Dallas is stuck in a Tony Romo trap

[waving monkey]

Here's a thread to debate but in all fairness to should [Romo's back] be acknowledged.

Before the season, I wrote a post about 5 things I wish the Dallas Cowboys would change. Number one was:

1. STOP BETTING THE SEASON ON TONY ROMO'S HEALTH

With Brandon Weeden, Dallas has it's worst backup QB in many years, and one that cannot be expected to win regular season games, much less a playoff game. He was 1-6 in 2013 after being 5-10 in 2012. Yet Dallas made this choice KNOWING that Tony Romo's back has been deteriorating for at least a couple of years, and he's now 34 years old. In retrospect, I wish Dallas had drafted Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round of this draft. They could have kept their 3rd round pick, and let Garoppolo and Weeden fight it out in training camp and pre-season. Garoppolo has easily outperformed Weeden in pre-season, which means we could have kept him and let Weeden go. We'd have our QB of the future, with 2-3 years to groom.

Since Dallas didn't do that, it's going to have to do it next offseason. Weeden has no future. He's already in his 30s, and won't be good enough to win with - ever.

Well, I think we're seeing these fears realized.

After Dallas's first game against San Francisco, I thought Romo's disc problem would lead to deterioration, without much hope of ever getting to where we needed to go with him. So I wrote this post:

Dallas has to move on from Tony Romo. The problem is, we can't. The core of my argument was as follows:

If Tony Romo is physically unable to play like he once did, can Dallas afford to continue relying on him as its franchise QB?

I mean, if the guy has only 1 playoff victory in his career, and that was 5 years ago before there were any back issues, and since then the team has never even made the playoffs,how can you expect the team to EVER get there with Tony Romo if his back if forcing him into a steady decline?

The ONLY hope for a Romo-led Cowboys team is to make the rest of the team better around him -- to run the ball well enough to give balance and take the load off Romo's shoulders -- while you work to shore up and improve a weak defense.

But is this now a fool's errand? Is it already too late to get anywhere with a Romo-led team? My conclusion at this point is YES.

link/http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2014/11/2/7148597/dallas-is-stuck-in-a-tony-romo-trap

 

[DallasCowboysRule!]

Doesn't every team bet the season on their starting quarterback's health. If Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning got hurt what happens to the Packers or Broncos? Both of those guys also have past serious injuries that make their health a risk for their respective teams. It may be time to start looking for Romo's replacement but that's only because of his age, not because of his injury history. I'm pretty confident that he will return from this current injury and play well.

 

[endersdragon]

As someone on that thread noted, outside of the 49ers game, where Romo was rusty more than anything else, Romo has been a top 5 QB in this league easily. He has missed one game, and I think some equipment fixes will keep him from missing that many more, making sure his lower back is ALWAYS protected by ballistics grade kevlar would be a really good start... no shots to the back should = no more injuries to his back, supposedly he has been wearing a bullet proof vest for years, it just has a habit of riding up on certain hits, we need to figure out a way to prevent that. As for the team around him, I honestly believe that they can beat anyone this year, and will probably be far better next year. Murray is THE top running-back this year, our o-line is probably also tops in the league, our WR corp is top 5, and our defense, while it needs 1 more year to get really good, is surprisingly good this year and can keep us in the game no matter how bad the offense is doing (case in point, last weeks game and week 1 game (where the offense gave up most of our points).

If Romo can stay healthy this year (which as I mentioned in the 2nd sentence, I believe he can), I see no reason why we should give up on this season at all and I see no team in the NFC that we cannot beat. I believe with a real QB we would have won last week (the fact that we were only down 14-10 with 10 minutes to go with our QB having one of the worst Cowboys QB performances in the last decade should be proof enough of that). The Packers have already been crushed by some poorer teams (Saints who we crushed for example). I haven't seen enough out of the Lions offense to count us out against them. The south is a mess and most likely the Saints will emerge from it and lose on their first road game (quite possibly a road game in Cowboys stadium) because they can't win on the road to save their lives. We already beat the Seahawks there, we can beat them anywhere. The Eagles have gotten some amount of really good luck in most of their wins and I believe we will match up pretty well with them on Thanksgiving (Romo's best day) and on an extra 3 days rest (after our Thursday night Bears game). So yea... I don't see anyone we can't beat in the NFC.

