Position Discussion: Quarterback

[Joe Realist]

Starter - Tony Romo

Backups - Brad Johnson, Brooks Bollinger


Romo: He has shown flashes of great play and we certainly missed him when he was injured. However, his mechanics look sloppy and I believe he does not have the " it " to take us all the way. Yes, I know this is his second full year as a starter. But, he is happy to be here, just listen to what he says. He also gets too high and too low. He has bought into the celebrity QB stuff. At 28, I am willing to give him 2 more years to see if he matures and fine tunes some of his mechanics. He needs to win a big game, which for me is any game after Thanksgiving when the pressure mounts. We need a solid QB coach that will not be his best bud, but mold him into what he needs to be. I also think that if we change more to a run first approach, some of the pressure can be relieved.

Johnson: Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Bollinger: He is most likely gone , though could return as the primary backup.

Strategy: Draft a QB somewhere Round 4-6, sign a dependable free agent backup. If for some reason Owens is not here, sign Garcia if he no longer has a job. He is a firey guy and a leader. Gus Frerrotte possibly as well.

Thoughts?

 

[dadymat]

I still believe in Romo.....I think he spent alot of time injured and alot of time running for his life......if he can cut down the turnovers..ray:...and the o line stays healthy and he and the WRs get their timing corrected ...I think we have one of the best offenses in the league....( barring injury)...

we desperatley need a veteran back up QB who can
A) come in in case of injuries....
B) take the field if Tony is having one of his 4 turnover days.....
C) push Tony in camp......

and would also like to see a late rounder spent on a QB to groom.....

 

[Zimmy Lives]

Romo regressed in 2008 but that does not mean he cannot improve in 2009.

Place more emphasis on the running game and take some of the pressure off of Romo. Take away some of the freedom he had to improvise and make him stick to his progressions.

 

[Asa55]

I would like to see us draft and develop a good young QB like Zac Robinson from OKST.

 

[Batman]

Starter - Tony Romo

Backups - Brad Johnson, Brooks Bollinger


Romo: He has shown flashes of great play and we certainly missed him when he was injured. However, his mechanics look sloppy and I believe he does not have the " it " to take us all the way. Yes, I know this is his second full year as a starter. But, he is happy to be here, just listen to what he says. He also gets too high and too low. He has bought into the celebrity QB stuff. At 28, I am willing to give him 2 more years to see if he matures and fine tunes some of his mechanics. He needs to win a big game, which for me is any game after Thanksgiving when the pressure mounts. We need a solid QB coach that will not be his best bud, but mold him into what he needs to be. I also think that if we change more to a run first approach, some of the pressure can be relieved.

Johnson: Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Bollinger: He is most likely gone , though could return as the primary backup.

Strategy: Draft a QB somewhere Round 4-6, sign a dependable free agent backup. If for some reason Owens is not here, sign Garcia if he no longer has a job. He is a firey guy and a leader. Gus Frerrotte possibly as well.

Thoughts?

Here is my review of the Quarterback position:

Tony Romo - there is no question he is very, very smart. He has that special ability that not many QBs have in that they have a 6th sense for feeling the pressure coming in. That is just something you can not teach, you either have that or you don't and that is part of what will lead Romo to being a great QB, he has that sense and he has it very strong. I honestly have been amazed at how many times there is just no way Romo could have seen the pressure coming, and yet he felt it and bought time to either avoid a sack or make a play.

His toughness, some in here might question it, but the injuries he played through in the Giants game showed he is plenty tough, and it really hurt his play, anyone who thinks otherwise is just fooling themself.

His arm, I have seen a few question his arm strength, but I have no idea why. He does not have a huge cannon arm like Cutler, Roethlisberger, Brady, Favre or Russell, but he has a strong arm that can make all the throws and when he is healthy he can put very good velocity on the ball. Unfortunately the injuries, and his pinkie I think really screwed him up for the rest of the year. His accuracy was never the same either.

Unfortunately, I think Romo got into trying to please too many players with getting their "share" or receptions, and he went from being the QB who was lightening fast at reading defenses and hitting the hot receiver to trying to please everyone with a certain number of receptions. I seriously think this was another major problem for Romo and it did not allow him to completely focus on the game.

Our offensive line completely sucks, it has to be one of the worst, if not the worst OL in the NFL. Our OL consists of the 5 dumbest people in the NFL whose combined IQ I doubt breaks triple digits. In the Ravens game, they never did figure out how to stop a past his prime Ray Lewis from looking like he was in the peak of his prime.

If we can get Romo back to who he once was, and unfortunately that will not happen in 2009 due to have Captain Cupcake back as coach, we will need a strict and take no crap kind of coach to do it, but when that coach comes, it will get Romo back to reality and being a great QB. Romo's biggest weakness is nothing physical, he has everything you want physically, maybe the only knock is he is only 6'2" as opposed to 6'4". But his biggest weakness is overcoming that mental block in huge games, once he does that he is gonna win some Super Bowls, guarenteed.


