DMN Blog: Tony Romo's take on leadership

[Alexander]

I agree.

If I'm reading him right, Romo says winning produces leadership ... that leadership doesn't produce a winner.

I disagree with that. And so would just about anybody who played with Roger Staubach.

What made Roger Staubach a leader?

Performance in the clutch. That did what? Won games.

It is one thing to be Captain Comeback if it only comes in games where you threw five interceptions versus doing it in a game for the division title. Nobody viewed Roger as the unquestioned leader on that team that needed one until he led the comeback against San Francisco in 1972. Up until that point, half the team was behind Morton, who was another hard luck case.

Staubach also had a proven track record of leadership dating back to his time at Navy and was a Heisman winner.

What does Romo have? He's the fellow who gets to snuggle up with Jessica Simpson?

 

[Vintage]

Can't say I agree with everything he said.


You need different kinds of leaders, but you need the VOCAL leaders for the types of games we played in december.


And Michael Jordan was a great leader even BEFORE he won his championships.

Depends upon what you mean by a great leader. If you mean, Michael Jordan was so great, that he led by example... ok.

But there are a lot of stories about how many of his teammates hated MJ. And that Pippen was the one who was the "go-in-between" guy between Jordan and his teammates.

 

[Alexander]

Romo can't be the emotional leader on the team because he is making as many mental mistakes as anyone else on the team.

Well stated.

 

[Alexander]

But there are a lot of stories about how many of his teammates hated MJ. And that Pippen was the one who was the "go-in-between" guy between Jordan and his teammates.

How many great leaders were just "one of the guys"?

 

[Vintage]

How many great leaders were just "one of the guys"?

He didn't need to be one of the guys.

But there are stories that he punched a teammate in practice (Steve Kerr comes to mind... not sure that's the player.... its been years since I've read about this stuff).

MJ's intense.

But I'm not sure punching a teammate qualifies as leadership.

That.... or we all concede Owens is a helluva leader.

 

[InmanRoshi]

Well, I can take a shot...that team wasn't very good, Aikman lost most of his brain cells by than (unlike the current Cowboys who have talent everywhere) and oh btw, Troy had already shouted his way to THREE rings...how many does Tony have? Until Tony proves that blowing sunshine up everyone ***** works in December and January than most Cowboys fans will be convinced, until than comparing him to Aikman is a joke.

The team was good enough to beat the Cardinals twice already earlier in the year, and won the NFC East over the Cardinals. Sorry, not buying that that his team wasn't good enough to beat the Cardinals in the playoffs.


And if Troy was borderline "brain dead" as you claim, it's amazing how he's able to make a second career announcing, describing the game in a coherent way on the fly, like he has. So I'm not buying that one either.


I guess the magic "leadership" fairy just magically took Troy's leadership ability away from him at some point later that season, since even Aikman was unable to yell at his team and make them stop making mistakes like Tony is supposed to.

Your point that Tony was a leader because had already won 3 Rings proves Romo's point. Troy was a leader because he was on a great team that won. When Troy wasn't on great teams with great organization structure, he didn't have mystical "leadership" abilities (unless you count stamding all by yourself on the sidelines and moping and stewing great leadership). Troy wasn't able to prevent his teammates from making stupid, boneheaded mistakes anymore than Tony currently can. It's up to management and coaching to discipline sloppy and stupid players.

Peyton Manning didn't win a playoff game his first 6 seasons as a starter in the NFL. Magically, he found his "clutch" and "leadership" ability in the same year the Colts found a defense that played well in the playoffs. Funny how that works.

 

[Alexander]

He didn't need to be one of the guys.

But there are stories that he punched a teammate in practice (Steve Kerr comes to mind... not sure that's the player.... its been years since I've read about this stuff).

MJ's intense.

But I'm not sure punching a teammate qualifies as leadership.

That.... or we all concede Owens is a helluva leader.

Lots of players/leaders get into fist fights. Staubach did it. Joe Kapp with the Vikings in the 1960s had a drag out that would be similar to Romo punching out Greg Ellis.

Perhaps that's what Romo needs to do. Maybe he can start small and beat up Bobby Carpenter or something.

