DMN: Blog: Protecting the ball is important, but...

[Cbz40]

Protecting the ball is important, but ...


3:06 PM Tue, Jun 16, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon/Blogger

Tony Romo has done a 180 with his attitude about turnovers.
Gone is the talk about taking the bad with the good. He made it clear yesterday that he's been convinced to make protecting the ball a priority.

That's a sign of growth in a quarterback who is entering only his third full season as a starter. It also proves that Romo is willing to listen to his coaches and accept constructive criticism, something that has occasionally been questioned since Bill Parcells bolted Valley Ranch.

That's all good news from a Cowboys perspective. But this team still needs Romo to be a playmaker to be successful. He just has to find the fine line between smart risk-taking and recklessness.
The timing of some of Romo's turnovers, such as his up-for-grabs deep ball picked off by Baltimore's Ed Reed to set up a field goal just before halftime, hurt the Cowboys. But, given the right circumstances, a team can still be successful with a quarterback who commits a lot of turnovers.

There weren't many QBs who gave the ball away as often than Romo last season, but two of them met in the Super Bowl.

 

[21Savage]

Mcmahon is a fool. But this is a great point. We've won games over the last 2 years based on Romo's remarkable plays.

We've yet to lose a play off game based on his risk taking.

I want the TOs to be limited too- mainly the fumbles, I'm not as concerned with the ints- but if we're trying to turn him into a robotic QB who just hands the ball off to RBs and is there not to mess **** up, then we should be prepared for 3rd and 8+ on a regular basis, 17-13 games, and 10-6. And that's if the defense turns out to be what I expect them to be.

 

[Doomsday101]

Mcmahon is a fool. But this is a great point. We've won games over the last 2 years based on Romo's remarkable plays.

We've yet to lose a play off game based on his risk taking.

I want the TOs to be limited too- mainly the fumbles, I'm not as concerned with the ints- but if we're trying to turn him into a robotic QB who just hands the ball off to RBs and is there not to mess **** up, then we should be prepared for 3rd and 8+ on a regular basis, 17-13 games, and 10-6. And that's if the defense turns out to be what I expect them to be.

I think you can make Romo more aware without taking his natural instincts away from him. There are times all QB's have to take risk but there are situation such as being backup up by your own goal line where the you are better off tucking the ball and running or just throwing it away than taking major risk. To me it is knowing when to take risk and when to play it safe.

 

[nalam]

I think you can make Romo more aware without taking his natural instincts away from him. There are times all QB's have to take risk but there are situation such as being backup up by your own goal line where the you are better off tucking the ball and running or just throwing it away than taking major risk. To me it is knowing when to take risk and when to play it safe.

Somewhere , guess in this forum or other, I read that Romo's fumbles if its minimised that would be a huge improvement. That is no more having the ball in one hand and running around.

Basically when things break down he has to take what the def gives or put both hands on the ball before hit. He is always looking to make a play some time a little too dangerously and then if hit pops the ball.

If he can do that , it would be a step in the right direction without losing much of his natural instinct

 

[Apollo Creed]

One big misconception about Romo is that he runs around 'gun-slingin' just for the hell of it. Romo doesn't scramble unless he has to, and he has to run for his life a lot.

With the amount of protection breakdowns we have I'm surprised Romo doesn't turn the ball over more often.

Think about Romo's thought process during the average play last year.
3rd and 8
False start, 76 offense.
3rd and 12
Doo-doo shotgun snap from Gurode.
Proctor blown off the ball.
Rolling right looking for Williams or Owens, wait - both of them ran the wrong route; Romo manages to squeeze the ball into double coverage to Owens, but he dropped it.

No wonder he threw the ball to Witten so much last year, our WRs ran some terrible routes. Couple that with a constant drops, a broken finger, some banged up ribs, and a stiff lower back - and you get a QB that still managed to have a +60 completion percentage.

I hope Romo stays on this team early and often this year, with the politicians gone - this is his team.

 

[Doomsday101]

Somewhere , guess in this forum or other, I read that Romo's fumbles if its minimised that would be a huge improvement. That is no more having the ball in one hand and running around.

Basically when things break down he has to take what the def gives or put both hands on the ball before hit. He is always looking to make a play some time a little too dangerously and then if hit pops the ball.

If he can do that , it would be a step in the right direction without losing much of his natural instinct

I agree that is an area he can improve. Romo also said in an article that he has to do better about not compounding a bad play. Sometimes plays are screwed up from the get go and the chances of making something big out of it can do more harm than good. Again I like the fact Romo is willing to take chances so did Roger Staubach but you have to learn when to take the chance and when to live to play another down.

 

[ScipioCowboy]

The interceptions are far less problematic than the fumbles, in my opinion.

Even at his current interception rate, Romo's TD/Int ratio is still excellent. If Romo can learn to grip the ball more securely or simply be more aware, we should see vast improvement.

 

[burmafrd]

not trying to force the ball to one guy and holding onto it with both hands would cut down on INTs and Fumbles.If he can cut the pics by 1/3 and the fumbles by 1/2 that would make a HUGE difference.

 

[peplaw06]

http://cowboysblog.***BANNED-URL***/archives/2009/06/protecting-the-ball-is-important-but.html It also proves that Romo is willing to listen to his coaches and accept constructive criticism, something that has occasionally been questioned since Bill Parcells bolted Valley Ranch.

So does this mean Romo is "coachable" Tim? I guess you'll make fun of him incessantly now too?

 

[Angus]

One big misconception about Romo is that he runs around 'gun-slingin' just for the hell of it. Romo doesn't scramble unless he has to, and he has to run for his life a lot.

With the amount of protection breakdowns we have I'm surprised Romo doesn't turn the ball over more often.

Think about Romo's thought process during the average play last year.
3rd and 8
False start, 76 offense.
3rd and 12
Doo-doo shotgun snap from Gurode.
Proctor blown off the ball.
Rolling right looking for Williams or Owens, wait - both of them ran the wrong route; Romo manages to squeeze the ball into double coverage to Owens, but he dropped it.

No wonder he threw the ball to Witten so much last year, our WRs ran some terrible routes. Couple that with a constant drops, a broken finger, some banged up ribs, and a stiff lower back - and you get a QB that still managed to have a +60 completion percentage.

I hope Romo stays on this team early and often this year, with the politicians gone - this is his team.

Good post. Some have to be reminded . . .

 

[silverbear]

Mcmahon is a fool. But this is a great point. We've won games over the last 2 years based on Romo's remarkable plays.

Actually, I don't mind Timmy as much as I do some of the other Metroplex Mediots, though as I've observed a few times now, I find his "Coachable Roy Williams" schtick to be tiresome, and long ago played out...

 

[Idgit]

This isn't an iota different from Romo's attitude about turnovers in the past. Tony's just reiterating what he's always said. The appearance of change comes from the fact that it's in direct contradiction with what you reported previously, Tim.

 

[NextGenBoys]

One thing I want to say.

Roy Williams is not TO in the fact that when you were in trouble, you could not not throw a ball TO's way and expect him to come down with it. It wasnt his game.

He did it once in the Pitt game, but that is the only time I can remember it.

You CAN do that with Roy. Therefore, Romo's improv may be improved due to Roy's ability to go get the ball. I'm all for cutting down on turnovers, but if he can throw a ball in Roys direction, please do so.