Romo vs Staubach and Aikman

[erod]

Just not a well thought out statement. A ridiculous statement. Again, eras, defenses, how QBs can get hit..and Romo's propensity for interceptions in big games vs an era where they could play tight on WRs and get no flags....you think he would be better? They didn't throw 40 times back then. It's like you are making things up. As I said I love Romo, but if he is so magical and good why did he choke with a dropped snap? Why did he have thee #1 seed and throw 50% and get embarrassed after a Cabo trip in 07...with a talented team? You bring up how you can just plug him in but he couldn't even do it with his talented teams so far. It's laughable to compare right now/

Did Staubach or Aikman ever hold on a snap? Did you watch Crayton give away the Giants game? Did Aikman take his team to the playoffs his first two years as a starter?

I'll defer to Aikman and Staubach, who both say Romo is better than they were. Staubach is being gracious of course, but Aikman knows it's the damn truth.

The crime was letting the roster take a steep decline as Romo developed into an elite quarterback. The team was littered with Cory Proctors, and Phil Costas, and Pat McQuistans, and David Arkins, and Robert Brewsters, and Jacob Rogers, and Bill Nagys. Years of horrible drafting turned the team to shambles, yet Romo would rally them up to 8-8.

Now, things have changed. I just hope Romo isn't too damaged physically to take advantage.

 

[erod]

Yeah, Omo has carried this team so far. All of these 8-8 seasons would have had him run out of Dallas when fans had higher expectations. It happened to a Dandy Don. Today's fanbase is happy to reach the playoffs. Years ago, a Super Bowls was expected.

Those 8-8 seasons were done with 1-15 rosters.

Or do you not remember Dallas having the worst defense in Cowboys history statistically?

How does that defense make it to 8-8.

Romo.

 

[erod]

I don't agree here. The Aikman coming out of UCLA could do it all. I think that the problem here, and this is just my opinion, is that the Offense Troy played in was designed to be very precise. There was not room for adlib, so to speak. That was actually a draw back in that Offense. Everything was designed to happen exactly the way it was drawn up. The idea was that you run the play before the Defense could react. Going off script would usually result in a bad play and that's why you see poor results later in Troy's career. Now, to be honest, by the time Troy was in his last years, he was not the same QB. Physically, he could not do what he did when he was younger and honestly, we are seeing the same kinds of things now with Tony. No more breaking the pocket and running down field. Getting the ball out more quickly. These kinds of things are because Tony is getting older. Interestingly enough, Tony is showing better results because of these changes. If you ran that timing offense right, there was literally nothing the Defense could do to stop it. Troy had such amazing accuracy, combined with unreal velocity, and that made that Offense unstoppable. This is why I say Tony could not play in that Timing Offense. This is not a knock on Tony. Have said many times that Tony is a great QB. He has made himself into that and that's to his credit. However, you really had to see Troy from the beginning to the end to understand how good he really was. That Offense was the sum of it's parts because, if you didn't have Emmitt and that powerful running game, the spacing and the timing didn't work. You had to have that split second pause of the Defense to read and react for the timing to work. That made the difference for Michael to get the edge. The WR had to be able to catch anything and use the body to shield the Defense. You had to run very precise routes and if you did that and if you could beat the Defense to a spot and if you could make the tough catch, then it couldn't be stopped. The success of that Offense if proof of that. It's a very difficult offense to run. You have to have exactly the right personnel or it will not work. We were able to gather the right players to run it but the Troy that came out of UCLA, before he learned that offense could play in any offense. He had that kind of talent.

Here is a vid of Aikman at UCLA. Watch how he is able to move, create time and throw on the run.

Aikman could move in college, and a couple years in the NFL. But back injuries made him immobile most of his pro career.

 

[CowboyRoy]

