The Tony Romo era is not over

[cowboyuptx]

What is it with this sudden infatuation with so many Dallas fans acting like the season is over, the draft is practically tomorrow, and that we desperately need to draft a QB with our top pick...?...

Last I checked, we still have a MVP-caliber QB, who indicated earlier this year that he wants to play for at least another 3-4 seasons beyond 2015... And it's not like Romo has shown decline, on the contrary, he has actually gotten better with age.

The Cowboys are pretty good right now, and our focus should be drafting other impact players to surround Romo with so we can win now. It's not time to worry about winning 5 years from now...

Why are so many zoners rushing to put in fork in the Tony Romo era? He's not done, not even close, but we are close to contending for a Super Bowl, and now is the time to go all-in with Romo. You can draft 200 QB's before you find another one as good as Romo, so you don't waste his best years by throwing away a 1st-round pick on a QB who's destined to ride the bench and will probably be a bust anyway.

Furthermore, Tony's not dead, he will return soon, and he will save our season. All this talk of QB will look even more silly if we're picking last in the first-round, which is exactly what Romo says will happen, just ask Tom Brady...

The season is not over, and Romo's era is about as over as John Elway's era was over in 1994...

 

[Blackspider214]

Well he needs to stay healthy for any of that to mean anything.

 

[cowboyuptx]

Well he needs to stay healthy for any of that to mean anything.

I agree, but injuries happen, it's not like he's Sam Bradford...

 

[Nav22]

Agreed. Drafting a QB in the 3rd round or lower is one thing. Drafting one in the 1st or 2nd when we're still trying to win now with our current franchise QB is another.

And like the OP said, Romo's still several years away from retiring. No point in drafting his replacement now. Why not wait until Romo's 1-2 years from retiring before making that move?

Aaron Rodgers was a bit of a lucky break for the Packers in the sense that they didn't know when Favre was going to retire (he flirted with retirement for roughly his last 37 seasons with Green Bay). If they knew Favre was going to play for 3+ more seasons, I doubt they end up drafting Rodgers.

Of course, Rodgers sitting for as long as he sat likely helped his development, but we could follow a similar course of action in a couple years if we so choose. Romo has plenty of football left in him, health willing.

 

[Amy50632]

It was never over.

 

[cowboyuptx]

At the end of my original post I compared Romo to John Elway circa 1994, and I think that Bronos team is a good comparison...

What if the Broncos in 1996 thought the same thing, that the Elway era was all but over, and it was time to draft his heir apparent... So instead of drafting LB John Mobley in the first-round in 1996, they opted to select QB Tony Banks... Or instead of drafting Trevor Pryce in the first-round of the 1997 draft, they decided to draft QB Jim Druckenmiller or QB Jake Plummer (of course they ended up with Plummer a few years later, and it never worked out too good)...

Both Mobley and Pryce were longtime Broncos and went to multiple Pro Bowls, and they were both very instrumental in Elway and the Broncos being able to win back to back Super Bowls... You take either one of those guys off of that Denver defense, and they probably don't win those back to back Super Bowls... The Cowboys need to draft Mobley and Pryce, not Banks or Plummer...

 

[Wood]

I am ashamed if some are all ready calling the season over. Huge next 4 weeks. Bar down hands in air.

 

[Junglist]

I am ashamed if some are all ready calling the season over. Huge next 4 weeks. Bar down hands in air.

The season is over. I won't be one of those guys that comes back and say "I told you so", but there's no way we make the playoffs. Prepare yourself.

 

[T-RO]

I could see Romo play well for 2-3 more seasons. I also could seeing this thing wind down awfully fast.

Forget the clavicle injury. Could have happened to any quarterback. The issue is age and his back.

Very, very few quarterbacks play well much after age 35...and how many of those that do have to deal with a chronically bad back like Romo has?

 

[AzorAhai]

At the end of my original post I compared Romo to John Elway circa 1994, and I think that Bronos team is a good comparison...

What if the Broncos in 1996 thought the same thing, that the Elway era was all but over, and it was time to draft his heir apparent... So instead of drafting LB John Mobley in the first-round in 1996, they opted to select QB Tony Banks... Or instead of drafting Trevor Pryce in the first-round of the 1997 draft, they decided to draft QB Jim Druckenmiller or QB Jake Plummer (of course they ended up with Plummer a few years later, and it never worked out too good)...

Both Mobley and Pryce were longtime Broncos and went to multiple Pro Bowls, and they were both very instrumental in Elway and the Broncos being able to win back to back Super Bowls... You take either one of those guys off of that Denver defense, and they probably don't win those back to back Super Bowls... The Cowboys need to draft Mobley and Pryce, not Banks or Plummer...

