Recommended JJT: Oral History of how Tony Romo became Dallas Cowboys QB

[drawandstrike]

Now, imagine if Tony could finish this year, maybe play next year, and impart this same approach and knowledge to Dak Prescott.

I know he'd be willing to do it, and Dak would be a sponge.

Greatness.

Dak Prescott could NOT have a better mentor than Tony Romo. I'd love Romo to stay on as a back up once the move is made permanently to have Dak as the starter. Romo would be a fantastic back up QB/coach-in-training on the sideline.

 

[T-RO]

it was a fun read. i like hearing what players from the locker room thought. it'll be fun to read some of this stuff in a decade about dak and his situation with romo also.

totally agree. I REALLY enjoyed that read.

 

[T-RO]

Larry Lacewell, Cowboys scouting director, 1992-2004: "I did not look at Tony in college until the day before the draft because he was a nobody."

It's sad, but it explains a lot about how things were between Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells.

I don't think it reflects negatively on Lacewell. Nobody saw anything but Sean P. Nobody. And even Romo admits he was horrible. He had to rebuild his mechanics from scratch.

 

[Plankton]

I don't think it reflects negatively on Lacewell. Nobody saw anything but Sean P. Nobody. And even Romo admits he was horrible. He had to rebuild his mechanics from scratch.

The director of college scouting for an NFL team says that he didn't even look at the winner of the FCS version of the Heisman Trophy during the scouting process that he is supposed to drive until the week of the draft, and that's not to reflect negatively on him?

It's only his job to know this. It couldn't reflect any worse on him if he tried.

 

[Eddie]

Dak Prescott could NOT have a better mentor than Tony Romo. I'd love Romo to stay on as a back up once the move is made permanently to have Dak as the starter. Romo would be a fantastic back up QB/coach-in-training on the sideline.

Yes, I would love to have Romo stay onboard as the backup QB as long as he reduces his salary down to about $1 mil a year. There's no way we're paying $25 mil to a backup QB.

 

[QT]

I remember that qb sneak for a td that Romo did in preseason like yesterday. Also remember seeing Bill get mad at him afterwards. I knew we had something with Romo after that drive.

 

[Coy]

Yes, I would love to have Romo stay onboard as the backup QB as long as he reduces his salary down to about $1 mil a year. There's no way we're paying $25 mil to a backup QB.

No way, he's going to be starting for another team next year, they'll be getting a darn good QB on their team.

Awsome read btw.

 

[rpntex]

I remember when JJT was riding Quincy Carter's jock so hard it was pathetic.

Parcells gets way too much credit with Romo and everyone knew he wanted his boy Drew in there.

I don't know where you get that from… Parcells is on record as saying he was tired of Bledsoe, and that he did not listen and was uncoachable. It was a entirely his decision to pull Bledsoe when he did, and it was entirely his decision to start Romo the following week… And every week after that.

Bledsoe was many things, but "Parcells boy" was not one of them.

 

[rpntex]

Larry Lacewell, Cowboys scouting director, 1992-2004: "I did not look at Tony in college until the day before the draft because he was a nobody."

It's sad, but it explains a lot about how things were between Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells.

Evidently, a lot of scouting department did not look at Romo before the draft.

 

[CrownCowboy]

I remember being in Charlotte for the game that was Romo's first NFL start.

I remember being bummed even before the ballgame started because I kept saying to myself that we had a guy starting that never before started an NFL game and that normally it doesn't really go well in circumstances like that. I watched Romo throw in warm ups and said to myself that he had a tight spiral and seemed to have alot of zip on the ball. We got down 14-0 and I just figured that it was what it was.

Then Romo started to ball. We ended up winning 35-14. My dad was with me at the game and I remember looking over to him and telling him that this dude Romo might be a player.

Here we are all these years later. I'd say that he has had a pretty good career considering the circumstances. He never has had a good defense. Forget about having a great defense. In 2007 he had a pretty good offensive line, but other than that it wasn't good and that's putting it lightly.

In the end I think that Romo's story isn't over. One way or the other I think he'll help us this year.

I am some kind of excited about Dak Prescott. The poise this kid has is really amazing. Whatever happens all I care about is that the Dallas Cowboys become World Champions again.......over and over again.

But Romo is an underrated player overall and I think it would be poetic justice if he'd get him a ring with us before he hangs em up.

 

[StarGazer1]

I don't know where you get that from… Parcells is on record as saying he was tired of Bledsoe, and that he did not listen and was uncoachable. It was a entirely his decision to pull Bledsoe when he did, and it was entirely his decision to start Romo the following week… And every week after that.

Bledsoe was many things, but "Parcells boy" was not one of them.

Are you saying Parcells wasn't responsible for bringing Bledsoe to Dallas? Parcells loaded the roster with his "guys" and Bledsoe was one of them. Parcells might have been tired of Bledsoe, but so was everyone else.

