ZeroClub;1081704 said:
I've got an honest question (maybe two) for you, Hostile.
If I'm not mistake, you voted on the record your preference for starting Bledsoe (over Romo) next week versus the Texans.
You've also been a consistently strong advocate for acquiring a top-flight marquee franchise QB (e.g., a Carson Palmer / Eli Manning type).
Are you concerned that Romo might prove to be a "serviceable" starting QB if he got a chance to play?
Concerned wouldn't be the right word, shocked might be.
I know my elitest attitude about QBs rubs some the wrong way. I just don't see what the harm is in being honest about stuff. I loved Jason Garrett, but he was never more than a backup. Exactly what is so wrong about that? Even if you figured every team had 4 QBs counting one on their Practice Squads it still means an exclusive club of only 128 members.
So I got to ask a question in return. Is it a bad thing if Tony Romo never is more than a backup here? See, I don't think so, and that's where a lot of people get lost in my rants. See, while I appreciate the 128 or fewer exculsive club I'm still always looking for an even more exclusive club, a top 10 QB.
I don't see why this wrong or even a bad thing. How can it be? To want my favorite team to have one of the most respected players in the game is bad? I don't get it. I really don't. Nor do I think I want to.
Because of this philosophy of mine I'm not subject to over the top optimism and Pollyanna stories. Might Romo turn out to be a good QB? Sure he can. I hope he will, perhaps more than anyone even understands. That doesn't mean I have to expect it to happen. I prefer to be honest. That's as simple as I can say it. The odds of him being the 2nd coming of Tom Brady are slight at best.
Again, I don't find anything wrong with that. That is what people don't understand. They never understood it with Q. I never said he should be drummed out of the NFL. I've never celebrated that he essentially was. I said he wasn't good enough to satisfy my elitest philosophies. I was honest and I've been consistent about that philosophy throughout.
I'd like to point out something, for all the doubt I've expressed in a QB who hasn't shown anything in a meaningful game, I've never once bagged on him for his golf game like some do. In fact, I love that about him and root for him to succeed. I respect that.
ZeroClub said:
I could see how this outcome might be the absolute worst one from your perspective. If Romo is seen as "good enough," chances are that the Cowboys wouldn't do all that it would take to obtain a true top-flight all-star sort of franchise QB.
I guess in some ways people would assume this. I can't say it is right or wrong at this point. I suppose it would depend on who the coach is and his philosophy. My complaint with our current situation is that Parcells seems immovable about the position. Year one, he thought he could coach our QBs to better results. Year two, he thought his past dinosaur was a great idea. Year 3 and 4 a younger retread of his past. Throughout all of this almost no effort to actually develop the young QBs. That bothers me.
For the record, I consider Aikman a top 10 all time QB, but from 1996 through when he hung up his cleats I was talking about drafting his successor. It wasn't about disliking the guys who were his backups. I liked some of them a lot. It was about a smooth transition.
So even if Romo is as good as some on here believe he will be, I'm still going to want a QB for the future. Why would I give Romo a pass that I wasn't willing to give a 3 time Super Bowl Champion?
ZeroClub said:
How much, if any, of your current support of Bledsoe (vis-a-vis Romo) is due to a concern that Romo could play well enough to win the job? (and thus postponing the acquisition of the next Carson Palmer?)
None at all. Absolutely not even 1%. If he were to play great I'd be as thrilled as anyone. The difference with me is I'm very skeptical about the odds he can do that.
I've seen him live and I wasn't wowed. I still give him credit for being very smart and accurate. It's still below my elitest standards. That offends some. I won't apologize for my philosophies. Perhaps that is the problem. I'd like to point out I have them across the board and not just at QB, but I am most vocal about QB so it stands out.
You don't have to agree with me or my theories. It doesn't offend me. In some ways I like it that people disagree. Unlike some I actually enjoy the debates and the needles. A lot of people take me very seriously. I always laugh about that. I haven't got a mean bone in my body and I don't have time to dislike people for their opinions. Those who joke around with me have figured that out. That doesn't mean I'm not hard headed and stubborn. I absolutely am. I coached this position and it left me biased about how it is supposed to work.
I gave up believing in Faery Tales a long time ago, but I still root for the underdogs. That's why I like Romo but don't necessarily believe as the masses do that he's our answer as a starter.
I hope that explains this better. If not ask, I'll gladly clarify.