DMN: Roger Staubach: Cowboys are 'lucky' to have a 'championship' QB like Tony Romo

[birdwells1]

I clarified exactly what I meant. You can see that or not. Up to you.

My bad, I came back to delete my post but was too late.

 

[heavyg]

I'm definitely not a Romo "fan". But at this point with the new contract he is our guy. Whether you like him or not the fact his he really hasn't had a decent O-Line in some time. Maybe some of his "bone head" throws will go away if he can get some protection

 

[birdwells1]

I'm definitely not a Romo "fan". But at this point with the new contract he is our guy. Whether you like him or not the fact his he really hasn't had a decent O-Line in some time. Maybe some of his "bone head" throws will go away if he can get some protection

Agreed

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

I think the Romo disciples confuse the word "haters" with "the disillusioned."

Certainly, no one I know greeted the undrafted FA with hate. It was the opposite.

But then many became disillusioned.

There is great difference between the two words, and if you use the word "hater/haters" you are being disingenuous. And you know it.

 

[Rockport]

I just don't see how aversion can be claimed on a subject that regularly causes huge threads with people on both sides giving their opinions. Where is the avoidance that would indicate aversion. He can't stand being disagreed with, so he creates magnificent scenarios to fuel his anger at others. He'll never move past ill will by clinging to it with a death grip.

He thinks calling me consistent is an insult. Where I come from inconsistency (the opposite of consistency) is actually the insult. It means flip flopping, not having your opinions grounded in fact and swtiching sides when proven wrong, in other words, instability.

He just gave me a compliment as far as I am concerned. I don't care about the rancor with which he spoke it. I am proudly consistent. I actually stand for the things I profess to care about.

There is no aversion to discussing Tony Romo. Not here, not on other sites, not on TV. Everyone has an opinion and they are freely given. That is indisputable.

I happen to agree with Roger Staubach on everything he has been quoted as saying in this thread. About other QBs as well as about Tony. I see a huge difference in between "championship QB" and "I like him. I see good things in him."

I like Kyle Orton. I see good things in him. I wanted him here when he first hit FA and we claimed him but lost him to KC. I don't think I just called him a "championship QB." If others need to make that leap, that's for their conscience to determine. Mine is clear...consistently.

Well said..enough said.

 

[Rockport]

Of course not. Now, if Romo doesn't win a championship, does that make him a championship QB? Answer me one more. If Romo doesn't win a championship and therefore shouldn't be called a championship QB, does that mean that I know more about NFL QBs than Roger? A million HOF QBs can tell me Romo is a championship QB and it still won't magically erase all of the "unchampionship" like plays I have witnessed. Words mean nothing to me when it comes to Romo at this point....even coming from one of my top three Cowboys of all time.

See post #168

 

[Sportsbabe]

Absolutely I do but now that you've said all this, tell me which ones get 100+ million dollar contracts and which ones are not held to shoulder responsibility for the lack of success?

That is the part that fails the eye test.

You make comments about the defense and other areas on the team as if my opinions on those areas are not consistent with my opinions on Tony. That's just not the case. I'm not in favor of awarding Spencer with his contract either. I'm not in favor of any of that but I'll tell you what, since you are a Big Bill fan. Parcells would never sign a QB to the deal we just signed Romo to and he's on record on that. The more important question, where that's concerned, is why?

That's true about Bill ... and lord knows I wish he was still running our team. I may be in the minority on that one. (Note: I wouldn't know if you were consistent in your comments or not. I rarely remember who says what. I'm just living the life

 

[burmafrd]

I think the Romo disciples confuse the word "haters" with "the disillusioned."

Certainly, no one I know greeted the undrafted FA with hate. It was the opposite.

But then many became disillusioned.

There is great difference between the two words, and if you use the word "hater/haters" you are being disingenuous. And you know it.

and I would submit those that are supposedly 'disillusioned' were never fans of his in the first place.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

and I would submit those that are supposedly 'disillusioned' were never fans of his in the first place.

