The Tony Romo Reality Check

Chuck 54

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Tony Romo was an excellent QB for the Dallas Cowboys. I don’t know about you, but despite the Cabo incident and the occasional untimely turnover early in his career, I always loved him as he gave me hope.

However, I’m sick of seeing him brought up in many threads lamenting how he was never given a supporting cast. It’s ridiculous and untrue. In his ten seasons as the starter, Romo went to the playoffs only 4 times despite playing with true super stars at WR, a HOF TE, and Tyron Smith in his prime, along with HOF Demarcus Ware and other pro bowl players. In 6 playoff games, he only threw 8 TD passes.

In his first playoff win, he led the offense to 34 points vs Philly when he passed for only 228, but the team also rushed for 198. Lots of support in that game as the defense held Philly to 14 points and created 4 turnovers.

In his second playoff victory, he led the offense to 24 points vs the Detroit Lions, passing for 242 and 2 TDs. The defense held Detroit to 20 points, so they did not require a high scoring affair.

In his 4 losses, the scores were 20-21 (passed for 189 while team rushed for 116); 17-21 (passed for 201 while team rushed for 154); 3-34 (passed for 156 with an INT while team rushed for 92), 21-26 (passed for 191 while team rushed for 148).

I supported and loved Romo as my QB, but I’m sick of this false narrative that he wasn’t supported. He had a good OL, a good to great running game from time to time, great receivers and TE, and his defense averaged holding teams to 22.6 points per game in his 6 playoff games. Take away the 34 Minnesota scored when Romo’s offense only scored 3, and his defense held the other 5 teams to 20.4 points per game while we went 2-3 In low scoring games. Over six playoff games with that high powered offense, Romo passed for an average of 201 yards per game while the team rushed for an average of 130 per game. So there was balance.

Tony Romo was a great talent who didn’t step it up in his 6 playoff games despite leading teams that were 13-3, 11-5, 12-4 in 3 of his only 4 appearances. The worst year of his 4 appearances in the playoffs was the 9-7 team in 2006 when we had the game won before he fumbled the snap.

It’s fine for us to love Tony Romo, the hope he gave us as Cowboys fans, and the gaudy stats he put up during his seasons as the Cowboys QB. But let’s stop the false narrative that those teams depended only on his arm, that he had no run game, and that the defense didn’t perform in the playoffs for him. The facts do not support that narrative.
 
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dsturgeon

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There is all types of ways to look at it

Romo was in a really good division for most of his career
Brady was in the worst division in the league for most of his, and got a free run at the playoffs every year

I am not comparing the 2, but would brady have made it to the superbowl as much as he did if he played in the east, and then if he made it to the playoffs had to go through drew b. or rodgers etc. He had to go through manning and ben, but he got that free shot

If romo played in the worst division, and had a free run at the playoffs, would he have gotten to a superbowl.

I don't know, but I go by what i saw, he was pretty good. and for most of his career, it was either him winning it or it was a loss. Those last 3 games of the regular season in the east were pretty much all out, winner take all, everything on the line, last men standing play off games
 
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JBS

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There is all types of ways to look at it

Romo was in a really good division for most of his career
Brady was in the worst division in the league for most of his, and got a free run at the playoffs every year

I am not comparing the 2, but would brady have made it to the superbowl as much as he did if he played in the east, and then if he made it to the playoffs had to go through drew b. or rodgers etc. He had to go through manning and ben, but he got that free shot

If romo played in the worst division, and had a free run at the playoffs, would he have gotten to a superbowl.

I don't know, but I go by what i saw, he was pretty good. and for most of his career, it was either him winning it or it was a loss
Oh god. Stop it
 

diamonddelts

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Tony Romo was an excellent QB for the Dallas Cowboys. I don’t know about you, but despite the Cabo incident and the occasional untimely turnover early in his career, I always loved him as he gave me hope.

However, I’m sick of seeing him brought up in many threads lamenting how he was never given a supporting cast. It’s ridiculous and untrue. In his ten seasons as the starter, Romo went to the playoffs only 4 times despite playing with true super stars at WR, a HOF TE, and Tyron Smith in his prime, along with HOF Demarcus Ware and other pro bowl players. In 6 playoff games, he only threw 8 TD passes.

