sunset. It was teed up for the type of ending, but fortunately or unfortunately, Dak didn't do anything where you felt like you had to pull him. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
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