You are fortunate in that you can look into the hearts and souls and minds of fans who happen to not agree with you that Romo is all that.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

That's true about Bill ... and lord knows I wish he was still running our team. I may be in the minority on that one. (Note: I wouldn't know if you were consistent in your comments or not. I rarely remember who says what. I'm just living the life

I liked Bill Parcells too.

Do me a favor and live a little for me too. Lord knows, I could use a little of that.

 

[5Stars]

So your solution is to join in on that behavior? Come on, I've known you a long time and since when has that ever been the best way to proceed?

ABQ, my position on this whole Romo thing is that I will never lay blame on one person for the acts of many (something ingrained into me in the Military).

But, doesn't it make sense to you that with no running game, a bad oline, a defense that let's the Cowboys get behind by a few scores, thus putting more pressure for Romo to come away with a victory, don't you think that that has anything to do with his performance in some games?

I have seen Romo have his share of brain farts, but I have also seen him make amazing things happen when they absolutely should not have happened.

And I have seen other players on the Cowboys have just as many or more issues than Romo has, and I'm sure you have also.

I cannot hate on the guy like others that absolutely despise him, it's not fair to Romo because it's not a one man show.

Now, I'm sure some will pipe in about the running game, the bad oline, a bad defense, as well as other players on the team making their share of mistakes as being excuses for Romo, but I don't feel that way.

One finger by Dez being out of bounds kept the Cowboys out of the playoffs.

So while we have stat kings, and spinners for and against Romo, I cannot dog him like others do, because I know, and I'm sure you do to, that it could be a hell of a lot worse.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

And I think they are trying to address it, I don't think Garrett could address everything at one time and I think there are other areas of importance as well we have been addressing. In the past 3 years we have used a 1st rd pick to help strengthen the OL we have used top picks on RB but we have also had issues at safety we have had issues at CB we have had issues at LB and those have been addressed

Romo's been here a lot longer then has Garrett but having said that, we still have done a sorry job of addressing it, even if you just take the last 3 years, which is not really the entirety of the problem. I agree that we have done some things to try and address it from a draft position but we have done very little in terms of actually bringing in decent FA help and also in changing our philosophy offensively. We are prefectly willing to settle for the excuse of, "We just can't run the ball" as an excuse for putting it up 50 times. That just can't happen if we expect to win. Can you win throwing 50 times a game? Yeah, you can but you should never expect that. We gotta do better then that and Romo has to use his influence to get that done. He has to be willing to take a back seat, just a little bit and make the entire team better by helping to facilitate that and not just talk about it.

To me this is not about Romo or protecting him from the so called haters, to me it is about putting a winning football team in place. Be it Staubach, Aikman or Romo there are things they need, to have success and without those things success if hard to come by.

I don't disagree with that but actions speak loudest. To this point, the actions of not just Romo, but a lot of others within the team, have not suggested we are in tune with this strategy. However, since the thread is about Romo, then it's appropriate to discuss Romo specifically. Romo needs to do this. It can not be an excuse for him. He will be judged on how well he plays from this contract on. I agree that there are things he needs but part of the issue is his contract and people understand that. Look, I am in favor of players making all they can because that's business. However, when you do that, you also have to accept the fact that a contract like that limits what a team can do FOR YOU, a great deal. You have to accept that if you are Tony and you have to accept that if you are a fan who supports Tony.

In my view he has the talent to help this team get to the top what he can't do is rely on improvising and trying to take busted plays and turn them into winning plays. How can that be done? Simple you pass protect better than we have, you run block and run the ball better than we have.

I think it's more then that. As a QB, you have to embrace the fact that the decisions you make, the calls you make, the game plan you make influence both sides of the ball. If you give in to throwing 50 times a game, that translates into a poor situation for your OL. You are not doing them any favors when you do this. They are not an OL that can sustain that kind of pace. You have to allow them to run block. You can't use them up in the 1st half of the season by running an offensive game plan like that and you can't rely on the excuse of, well we had to do that to get back in the game or whatever else. You have to protect them. Same goes for the defense. As a QB, you have to know that game situations, down and distance are important. You have to understand that going for the big play is not necessarily the best move if it means your looking at a 3 and out after your D has just been on the field for 7 or 8 minutes. You have to understand that. You have to know that forcing a pass that translates into an INT or a 3 and out is not worth what it costs you in the long run.