I don't agree here. The Aikman coming out of UCLA could do it all. I think that the problem here, and this is just my opinion, is that the Offense Troy played in was designed to be very precise. There was not room for adlib, so to speak. That was actually a draw back in that Offense. Everything was designed to happen exactly the way it was drawn up. The idea was that you run the play before the Defense could react. Going off script would usually result in a bad play and that's why you see poor results later in Troy's career. Now, to be honest, by the time Troy was in his last years, he was not the same QB. Physically, he could not do what he did when he was younger and honestly, we are seeing the same kinds of things now with Tony. No more breaking the pocket and running down field. Getting the ball out more quickly. These kinds of things are because Tony is getting older. Interestingly enough, Tony is showing better results because of these changes. If you ran that timing offense right, there was literally nothing the Defense could do to stop it. Troy had such amazing accuracy, combined with unreal velocity, and that made that Offense unstoppable. This is why I say Tony could not play in that Timing Offense. This is not a knock on Tony. Have said many times that Tony is a great QB. He has made himself into that and that's to his credit. However, you really had to see Troy from the beginning to the end to understand how good he really was. That Offense was the sum of it's parts because, if you didn't have Emmitt and that powerful running game, the spacing and the timing didn't work. You had to have that split second pause of the Defense to read and react for the timing to work. That made the difference for Michael to get the edge. The WR had to be able to catch anything and use the body to shield the Defense. You had to run very precise routes and if you did that and if you could beat the Defense to a spot and if you could make the tough catch, then it couldn't be stopped. The success of that Offense if proof of that. It's a very difficult offense to run. You have to have exactly the right personnel or it will not work. We were able to gather the right players to run it but the Troy that came out of UCLA, before he learned that offense could play in any offense. He had that kind of talent.

Here is a vid of Aikman at UCLA. Watch how he is able to move, create time and throw on the run.

JImmy said that had Aikman played in a high passing offense he would have done amazing. But personally, I didnt see it. When we had to make big comebacks or wing the ball to make up a lead, Aikman didnt do it very well. And his deep ball was lacking in my opinion even though he had the arm strength. But then again we didnt have the deep threats. It was a plodding offense.

So you may be right, but I didnt see it. I saw a guy that did exactly what he had to do in an gimme offense. When things broke down a little he broke down. He basically handed the ball off to Emmitt and threw slants to Novacek and Irvin. But he did it to near perfection.

 

[jnday]

Those 8-8 seasons were done with 1-15 rosters.

Or do you not remember Dallas having the worst defense in Cowboys history statistically?

How does that defense make it to 8-8.

Romo.

One year with the worst defense. What about the Wade years and the good defenses ? He got nothing out of those years.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

JImmy said that had Aikman played in a high passing offense he would have done amazing. But personally, I didnt see it. When we had to make big comebacks or wing the ball to make up a lead, Aikman didnt do it very well. And his deep ball was lacking in my opinion even though he had the arm strength. But then again we didnt have the deep threats. It was a plodding offense.

So you may be right, but I didnt see it. I saw a guy that did exactly what he had to do in an gimme offense. When things broke down a little he broke down. He basically handed the ball off to Emmitt and threw slants to Novacek and Irvin. But he did it to near perfection.

The one criticism I actually have with Aikman is that he didn't have a great deep ball. I heard an interview years ago as to why. Aikman believed, or at least he said in the interview, that he believed it was because he practiced on the tight spiral so much that the throwing motion was different. That timing offense had to be precise and he believed that it was a kind of learned behavior. This is not to say that he couldn't throw it because obviously he did but it was not as good as some of the other really great QBs. I agree with that.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Different Eras


Staubach and Aikman were top 3 QBs in there era. Romo is top 7-10 in this era.

Yup.







YR

 

[erod]

One year with the worst defense. What about the Wade years and the good defenses ? He got nothing out of those years.

Wade's defenses were average. It gave up fourth quarter points in bushels. And the offensive line was atrocious after one good year of broken-down veterans who fell apart quickly thereafter.

Romo was still up-and-coming with the one good team he had early. (Although, that 13-3 record was against a really easy schedule.) Romo played well against the Giants in the playoffs (who went on to win the Super Bowl).

 

[dfense]

Ironically, I don't think Aikman ever threw over 30 TDs in a season.

 

[jnday]

Wade's defenses were average. It gave up fourth quarter points in bushels. And the offensive line was atrocious after one good year of broken-down veterans who fell apart quickly thereafter.

Romo was still up-and-coming with the one good team he had early. (Although, that 13-3 record was against a really easy schedule.) Romo played well against the Giants in the playoffs (who went on to win the Super Bowl).

How many more excuses have you got? Romo is a good QB, but he may not even be in the top three in this team's history. He is not even a top five QB in today's game which is made for QBs to shine.

 

[Garrettop]

The one criticism I actually have with Aikman is that he didn't have a great deep ball. I heard an interview years ago as to why. Aikman believed, or at least he said in the interview, that he believed it was because he practiced on the tight spiral so much that the throwing motion was different. That timing offense had to be precise and he believed that it was a kind of learned behavior. This is not to say that he couldn't throw it because obviously he did but it was not as good as some of the other really great QBs. I agree with that.