So yea... **** giving up on Romo and **** giving up on this season (just so you mods know I bleeped that out myself). Romo finally has a good team around him, and we finally can win, what is the point of negativity.

 

[Red Dragon]

Doesn't every team bet the season on their starting quarterback's health?

There's a huge difference between a 2010 Kitna and a 2014 Weeden.

And the 1990 Giants won a Super Bowl with Jeff Hostetler.

 

[endersdragon]

There's a huge difference between a 2010 Kitna and a 2014 Weeden.

And the 1990 Giants won a Super Bowl with Jeff Hostetler.

True but when its comes to playoff time 98% of the time (I am assuming Hostetler was the only one) you need your starting QB, and if the goal is to make it to the Super Bowl that is all that matters.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

As someone on that thread noted, outside of the 49ers game, where Romo was rusty more than anything else, Romo has been a top 5 QB in this league easily. He has missed one game, and I think some equipment fixes will keep him from missing that many more, making sure his lower back is ALWAYS protected by ballistics grade kevlar would be a really good start... no shots to the back should = no more injuries to his back, supposedly he has been wearing a bullet proof vest for years, it just has a habit of riding up on certain hits, we need to figure out a way to prevent that. As for the team around him, I honestly believe that they can beat anyone this year, and will probably be far better next year. Murray is THE top running-back this year, our o-line is probably also tops in the league, our WR corp is top 5, and our defense, while it needs 1 more year to get really good, is surprisingly good this year and can keep us in the game no matter how bad the offense is doing (case in point, last weeks game and week 1 game (where the offense gave up most of our points).

If Romo can stay healthy this year (which as I mentioned in the 2nd sentence, I believe he can), I see no reason why we should give up on this season at all and I see no team in the NFC that we cannot beat. I believe with a real QB we would have won last week (the fact that we were only down 14-10 with 10 minutes to go with our QB having one of the worst Cowboys QB performances in the last decade should be proof enough of that). The Packers have already been crushed by some poorer teams (Saints who we crushed for example). I haven't seen enough out of the Lions offense to count us out against them. The south is a mess and most likely the Saints will emerge from it and lose on their first road game (quite possibly a road game in Cowboys stadium) because they can't win on the road to save their lives. We already beat the Seahawks there, we can beat them anywhere. The Eagles have gotten some amount of really good luck in most of their wins and I believe we will match up pretty well with them on Thanksgiving (Romo's best day) and on an extra 3 days rest (after our Thursday night Bears game). So yea... I don't see anyone we can't beat in the NFC.

So yea... **** giving up on Romo and **** giving up on this season (just so you mods know I bleeped that out myself). Romo finally has a good team around him, and we finally can win, what is the point of negativity.

Our OL is good...not the best in the NFL. Our WR corps is good...not top 5. The design of our passing game is pedestrian and archaic.....which allows for our OL and WR....which are both good....to look average. This offense functions at peak performance when we are running the ball well. When we don't run the ball well....our QB, OL and WRs can be shutdown by a lot of defenses in the NFL. If Dallas wants to maximize the time left with Romo....they should do what should have done from the beginning with Romo.....and I said this years ago. Go to a west coast style passing offense. Romo is not the big 6'4" 225 lb cannon arm accurate QB Troy Aikman was. And Dez is not the precise disciplined savy WR Irvin was. And Terrance Williams is about what Harper was.....which is someone they really do not trust....but whom they will use to take the pressure off Dez.