Its called opportunity cost. 1st round picks are supposed to be starters. You miss on those too often and the team is likely in bad shape. You do not take a bench player in the 1st. That is essentially what a QB would be here and for several years at minimum. The only way I even consider it is if the value is just too good. Rodgers is a perfect example of that. Is it worth it to lose a Z. Martin or T. Fred type player at this point when you are trying to push for a SB? Absolutely not. Especially when that player is overwhelmingly probable to be a bust. You could very well end up with a crappy b/u QB and miss on a pro bowl caliber player elsewhere. Address the b/u job in free agency and add some contributors early until the team has a better feel for when Romo is nearly done. Then worry about the actual heir.

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

People are afraid of good backup qb's around here I guess. Might as well resign Weeden for another 5 years.

 

[Doomsay]

We still have a great chance to get into the playoffs. We can be a great post Weeden team.

 

[cowboyuptx]

Its called opportunity cost. 1st round picks are supposed to be starters. You miss on those too often and the team is likely in bad shape. You do not take a bench player in the 1st. That is essentially what a QB would be here and for several years at minimum. The only way I even consider it is if the value is just too good. Rodgers is a perfect example of that. Is it worth it to lose a Z. Martin or T. Fred type player at this point when you are trying to push for a SB? Absolutely not. Especially when that player is overwhelmingly probable to be a bust. You could very well end up with a crappy b/u QB and miss on a pro bowl caliber player elsewhere. Address the b/u job in free agency and add some contributors early until the team has a better feel for when Romo is nearly done. Then worry about the actual heir.

But Rodgers, is also one in a million... First you have to get a projected top 10 QB to slip that far, which isn't all that uncommon, but to have that player end up being as good as Aaron Rodgers, that's practically one in a million... Rodgers just isn't a good example, he's one of the greatest QB's ever to play... Manziel is a better example of a QB who fell on draft day, and his perceived value was good... Brady Quinn is another...

I don't mind trying to find the next Tom Brady in the 6th, or perhaps even the next Russell Wilson in the 3rd, but there's really no circumstance where I would want to spend a 1st or probably even a 2nd any time soon on a QB.

When you look at the QB's drafted year by year, you see how rare it is to even find a QB who is a legit starter, and it's almost impossible to find a QB who is special like a Romo or a Rodgers... And half of the good to really good QB's, they were taken #1 overall, and I (thankfully) don't see us getting anywhere near the #1 pick anytime soon...
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/QB-1980-now.htm

 

[Doomsay]

We are built to gamble on the Romo era not being over, and will draft that way again in just a couple of months.

 

[cowboyuptx]

People are afraid of good backup qb's around here I guess. Might as well resign Weeden for another 5 years.

I don't mind signing a decent backup (if Cassel proves unworthy), but I don't want to spend a first-round or second-round pick on a player who will be a backup, and not necessarily a capable backup, especially if forced into action as a rookie.

We could have planned ahead for this Romo injury, we could have used our first-round pick in 2012 and drafted a capable backup, Brandon Weeden... Instead we wasted that pick on a Pro Bowl Center named Travis Fredrick...

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

I don't mind signing a decent backup (if Cassel proves unworthy), but I don't want to spend a first-round or second-round pick on a player who will be a backup, and not necessarily a capable backup, especially if forced into action as a rookie.

We could have planned ahead for this Romo injury, we could have used our first-round pick in 2012 and drafted a capable backup, Brandon Weeden...

Jerry & company take the top player on their board. If a qb happens to be there, pretty sure it will get major consideration. No matter if it's the 1st or 2nd or 3rd round. I trust them.

 

[cowboyuptx]

Jerry & company take the top player on their board..... I trust them.

I do too, to an extent... In past years they've shown restraint when it comes to first-round QB's, as they opted not to select Quinn or Manziel, even though both appeared to present good value at the time... However, if Jerry thought Weeden was a capable backup even after seeing him suck for 2 seasons in Cleveland, then how much faith should I have that if we picked a QB in the first-round, that it wouldn't be the next Brandon Weeden...

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

I do too, to an extent... In past years they've shown restraint when it comes to first-round QB's, as they opted not to select Quinn or Manziel, even though both appeared to present good value at the time... However, if Jerry thought Weeden was a capable backup even after seeing him suck for 2 seasons in Cleveland, then how much faith should I have that if we picked a QB in the first-round, that it wouldn't be the next Brandon Weeden...

Fans are fans. Scouts are scouts who Jerry and company trust. Our drafts have gone pretty well the last few years.

 

[Floatyworm]

When you have a QB that breaks down as much as Sean Lee......you have a problem that needs to be address. You signed up to Tony for this year....given. But next year....Cowboys are dumb to hitch up to this pony again. He's just not gonna get though 16 games ...and not wear down or get injured again. Cowboys need to face this fact...and move on.

 

[pugilist]

as someone who fits some of your criteria (yes, I believe the 2015 season is pretty much over, I will not discuss my reasoning in this thread in order not to derail it). However, I must disagree that I am of the opinion that Romo is on the decline. I do believe that this franchise needs to address the QB successor sooner (hopefully the upcoming draft) rather than later though. If we end up picking somewhere in the #6 - #9 range, I would sell the farm for Goff.