Brad Johnson this guy is a pathetic washed up has-been. While I only weigh a shade under 180 pounds soaking wet, and for being 6'3" I am not a big person, I know one thing, I have a much stronger arm than Brad Johnson. When Brad Johnson throws a pass, he has hang time that would make most punters jealous. His decision making completely sucks and about the only purpose he serves is as a tackling dummy for any defense he plays against.

Brooks Bollinger no potential, waste of a roster spot, but in spite of that is still better than Brad Johnson.

 

[Bleu Star]

I still believe in Romo.....I think he spent alot of time injured and alot of time running for his life......if he can cut down the turnovers..ray:...and the o line stays healthy and he and the WRs get their timing corrected ...I think we have one of the best offenses in the league....( barring injury)...

we desperatley need a veteran back up QB who can
A) come in in case of injuries....
B) take the field if Tony is having one of his 4 turnover days.....
C) push Tony in camp......

and would also like to see a late rounder spent on a QB to groom.....

Spot on post. Especially the bold part...

 

[Hostile]

People gave up on Peyton Manning. People gave up on his brother Eli. The same mentality says give up on Tony Romo.

 

[Joe Realist]

People gave up on Peyton Manning. People gave up on his brother Eli. The same mentality says give up on Tony Romo.

Not giving up, giving time, so he can mature. If he is the same 2 years from now, he won't be any better 5 years from now IMO.

 

[Batman]

People gave up on Peyton Manning. People gave up on his brother Eli. The same mentality says give up on Tony Romo.

I believe in Romo, but he mainly needs a reality check. Unfortunately another season of Wade is that last thing Romo needs, so any improvements and taking that next steps are going to be 100% on Romo. He could defy the odds in '09 and carry the team, but without a good coach, and all the soap opera theatrics that go with a Jerry Jones owned team, Romo has quite a bit going against him, most of it far beyond his control.

 

[Hoofbite]

People gave up on Peyton Manning. People gave up on his brother Eli. The same mentality says give up on Tony Romo.

I think with Peyton people just knew it was a matter of time. The guy has a work ethic and football mind that is rarely matched. Combine that with a monster arm and weapons, I don't think anyone really thought the guy would go winless for the rest of his career.

With Eli, I agree. And up until the end of last year, he had not played like a QB capable of winning a Superbowl. So yes, people did give up on Eli.

With Romo, I won't give up on him. However, this guy has got to quit giving the ball away. 13 Fumbles this season. 14 INTs and the guy missed some games. Each week he makes two plays that absolutely hurt the hell out of the team. He gives the ball away once and puts it on the ground another, potentially giving the ball away again.

Its maddening to see it happen. He has all the ability you would ever want in a QB and all the mistake making tendencies that you cannot stand.

At times its like watching Peyton Manning and at others its like Bledsoe or Testaverde. And its all wrapped up into a single game.

And even more frustrating is the chant that hes a "gunslinger". We have to accept that he will suck at times because he is so good at others. I call BS. If him not being a "gunslinger" means that he will throw 6-8 fewer TDs but will also throw half as many picks and fumble has as much, I'll take that any day of the week.

Tony Romo CAN get the job done. All he has to do is eliminate some mistakes and it will come.

 

[jeffm]

Starter - Tony Romo

Backups - Brad Johnson, Brooks Bollinger


Romo: He has shown flashes of great play and we certainly missed him when he was injured. However, his mechanics look sloppy and I believe he does not have the " it " to take us all the way. Yes, I know this is his second full year as a starter. But, he is happy to be here, just listen to what he says. He also gets too high and too low. He has bought into the celebrity QB stuff. At 28, I am willing to give him 2 more years to see if he matures and fine tunes some of his mechanics. He needs to win a big game, which for me is any game after Thanksgiving when the pressure mounts. We need a solid QB coach that will not be his best bud, but mold him into what he needs to be. I also think that if we change more to a run first approach, some of the pressure can be relieved.

Johnson: Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Bollinger: He is most likely gone , though could return as the primary backup.

Strategy: Draft a QB somewhere Round 4-6, sign a dependable free agent backup. If for some reason Owens is not here, sign Garcia if he no longer has a job. He is a firey guy and a leader. Gus Frerrotte possibly as well.

Thoughts?

I agree, but doesn't it irk you a little that just because of T.O. we are limited on who we can bring in? Someone needs to set T.O. straight and the only person he'll listen to is JJ

 

[DaBoys4Life]

People gave up on Peyton Manning. People gave up on his brother Eli. The same mentality says give up on Tony Romo.

