ROMO SAYS HE’LL BE A BETTER LEADER
Posted by Mike Florio on January 22, 2009, 9:49 a.m. EST
In the wake of stinging criticism from former Cowboys
quarterback Troy Aikman, current Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo says that he’ll become a better leader.
“I think leadership sometimes comes with your ability to perform and your personality,” Romo told Todd Archer of the
Dallas Morning News. ”
And some of it comes with experience. In a lot of ways, I think I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve gained experience.
“I’m definitely going to take a more active approach with that as we move forward from last year to this season. I’ll be very excited to get back out there and be with the guys and figure out a way to improve and get better and do the things we need to do to win. Period.”
The more appropriate ending to that quote would have been “question mark,” since no one really knows whether any attempt by the Cowboys to change from within is going to make a damn bit of difference. Sure, Giants coach Tom Coughlin changed dramatically from one season to the next when he faced certain termination if his team didn’t perform more effectively. But, as we see it, it’s far easier for a guy who’s known to be a relentless hardass to ease up a bit than it is for milquetoasts like Romo and coach Wade Phillips to transform into
Joe Montana and Vince Lombardi.
That said, there’s still hope for Romo. As Aikman pointed out earlier in the week during a radio visit with Michael Irvin, Romo’s unconventional route to the job of
NFL starting quarterback might mean he’ll need more time to grow into the intangible aspects of the job.
“I think maybe things happened so quickly for Tony in terms of obscurity to all of a sudden national spotlight that he hasn’t fully grasped what being the Cowboys quarterback is all about,” Aikman said, via the
Dallas Morning News. “And you don’t go to Cabo the week before a
playoff game. You just don’t do it. “To say, ‘I don’t worry about perception,’ you better worry about perception because it is a big part of making it through some very difficult times.”
Aikman’s right, and we have a feeling that this kind of stuff would have been constantly drilled into Romo’s head if Bill Parcells were still the head coach of the Cowboys.
Or if Wade Phillips weren’t.
my note: we shall see
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