You put a defense out there that can get turnover and close the door on the opponent instead of giving up a score right after we score.

Tony can't control that but he can control the design of the offense and provide as much support as possible for the Defense. I mean, it's easy to say that it's on the Defense but that Defense has played a lot of football in the last 5 years. Guys do wear down and that's what we are seeing, more and more, towards the end of the season. You have to do everything you can to try and save those guys, same goes for the OL.

and lastly overall team discipline, it is hard enough to win in this league without giving the opponent extra chances. Dallas can't continue to do those things that hurt themselves like being on the 1 then jumping off sides, having an opponent in 3rd down and getting called on some stupid penalty to hand the other team an automatic 1st down when by all rights they should have been punting.

I agree, but that starts with the QB. All others look to him. Don't run the clock down, by design, and put your team at a disadvantage. Don't allow guys to lose mental focus. If that's a trend, then speak up and make the Coaching Staff address it. Make guys miss starts. It might hurt you in the short term but it will help in the long term. We are running out of time for this kind of stuff. This is something that should have already been overcome. Romo might not be able to fix it personally but he can create a situation in which team focus is much higher on the priority chain.

There are a lot of things this team must do to win including Romo but there is not a question in my mind that he is more than capable

Physically, I have no doubt. Mentally, is he at a maturity level that will allow him to step back and do what is right for the team? He has not proven that as yet and make no mistake, he is accountable for it. He has to think big picture and he has to show he can make those kinds of sacrifices to his own personal career. That's how we will win.

 

[Doomsday101]

Romo's been here a lot longer then has Garrett but having said that, we still have done a sorry job of addressing it, even if you just take the last 3 years, which is not really the entirety of the problem. I agree that we have done some things to try and address it from a draft position but we have done very little in terms of actually bringing in decent FA help and also in changing our philosophy offensively. We are prefectly willing to settle for the excuse of, "We just can't run the ball" as an excuse for putting it up 50 times. That just can't happen if we expect to win. Can you win throwing 50 times a game? Yeah, you can but you should never expect that. We gotta do better then that and Romo has to use his influence to get that done. He has to be willing to take a back seat, just a little bit and make the entire team better by helping to facilitate that and not just talk about it.



I don't disagree with that but actions speak loudest. To this point, the actions of not just Romo, but a lot of others within the team, have not suggested we are in tune with this strategy. However, since the thread is about Romo, then it's appropriate to discuss Romo specifically. Romo needs to do this. It can not be an excuse for him. He will be judged on how well he plays from this contract on. I agree that there are things he needs but part of the issue is his contract and people understand that. Look, I am in favor of players making all they can because that's business. However, when you do that, you also have to accept the fact that a contract like that limits what a team can do FOR YOU, a great deal. You have to accept that if you are Tony and you have to accept that if you are a fan who supports Tony.



I think it's more then that. As a QB, you have to embrace the fact that the decisions you make, the calls you make, the game plan you make influence both sides of the ball. If you give in to throwing 50 times a game, that translates into a poor situation for your OL. You are not doing them any favors when you do this. They are not an OL that can sustain that kind of pace. You have to allow them to run block. You can't use them up in the 1st half of the season by running an offensive game plan like that and you can't rely on the excuse of, well we had to do that to get back in the game or whatever else. You have to protect them. Same goes for the defense. As a QB, you have to know that game situations, down and distance are important. You have to understand that going for the big play is not necessarily the best move if it means your looking at a 3 and out after your D has just been on the field for 7 or 8 minutes. You have to understand that. You have to know that forcing a pass that translates into an INT or a 3 and out is not worth what it costs you in the long run.



Tony can't control that but he can control the design of the offense and provide as much support as possible for the Defense. I mean, it's easy to say that it's on the Defense but that Defense has played a lot of football in the last 5 years. Guys do wear down and that's what we are seeing, more and more, towards the end of the season. You have to do everything you can to try and save those guys, same goes for the OL.



