News: Like it or not, the Cowboys go as Tony Romo goes

[Coy]

Finally, someone in the media gets it right.

LONDON — Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys legend.

There, I said it.

This is not jet lag. This is not about drinking some funny tea in London.

This is about accepting the truth about the best quarterback in Cowboys history not named Troy Aikman or Roger Staubach.

There was a time when the notion of calling Romo a legend was considered blasphemous. There supposedly is no legendary status without rings. That’s always been my stance as well.

It’s certainly one that has credence, especially regarding a franchise rich in championship tradition with Hall of Famers Staubach and Aikman as the standard.

Despite owning all of the team’s major passing records, Romo remains ringless and his late-season failures have been a huge part of the Cowboys’ struggles since he took over as the starting quarterback in 2006.

But let’s be real, Jerry Jones, as owner and general manager, has been the common denominator in the Cowboys’ woes since the demise of the dynasty teams of the 1990s.

His salary cap management is the reason those teams essentially fell off a cliff after the last Super Bowl title in 1995.

Rather than blame Romo for the Cowboys’ inability to win big over the past decade, maybe he should be given credit for keeping the Cowboys in contention and relevant, in spite of Jones.

Consider the team’s state and fate following the retirement of Troy Aikman in 2000 and Romo’s rise in 2006.

Consider the litany of abject quarterback play between Aikman and Romo — Quincy Carter, Clint Stoerner, Anthony Wright, Drew Henson, Chad Hutchinson, Ryan Leaf, Vinny Testaverde and Drew Bledsoe.

Now imagine life without Romo over the past 10 years and what the record would be.

If you think it’s easy to find a quarterback in the draft, consider the Cleveland Browns and their carousel of failed draft picks.

That notion came full circle last week when backup quarterback Brandon Weeden started for the injured Romo and was exposed as a 2012 Cleveland draft bust.


Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/1...dthis#.VGGfdMSo2d4.twitter&rh=1#storylink=cpy

 

[skinsscalper]

I've said it once and I'll say it again. Tony Romo has covered up so many deficiencies on this team from the front office to the coaching, to the talent level (on both sides of the ball) for so long it's not even funny. This guy has overcome the ineptitude of his owner, coaches, and piss poor o-lines and defenses since the day he hit the field as a starter. That's not to say he's been perfect. He hasn't. And, no one is.

Eli Manning is figuring out the past two seasons what the majority of Romo's career has been like. No defense to speak of. No running game. Below average O-line. The results? Some of the worst QB play in the entire league over that span. Rings or not, Eli couldn't carry Romo's jock. Not even close.

 

[Tabascocat]

Captain obvious there......

Romo has been the difference between a top 5 and a mid-late round pick during his career. Without him, this team would be really bad but he keeps us in division races. It appears that the coaching staff/owner have noticed this due to recent drafts.

Tony deserves more recognition, not sure if he ever gets it though

 

[AKATheRake]

Pretty much!

Like any other team in the league. There is maybe 16 starting QB's that fans can fathom watching week in and week out.

The rest, who know's.

Arizona is not winning the SB with Drew Stanton, nor where they going to with Carson Palmer.

Don't worry, watch Mark Sanchez get exposed too after a few games of footage.

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

Tony romo should win league MVP just based on that Arizona game , no BS

 

[JoeKing]

Did the Cardinals season end when Carson Palmer's season ended? Did the Eagles season end when Nick Foles's collarbone broke? Both those teams seem to still be able to win with their backup QB. So why does our season suddenly end without Romo? Are those teams just better?

 

[RLand]

Did the Cardinals season end when Carson Palmer's season ended? Did the Eagles season end when Nick Foles's collarbone broke? Both those teams seem to still be able to win with their backup QB. So why does our season suddenly end without Romo? Are those teams just better?

You watch the Arizona game? Weeden was terrible. Sanchez is better than Weeden and fits Chip's system very well. It remains to be seen what Stanton will do with Arizona. With a backup QB and the schedule they have, I can easily see them only winning 2 or 3 of their last 7.