In his first playoff win, he led the offense to 34 points vs Philly when he passed for only 228, but the team also rushed for 198. Lots of support in that game as the defense held Philly to 14 points and created 4 turnovers.

In his second playoff victory, he led the offense to 24 points vs the Detroit Lions, passing for 242 and 2 TDs. The defense held Detroit to 20 points, so they did not require a high scoring affair.

In his 4 losses, the scores were 20-21 (passed for 189 while team rushed for 116); 17-21 (passed for 201 while team rushed for 154); 3-34 (passed for 156 with an INT while team rushed for 92), 21-26 (passed for 191 while team rushed for 148).

I supported and loved Romo as my QB, but I’m sick of this false narrative that he wasn’t supported. He had a good OL, a good to great running game from time to time, great receivers and TE, and his defense averaged holding teams to 22.6 points per game in his 6 playoff games. Take away the 34 Minnesota scored when Romo’s offense only scored 3, and his defense held the other 5 teams to 20.4 points per game while we went 2-3 In low scoring games. Over six playoff games with that high powered offense, Romo passed for an average of 201 yards per game while the team rushed for an average of 130 per game. So there was balance.

Tony Romo was a great talent who didn’t step it up in his 6 playoff games despite leading teams that were 13-3, 11-5, 12-4 in 3 of his only 4 appearances. The worst year of his 4 appearances in the playoffs was the 9-7 team in 2006 when we had the game won before he fumbled the snap.

It’s fine for us to love Tony Romo, the hope he gave us as Cowboys fans, and the gaudy stats he put up during his seasons as the Cowboys QB. But let’s stop the false narrative that those teams depended only on his arm, that he had no run game, and that the defense didn’t perform in the playoffs for him. The facts do not support that narrative.
Superb post
 

Chuck 54

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There is all types of ways to look at it

Romo was in a really good division for most of his career
Brady was in the worst division in the league for most of his, and got a free run at the playoffs every year

I am not comparing the 2, but would brady have made it to the superbowl as much as he did if he played in the east, and then if he made it to the playoffs had to go through drew b. or rodgers etc.

If romo played in the worst division had a free run at the playoffs, would he have gotten to a superbowl.

I don't know, but I go by what i saw, he was pretty good. and for most of his career, it was either him winning it or it was a loss
Romo competed against Eli Manning, (Donovan McNabb Michael Vick towards his end), and (Jason Campbell, Rex Grossman, RGIII). The thread is about his playoff performances and the fact that his defense and the run game stepped up for most of those games. He led three teams into the playoffs with 13, 11, and 12 victories and the number 1 seed and bye one year, yet he never won a game in the divisional round. He wasn’t very successful in the playoffs.

FYI….Brady had to get past some much better QBs in the AFC to win playoff games….including a guy named Manning
 

MarcusRock

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There is all types of ways to look at it

Romo was in a really good division for most of his career
Brady was in the worst division in the league for most of his, and got a free run at the playoffs every year

I am not comparing the 2, but would brady have made it to the superbowl as much as he did if he played in the east, and then if he made it to the playoffs had to go through drew b. or rodgers etc. He had to go through manning and ben, but he got that free shot

If romo played in the worst division, and had a free run at the playoffs, would he have gotten to a superbowl.

I don't know, but I go by what i saw, he was pretty good. and for most of his career, it was either him winning it or it was a loss

How'd that "free run" at the playoffs work out for us last year playing in the worst division in football? You still have to beat the best in the playoffs. And Brady won it his first season starting.
 

dsturgeon

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How'd that "free run" at the playoffs work out for us last year playing in the worst division in football? You still have to beat the best in the playoffs. And Brady won it his first season starting.
I personally think it should be listed with tom bradys legacy. He played in the worst division with horrible jets, dolphins, and bills teams, he got up to 6 free wins, and a free run at the playoffs every year. Brady might be the best qb of all time, but I think this is the reason he was the anomoly in the salary cap era.