 

[iceberg]

Which was very different from last year too. Last season he was the first guy in the endzone congratulating receivers. Not to mention things like mocking refs, etc. I remember some saying he drew his leadership qualities through his enthusiasm for the game, al la Favre.

This year you're right he just seemed to mope off to the sideline. Not to open a can of worms, but wonder if its a Jessica thing? That's the only thing that's really changed.

this is true too. he just wasn't having any fun and he was like waiting for someone else to fix the problem.

a leader would have fixed it. i can't picture aikman sitting on the sidelines while irvin complains about throws his way.

it's not jessica - i just don't think romo can step outside himself just yet. whether it's a growing up thing or just a romo thing dunno yet. but i doubt jessica has much to do with it.

it's more like he just didn't want to be there so he just punched a clock.

 

[TNCowboy]

So will anyone answer my question why Troy Aikman didn't yell the Cowboys to victory in the 1998 Playoffs against the Cardinals? The team was horribly sloppy and fundamentally unsound in that game. They lost to a lesser team against the Cardinals; a team they had beaten two times previously in the season.

Since Troy had the mystical "leadership ability", why didn't Troy just yell at them and make them stop making so many stupid mistakes?

Troy did yell at teammates occasionally. I remember him ripping Eric Williams during one pathetic game, and another OL in another. One time that is more vivid in my memory is a game at Buffalo where the OL was just a mess. Of course, that led to Aikman being accused of racism.

Jerry Jones and the way he ran the team broke Troy's will, IMO. Without the support of a solid front office and coaches, nothing Troy or any other individual player could've done would've made a difference. Same for Romo or any other player with the way things are ran now.

But Jerry Jones aside, Romo has to know better than that. Bad teams have some good leaders. Romo clearly doesn't understand what it is to be an NFL QB. The QB can't be just one of the guys. He's on his own, somewhere between the coaches and the other players. I think Romo isn't comfortable with that role, and that may be his biggest problem.

 

[khiladi]

And if Troy was borderline "brain dead" as you claim, it's amazing how he's able to make a second career announcing, describing the game in a coherent way on the fly, like he has. So I'm not buying that one either.

Not staying it wasthe case wqith Troy Aikman, they are two totally different scenarios. Maybe his field-vision was impaired, or his ability to make real-time decisions on the field quickly was hampered. Those things don't really affect his second career announcing.

 

[InmanRoshi]

Troy did yell at teammates occasionally. I remember him ripping Eric Williams during one pathetic game, and another OL in another. One time that is more vivid in my memory is a game at Buffalo where the OL was just a mess. Of course, that led to Aikman being accused of racism.

Jerry Jones and the way he ran the team broke Troy's will, IMO. Without the support of a solid front office and coaches, nothing Troy or any other individual player could've done would've made a difference. Same for Romo or any other player with the way things are ran now.

But Jerry Jones aside, Romo has to know better than that. Bad teams have some good leaders. Romo clearly doesn't understand what it is to be an NFL QB. The QB can't be just one of the guys. He's on his own, somewhere between the coaches and the other players. I think Romo isn't comfortable with that role, and that may be his biggest problem.

And Romo ripped Gurode during the Giants playoff loss last year in the middle of the game (amazingly, it didn't seem to magically make Gurode snap better). He was criticized for "losing his cool" and not being a "stoic leader". When you lose as a QB, no matter what you did was wrong. When you win, no matter what you did was right.


Troy had more pull in the Cowboys organization in 1998 than Romo has ever had. He could get David LeFleur drafted. He could get Chan Gaily fired. But Troy still didn't have the power to get his teammates to stop playing sloppy. He was just granted with mystical powers because of what he had done earlier in his career on great teams (teams who's backups went undefeated while Troy was out with injuries). Just watch, when Romo isn't surrounded by a bunch of sloppy teammates and inept coaching that self destructs during the playoffs, it will be amazing how all these critics will line up to say how much Tony just magically "discovered" how to be a leader. Just like they did with Peyton. And it will all be a bunch of bull. Eli Manning "discovered" how to be clutch when David Tyree catches a ball against his helmet, and he "undiscovered" how to be clutch this year when the Meadowland winds were blowing 50 mph. That magical "clutch" fairy is fickle.