When you look at Brady and Manning....and witness how LITTLE they get hit....the ball comes out...and it comes out quickly. And when they get the defense off balance...they hit WIDE OPEN receivers and the run after catch provides the big chunk plays. Romo has to throw into the tightest windows on a consistent basis, which is not QB friendly. When Dez catches the ball...he is generally in traffic...and takes a beating. Someone posted a recap of an interview Michael Irvin conducted this week...that makes this very point. We do not have a system that gets guys open quickly an easily. Our passing games relies on our WRs being physically superior than the defenders(page out of the 90s teams). Which is why you saw very little separation on Sunday when our WRs ran up against CBs the same size as them. Combine that with a running game that was not working....and you saw what you got. Sure Brandon Weeden was horrible...but the week before the Romo led offense put up 3 points. We run long developing routes...and teams with the ability to blitz us are going to continue to blitz us..and if our running game is not getting good yardage on 1st down....the results will not be pretty. BTW....here is an idea...you want to make it easier on your OL, QB, RB and WRs...start throwing on 1st down. You can be sure your WRs will be in ONE on ONE coverage. You can be sure the defense will not be blitzing. It should create for easier throws. And you can get the defense off balance.

So since Garrett is here...and this is the offense he has ran for years....you pretty much are not going to get anything different. I think the marriage between Garrett and Romo will be seen to completion. I think they will either BOTH be here.....or BOTH be gone.....which means I see this continuing for another 2 - 3 years.

 

[JohnsKey19]

This year the team is built to maintain success more so than ever if faced with a Romo injury with a strong OL and dominant running game. That's assuming you have an adequate backup QB in place ie. John Kitna or Kyle Orton. The team gambled on Weeden and it appears to have backfired.

 

[Cowboys22]

His contract makes moving on impossible for a few years, but it's obviously time to invest a high pick in his eventual replacement and to make sure there is a solid backup behind him.

 

[joseephuss]

This year the team is built to maintain success more so than ever if faced with a Romo injury with a strong OL and dominant running game. That's assuming you have an adequate backup QB in place ie. John Kitna or Kyle Orton. The team gambled on Weeden and it appears to have backfired.

They had Orton, but he didn't want to stick around. He was a good backup QB, but because he didn't want to be in Dallas it was the right decision to move on from him. I was not a fan of bringing in Weeden, but it isn't as if there are a lot of great options out there. I think we would all be disappointed by whomever ended up as the backup in Dallas.

This current Romo injury was a freak thing. No team can anticipate when this type of injury happens to their starting QB. It could happen to any QB. There is nothing particular to Romo that made him more susceptible to this injury.

 

[Fletch]

Doesn't every team bet the season on their starting quarterback's health. If Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning got hurt what happens to the Packers or Broncos? Both of those guys also have past serious injuries that make their health a risk for their respective teams. It may be time to start looking for Romo's replacement but that's only because of his age, not because of his injury history. I'm pretty confident that he will return from this current injury and play well.

Until the next blitz. Then what? Oh yeah. More Weeden.

 

[noshame]

You bring in a rookie under a rookie contract and phase Tony out, he can switch roles to back -up. We will see the same defenses every time Tony steps on the field, they'll just hit him till he's out.

 

[maxdallasfan]

True but when its comes to playoff time 98% of the time (I am assuming Hostetler was the only one) you need your starting QB, and if the goal is to make it to the Super Bowl that is all that matters.

Eli comes to mind as well. Twice.

 

[sbark]

Our OL is good...not the best in the NFL. Our WR corps is good...not top 5. The design of our passing game is pedestrian and archaic.....which allows for our OL and WR....which are both good....to look average. This offense functions at peak performance when we are running the ball well. When we don't run the ball well....our QB, OL and WRs can be shutdown by a lot of defenses in the NFL. If Dallas wants to maximize the time left with Romo....they should do what should have done from the beginning with Romo.....and I said this years ago. Go to a west coast style passing offense. Romo is not the big 6'4" 225 lb cannon arm accurate QB Troy Aikman was. And Dez is not the precise disciplined savy WR Irvin was. And Terrance Williams is about what Harper was.....which is someone they really do not trust....but whom they will use to take the pressure off Dez.

