Starting QBs In The NFL

[ABQCOWBOY]

Well, if we are being real honest, I don't know that Tony gets a contract like he just did anywhere else but Dallas. I mean, it's a relative thing. It goes both ways IMO.

 

[Hostile]

Well, if we are being real honest, I don't know that Tony gets a contract like he just did anywhere else but Dallas. I mean, it's a relative thing. It goes both ways IMO.

Other QBs are getting those contracts. In other towns. Matt Ryan did.

That's the QB market for a good one.

 

[Nova]

I hate using the cliche analogy, but his career is like a roller coaster.

No other QB's play is as wildly Jekyll and Hyde as Romo's. He can put in work and play his butt off and ball with the best, but every now and then he'll make a few mistakes in big spots that will undo all his progress in the eyes of viewers.

If Matt Schaub fails in the spotlight, it's no big deal because frankly Matt Schaub isn't that good. When Romo fails in a big spot, it's bewildering because the guy can be Aaron Rodgers like on his best days.

He's fascinating. He's frustrating. He's dumbfounding. And on top of that, he's the Dallas Cowboys quarterback.

Not only a marquee team, but a marquee team in the division with, by far, the largest market. He's going to make headlines.

Matt Ryan seems to be the only other guy that I could really compare him to, but he plays in the NFCS-- a market that is roughly 12 million strong ( By comparison the NFCE reaches a market of about 38 1/2 million) and he's really not all that inconsistent. He doesn't get the job done, but there aren't a lot of instances you can point to and say 'oh yeah, Ryan lost the game there' from a casual perspective.

 

[Hostile]

I hate using the cliche analogy, but his career is like a roller coaster.

No other QB's play is as wildly Jekyll and Hyde as Romo's. He can put in work and play his butt off and ball with the best, but every now and then he'll make a few mistakes in big spots that will undo all his progress in the eyes of viewers.

If Matt Schaub fails in the spotlight, it's no big deal because frankly Matt Schaub isn't that good. When Romo fails in a big spot, it's bewildering because the guy can be Aaron Rodgers like on his best days.

He's fascinating. He's frustrating. He's dumbfounding. And on top of that, he's the Dallas Cowboys quarterback.

Not only a marquee team, but a marquee team in the division with, by far, the largest market. He's going to make headlines.

Matt Ryan seems to be the only other guy that I could really compare him to, but he plays in the NFCS-- a market that is roughly 12 million strong. By comparison the NFCE reaches a market of about 38 1/2 million.

Good post. We are comparing a UDFA to an overall #1 pick. Agree?

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Other QBs are getting those contracts. In other towns. Matt Ryan did.

That's the QB market for a good one.

But as I explained earlier, he has shown more success.

 

[Idgit]

Well, if we are being real honest, I don't know that Tony gets a contract like he just did anywhere else but Dallas. I mean, it's a relative thing. It goes both ways IMO.

Really? I think if we don't re-up Romo, there's an absolute feeding frenzy for him. I'd be shocked if he couldn't get more with 10 teams bidding on him than he got from us directly in a restricted negotiation.

 

[Nova]

Good post. We are comparing a UDFA to an overall #1 pick. Agree?

Yeah. I mean if they were both the same age and came into the league at the same time I think it may be a more apt comparison. There's still 'hope' that Ryan, who just turned 28, will get it together. By the time he's Romo's age though and if he has the same kind of blunders, then I would expect the same criticism, but probably not the same volume.

But of course, Romo proved that he's better than his UDFA status right out of the gate with that win in Carolina and subsequent revival of a storied franchise. He's being criticized for not taking that next step.

In reality though, it always comes back to the element of being a QB on a popular and polarizing team.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Decent thread.

Romo takes crap nationally that is expected. QB of the Cowboys you're gonna get it. I just don't get the angst from our fanbase..

Exactly. Cowboys are the most popular team so there's more attention, good and bad. I seriously doubt Tony is dating celebrities if he's QB of the Bills.

And it no longer matters if he's a UDFA. He's long past that.

But who cares. I thought we were supposed to embrace the hatred anyway.

 

[KJJ]

Rivers, Cutler and Vick have all been under a lot of scrutiny especially Vick. If a team isn't getting it done their QB is going to be under scrutiny that's life for an NFL QB. No QB in the league has been torn apart by the media and fans anymore than Mark Sanchez the past couple of years. Palmer doesn't draw a lot of scrutiny because he was never that great a QB to begin with. He's never been real bad or real good. He only led the Bengals to the playoffs twice and was 0-2. Andy Dalton after his first 2 seasons has already equaled Palmers playoff record.

