The Tony Romo choker myth

[tecolote]

The NFL doesn't keep score by yards, else Marino, Fouts, etc would have rings. Favre and Manning would need both hands for all the rings.

Obviously, the defense is the biggest weakness with the team (if you exclude the front office and the coaching staff). Romo and the passing game are the team's lone strength. Undenialby. But it's also undeniable that in a huge situation, Romo continued his pattern of making a mistake on the cusp of a huge win. People can try to spin it with his stats 50 different ways, but the 3 is still in the L column this morning, and one last decent drive against Denver's staggered D and Romo would have had his biggest win in 4 years. Instead, yet another week with him homers defending him.

Again, there was yesterday, Washington last year, Detroit, the Jets and the Seattle playoff game. I can't remember others and 5 games does not a pattern make.

 

[03EBZ06]

The NFL doesn't keep score by yards, else Marino, Fouts, etc would have rings. Favre and Manning would need both hands for all the rings.

Obviously, the defense is the biggest weakness with the team (if you exclude the front office and the coaching staff). Romo and the passing game are the team's lone strength. Undenialby. But it's also undeniable that in a huge situation, Romo continued his pattern of making a mistake on the cusp of a huge win. People can try to spin it with his stats 50 different ways, but the 3 is still in the L column this morning, and one last decent drive against Denver's staggered D and Romo would have had his biggest win in 4 years. Instead, yet another week with him homers defending him.

What was the biggest reason why Cowboys lost, was it defense which gave up 51 pts or Romo who passed for 506 yards and 5 TD/1 INT?

 

[khiladi]

Romo has had Jason Garrett as his OC and now HC for 6 years...

 

[TNCowboy]

What was the biggest reason why Cowboys lost, was it defense which gave up 51 pts or Romo who passed for 506 yards and 5 TD/1 INT?

Do you have a formula to assign blame? I'm unaware of one.

That's hardly the point. Few dispute he played a fantastic game. But he had an opportunity to rise above his awful defense. Instead, he decided to throw under pressure, late, across the middle to a WR surrounded by 3 defenders (and an official), with 2 minutes left in a tie game.

As Lombardi said, winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. How a team with this many vets can be searching for moral victory is beyond me.

 

[BotchedLobotomy]

It really does amaze me how the Romo apologists keep throwing the "he's the reason we were in the game", or the great stats, or the crappy defense. Romo has a lengthy track record in these situations and we all know the outcomes. Romo is no doubt a very good QB, but that does not erase the fact he is just not a finisher. When the game is on the line, I just am not comfortable with him leading the team.

 

[Fizziksman]

Please stop with the comparison to Rodgers and Manning. Nothing against Romo but.........

i didn't compare them at all i just said their Super Bowl wins have give them a free pass from criticism of not being able to close out big games or games in general. The Packers have always struggled winning close games but you'll never hear the word choker thrown around towards Rodgers. If Romo wins a SB regardless of how good he looks, (he can have Big Rape like SB and have the worst QB rating of all-time) the choker talk will stop. That's the power of SB ring.

 

[alohawg]

It really does amaze me how the Romo apologists keep throwing the "he's the reason we were in the game", or the great stats, or the crappy defense. Romo has a lengthy track record in these situations and we all know the outcomes. Romo is no doubt a very good QB, but that does not erase the fact he is just not a finisher. When the game is on the line, I just am not comfortable with him leading the team.

All of the atta boy's get wiped out by his inevitable yet so predictable ill-timed uh oh's and THAT is the problem with Tony. It really is between his ears, not ours.

 

[Eddie]

This was a game the sums up Romo's carer perfectly, recordbreaking, amazingly good but when you need him the most he chucks one in the triple coverage and loses the game. It's not a myth that it cost us the game last night

Unfortunately, this sums up Tony Romo.

 

[TheCoolFan]

Too bad he is just not a little taller. If he was 6'4" or taller like Eli, Flacco, Big Ben, etc. I think he wouldn't panic so much with a little pressure in his face. You're going to have to make some tough throws in the clutch while about to get hit...those guys have all done it. I think once Romo took that sack on 1st down, he was too worried about not getting sacked again so it was in his head that he couldn't afford another sack. With that in mind, just a little bit of pressure in his face on the next play and he panicked and got rid of it.

 

[Sarge]

I

sarge..you are the most realist of all the mod's on this board..you love the cowboys as much as any of them but your comrade's can find sunlight in a underground tunnel..oh i would be re-mist not to include the cowboys loyalist the fan base!!!

I am by far the best looking mod - I do know that.

 

[AdamJT13]

Once the public perception is a certain way, any examples that fit the perception are seen as "proof" that the perception is correct. Whether it is correct does not matter when it comes to public perception. In other words, other quarterbacks might make the exact same clutch mistakes MORE OFTEN than Romo does, but unless the public perception is that they are chokers, those things are forgotten by the next week.

The only way for Romo to change the public perception is to win a Super Bowl -- and to do it by making clutch plays in the fourth quarter. That's it. If he never does that, he never will change the public perception that he is a choker. Even if he wins a Super Bowl where he doesn't have to make a big play late, the public will simply say that he didn't have the chance to choke, or he would have, so the perception will remain the same.

 

[AdamJT13]

On an unrelated side note has there ever been a game before with only 1 punt combined for the entire game like this game?

In 1992, the Bills and 49ers combined for zero punts. It might have happened since then, too.

 

[perrykemp]

In 1992, the Bills and 49ers combined for zero punts. It might have happened since then, too.

I actually remember watching that game. The established 49ers WCO offense vs the Bills no-huddle, 3 WR/1TE/1RB fast break offense. Was a lot of fun. I even think Sherrard (ex Cowboys) played for the 49ers.

 

[mrmojo]

I was telling my girlfriend yesterday before the last cowboy drive that he needs to finish this, so he can get the people that criticize him to back off......I told her this is a great opportunity for him and I guarantee a win like this could mean an extra 2 or 3 wins during the season just based on the confidence he and the team would have in him. But again it didnt happen, and for some unknown reason it seems like the stars never align for him....why couldnt it have been someone else making the mistake or why couldnt the D make a stop and give him another chance?

He played a hell of a game but the perceptions always going to be there whether it was his fault or not and it keeps piling up..... I believe only a Super Bowl win now can change his legacy, there is too much baggage now, and that is unfortunate because he is a heck of a QB.

 

[AdamJT13]

Romo has a lengthy track record in these situations and we all know the outcomes. Romo is no doubt a very good QB, but that does not erase the fact he is just not a finisher. When the game is on the line, I just am not comfortable with him leading the team.

Romo is actually one of the highest-rated passers in NFL history in late-and-close game situations. When the game is on the line, more often than not, he plays better than any other quarterback.

Unfortunately, he has made high-profile mistakes and has not won a Super Bowl, so a lot of people share your perception.

 

[DFWJC]

How? The defense have up 51 that's how.

winner-winner....

 

[Fritsch_the_cat]

There is only one person that can change the perception that Tony Romo is a choker, and that is Tony Romo. He has to win some big games instead of throwing INT's.

 

[pastordug]

We will NOT win a Super Bowl as long as Romo is the QB of the Dallas Cowboys.......and it pains me to say that as a life long Cowboy fan.

 

[cnhnyy]

I second that. Basically it was 0-0 and Tony had 2'42" to drive down the field and win the game with a FG. He threw an INT at the worst time. The stage was just too big for him.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

There is only one person that can change the perception that Tony Romo is a choker, and that is Tony Romo. He has to win some big games instead of throwing INT's.

but he does win big games but when he wins they are put down as meaningless and it is only a big game when he loses