When you look at Brady and Manning....and witness how LITTLE they get hit....the ball comes out...and it comes out quickly. And when they get the defense off balance...they hit WIDE OPEN receivers and the run after catch provides the big chunk plays. Romo has to throw into the tightest windows on a consistent basis, which is not QB friendly. When Dez catches the ball...he is generally in traffic...and takes a beating. Someone posted a recap of an interview Michael Irvin conducted this week...that makes this very point. We do not have a system that gets guys open quickly an easily. Our passing games relies on our WRs being physically superior than the defenders(page out of the 90s teams). Which is why you saw very little separation on Sunday when our WRs ran up against CBs the same size as them. Combine that with a running game that was not working....and you saw what you got. Sure Brandon Weeden was horrible...but the week before the Romo led offense put up 3 points. We run long developing routes...and teams with the ability to blitz us are going to continue to blitz us..and if our running game is not getting good yardage on 1st down....the results will not be pretty. BTW....here is an idea...you want to make it easier on your OL, QB, RB and WRs...start throwing on 1st down. You can be sure your WRs will be in ONE on ONE coverage. You can be sure the defense will not be blitzing. It should create for easier throws. And you can get the defense off balance.

So since Garrett is here...and this is the offense he has ran for years....you pretty much are not going to get anything different. I think the marriage between Garrett and Romo will be seen to completion. I think they will either BOTH be here.....or BOTH be gone.....which means I see this continuing for another 2 - 3 years.

I see the rating of our OLine and WR's as held back by the design of the passing offense. The refusal to use the innovative items that benefit Brady, Peyton and Brees put a lot of pressure-as you point out- to just be physically superior, and I'm afraid in the NFL that isn't going to happen if one cog goes down (Romo right now) or maybe on of the top three OLine, or Dez All of our routes take too long to develop, no wonder Haslett brought the blitz 100% of the time on 3rd down, and Ariz got pressure--, Are not the Jags # 1 in sacks this year to date?............the book is written on stopping JG's offense until the blitz is forced off.

 

[camelboy]

I know this might sound crazy but if I were a GM I would draft a QB in the 5th, 6th, or 7th round EVERY year or other year if I feel current draft pick looked promising (unless I am top of the draft and there is a Andrew Luck kind of QB available)....

Here is what I'd do... This year draft a QB 5th or 6th or 7th round. See how he does in per-season and assess if he looks promising, if yes then I will save next year's pick to something else and wait on this guy, if not, I am releasing him and drafting a new QB on next year's 5/6/or 7 round and so forth...

This way I might hit the jackpot with a late round gem.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

I know this might sound crazy but if I were a GM I would draft a QB in the 5th, 6th, or 7th round EVERY year or other year if I feel current draft pick looked promising (unless I am top of the draft and there is a Andrew Luck kind of QB available)....

Here is what I'd do... This year draft a QB 5th or 6th or 7th round. See how he does in per-season and assess if he looks promising, if yes then I will save next year's pick to something else and wait on this guy, if not, I am releasing him and drafting a new QB on next year's 5/6/or 7 round and so forth...

This way I might hit the jackpot with a late round gem.

funny things is....we did that with Stephen McGee....a 4th round pick. And held on to him and "developed" for I think at least 3 years. And everytime I saw him play...he looked like someone who had just picked up a football for the first time in his life. So I began to get upset at the organization for "sticking" with a guy this long that could NOT play. But as I watch other young QBs....come into today's NFL....and throw for 300 yards...score 28 points...or at the very least LOOK like they have played football their entire lives....I then began to wonder is it the player....or is it our scheme. So drafting McGee....and hanging on to him that long....prevented us from drafting someone else during that window...so that was a wasted 3 - 4 years. But now I truly believe that we cannot draft a QB and have him developed by THIS coaching staff...because the Romo/Garrett marriage is one that is going to be seen to completion. And personally....I don't want the next QB we have to be taught THIS passing offense....because I personally do not want THIS to be the passing offense of the future.

 

[camelboy]

funny things is....we did that with Stephen McGee....a 4th round pick. And held on to him and "developed" for I think at least 3 years. And everytime I saw him play...he looked like someone who had just picked up a football for the first time in his life. So I began to get upset at the organization for "sticking" with a guy this long that could NOT play. But as I watch other young QBs....come into today's NFL....and throw for 300 yards...score 28 points...or at the very least LOOK like they have played football their entire lives....I then began to wonder is it the player....or is it our scheme. So drafting McGee....and hanging on to him that long....prevented us from drafting someone else during that window...so that was a wasted 3 - 4 years. But now I truly believe that we cannot draft a QB and have him developed by THIS coaching staff...because the Romo/Garrett marriage is one that is going to be seen to completion. And personally....I don't want the next QB we have to be taught THIS passing offense....because I personally do not want THIS to be the passing offense of the future.