I agree, but that starts with the QB. All others look to him. Don't run the clock down, by design, and put your team at a disadvantage. Don't allow guys to lose mental focus. If that's a trend, then speak up and make the Coaching Staff address it. Make guys miss starts. It might hurt you in the short term but it will help in the long term. We are running out of time for this kind of stuff. This is something that should have already been overcome. Romo might not be able to fix it personally but he can create a situation in which team focus is much higher on the priority chain.



Physically, I have no doubt. Mentally, is he at a maturity level that will allow him to step back and do what is right for the team? He has not proven that as yet and make no mistake, he is accountable for it. He has to think big picture and he has to show he can make those kinds of sacrifices to his own personal career. That's how we will win.

Romo has been here longer? So what he is not the coach, he does not sign players he does not cut players he does not choose who plays that is coaches job not his. His time has been spent under different coordinators who do have a say, they are not there just standing on the sidelines it is their offense not his.

As for his pay again QB get paid alot so what it does not change what they are acutally in charge of he is not out there saying to hell with the coaches we will run my offense it does not work that way.

Again for me it is about winning and football is a game that requires a lot of players stepping up and doing their jobs when they don't things break down and 1 person is not going to alter that.

It is the coaches jobs to have this team ready and understanding what they are doing and how to do it and if that player can't then you need to find someone who can.

I don't think Romo is mentally weak I think Romo trys to do more than he should ad the only way to correct that I see is by others stepping up not waiting on Romo to come to the rescue. Like I said Troy may have been great but there were a lot of great players on those teams you take those players away and Troy does not win. Proof of that when Emmitt or Mike were out of the lineup we did not win, not because Troy was bad but because for him to succeed means others have to as well. It is not a one man show, never has and never will be.

 

[ufcrules1]

I agree, but that starts with the QB. All others look to him. Don't run the clock down, by design, and put your team at a disadvantage. Don't allow guys to lose mental focus. If that's a trend, then speak up and make the Coaching Staff address it. Make guys miss starts. It might hurt you in the short term but it will help in the long term. We are running out of time for this kind of stuff. This is something that should have already been overcome. Romo might not be able to fix it personally but he can create a situation in which team focus is much higher on the priority chain.

It's so nice to know that there are others Cowboys fans out there who get "it". You think Peyton would have allowed the above stuff you mentioned? Romo needs to look up to guys like Peyton and Brady and mimic their leadership roles in every way. For his whole career he has been the quiet QB that just goes along for the ride. He hasn't changed in all of his years here and now he is aging, I have zero faith in him changing now. All I can do now is hope our team gets lucky some how.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

ABQ, my position on this whole Romo thing is that I will never lay blame on one person for the acts of many (something ingrained into me in the Military).

But, doesn't it make sense to you that with no running game, a bad oline, a defense that let's the Cowboys get behind by a few scores, thus putting more pressure for Romo to come away with a victory, don't you think that that has anything to do with his performance in some games?

I have seen Romo have his share of brain farts, but I have also seen him make amazing things happen when they absolutely should not have happened.

And I have seen other players on the Cowboys have just as many or more issues than Romo has, and I'm sure you have also.

I cannot hate on the guy like others that absolutely despise him, it's not fair to Romo because it's not a one man show.

Now, I'm sure some will pipe in about the running game, the bad oline, a bad defense, as well as other players on the team making their share of mistakes as being excuses for Romo, but I don't feel that way.

One finger by Dez being out of bounds kept the Cowboys out of the playoffs.

So while we have stat kings, and spinners for and against Romo, I cannot dog him like others do, because I know, and I'm sure you do to, that it could be a hell of a lot worse.

I don't understand why this has to be perceived as "Dogging Him". Look, I do not hate Tony Romo. I appreciate a lot about the guy but I am also, IMO, fair in his shortcomings. I have made no claims about Romo that were not based on truth. If you don't agree with what I'm saying, OK. That's fine but none of it is based on stuff I'm just making up because I don't like the guy.

