gbrittain;1766145 said:
You know Hos, I can not get enough of the Romo praise.
I have said many things on this board and have been right about a few things at best.
I know that I have been a big proponent of spending a premium pick on a QB. I thought the odds of Romo making it big were small. I still believe the most likely place to find a franchise QB is in the first round, but of course Romo has proven that is not the only place you can find one.
However, I remember all of the "bus driver" debates and maintaining that the next time Dallas has a team that is considered a Super Bowl contender will be the next time Dallas has a franchise caliber QB.
I will never ever back off the importance of the franchise QB. Sure there are exceptions to the rule such as the Ravens of 2000 for example, but if you want to win the big one and not be a one year wonder you better have a franchise caliber QB.
As long as Dallas has Romo playing at a high level, Dallas will be a contender for years to come.
To all of you franchise QB haters, I did not say a franchise QB can win by himself. It is a team game.
Kind of like a concrete slab underneath the house is not the only thing you need, but good luck without it.
I too am still firmly on the franchise QB agenda. I don't deny this. I never will, and the chances I will change this opinion are slim and none.
I will also tell you that every year I learn more about what a franchise QB is. I will tell you one thing that I have learned because of Romo. Just being plain likable matters.
I don't think he'd have the same success he had despite the hard work if he were an arrogant jerk.
It's not like this is new to me either, but I tend to forget it and focus on measurables. Brett Favre is so likable that it amazes me that people dislike the guy. The difference is he's also got other intangibles that make him an all time great.
In college at ASU did you know that Jake Plummer would never do an interview unless his starting OL was with him? I have no idea why he abandoned that as a pro, but he bought into his own greatness. It immediately made him less valuable and less likely to succeed IMO. I met Jake one time at a Denny's in Mesa. No joke, he was on a date there. I remember thinking that was pathetic, but in fairness it was really late at night. He was telling his date how amazing he was. Then he said this, "in fact, I'm kind of surprised people aren't asking me for my autograph." It just rubbed me the wrong way, so I said, "that's because you suck."
I once heard a Bears lineman say that Jim McMahon would ask his OL to just give him 4 seconds. He said if they did that he'd make something great happen. he then would turn to his receivers and say, "okay, these guys are going to give me 4 seconds." Just like it was already a done deal, no doubt about it going to happen. They'd have killed themselves for him.
These guys genuinely like Tony Romo and they want to succeed with him. That is what makes him a franchise QB in my opinion. So he doesn't have the pedigree and measurables that I love and always will. So what? He has his team's faith. You can't measure that IMO.