That's one thing I wouldn't do. It's a one-year assessment cycle. I would wait on a drafted QB one year to see if he makes the progress I am looking for, if not, move on and get a new one next draft... The only thing that breaks/stops this cycle is if I am on the clock with a once-a-lifetime QB or when one of my draftees turns out to be a steal...

 

[dfense]

Doesn't every team bet the season on their starting quarterback's health. If Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning got hurt what happens to the Packers or Broncos? Both of those guys also have past serious injuries that make their health a risk for their respective teams. It may be time to start looking for Romo's replacement but that's only because of his age, not because of his injury history. I'm pretty confident that he will return from this current injury and play well.

Exactly

 

[dfense]

Here's a thread to debate but in all fairness to should [Romo's back] be acknowledged.

Before the season, I wrote a post about 5 things I wish the Dallas Cowboys would change. Number one was:

1. STOP BETTING THE SEASON ON TONY ROMO'S HEALTH

With Brandon Weeden, Dallas has it's worst backup QB in many years, and one that cannot be expected to win regular season games, much less a playoff game. He was 1-6 in 2013 after being 5-10 in 2012. Yet Dallas made this choice KNOWING that Tony Romo's back has been deteriorating for at least a couple of years, and he's now 34 years old. In retrospect, I wish Dallas had drafted Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round of this draft. They could have kept their 3rd round pick, and let Garoppolo and Weeden fight it out in training camp and pre-season. Garoppolo has easily outperformed Weeden in pre-season, which means we could have kept him and let Weeden go. We'd have our QB of the future, with 2-3 years to groom.

Since Dallas didn't do that, it's going to have to do it next offseason. Weeden has no future. He's already in his 30s, and won't be good enough to win with - ever.

Well, I think we're seeing these fears realized.

After Dallas's first game against San Francisco, I thought Romo's disc problem would lead to deterioration, without much hope of ever getting to where we needed to go with him. So I wrote this post:

Dallas has to move on from Tony Romo. The problem is, we can't. The core of my argument was as follows:

If Tony Romo is physically unable to play like he once did, can Dallas afford to continue relying on him as its franchise QB?

I mean, if the guy has only 1 playoff victory in his career, and that was 5 years ago before there were any back issues, and since then the team has never even made the playoffs,how can you expect the team to EVER get there with Tony Romo if his back if forcing him into a steady decline?

The ONLY hope for a Romo-led Cowboys team is to make the rest of the team better around him -- to run the ball well enough to give balance and take the load off Romo's shoulders -- while you work to shore up and improve a weak defense.

But is this now a fool's errand? Is it already too late to get anywhere with a Romo-led team? My conclusion at this point is YES.

link/http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2014/11/2/7148597/dallas-is-stuck-in-a-tony-romo-trap

There will come a day when you will wish Dallas had a QB who sticks it out and wins games with broken bones. If you could come up with another QB who has played at a high level with broken ribs, bulging discs or a punctured lung. I'd like to know who they are. Appreciate the fact you have him as long as you do.

 

[CowboyGil]

YOU'RE A BAD MONKEY!! NO BANANA FOR YOU!!

 

[Redball Express]

There's a huge difference between a 2010 Kitna and a 2014 Weeden.

And the 1990 Giants won a Super Bowl with Jeff Hostetler.

The Giants had a World-class defense to help him. There must have been 3-4 HoF players on it.

Our cupboard is bare, bro.

This team is very flawed as we all know.

And the Romo Experiment is coming to an end.

Our owner has consistently lived in a fantasy world of trying to play Romo like one of his wildcat oil wells.

He thought he struck oil with Romo not having to invest a #1 draft pick..

and he just keeps reinvesting in him with offensive linemen and now we are going to have to re-up Dez and DeMarco going forward.

And we STILL do not have a QB who can get us there.

It's insane.

Jones is like your drunken Uncle.

He's an embarrassment.