Palmer hasn't had a passer rating of over 90.0 since 06 and his career passer rating is only 86.2. The Cardinals are his 3rd team in 3 years that tells me everything I need to know about where Carson Palmers career is. If he was that good he would still be in Oakland right a team that's in desperate need of a QB. I know a lot of fans think most of the scrutiny Romo receives is because he plays in Dallas but it's his great play and subsequent meltdowns that has him under a microscope. He can be as good as any QB in the league throughout most of the regular season then his game suddenly falls apart when it's all on the line.

It all started with the bobbled snap in Seattle in the 06 playoffs which unfortunately has been the signature play of his career. The big mistake in elimination games have haunted Romo ever since. He played so well after taking over Bledsoe during the 06 season that he made the pro bowl playing in only 10 games. After playing terrific football for most of that season his game started coming apart when the crunch games arrived. Romo suffered 10 turnovers in Dec of 06 after only turning the ball over 6 times in Oct-Nov. There's been a trend with Romo that's put a negative spotlight on him.

Last season in week 16 vs NO he was terrific in a losing effort. He passed for 416 yards, 4 TD's, no turnovers and finished with a 128.8 passer rating his 3rd highest passer rating game of the season. The following week in the season finale in a do or die game the bad Tony showed up tossing 3 int's and finishing with a 55.9 passer rating his worst passer rating game of the season. This is why Romo receives so much scrutiny. None of the QB's the OP mentioned Rivers, Cutler, Palmer, Vick or Schaub have been as good as Romo throughout the regular season. None of those QB's put up the consistent numbers year after year that Romo has put up and none of them have the career passer rating Romo has.

When a QB is that consistently efficient year a year then suddenly folds when it's all on the line that's going to result in heavy scrutiny. Quincy Carter, Drew Bledsoe and Vinny all started for the Cowboys and never received the scrutiny Romo has because none of those QB's were near as good as Romo. Romo has broken practically every franchise passing record in only 7 seasons. His numbers have out distanced every QB who's ever played for the Cowboys and 2 of those QB's have 5 SB wins between them.

Romo has the 5th highest passing rating in history but he simply hasn't been the same efficient, productive QB when it's been down to do or die. It's his 1-6 elimination game record that includes 12 turnovers has him so heavily scrutinized. Romo can go from looking like Joe Montana one week to Mark Sanchez the next when it's all on the line. No QB in the league makes fans and experts scratch their head like Romo.

 

[Hostile]

Exactly. Cowboys are the most popular team so there's more attention, good and bad. I seriously doubt Tony is dating celebrities if he's QB of the Bills.

And it no longer matters if he's a UDFA. He's long past that.

But who cares. I thought we were supposed to embrace the hatred anyway.

I do embrace it. But part of doing that is knowing when people are actually just plain delusional. It's called being educated.

QBs of other teams date celebrities too by the way. Tom Brady, Jay Cutler, Mark Sanchez all come to mind immediately.

 

[KJJ]

All the QB's mentioned Vick, Cutler, Rivers and Sanchez entered the NFL with a lot of expectations because they were all #1 picks. The day they showed up for their first training camp they were under scrutiny. Romo entered the league as an undrafted free agent therefore had no expectations. He was just another player trying to make the team in 03. Only 5 UDFA QB's ever became viable NFL starters Kapp, Moon, Warner, Delhomme and Romo. Tony Romo has already accomplished more in Dallas than anyone thought he would when he arrived in 03. He's beaten a lot of odds to get to where he is.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Really? I think if we don't re-up Romo, there's an absolute feeding frenzy for him. I'd be shocked if he couldn't get more with 10 teams bidding on him than he got from us directly in a restricted negotiation.

I think you are probably more right then you are wrong and that's a good point but still, I don't know that a team that he has played for would give him a 109 million dollar contract, based on the body of work he has. I'm not saying that other teams would not be interested. I'm saying it swings both ways. If your going to say that he gets scrutinized more then other QBs, I think you also have to acknowledge the fact that in Dallas, he got 4 years to develop as an UDFA and a contract that he just got in Dallas as well. Both of those things, IMO, are uncommon.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

If you are the QB of the Dallas Cowboys, the world is your oyster if you win. If you don't, then you are going to get all kinds of pressure. It comes with the territory and you know that going in. I'm sure that's part of the reason he got paid what he did but it's also something that you can't go back and complain about once you decide to play in Dallas. That's just the deal. The fans can complain about it all we won't but the reality is that this is part of the job and the more we complain, per say, the more the media will run with it.