 

[Bleu Star]

Action speaks much louder than words. I'll believe it when I see it Mr. 67 Mil.

 

[Alexander]

Just watch, when Romo isn't surrounded by a bunch of sloppy teammates and inept coaching that self destructs during the playoffs, it will be amazing how all these critics will line up to say how much Tony just magically "discovered" how to be a leader. Just like they did with Peyton. And it will all be a bunch of bull.

So you are saying that Tony Romo has played flawlessly in the playoffs? The last time I checked he was fumbling snaps and throwing interceptions with the game on the line when forcing it to a well-covered Terry Glenn.

Manning was the same way. Until he learned to play within under control and manage the big games better instead of trying to win it all himself he ended up getting branded a choker because he did not make the plays and often made mistakes trying too hard. The Patriots made a living off of exploiting this. The Colts did not win a Super Bowl until their defense stepped forward. That got him off the hook but it did not absolve him of his level of blame for the previous failures.

There is a reason why Coach Parcells had him on a tight leash a few seasons ago. Until he can become trust worthy, the team isn't going to learn how to win these types of games with him at the helm trying to do it all. In fact, some players tend to count on QBs who can do that, but resent it when they do not deliver.

If we get him a solid running game, it will be a Godsend to his overall play but only if he can manage games better and eliminate the mistakes.

 

[rcaldw]

And Romo ripped Gurode during the Giants playoff loss last year in the middle of the game. He was criticized for "losing his cool" and not being a "stoic leader". When you lose as a QB, no matter what you did was wrong. When you win, no matter what you did was right.


Troy had more pull in the Cowboys organization in 1998 than Romo has ever had. He could get David LeFleur drafted. He could get Chan Gaily fired. But Troy still couldn't get his teammates to stop playing sloppy. He was just granted with mystical powers because of what he had done earlier in his career on great teams (teams who's backups went undefeated while Troy was out with injuries). Just watch, when Romo isn't surrounded by a bunch of sloppy teammates and inept coaching that self destructs during the playoffs, it will be amazing how all these critics will line up to say how much Tony just magically "discovered" how to be a leader. Just like they did with Peyton. And it will all be a bunch of bull.

Its amazing to me how we try to understand issues like this without paying attention and listening to the PLAYERS WHO ACTUALLY PLAYED WITH THE QB'S you are discussing.

You can try to read all kinds of stuff into a playoff loss in 1998 if you want, but look at the body of work as a whole, and listen to the guys they played with.

*Staubach. Did his team consider him a leader? Did the players around him think of him in that way? Yes. Too many players have testified to it.

*Aikman. Did his team consider him a leader? Have you listened to Michael Irvin on that subject lately? Ever watch the America's team series and listen to Moose Johnston, and Darren Woodson, and Kenny Norton, (Do you notice that defensive players saw Aikman as a leader also!!?) even Rich Dalrymple on that subject? THE WHOLE ORGANIZATION SAW AIKMAN AS A LEADER.

Quit trying to erase history with your mystical take on a 1998 playoff loss.

Just ask yourself another question. When is the last time you heard one player, one coach, or one front office type talk about Tony Romo as a LEADER? They talk about him as talented. They talk about him as having the ability to take us to Super Bowls. But do you ever really hear him described as a leader? And if the subject comes up, why do they quickly run to the "there are different kinds of leaders" card?

The guy just doesn't have it at this point. Maybe he will some day, but as of right now you can dissect as many 1998 games as you want, Tony Romo is not a leader.

 

[AMERICAS_FAN]

Tony Romo: "You wanna know why Michael Jordan was a great leader? He won six NBA championships. Then, all of a sudden, when he gets in people's faces, he's a great leader."

Wrong Tony, MJ had great talent, but he was always a good leader, which is partly why he went onto six NBA championships. He was in peroples' faces far before the Bulls ever won, but it was that kind of leadership that took them to the first championship and through the rest of that championship journey.

It really troubles me that Tony Romo is just anatagonistic about this whole thing and still doesb't get it. From one side of his mouth he'sa talking about the importrance of good leadership and his need to do it, and from the other side of his mouth he continuously demonstrates how he really dosn't understand and/or buy into it.