You know it's crazy how fast people are ready to give up on Romo.....I could see Peyton/Eli being #1 overall picks however Romo being an UDFA....it's just mind boggling IMHO.

 

[RESIN8]

I'd like to see how far Rudy Carpenter drops. He was great his freshman year, but he became a product of a woeful offensive line and never lived up to expectations. That AZ St oline really sucked.

 

[Bleu Star]

You know it's crazy how fast people are ready to give up on Romo.....I could see Peyton/Eli being #1 overall picks however Romo being an UDFA....it's just mind boggling IMHO.

I think it's less "ready to give up on Romo" and more "ready to push Romo at the QB position with true competition".

 

[Jimz31]

I think with Peyton people just knew it was a matter of time. The guy has a work ethic and football mind that is rarely matched. Combine that with a monster arm and weapons, I don't think anyone really thought the guy would go winless for the rest of his career.

How quickly people forget. Colts fans WERE saying the same exact things that were being said here. He couldn't win a big game at TN and he couldn't in the pros....until it happened.

The bottom line is that people only call it a "big game" when we lose.
They forget that in Romo's 4th or 5th start, he beat the undefeated Colts for example....I guess that wasn't a big game since we won.

Last year....were there even any CHANCES for a big game except for the playoff game? No....we had it sealed up before december even rolled around. Having said that, it doesn't get much bigger than the playoffs.

They should have played harder in december last year. They shouldn't have started resting players and should have gone ahead and played like the Giants did in week 17 against the Patriots. They had nothing to play for, yet played the Patriots hard all the way. Goes to coaching. Coughlin did the right thing in making all of their starters play the entire game in week 17.

 

[DIAF]

People gave up on Peyton Manning. People gave up on his brother Eli. The same mentality says give up on Tony Romo.

This is Romo's 6th year in the league.

He is what he is.

 

[Disturbed]

How quickly people forget. Colts fans WERE saying the same exact things that were being said here. He couldn't win a big game at TN and he couldn't in the pros....until it happened.

The bottom line is that people only call it a "big game" when we lose.
They forget that in Romo's 4th or 5th start, he beat the undefeated Colts for example....I guess that wasn't a big game since we won.

Last year....were there even any CHANCES for a big game except for the playoff game? No....we had it sealed up before december even rolled around. Having said that, it doesn't get much bigger than the playoffs.

They should have played harder in december last year. They shouldn't have started resting players and should have gone ahead and played like the Giants did in week 17 against the Patriots. They had nothing to play for, yet played the Patriots hard all the way. Goes to coaching. Coughlin did the right thing in making all of their starters play the entire game in week 17.

Big games are in December and January -- Period. Romo has failed to deliver when it has mattered the most. Along with the rest of the cowboy coaches and players....

 

[Venger]

You know, I sometimes wonder if folks stop to consider what they are really asking for. Push Romo in training camp? You want a full fledged QB controversy? For *** sake people...

Either you 1) Think Romo isn't the guy, in which case you should want to go after a top flight QB to replace him or 2) Think Brad Johnson ISN'T the guy, and want to get a backup who can come in and win those winnable games in a pinch when Romo gets banged up.

You sure as hell do NOT want the days Chutch and Quincy and Henson and Testaverde... you get your starting QB and you RIDE him. The second QB isn't there to fight for the #1 job. You play that game and you turn this circus into a conflagration.

 

[Batman]

This is Romo's 6th year in the league.

He is what he is.

Uhhmm, and of those 6 he has only started the equal of 2 seasons. Your 6 years is desperation.

 

[windward]

Starter - Tony Romo

Backups - Brad Johnson, Brooks Bollinger


Romo: He has shown flashes of great play and we certainly missed him when he was injured. However, his mechanics look sloppy and I believe he does not have the " it " to take us all the way. Yes, I know this is his second full year as a starter. But, he is happy to be here, just listen to what he says. He also gets too high and too low. He has bought into the celebrity QB stuff. At 28, I am willing to give him 2 more years to see if he matures and fine tunes some of his mechanics. He needs to win a big game, which for me is any game after Thanksgiving when the pressure mounts. We need a solid QB coach that will not be his best bud, but mold him into what he needs to be. I also think that if we change more to a run first approach, some of the pressure can be relieved.

Johnson: Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Bollinger: He is most likely gone , though could return as the primary backup.

Strategy: Draft a QB somewhere Round 4-6, sign a dependable free agent backup. If for some reason Owens is not here, sign Garcia if he no longer has a job. He is a firey guy and a leader. Gus Frerrotte possibly as well.

Thoughts?

Too early to give up on Romo, but we need to give him more credible competition at the position. As a developmental guy I like David Johnson from Tulsa, and Gus Frerotte might be a good option, or any vet that can still throw the ball at an Nfl level.

All in all, I agree with you on our situation at QB.