ESPN: Tony Romo agrees with Jerry Jones that he can play 4-5 more years

[CowboyDan]

I don't think it's ridiculous for Tony to expect to play for 5 more years. The real question is how many games will he play in over the next 5-6+ years? That's what the team and the fans should be concerned about.

 

[CCBoy]

Why is this even news? What is he supposed to say?

It is a sit rep, reinforced with observations from those watching and Tony himself. It is relevant...

 

[tyke1doe]

He won't make it another 1-2 years if he can't learn how to take the hits properly. He has to stop spinning when it's too late because he ends up being driven into the ground on his side instead of flat on his back. That is 100% the reason he got hurt both times last year. Spinning out is fine when the defender is stil 2-3 steps away but not when he is 1 or less away. Just throw it out of bounds or take the sack the right way and you don't get hurt. I have no doubt he could play another 4-5 years if he can avoid taking those side shots. He is a competition junky that I have no doubt will play until it's obvious he can't do it anymore.

It's extremely hard to unlearn muscle memory. The spin move kicks in because it has been programmed into Romo's brain. You just don't unlearn something like that.

 

[Cowboys22]

It's extremely hard to unlearn muscle memory. The spin move kicks in because it has been programmed into Romo's brain. You just don't unlearn something like that.

He only needs to unlearn doing it when he has no chance to escape. If the defender is right there, throw it out of bounds or brace for the hit the right way. Spin out all you want when the defender is a few steps away and no one is open and you need to buy more time.

 

[Idgit]

It's extremely hard to unlearn muscle memory. The spin move kicks in because it has been programmed into Romo's brain. You just don't unlearn something like that.

He's not going to unlearn his spin move. There are situations where he can just decide to protect the ball and not expose himself. That's developing new muscle memory in specific situations, which is not difficult athletically. He just needs to evaluate where those opportunities are correctly. A dozen or so plays across the course of a season.

Not all that dissimilar to what he did in camp a few years ago when he was working on throwing the ball away more.

 

[Idgit]

On a side note, it's hilarious that we're debating whether or not Tony as two years left in him, or three, or five. We don't know, people. And nothing about the trends is going to tell us. All we know is he's entering territory where we have to have is replacement on the roster, and we didn't bother to back him up this season. We need a legitimate option at QB2, and then we just sit back and enjoy the last few years of great QB play we've got in front of us, however many there are.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I would be worried more if Tony said, I don't expect to play more then another season or two. I think he has 2 more years but if he lasts 4 or 5, at a high level, I will be very, very happy. I will be completely wrong and I will be happy to admit it but I will do it with a smile on my face because, believe it or not, I am a huge Tony fan and a life long Cowboy fan.

 

[Cowboy4ever]

There's no amount of medicine that can defeat Father Time, especially when 250-280 lb. men are slamming into your body.

You simply cannot stop the aging process. Medicine can make you feel better, but it can't halt time.

You're correct, father time will catch up to you are some point and their is no way around it. However, that is an ever changing time frame. Tony could get hit by a bus tomorrow and change everything. But to say he will have decline because he is now 36 because history tells us this the age that he will decline I think is a false sentiment. It very well could happen, no doubt about it. But it is just as likely to not happen.

 

[Eddie]

Romo is one pile driver from eating through a straw.

Then we'll get caught off guard again without a QB. Same old same old.

 

[JoeKing]

No sense in arguing about this one, it will work itself out. Father time will unfortunately catch up to Tony faster than he wants.

 

[tyke1doe]

He's not going to unlearn his spin move. There are situations where he can just decide to protect the ball and not expose himself. That's developing new muscle memory in specific situations, which is not difficult athletically. He just needs to evaluate where those opportunities are correctly. A dozen or so plays across the course of a season.

That's the problem. His evaluation process comes under fire. If a pass rusher is bearing down on him, his natural instinct is going to take over, and he's going to try to spin out of trouble.

 

[tyke1doe]

You're correct, father time will catch up to you are some point and their is no way around it. However, that is an ever changing time frame. Tony could get hit by a bus tomorrow and change everything. But to say he will have decline because he is now 36 because history tells us this the age that he will decline I think is a false sentiment. It very well could happen, no doubt about it. But it is just as likely to not happen.

No, it's not just as likely to not happen. It is likely TO happen. All of human history current and present tells us this.

There may be an anomaly or two in examples that contradict this, but the weight of evidence that Romo will slow down with age is OVERWHELMING.

It's not 50/50 proposition.

 

[Vinnie2u]

If I was Moore and Prescott. I would keep my helmet real close to me during game time.

 

[KJJ]

Romo could play 4-5 more years but he'll probably be carrying a clipboard like Matt Hasselbeck. I can't see Romo who's had a couple back surgery's and other injuries still playing at high enough level at 40-41 to where the Cowboys can continue to go with him. A big part of his game is playmaking ability and it takes mobility to extend plays. It would be very difficult with the type of game he has to play another 4-5 years at a high level especially with the back issues he's had. I know he's feeling better now than he has in years he only played in 4 games last season but he's 36 and isn't likely to be feeling that good in another 4-5 years.