You can make the point that 2 fingers were the difference but you can also make the point that Tony was 20/37 for 218 with 2 TDs and 3 INTs. Now, you can say that the OL didn't stand up or that the Defense didn't show up or that the Coaching Staff didn't show up and all of that may be true in part but, the winning QB completed 9 passes, threw for 100 yards and accounted for 0 TDs and 0 INTs. This is what I am trying to say. It's one game but it's one game that we should have won. We killed ourselves in this game on TOs. If you are going to say that it was only 2 fingers, then you also have to acknowledge that in this game, a smart game by Tony, an average game by Romo standards would have won us the division and gotten us into the playoffs. This is the kind of thing that I am trying to get across. He has to be smarter then that. Doesn't mean that he isn't a good player. Means that he has to be able to be smarter then he was in that game. That's where he is at in his career now. If he was a crappy QB, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. The team would have moved on from him long ago but here we are and here we sit discussing this for the umpteenth time.

With much power..........

 

[5Stars]

It's so nice to know that there are others Cowboys fans out there who get "it". You think Peyton would have allowed the above stuff you mentioned? Romo needs to look up to guys like Peyton and Brady and mimic their leadership roles in every way. For his whole career he has been the quiet QB that just goes along for the ride. He hasn't changed in all of his years here and now he is aging, I have zero faith in him changing now. All I can do now is hope our team gets lucky some how.

That's sad, really sad...not for Romo, but for you. Once you lose faith in something, why stick around with false hope.

 

[ufcrules1]

Again for me it is about winning and football is a game that requires a lot of players stepping up and doing their jobs when they don't things break down and 1 person is not going to alter that.

It could have been altered vs. the Commanders if 1 person wouldn't have buried his team. We could have won the division and had a playoff game at home if it weren't for one person blowing that game. Sure it typically takes a team, but don't kid yourself, one person can kill a team if he doesn't at least do his part. Also, one person can highly motivate a team. Look at '12 Colts, they went from 2-14 to 11-5 WITH NO RUNNING GAME, and a rookie QB. You think Luck might have had something to do with that?

I don't think Romo is mentally weak I think Romo trys to do more than he should ad the only way to correct that I see is by others stepping up not waiting on Romo to come to the rescue.

I think Romo is mentally weak right along with several other players on the team. He has played bad football in the most crucial games. The Cowboys currently have a weak culture that needs to badly go away. A QB who is a leader and can motivate those around him to step up their games could have a big influence on the team and it's attitude.

 

[5Stars]

I don't understand why this has to be perceived as "Dogging Him". Look, I do not hate Tony Romo. I appreciate a lot about the guy but I am also, IMO, fair in his shortcomings. I have made no claims about Romo that were not based on truth. If you don't agree with what I'm saying, OK. That's fine but none of it is based on stuff I'm just making up because I don't like the guy.

You can make the point that 2 fingers were the difference but you can also make the point that Tony was 20/37 for 218 with 2 TDs and 3 INTs. Now, you can say that the OL didn't stand up or that the Defense didn't show up or that the Coaching Staff didn't show up and all of that may be true in part but, the winning QB completed 9 passes, threw for 100 yards and accounted for 0 TDs and 0 INTs. This is what I am trying to say. It's one game but it's one game that we should have won. We killed ourselves in this game on TOs. If you are going to say that it was only 2 fingers, then you also have to acknowledge that in this game, a smart game by Tony, an average game by Romo standards would have won us the division and gotten us into the playoffs. This is the kind of thing that I am trying to get across. He has to be smarter then that. Doesn't mean that he isn't a good player. Means that he has to be able to be smarter then he was in that game. That's where he is at in his career now. If he was a crappy QB, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. The team would have moved on from him long ago but here we are and here we sit discussing this for the umpteenth time.

With much power..........

Well, ABQ, I cannot disagree with anything you just typed, and I did not mean to imply that you "are dogging him". I'm just as frustrated with the Cowboys just like many fans are.