If I were Jerry Jones that would be enough for me to want to draft a QB -- someone who can be a leader for Tomy Romo, or at least "push him" into more of leadeship stance by making him fear his starting job-status, just a tiny bit.

 

[Alexander]

It really troubles me that Tony Romo is just anatagonistic about this whole thing and still doesb't get it.

He's defensive and that is very troubling.

You would think he had actually won a playoff game or two and actually knows better. Instead he comes across as a person who already has the answers and doesn't mind deflecting criticisms with things he thinks he knows but has never exhibited. For a player that is supposedly a historian of the game of football, he really isn't able to use that to back himself up.

Like Wade Phillips, I find it difficult to accept rationalizations for losing in the playoffs from someone who is batting .000.

 

[TNCowboy]

And Romo ripped Gurode during the Giants playoff loss last year in the middle of the game (amazingly, it didn't seem to magically make Gurode snap better). He was criticized for "losing his cool" and not being a "stoic leader". When you lose as a QB, no matter what you did was wrong. When you win, no matter what you did was right.


Troy had more pull in the Cowboys organization in 1998 than Romo has ever had. He could get David LeFleur drafted. He could get Chan Gaily fired. But Troy still didn't have the power to get his teammates to stop playing sloppy. He was just granted with mystical powers because of what he had done earlier in his career on great teams (teams who's backups went undefeated while Troy was out with injuries). Just watch, when Romo isn't surrounded by a bunch of sloppy teammates and inept coaching that self destructs during the playoffs, it will be amazing how all these critics will line up to say how much Tony just magically "discovered" how to be a leader. Just like they did with Peyton. And it will all be a bunch of bull. Eli Manning "discovered" how to be clutch when David Tyree catches a ball against his helmet, and he "undiscovered" how to be clutch this year when the Meadowland winds were blowing 50 mph. That magical "clutch" fairy is fickle.

My point wasn't that yelling made Troy a leader, but that he did in fact yell at teammates sometimes.

The QB has to be a guy the rest of the players respect to the point that they don't want to let him down. The guy who's one of the hardest workers, studies film the longest, and yes, makes plays sometimes in December and January. A leader also assumes responsibility when things go wrong, no matter how obvious it is that isn't the case. A leader deflects blame from his teammates and coaches, and downplays his success when he achieves it. A leader doesn't ask his teammates to do anything that he isn't willing to do himself, and exudes confidence even when your back's against the wall (in other words, he doesn't sit on the bench with his head down).

So far, Romo has done nothing to dispel that notion that he doesn't want to take up that mantle. He's done the opposite. However, I'm not sure it's possible for him to take over the lockerroom with the mess Jerry Jones has it in.

 

[wileedog]

Just ask yourself another question. When is the last time you heard one player, one coach, or one front office type talk about Tony Romo as a LEADER? They talk about him as talented. They talk about him as having the ability to take us to Super Bowls. But do you ever really hear him described as a leader? And if the subject comes up, why do they quickly run to the "there are different kinds of leaders" card?.

Honestly I heard it a lot last year. Not in the same vein as an Aikman or Stuabach, but when this team was steamrolling through September and October a lot of analysts were talking about his enthusiasm and the way the players responded to it. If we had won last year at least the Giant's playoff game I don't think we are even discussing it this year.

As I mentioned to Iceberg, the biggest difference this year to me is it all looked like a job out there to Romo this year. And not just when things were going poorly. Then of course he has more turnovers, more drama with TO, and his offensive line goes to complete heck and he gets physically pounded, and suddenly everyone questions if he's a leader.

 

[BigDFan5]

It is crystal clear to me......


Romo needs to be challenged. In camp. On the field. All the time.
Draft someone high or bring in a vet to challenge him for starting spot.

There are like 5 guys in the NFL that could "challenge" him for the starting job, they all start for other teams

 

[TNCowboy]

There are like 5 guys in the NFL that could "challenge" him for the starting job, they all start for other teams

5? I'm hopeful Romo can pull it together, but there are probably 20 QBs who could challenge Romo.....not that we have any way to acquire one of them.