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

Did the Cardinals season end when Carson Palmer's season ended? Did the Eagles season end when Nick Foles's collarbone broke? Both those teams seem to still be able to win with their backup QB. So why does our season suddenly end without Romo? Are those teams just better?

Because they have a backup QB that can throw over two yards

 

[JoeKing]

You watch the Arizona game? Weeden was terrible. Sanchez is better than Weeden and fits Chip's system very well. It remains to be seen what Stanton will do with Arizona. With a backup QB and the schedule they have, I can easily see them only winning 2 or 3 of their last 7.

So are you saying those teams are better?

 

[DandyDon1722]

We're in a VERY short window with Tony and that's why Jerry has to do whatever he needs to do, sign whoever he needs to sign and burn up whatever cap money he has to burn up in the next couple of years to try and win a Super Bowl - because it could be a long time before we see the next window.

By the way - and I'm not just basing this on the game tonight, but for all the hype that Cam gets--
He can't hold Tony's jock.

 

[RLand]

So are you saying those teams are better?

I'm saying their backup QB is, yes

 

[Eddie]

But that doesn't preclude us from looking for Tony\s eventual replacement. Heck, we all want him to play another 15 years at a high level. But can we really rely on a 34 year old with two back surgeries and a fractured spine?

 

[DallasEast]

Finally, someone in the media gets it right.

Not entirely.

Despite owning all of the team’s major passing records, Romo remains ringless and his late-season failures have been a huge part of the Cowboys’ struggles since he took over as the starting quarterback in 2006.

On the one hand, and just like other quarterbacks, Tony Romo has committed his share of player miscues. Fumbling by holding onto the ball too long. Not reading the defense properly and throwing picks.

On the other hand, Romo has attracted far too much criticism for games lost due to the poor play of his teammates. Critical fumbles happened after linemen whiffed on blocking assignments allowing free shots on Romo by the defense . Critical interceptions happened after receivers allowed Romo's passes to bang off their hands or other body parts. That's the abbreviated recollection minus dropped passes, non-QB fumbles, inability to run into the endzone from less than a yard away, porous defenses, untimely idiotic penalties,etc.

Fans and media alike are sometimes overly fickle and do not assign proper blame for poor player execution that create game losses beyond the quarterback position. Case in point: his late-season failures have been a huge part in the Cowboys' struggles... "Huge?" BS. Eliminate that single word from the comment and the stated evaluation is accurate. That aside, it is a well-written article.

 

[Sportsbabe]

This is a well informed thread thus far. Pleasant read. Lets see how long this lasts

 

[MissouriCowboy]

Man Romo is a top tier Qb. Like I said in a earlier post funny how Drew Brees gets a free pass when he fudges up the game he plays in.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

This just in, breaking news! lmao

 

[nablives]

I partially agree with Hill on this. They're going nowhere without Romo, and there's no doubts in my mind about that. Even with him though, he's been asked to make up for an awful lot in his career, and this season will probably end no differently. I don't see him being enough to get them to a Super Bowl this season, but as I said, they can't do squat without him, so I kind of halfway agree with Hill on this premise.

 

[MissouriCowboy]

nablives your picture cracks me up.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

I partially agree with Hill on this. They're going nowhere without Romo, and there's no doubts in my mind about that. Even with him though, he's been asked to make up for an awful lot in his career, and this season will probably end no differently. I don't see him being enough to get them to a Super Bowl this season, but as I said, they can't do squat without him, so I kind of halfway agree with Hill on this premise.

Welcome to the Romo era. Jerry thought surrounding him with malcontent talent would get it done for years, They have now figured out it takes talent across the board. Just hope it isn't to late.

 

[Doomsday101]

I think the success goes as the team goes. Romo is a big part but his performance is tied to others stepping up and getting their jobs done. This past game, Romo Jersey stayed clean for 95% of the game he had time in the pocket. Defense started the game slow but got things turned around quickly and did not give up any other points until most of the 1st string was pulled from the game. I love Romo but he is not going to get it done alone.