However, like I stated in another post, if Romo gets hurt in the pre-season and is out for the year? There are going to be a lot of folks wishing he was in the game. Good or bad.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Romo has been here longer? So what he is not the coach, he does not sign players he does not cut players he does not choose who plays that is coaches job not his. His time has been spent under different coordinators who do have a say, they are not there just standing on the sidelines it is their offense not his.

Been over this and I am not going to argue this point with you any more. You know and understand my view on this and if you don't agree then you don't agree but don't complain about fans not seeing it your way because this will only become more pronounced the longer it continues.

As for his pay again QB get paid alot so what it does not change what they are acutally in charge of he is not out there saying to hell with the coaches we will run my offense it does not work that way.

You can say this but it's not true. The more you get paid, the bigger the responsibility and the more that is expected of you. It's true in any walk of life. Like it or not, that's how it is.

Again for me it is about winning and football is a game that requires a lot of players stepping up and doing their jobs when they don't things break down and 1 person is not going to alter that.

It starts with 1 person. If you are truly about winning, then you really shouldn't have an issue with that.

It is the coaches jobs to have this team ready and understanding what they are doing and how to do it and if that player can't then you need to find someone who can

.

OK, so make up your mind, is this discussion about the Coaching Staff or is it about Romo? If you want to talk about the short comings within the front office or within the Coaching Staff, I am OK with that but this thread, this thread is about Romo. Make up your mind.

I don't think Romo is mentally weak I think Romo trys to do more than he should ad the only way to correct that I see is by others stepping up not waiting on Romo to come to the rescue. Like I said Troy may have been great but there were a lot of great players on those teams you take those players away and Troy does not win. Proof of that when Emmitt or Mike were out of the lineup we did not win, not because Troy was bad but because for him to succeed means others have to as well. It is not a one man show, never has and never will be.

I never said it was a one man show. I said that Romo has to do more in the way of maturing as a QB. He has to lead in ways that he has not in the past, as far as I know.

You want to compare Troy and the 90s team with Tony and the current team? That's fine with me. Start with how many times a Troy Aikman team would Throw the ball 40 times or more in an entire season. Tell me how Troy would have allowed that to happen on his teams. No, I'm sorry. That is just not good enough to pass the eye test for me. On those 90s teams, it was about spreading the load. It was never about Troy throwing 3 times more then Emmitt running the ball. It was about balance and that proved to be successful. That's not what this team has been about in years. The comparison does not wash with me.

 

[ufcrules1]

I don't understand why this has to be perceived as "Dogging Him". Look, I do not hate Tony Romo. I appreciate a lot about the guy but I am also, IMO, fair in his shortcomings. I have made no claims about Romo that were not based on truth. If you don't agree with what I'm saying, OK. That's fine but none of it is based on stuff I'm just making up because I don't like the guy.

You can make the point that 2 fingers were the difference but you can also make the point that Tony was 20/37 for 218 with 2 TDs and 3 INTs. Now, you can say that the OL didn't stand up or that the Defense didn't show up or that the Coaching Staff didn't show up and all of that may be true in part but, the winning QB completed 9 passes, threw for 100 yards and accounted for 0 TDs and 0 INTs. This is what I am trying to say. It's one game but it's one game that we should have won. We killed ourselves in this game on TOs. If you are going to say that it was only 2 fingers, then you also have to acknowledge that in this game, a smart game by Tony, an average game by Romo standards would have won us the division and gotten us into the playoffs. This is the kind of thing that I am trying to get across. He has to be smarter then that. Doesn't mean that he isn't a good player. Means that he has to be able to be smarter then he was in that game. That's where he is at in his career now. If he was a crappy QB, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. The team would have moved on from him long ago but here we are and here we sit discussing this for the umpteenth time.

With much power..........

Very well said. One of those 3 INT's was a pick six on our side of the field too. Same exact type of play that ended our season against Washington. In that game vs. NYG, that one pick 6 made the difference in the game. Our defense played very sound football that day and Manning was off. There was no reason we shouldn't have won that game.

Romo is highly debated because he is good enough to be debated in the first place but at the same time many fans also see his faults and KNOW he is part of the problem with us being mediocre.