 

[Eddie]

No way, he's going to be starting for another team next year, they'll be getting a darn good QB on their team.

Awsome read btw.

Yes, it's inevitable. He's too good to sit on our bench, and we owe it to him to give him a starting opportunity elsewhere.

 

[Eddie]

Romo was an exciting player and he made the team better. But for some reason or another, things didn't happen for him. His legacy will be great stats but only 2 playoff wins. He'll also be remembered for the blotched FG attempt against Seattle, and throwing the pick against Washington to lose out on the playoffs. He has tons of highlight reals, and is a great story for ESPN.

 

[Broges74]

Romo was an exciting player and he made the team better. But for some reason or another, things didn't happen for him. His legacy will be great stats but only 2 playoff wins. He'll also be remembered for the blotched FG attempt against Seattle, and throwing the pick against Washington to lose out on the playoffs. He has tons of highlight reals, and is a great story for ESPN.

Even if Dak keeps the job, Romo's legacy is not fully written. He still has a shot at redemption and HOF here or elsewhere .

Good QB who has been squandered by the FO.

 

[Hawkeye19]

Great article.

Man--I love Parcells. Love that he cried when he benched Drew b/c he respected him and they had been through so much together-- and love that he had the balls to make the decision to roll with Tony b/c it was the right decision to make.

Bill is ornery and can rub people the wrong way-- but I have always thought beneath his sarcastic, abrasive demeanor is a guy who really loves his players. He loves them enough to push them to be their best and never puts up with excuses. I wonder how much of Tony's success can be attributed to the foundation Parcells and Payton laid down through those early years?

 

[BHendri5]

A good read. I liked reading it. I have the very first book that was written about Romo and in that book there are some things quite different. For instance: in the book Romo was said to go to David Lee everyday after practice he would ask him what Parcels said about him that day. Lee would tell him to keep working hard, and finally one day he told him that Parcels said that because of his side arm throwing motion that 9 out of 10 passes would be batted down. Parcels would have cut him, but David Lee , Sean Payton and Palmer kept on Parcels to keep him. Anyway when Lee told him what Parcels said about his release, Romo then started pestering LEE to work with him after practice and off days to change his throwing motion. Pretty much the other stuff was on point with what was written in the book, just the part that makes Parcels look in a good light about Romo lasting that long until he had his chance.
I do not understand how Parcels keeps getting all this praise for supposedly all this good he did for the team and organization, he did not do crap in my opinion. This is what I saw, while Parcels was here; I saw a team that committed more penalties than when Campo was the HC, I saw a HC that like the media time more than his players, I saw an idiot who berated and degraded his players every chance he got. with his what the media thought was witty remarks.
I came from old school coaching where coaches would grab your face mask and get in your face, some players need that, but those players are middle schoolers, high schoolers and college players, grown men making more money than the HC, no they are men younger men but they deserved respect until they showed that they did not earn it and if that happens cut them. I hated Parcels I will always see him as a New york giant, never a Cowboy

 

[CyberB0b]

Oral history

In type

 

[Coy]

Even if Dak keeps the job, Romo's legacy is not fully written. He still has a shot at redemption and HOF here or elsewhere .

Good QB who has been squandered by the FO.

I would change good to great but otherwise good post

 

[Wezsh0T]

Great read. I love Tony Romo. I just wish good things would happen for him. He gets so much hate around the nation from people who don't watch him every week.

 

[silver]

Regardless of the current QB stuff, this was a good read. Kudos to JJT for writing it.
--------------------------------

Ten years ago this week, Tony Romo was in Dak Prescott's position. He was the young quarterback Dallas Cowboys fans clamored to see on the field. He was the heir apparent, the dude who represented hope for a franchise desperate for a quarterback.

Romo was an unlikely star of America's Team.

He had no FBS scholarship offers out of high school in Burlington, Wisconsin. After winning the Walter Payton Award as the FCS' best player as a senior at Eastern Illinois, he received a late invite to the NFL combine, then went undrafted. He spent 3 1/2 seasons as the backup to a second-round bust, two former minor league baseball players and two has-been No. 1 picks.

Then Bill Parcells gave him an opportunity -- and Romo promptly threw an interception.

These days, Romo owns every notable passing record for a franchise with an illustrious quarterback history. He's 78-49 as starter -- though only 2-4 in the playoffs -- and has passed for more than 34,000 yards with 247 touchdowns against 117 interceptions. Only two quarterbacks in NFL history have a higher passer rating than his 97.1.

As Romo confronts the possible end of his tenure in Dallas, we're reflecting on his improbable NFL journey. From undrafted free agent in 2003 to his move up the depth chart to the moment Parcells turned the team over to him on Monday Night Football on Oct. 23, 2006 -- 10 years ago this week -- teammates and coaches who watched Romo's ascent up close discuss what they saw in the quarterback and what landed him the job.

Read the rest: http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/st...mo-dallas-cowboys-became-starting-quarterback

Thanks for sharing this