I would imagine throwing lasers all the time would affect how well you throw bombs....and vice versa.

 

[erod]

How many more excuses have you got? Romo is a good QB, but he may not even be in the top three in this team's history. He is not even a top five QB in today's game which is made for QBs to shine.

He is EASILY a top five QB in today's game.

1. Rodgers
2. Brady
3. Romo
4. Roethlisberger
5. Brees

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

Did Staubach or Aikman ever hold on a snap? Did you watch Crayton give away the Giants game? Did Aikman take his team to the playoffs his first two years as a starter?

I'll defer to Aikman and Staubach, who both say Romo is better than they were. Staubach is being gracious of course, but Aikman knows it's the damn truth.

The crime was letting the roster take a steep decline as Romo developed into an elite quarterback. The team was littered with Cory Proctors, and Phil Costas, and Pat McQuistans, and David Arkins, and Robert Brewsters, and Jacob Rogers, and Bill Nagys. Years of horrible drafting turned the team to shambles, yet Romo would rally them up to 8-8.

Now, things have changed. I just hope Romo isn't too damaged physically to take advantage.

I think fans forget what it looked like for Aikman with Clay Shiver at Center. Again, people think you don't appreciate or respect Troy when pointing out the "not so good" times.

Jerry used Jimmy to restore the Dallas Cowboys to relevance. And Jerry broke Romo's back to push it to the top in terms of value.

I guess you can argue Jerry compensated everyone for their contributions. But this has LONG stopped being about excellence on the field.

I love what Troy did for the Dallas Cowboys. But I truly believe he would have fared worse than Romo when you consider the front office, coaches and players Romo has had to deal with. And this is not to say Romo is perfect. But Troy craved structure, accountability and discipline. And that is how it SHOULD be. But that is not what this has been for a long time. And you do not even have to read between the lines when you read what Troy thinks about the culture in Dallas. Which is WHY I think Troy has so much respect for Romo.

 

[WillieBeamen]

Did Staubach or Aikman ever hold on a snap? Did you watch Crayton give away the Giants game? Did Aikman take his team to the playoffs his first two years as a starter?

I'll defer to Aikman and Staubach, who both say Romo is better than they were. Staubach is being gracious of course, but Aikman knows it's the damn truth.

The crime was letting the roster take a steep decline as Romo developed into an elite quarterback. The team was littered with Cory Proctors, and Phil Costas, and Pat McQuistans, and David Arkins, and Robert Brewsters, and Jacob Rogers, and Bill Nagys. Years of horrible drafting turned the team to shambles, yet Romo would rally them up to 8-8.

Now, things have changed. I just hope Romo isn't too damaged physically to take advantage.

What evidence do you have to support this?

You have no proof whatsoever that Tony is a better QB and Troy knows its the "damn truth".

And to assume Tony woulda automatically won multiple rings with those teams is also asinine. There takes more to being a great QB than Gaudy stats. Do you honestly think he would've been able to take control of a lockeroom back then that consisted of players like, Charles Haley, Michael Irvin, Ken Norton Jr., etc. Do you think Jimmy wouldve let him continue his gunslinger mentality, and free reign to change plays at the line consistently?

Troy was beating All-Time great teams in the playoffs to get his rings. Tony had the 2nd best team in the league twice and hasnt even reached a NFC Championship game.

 

[Miller]

Did Staubach or Aikman ever hold on a snap? Did you watch Crayton give away the Giants game? Did Aikman take his team to the playoffs his first two years as a starter?

I'll defer to Aikman and Staubach, who both say Romo is better than they were. Staubach is being gracious of course, but Aikman knows it's the damn truth.

The crime was letting the roster take a steep decline as Romo developed into an elite quarterback. The team was littered with Cory Proctors, and Phil Costas, and Pat McQuistans, and David Arkins, and Robert Brewsters, and Jacob Rogers, and Bill Nagys. Years of horrible drafting turned the team to shambles, yet Romo would rally them up to 8-8.

Now, things have changed. I just hope Romo isn't too damaged physically to take advantage.

I smell excuses. Who cares if they held snaps. He was in a position to win and blew it. Those guys thrived in big situations.

Of course those guys will say that. They are ambassadors of the Cowboys. They aren't going to throw him under the bus when they are propping up the team. Romo is a unique QB who has been great and carried the team at times when they were bad. But he also never played under the conditions of the Aikman 89-90 teams and he never played in a league set up like the 70s-90s. You can't plug him in and say he would win. He sat for 3 years and came into some teams under Parcells that were not in horrible shape. I'm not taking away Romo's skill, just the younger generations ability to downplay Aikman and try and plug in Romo into a different era.

