Has the Cowboys' offense stalled because it's too 'Romo friendly?'

[Alexander]

Rainer Sabin
Has the Cowboys' offense stalled because it's too 'Romo friendly?'

IRVING -- The first time the phrase "Romo Friendly" was uttered was back in 2009 at the NFL scouting combine. Owner Jerry Jones coined the term and he said it meant the Cowboys' offense would be tailored in such a way as to "utilize his skills to the fullest and make sure everything we do maximizes his abilities."

It made sense. Romo was entering his third year in Jason Garrett's system and was developing the kind of experience that allowed him to be an extension of the coaching staff. But what happens when another quarterback is given the controls of a "Romo Friendly" system?

Everyone is getting a first-hand look this season and it isn't pretty. Since Romo fractured his left collarbone in Week 2, both Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel have struggled to effectively manage the offense. In fact, neither player has come close to replicating what Romo did. Weeden underwhelmed before losing his job to Cassel. It can be argued after Sunday's loss to Seattle that Cassel has been even worse after the Cowboys produced the lowest total of net passing yards in a game since 2000
.
Perhaps it's merely a talent issue that is the root cause of this. Then again, maybe it has something to do with an offense that has been customized to accentuate Romo's strengths in the same way a race car is built for a specific driver.

http://beta.sportsdaydfw.com/dallas...y?hootPostID=2655f9928d554bef70af66a451d25787

 

[cowboyblue22]

they are neither one nfl qbs and tony is elite he covers up a lot for the dallas cowboys

 

[hornitosmonster]

I sure miss that calling the play at the last second over what we got now. Tony was usually correct in his reads and was the real Offensive Coordinator.

 

[erod]

The Patriots offense is Brady friendly.

The Packers offense is Rodgers friendly.

The Broncos offense wasn't Peyton friendly, and now it is again.

The Saints offense is Brees friendly.

So no.

 

[RS12]

Has the Cowboys' offense stalled because it's too 'Romo friendly?'

I'm thinking because it is "backup QB talent poor".

 

[Yakuza Rich]

No, it's stalled because neither are very good QB's, we lost Dez, the scheme is a bit outdated, we almost never run a trick play and the playcalling and mindset has been so conservative that we are not giving ourselves much of a chance (i.e. Sturm discussing playing like underdogs).

I used to think that Romo would be better in a WCO, but I think this scheme better suits him because he's just much better at throwing intermediate and deep throws than he is at throwing short passes and trying to the YAC for a productive play. It's also a scheme predicated on the play action (similar to Gibbs' scheme where they used to run the counter trey, then throw deep on play action). Romo is excellent on play action.

But, I don't think it is 'too Romo friendly.' May be a bit outdated, but I'm not sure what scheme Cassel and Weeden would really work well in.





YR

 

[Idgit]

It's worth reiterating that it hasn't just been Tony who's been missing. We've had a lot of our very best talent on the bench or on IR during this stretch.

But, yeah, go figure losing one of the best QBs in the league and replacing him with cast offs affects your offense. Who'd a thunk?

 

[ScipioCowboy]

A team with subpar quarterback play isn't going to win many games no matter how the offense is setup. Having said that, there's a chasmic difference between not winning many games and not winning any games. We all agree just one win in the past five games would make a huge difference right now. There must be a way to get easier completions beyond the incessant checkdowns.

 

[xwalker]

Rainer Sabin
Has the Cowboys' offense stalled because it's too 'Romo friendly?'

IRVING -- The first time the phrase "Romo Friendly" was uttered was back in 2009 at the NFL scouting combine. Owner Jerry Jones coined the term and he said it meant the Cowboys' offense would be tailored in such a way as to "utilize his skills to the fullest and make sure everything we do maximizes his abilities."

It made sense. Romo was entering his third year in Jason Garrett's system and was developing the kind of experience that allowed him to be an extension of the coaching staff. But what happens when another quarterback is given the controls of a "Romo Friendly" system?

Everyone is getting a first-hand look this season and it isn't pretty. Since Romo fractured his left collarbone in Week 2, both Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel have struggled to effectively manage the offense. In fact, neither player has come close to replicating what Romo did. Weeden underwhelmed before losing his job to Cassel. It can be argued after Sunday's loss to Seattle that Cassel has been even worse after the Cowboys produced the lowest total of net passing yards in a game since 2000
.
Perhaps it's merely a talent issue that is the root cause of this. Then again, maybe it has something to do with an offense that has been customized to accentuate Romo's strengths in the same way a race car is built for a specific driver.

http://beta.sportsdaydfw.com/dallas...y?hootPostID=2655f9928d554bef70af66a451d25787

I guess it's a slow day at the office for this reporter.

People can dream up all kinds of reasons for the losing streak. One poster even blamed Dan Bailey for not kicking it through the end zone on the TD return by Harris.

 

[KingintheNorth]

I'd say we are less "Romo friendly" and more "Romo dependent"

 

[FLCowboyFan]

People forget that John Kitna looked pretty good in this offense the last time Romo went down. It's the QB play, the play calling, and the overall talent on the offense. If Kitna could run it well so could another "good" QB.

 

[Floatyworm]

If you bench Doug Free...it will take off again like it did last year......

 

[DoctorChicken]

If you bench Doug Free...it will take off again like it did last year......

Let's start Kellen Moore at RT.

 

[Clove]

IMO, I think it's wise to alter your scheme to fit each QB. If you have a running QB, you're not going to ask him to drop back 35 times. If you have a check down loser who has a strong arm, you have to tailor plays to fit him, although I don't know what those are. And if you have Cassell, who's not an NFL QB, and a scared little poodle, then you have to go in that play book, and find things he's good at. Good luck with that, but you have to at least try.

 

[dallasdave]

People forget that John Kitna looked pretty good in this offense the last time Romo went down. It's the QB play, the play calling, and the overall talent on the offense. If Kitna could run it well so could another "good" QB.

Great point !!!!!