 

[5Stars]

I think you are probably more right then you are wrong and that's a good point but still, I don't know that a team that he has played for would give him a 109 million dollar contract, based on the body of work he has. I'm not saying that other teams would not be interested. I'm saying it swings both ways. If your going to say that he gets scrutinized more then other QBs, I think you also have to acknowledge the fact that in Dallas, he got 4 years to develop as an UDFA and a contract that he just got in Dallas as well. Both of those things, IMO, are uncommon.

But, is it really a 109 million contract?

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

But, is it really a 109 million contract?

You are right 5Stars. It's actually 120 Million. Sorry about that.

 

[Avenger]

There are currently 33 players in the discussion as starting QBs in the NFL. Perhaps you feel there are 34 if you think that like Philly the Raiders job is wide open.

Of that number...

23 were drafted in the 1st round.
4 in the 2nd round.
3 in the 3rd round.
1 in the 6th.
1 in the 7th.
1 is a UDFA.

Someone explain to me why so many 1st round picks aren't facing the scrutiny the UDFA does without it being that HE is in Dallas, and they aren't. Even if you point out the number of pups in the 1st round who have 3 years or less as starters that isn't going to wash. Romo has been under this scrutiny since the bobbled snap in the 2006 post season, and that was his 1st year starting a single game.

Explain to me why Rivers, Schaub, Cutler, Palmer, and Vick aren't under more scrutiny. Explain to me when Ryan, Stafford, Sanchez, and Bradford are going to arrive at that scrutiny. of that list only Schaub isn't a 1st round pick, and he's a 2nd.

Note that I am not in any way touting Romo here, so you can't see this as an "excuse." I'm merely asking an obvious question. Namely, why QBs who are expected to be franchise caliber guys aren't under the same scrutiny as a guy who was a long shot to even make a team?

Just food for thought.

Because none of them play for the Dallas Cowboys.

 

[jobberone]

Decent thread.

Romo takes crap nationally that is expected. QB of the Cowboys you're gonna get it. I just don't get the angst from our fanbase.

To be fair, Chargers fans hate Rivers more than Cowboys fans hate Romo. I think both sets of fans are idiots.

You're right. And Manning catches hell in NY. I don't think the other Manning caught it nearly as much in Indy. They murder Rivers. I don't really know the other teams fan bases well enough to mention them all.

Meredith took a lot of grief. Morton less but plenty. Staubach had some early on but then those teams were so successful in the 70s. White got a lot. Aikman did at first. Now it's Romo's turn. Some of it is the writers in a city even though a lot of commentary and news is national.

 

[Avenger]

In the end I think its going to work outfine for Tony. I really do. He's a millionairre beyond his wildest dreams, has a beautiful wife and child and has no doubt had a BLAST shocking the world under the brightest lights there are in the NFL. Health permitting he has another 4-5 shots at improving his postseason resume and with an org that is showing signs of getting him the support necessary.

But even if Tony Romo never wins a SB he will have had a brilliant career and life in Big D and he is grounded enough to not let unwarranted criticism by unknowledgeable fans ruin his life. He is a better man than that.

We who have watched him have far more to be thankful for than critical of. And he as a player is in the same boat.

"shocking the world", huh?

LOL!

 

[KJJ]

If you are the QB of the Dallas Cowboys, the world is your oyster if you win. If you don't, then you are going to get all kinds of pressure. It comes with the territory and you know that going in. I'm sure that's part of the reason he got paid what he did but it's also something that you can't go back and complain about once you decide to play in Dallas. That's just the deal. The fans can complain about it all we won't but the reality is that this is part of the job and the more we complain, per say, the more the media will run with it.

In a way Romo has been a victim of how productive he's been. When a QB puts up over 9000 yards with 59 TD's and has a passer rating of around 94.0 the past 2 seasons everyone expects a lot better than a couple of 8-8 teams that have missed the playoffs. This causes the fans and experts to closely examine Romo's elimination game record and performances that's what's receiving all the scrutiny.

 

[5Stars]

You are right 5Stars. It's actually 120 Million. Sorry about that.

No, bro, he is actually not going to make all that coin in the first place...that is what I meant.