Initially,
@Galian Beast thanks for that. I had been eating the cheese from our fellow Cowboys fans and had forgotten about what Romo's ceiling is. Out of sight out of mind. I needed reminding
All the people in this thread that are writing him off due to injury seem to forget the point made at the beginning of the video: that is exactly what was being said 2 years ago in the exact same terms.
Now I am not going to put it out of the realm of possibility that he is done physically but the 3 plays that we saw so far this year is not enough to convince me.
That video reminded me of a couple of things.
First, Romo is the far superior deep passer. While Dak takes a couple shots a game, Romo is able to set up deep throws down in and down out. When was the last time you remember Dak throwing on the 9 route?
Second, Romo is far superior in the red zone. To succeed there you need to make read after read in short windows and be able to come back to them because things are so compressed. Dak is to be commended in how far along he is but he is still limited as opposed to what Romo can do in that department. I like Dak's run potential but when it's 3rd and goal at the 8, I want 9.
Third, Romo knows how to use 88 on the fade and 9 route in ways that Dak has yet to figure out. 9 makes 88 better than 4.
Fourth, while Dak is playing checkers presnap. Romo is better at setting things up to exploit mismatches based on formation.
Fifth, 9 is better at utilizing his RB underneath. 4 never throws it to them unless it's a designed screen or the like. Maybe Zeke isn't the pass catcher Murray was but 4 wasn't getting the ball to 25 either.
Sixth, Romo has much better pocket mechanics. His ability to switch from facing left to right, his ability to slide in all directions in the pocket and still maintain his base, and his ability to transition from run/spin/whatever back to a passing set are much more polished than what Dak has right now.
Now the $1m question is whether or not he still can be quick in the pocket like that. I don't care about 2015. Randle and DMC cannot hold the current RB's tandems jockstrap. Dak is benefitting from them as much as anyone else and I feel that were they here last year Cassell and Weeden wouldn't have pulled the 0fer.
I also do not think that the 3 plays that we have seen in preseason are enough to put him out to pasture. Even if he looked tentative and awkward for the small sample, it is important to remember it was the preseason and his first time playing in near a year. Rust is to be expected.
All things considered you would be crazy to not at least attempt to get that level of play back. If it is gone forever then so be it but at the very least we need to check and see. Next year if you want to talk about trading Romo, extra top 50 picks, contract efficiency, and maximizing a roster with the extra room I think those are all valid points but for right now 2014 Romo is light years ahead of where Dak is right now.