It is my viewpoint. I think if you give tony up to 6 free wins every year throughout their career, and a high percentage chance at home field advantage in the playoffs, they make some super bowls. It is the same with multiple other qbs
 
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MarcusRock

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I personally think it should be listed with tom bradys legacy. He played in the worst division with horrible jets, dolphins, and bills teams, he got up to 6 free wins, and a free run at the playoffs every year. Brady might be the best qb of all time, but I think this is the reason he was the anomoly in the salary cap era.

It is viewpoint. I think if you give tony or dak, up to 6 free wins every year throughout their career, and a high percentage chance at home field advantage in the playoffs, they make some super bowls. It is the same with multiple other qbs
Dak's record against the NFC East is great too, isn't it? We've gotten tons of wins off our division. But Brady also got regular season wins against the league's best. We haven't recently. So it's not a good viewpoint that tries to downplay how good Brady and those teams were, IMO. Again, he won the SB his first year starting. And his 3rd. Nothing's free in the NFL. You still have to win at least 3 games against the league's best in the postseason. You could counterargue that Brady's teams could be soft going up against heavier hitters in the playoffs due to not having a strong division. Winners have more haters and more excuses for why they're successful instead of just acknowledging that they win. I know this better than anyone around here. I have tons of haters, lol.
 

Kellsbells

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I was a Romo fan. I watched him many times single-handedly will them to a win. But I also watched him single-handedly cost us some games. But both came out of the same place - the heart and desire to win. Sometimes he tried to do too much, but I never doubted his desire.
He knows a lot about the game. I think he’s one of the best analysts on tv, he has an almost clairvoyant-like way of knowing what plays teams will call, what penalties were called. I enjoy watching games he’s working.
 

Tractor1

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For the early part of his career, Romo was a good QB that made a poor team average. Later he was a great QB that made and average team good. 2014 was his championship opportunity. Was the best player that year. It's a shame it didn't become a reality.
 

dsturgeon

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Dak's record against the NFC East is great too, isn't it? We've gotten tons of wins off our division. But Brady also got regular season wins against the league's best. We haven't recently. So it's not a good viewpoint that tries to downplay how good Brady and those teams were, IMO. Again, he won the SB his first year starting. And his 3rd. Nothing's free in the NFL. You still have to win at least 3 games against the league's best in the postseason. You could counterargue that Brady's teams could be soft going up against heavier hitters in the playoffs due to not having a strong division. Winners have more haters and more excuses for why they're successful instead of just acknowledging that they win. I know this better than anyone around here. I have tons of haters, lol.
I am not giving excuses, I am making observations and it is a theory. Romo was a loser, there is no doubt about that, as is dak right now.

Brady did beat all those teams, he is really good. But 6 pretty much free wins every year, with a really good qb, helps that record and home field advantage and bye, and all of that. Pecentages and chances at making a run
 

Nova

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He had talent around him, just in the wrong spots.

I fully believe we should have been building a team like the early 2000s Eagles did around McNabb. Tough trenches, underwhelming receivers.

He didn’t need all pro receivers (especially with Garrett wasting their talents). He needed protection and a defense that could keep a lead.
 

TexasBoys2288

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There are several younger fans who for some reason believe Tony Romo was a better QB than Staubach and Aikman.
Funny, young whippersnappers know everything, I'm sure we all knew everything when we were young. Stats don't mean anything when you were witness to real football before all the wussy rules were put in place to protect the owner's high dollar investments. I prefer the old-time NFL when the QB and Receivers were just another player in the game. No baby rules to make sure the defense did not hurt your precious star. Only the absolute strongest men played in those days.
 

gimmesix

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Do we totally dismiss the Garrett factor? He just wasn't a great offensive coordinator. He was a so-so one whose offenses could only go as far as talent could take it because they got no matchup help from him.

Just look at last week's game and how many open receivers we had. Big difference from how we played under Garrett. Anyway it doesn't really matter because the Romo days are gone. But it seems lately that we have fans who want to malign him because this team won a playoff game recently. That's just wrong. There is so much that goes into scoring and winning beyond the QB.

I guess just like the Dak deniers disappear when he had a game like he did, the Romo doubters crawl out of the woodwork when it's convenient. And both of those seem to fail to understand how a team game works.
 
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