News: BTB: Cowboys Draft Dilemma: Winning Now Or Later?

[NewsBot]

Should the Cowboys have a sense of urgency when it comes to addressing the quarterback situation in the draft?

Do you remember the scene in the movie "Draft Day" where quarterback Brian Drew goes ballistic and trashes Sonny Weaver Jr.'s desk after learning that the GM traded up to the number one pick? The organization was preparing to take hot-shot quarterback Bo Callahan and this upset the veteran QB who was coming off a season-ending injury. Of course Weaver's dead father left him a note that instructed him to take Vontae Mack, no matter what. Eerily, that sounds like something Jerry would do to Stephen later on down the road. Even in the afterlife, Jerry still would want to run the team.

Now, Tony Romo isn't a guy who would throw a tantrum and go berserk in Jerry's office. Such a tirade would confuse everyone. After all, the Cowboys owner/GM has been very generous to Tony over the years when it comes to stuffing the pocketbook and stroking his ego. While Romo isn't worried about losing his spot on the team to a first-round quarterback, he still has a particular interest in who the Cowboys take with the coveted fourth-overall pick. And that's because Tony Romo has one thing in mind - he wants to win right now.

Time is not on his side. He and his BFF, Jason Witten, are getting up there in age and would love to eventually be able to relax in Cabo San Lucas some day and reminisce about the time they won a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys. The sense of urgency is real. Romo even tried to sell the idea to Jerry Jones last offseason when advocating for the resigning of DeMarco Murray, inferring that Jerry's probably going to die soon.


Tony Romo will be 36 years old when the 2016 season begins. And then he'll be 37 the season after that. And then the following year...well, you know how math works. He's basically a year away from the age Roger Staubach called it quits and even Captain America didn't have a lot of mileage since he didn't join the Cowboys until age 27. So how much longer can Tony Romo go? If you ask Jerry Jones, he says four to five more years. Such an approximation is not impossible as the soon-to-be Hall of Famer, Brett Favre played until he was 41. Granted, he was throwing a lot of picks in two of his final three seasons. So having Romo around doesn't mean fans are going to see the talented, play-making Romo we have grown accustomed to watching.

So what do you do if you are Dallas?

If pick four gets here and there is a player on the Cowboys board that stands out above all others, then clearly - it's an easy choice. But what if it's real close? Do you bite the bullet and take the safer choice of a quarterback that has the best chance to become a future franchise quarterback? Or do you go with an impact defensive player than can help the team right now?

The Cowboys have worked hard to get their salary cap in much better shape. They've shown a lot of patience in building the team through the draft. They haven't pushed themselves into a corner and they seem to make decisions without any sign of panic. Jason Garrett, who most thought was in the hot seat a couple years ago, was as cool as Fonzie when DeMarcus Ware was cut and Pro Bowler Jason Hatcher wasn't resigned. He proceeded to lead the team to a 12-4 record, an NFC East division title, and only the teams second playoff win in over a gazillion years (give or take a year, depending on which meme you are reading).

But last year showed us that the team's success is very Romo-dependent. So the front office needs to either have another strong quarterback waiting in the wings or strengthen the team so that they're not so reliant on Tony.

While this is a going to be a tough decision for Dallas, Will McClay and company need to trust their board. The best thing for the Cowboys at pick four is the best player. If it's a quarterback, then great - the team has their future QB. If not, then that's great too because they'll still get a superstar collegiate player. Only time will tell how this will play out, but if I'm Tony Romo I would sneak into Jerry's office and leave a note on his desk that reads...

The Cowboys could use a lot of things, but I'm not going to pass up on a freak athlete like Ramsey.

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