 

[Chuck 54]

Romo has turned himself into a franchise QB, and while he was the joke of the NFL for his crunch time blunders for a few years, he has earned everyone's respect now.

However, I'm almost 60 years old. I watched Meredyth, Morton, Staubach, White, and Aikman.

• Romo doesn't have the natural talent or arm to match anyone on that list
• Romo doesn't have the accuracy of White or Aikman
• Romo, nor any other player on that list, can match the toughness of Meredyth
• Meredyth, Morton, and White all won with less that SB talent, and none had the meltdowns that Romo was guilty of in his early years
• As the team has grown stronger on the offensive side of the ball, Romo has improved....that would be true of any QB, including those on this list
• Aikman was a surgeon with Irvin and Novachek. Without them or even decent successors and a weak OL, he was crap; he got killed trying to hold the ball till the last second for guys to get open. After the SB years, with Irvin gone, he played with worse talent than Tony has.
• Dez Bryant is entering his 7th season; Witten is entering his 14th season--Tony Romo is entering his 14 season in the NFL; he has led the team to 6 playoff games and a 2-4 record, while playing with two of the best weapons the NFL has had to offer over the past 6 seasons.

I love Tony Romo, but he is not the QB Staubach or Aikman was. It's laughable to even suggest it.
Why don't you guys who want to argue that Romo is better than those guys try asking anyone in the sports media or the NFL to rank the best Dallas Cowboys QBs of all time and see what you get. Those guys do answer emails.

 

[Miller]

What evidence do you have to support this?

You have no proof whatsoever that Tony is a better QB and Troy knows its the "damn truth".

And to assume Tony woulda automatically won multiple rings with those teams is also asinine. There takes more to being a great QB than Gaudy stats. Do you honestly think he would've been able to take control of a lockeroom back then that consisted of players like, Charles Haley, Michael Irvin, Ken Norton Jr., etc. Do you think Jimmy wouldve let him continue his gunslinger mentality, and free reign to change plays at the line consistently?

Troy was beating All-Time great teams in the playoffs to get his rings. Tony had the 2nd best team in the league twice and hasnt even reached a NFC Championship game.

Right, I really don't think people think through these random statements. Todays NFL is a passer league. Has been for a decade. There are mediocre QBs putting up 4000 yards because they throw 40 times in a system with 3-4 WR sets. The 90s teams have Irvin and a complement every year and as a QB you had to feed them the ball in tight coverage. You'd have one RB, not specialty guys on 3rd down, etc. It's incredible how different it was.

 

[erod]

I smell excuses. Who cares if they held snaps. He was in a position to win and blew it. Those guys thrived in big situations.

Of course those guys will say that. They are ambassadors of the Cowboys. They aren't going to throw him under the bus when they are propping up the team. Romo is a unique QB who has been great and carried the team at times when they were bad. But he also never played under the conditions of the Aikman 89-90 teams and he never played in a league set up like the 70s-90s. You can't plug him in and say he would win. He sat for 3 years and came into some teams under Parcells that were not in horrible shape. I'm not taking away Romo's skill, just the younger generations ability to downplay Aikman and try and plug in Romo into a different era.

Tony Romo is the highest rated 4th-quarter quarterback in NFL history. He has more than thrived in those situations. Staubach and Aikman were fortunate enough to have teams that didn't put them in those situations very often.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Wade's defenses were average. It gave up fourth quarter points in bushels. And the offensive line was atrocious after one good year of broken-down veterans who fell apart quickly thereafter.

Romo was still up-and-coming with the one good team he had early. (Although, that 13-3 record was against a really easy schedule.) Romo played well against the Giants in the playoffs (who went on to win the Super Bowl).

Wade went from something like 25 sacks to 42 sacks in his first year with the Cowboys defense. Wade is one of the best DC's in football. He took average talent and made it a solid D. It did, however, taper off some. Some of that , however, had to do with the offense becoming one dimensional and pass happy as Garrett got his hands on it. Oline crumbled as well. When you can control the ball with a run game and score points consistently it puts a lot of pressure on the other offense. This certainly helps the D.

 

[CowboyRoy]

He is EASILY a top five QB in today's game.

1. Rodgers
2. Brady
3. Romo
4. Roethlisberger
5. Brees

You are on crack. Ben and Brees are both better than Romo. Give me a break.