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IRVING, Texas — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo may or may not win the NFL MVP award that he so richly deserves.
Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers was always the favorite and gave a dramatic performance in the season finale against the Detroit Lions, overcoming “a strained calf” to lead his team to a 12-4 record and the NFC North title. Adam Shefter of ESPN has already cast his vote.
So Aaron Rodgers returned to win the NFC North title, a first-round bye and MVP.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 29, 2014
Never mind that Romo finished first in the NFL in quarterback rating (113.2), first in completion percentage (69.9) and first in injuries overcome (offseason back surgery, torn rib cartilage and two fractured bones in his back) to lead the Cowboys to a 12-4 mark and the NFC East title.
“Tony’s certainly played at a very high level this year game in and game out and it’s a difficult position to play,” coach Jason Garrett said. "His leadership of the offensive unit of the football team has been outstanding and just how he’s played, he’s played at a very, very high level in decision-making and really just performance has a lot to do with that. He’s had an outstanding year for us.”
Sometimes it takes the masses a little longer to see what’s right in front of their eyes.
Certainly, many refuse to let go of the memories of some of Romo’s past performances or the hard-to-shake narrative of him as a mistake-prone quarterback who plays his worst when it matters most.
Let it go.
The Cowboys are heading to the playoffs as the arguably the hottest team in the league because Romo has been the best quarterback in league over the last month of the season.
He has changed perceptions by being a steady hand in the team’s surge. Skip Bayless of ESPN is impressed.
Tony Romo: NFL's best QBR overall. Best QBR in second halves. Best road QBR by far. Made so many $ plays in $ moments. Romo: MVP.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 29, 2014
Remember the notion that Romo and the Cowboys can’t win December?
Well, the Cowboys were 4-0 in December, averaging a team-record 41.25 points per game during the month.
Romo threw 12 touchdowns with one interception to complete a career-best touchdown-to-interception ratio of 34-9.
Tony Romo entered this season 14-21 career in Dec/Jan games. In 2014: 987 Pass yds, 12 TD, 1 Int, Cowboys 4-0. pic.twitter.com/ziEojngfHC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 28, 2014
Not bad, considering the injuries Romo has had to overcome, starting with his second back surgery in as many offseasons.
Romo, 34, predicted his career-best performance in training camp when he promised to be the best version of himself. But even he acknowledges seeing it all come together is satisfying.
“There is no question I' m playing at a level I'm proud of and I continue to get better,” Romo said. “It’s exciting. For me, I was just excited to be able to get back to a level to do some of the things I learned.
"I was excited about trying things I used in the past. They’ve held up and really allowed me to play my best football. I think that's taken shape. I'm just excited about the progression of improvement that has happened.”
Garrett will be the first to tell you that Romo's success in 2014 has been aided by the improvements around him.
The Cowboys have the best offensive line in the league, led by three Pro Bowlers in tackle Tyron Smith, guard Zack Martin and center Travis Frederick.
And the foundation of the offense is the running game, led by NFL-leading rusher DeMarco Murray. It all has taken a burden off Romo and allowed him to play the best, most efficient football of his career.
Romo is averaging a career-low 29 pass attempts per game in 2014. His 8.5 yards per attempt was the second-best of his career but ranked first in the NFL.
“A big part what why Tony has been so impressive during his career is he had big burdens on him and he's played really well,” Garrett said. It’s been our goal and our objective to diminish some of that and be a more balanced attack. Run the ball better. Control the line of scrimmage more. Play better defense. And Tony has just done a fantastic job in that environment. He has been a great decision-maker. And he's made a ton of big plays for us and a lot of little plays. A lot of great decisions. He has led us well. He has just played really, really well.”
Again, it all has the Cowboys heading into the postseason with the hottest offense in the league.
Romo has been a steady hand in the Cowboys' surge, changing perceptions along the way.
An MVP award may or may not be in the offing. But he has bigger aspirations and more ghosts to take down. Hall of Famer Warren Sapp believes he is ready, per Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News.
Warren Sapp: "Tony Romo is in total control of this offense…This quarterback here is ready to lead this team to a championship."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 28, 2014
Romo has won the division title twice before and has been in the playoffs three times previously. He has just one playoff win in 2009 and the bitter memories of tragic failures in 2006 and 2007.
This is Romo’s best chance to make a run to the Super Bowl, and he plans to take full advantage.
“The division title is great,” said Romo, who has one career playoff win. “For me and where I’m at, I think it is bigger aspirations. We’ve done the division-title thing. We are proud of that, but at the same time we understand that we are just getting started and we are excited about the opportunity. I'm different. So I’m excited about that aspect. I'm a different player than I was. Now you got to go out and do it.”
Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...
Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers was always the favorite and gave a dramatic performance in the season finale against the Detroit Lions, overcoming “a strained calf” to lead his team to a 12-4 record and the NFC North title. Adam Shefter of ESPN has already cast his vote.
So Aaron Rodgers returned to win the NFC North title, a first-round bye and MVP.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 29, 2014
Never mind that Romo finished first in the NFL in quarterback rating (113.2), first in completion percentage (69.9) and first in injuries overcome (offseason back surgery, torn rib cartilage and two fractured bones in his back) to lead the Cowboys to a 12-4 mark and the NFC East title.
“Tony’s certainly played at a very high level this year game in and game out and it’s a difficult position to play,” coach Jason Garrett said. "His leadership of the offensive unit of the football team has been outstanding and just how he’s played, he’s played at a very, very high level in decision-making and really just performance has a lot to do with that. He’s had an outstanding year for us.”
Sometimes it takes the masses a little longer to see what’s right in front of their eyes.
Certainly, many refuse to let go of the memories of some of Romo’s past performances or the hard-to-shake narrative of him as a mistake-prone quarterback who plays his worst when it matters most.
Let it go.
The Cowboys are heading to the playoffs as the arguably the hottest team in the league because Romo has been the best quarterback in league over the last month of the season.
He has changed perceptions by being a steady hand in the team’s surge. Skip Bayless of ESPN is impressed.
Tony Romo: NFL's best QBR overall. Best QBR in second halves. Best road QBR by far. Made so many $ plays in $ moments. Romo: MVP.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 29, 2014
Remember the notion that Romo and the Cowboys can’t win December?
Well, the Cowboys were 4-0 in December, averaging a team-record 41.25 points per game during the month.
Romo threw 12 touchdowns with one interception to complete a career-best touchdown-to-interception ratio of 34-9.
Tony Romo entered this season 14-21 career in Dec/Jan games. In 2014: 987 Pass yds, 12 TD, 1 Int, Cowboys 4-0. pic.twitter.com/ziEojngfHC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 28, 2014
Not bad, considering the injuries Romo has had to overcome, starting with his second back surgery in as many offseasons.
Romo, 34, predicted his career-best performance in training camp when he promised to be the best version of himself. But even he acknowledges seeing it all come together is satisfying.
“There is no question I' m playing at a level I'm proud of and I continue to get better,” Romo said. “It’s exciting. For me, I was just excited to be able to get back to a level to do some of the things I learned.
"I was excited about trying things I used in the past. They’ve held up and really allowed me to play my best football. I think that's taken shape. I'm just excited about the progression of improvement that has happened.”
Garrett will be the first to tell you that Romo's success in 2014 has been aided by the improvements around him.
The Cowboys have the best offensive line in the league, led by three Pro Bowlers in tackle Tyron Smith, guard Zack Martin and center Travis Frederick.
And the foundation of the offense is the running game, led by NFL-leading rusher DeMarco Murray. It all has taken a burden off Romo and allowed him to play the best, most efficient football of his career.
Romo is averaging a career-low 29 pass attempts per game in 2014. His 8.5 yards per attempt was the second-best of his career but ranked first in the NFL.
“A big part what why Tony has been so impressive during his career is he had big burdens on him and he's played really well,” Garrett said. It’s been our goal and our objective to diminish some of that and be a more balanced attack. Run the ball better. Control the line of scrimmage more. Play better defense. And Tony has just done a fantastic job in that environment. He has been a great decision-maker. And he's made a ton of big plays for us and a lot of little plays. A lot of great decisions. He has led us well. He has just played really, really well.”
Again, it all has the Cowboys heading into the postseason with the hottest offense in the league.
Romo has been a steady hand in the Cowboys' surge, changing perceptions along the way.
An MVP award may or may not be in the offing. But he has bigger aspirations and more ghosts to take down. Hall of Famer Warren Sapp believes he is ready, per Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News.
Warren Sapp: "Tony Romo is in total control of this offense…This quarterback here is ready to lead this team to a championship."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 28, 2014
Romo has won the division title twice before and has been in the playoffs three times previously. He has just one playoff win in 2009 and the bitter memories of tragic failures in 2006 and 2007.
This is Romo’s best chance to make a run to the Super Bowl, and he plans to take full advantage.
“The division title is great,” said Romo, who has one career playoff win. “For me and where I’m at, I think it is bigger aspirations. We’ve done the division-title thing. We are proud of that, but at the same time we understand that we are just getting started and we are excited about the opportunity. I'm different. So I’m excited about that aspect. I'm a different player than I was. Now you got to go out and do it.”
Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...