The more he slows down and the less slippery he becomes in the pocket the more hits he's going to take. Despite his great season in 2014 and having a career low in passing attempts he still took 29 sacks and ended up suffering another back injury. I'm just hoping we can get another 2-3 good years out of him before he has to be replaced. If Jerry honestly believed Romo has another 4-5 years left he wouldn't have offered a #2 and a #3 to move back into the first round for Lynch. That's not a move you make if you feel your QB has 4-5 years left.

 

[visionary]

He knows his body and in the article it mentions his back is less of an issue. That's good news. I think it's risky for any player, regardless of position, to say that he will play 4-5 more years. On any given Sunday something can happen.

But overall the article put me in a good mood hearing that he feels good and his back is not as much of an issue as time goes by. Frankly, I'm more worried about his back ending his career than his collarbone. Lol, never heard of a player retiring because of a bad collarbone.

Exactly
Tony will do great
In fact 5 years may be a conservative estimate

 

[CrownCowboy]

Romo's career will be dictated by his level of play.

You could tell that Peyton was done this year. He just didn't have it anymore even though they won it all. I remember people saying he was done after he sat out the year after having his neck fused together with duct tape and staples. He had alot left after that.

The last full year Romo played was his best in my opinion and he looked good before he got hurt in Philadelphia last year. He'll keep his body in up and in shape and go as long as he is playing at the level he is playing at, which is indeed elite.

I am more inclined to be the kind of person that thinks that every player that plays in the NFL is just one hit away. Tony can play great for another three years minimum in my opinion and maybe more. One thing is for sure though. We'll all be able to tell when Romo's level of play declines and he really is done.

 

[Iago33]

Yep.

This is exactly what the advertisement wants you to believe. There is always evolution, things will get always better, bigger, faster. And that is so great.

But in the end its not like that. Its just what the industry need us to believe because they have to sell their product. The NFL sells Football, The Pharmacy sells new active agents etc ...

The capitalistic systems needs growth because it is based on depts. To grow you need new markets. This is the way to aquire new markets. Create a demand for something. And the story is: Faster, bigger, greater is much better. And there will never be a border we cant overstep.

People love this feeling because it pretends immortality. So they believe that crap and in the end buy that product (you watch another season with Romo, you buy new "power" food", buy the new iphone etc ...) and you are getting frustrated and depressed because you are confrontized with your own limits everyday but think everybody else is getting better and is living the dream the industry suggested.

I do think Romo can play another 4 years. But in 4 years there will be much improved technology and enhancements that he may play for another 3 years. After that who knows ? Maybe he could play 1 more year ?

Man i am so pumped up itm going to buy another Romo jersey right now!

Until the first hit sends him and me back to reality.

"Confontized" is a brilliant word. Can I use it, too?

 

[Idgit]

That's the problem. His evaluation process comes under fire. If a pass rusher is bearing down on him, his natural instinct is going to take over, and he's going to try to spin out of trouble.

Not necessarily. He spins out of blindside pressure, and that's not something you want him to stop doing. He gets in trouble planting his feet and throwing with a guy bearing down because he knows he's got the quick release and can get the ball out. That's when he's getting plowed into the ground with the defender's body weight on his shoulder. Deciding to take a sack or to spike the ball in that situation is a decision he can make, and not really a muscle memory thing. It's similar to throwing the ball away when the play clock in your head goes too long. He's just got to train himself what to do in that situation better and live to fight another day.

That, and our OL needs to draw a penalty anytime anybody gets remotely close to a late hit on Tony. And our DL needs to start returning the favor with late hits the following series on the other guy. Teams and refs need to know that games will get out of hand quickly if they don't do a better job enforcing the rules on Tony Romo. I don't know if it's still the case, but Tony used to be among the worst in the league in terms of dropbacks to late hit/roughing the passer penalties. Brady and Peyton were, predictably, protected the most in that regard. I'm not sure how much officials can be swayed that way, but I'd definitely like to see us try. Send multiple late hit plays into the league for review, talk with them about it before the game. Use timeouts when it happens to make a big deal about it during the game. Generally be giant babies about it and see if it helps.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

Just goes to show you. Romo, like many other aged athletes, becomes dillusional as the window of opportunity closes slowly but surely.

 

[Rogerthat12]

The 36-year-old quarterback said he agreed with Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones' assessment that he has four or five more years left, before jokingly interjecting "seven or eight years" because of modern medicine.

"I'm not in my mid-20s anymore, but I do think based on what my situation has been like the last three or four years, I do think this [offseason] is drastically different," Romo said after Wednesday's organized team activity.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/15728175/tony-romo-see-playing-dallas-cowboys-2019