Very serious question about Tony Romo heading into the 2009 season

[zrinkill]

If you made a list on offense of which positions are "good enough" for us to win in the playoffs with you would start with Witten. And the next player on your list should IMO be Tony Romo. From there you can make your own picks but for my money those are the two most proven pieces.

 

[Doomsday101]

Well said CoCo

 

[Vtwin]

From there you can make your own picks but for my money those are the two most proven pieces.

Well,

I agree with the sentiment but a VERY good case could be made that Romo hasn't "proven" anything yet. He's done very well but has had some key mis-steps in the biggest games he's played in.

The op said

make or break year for Tony meaning that he has to play a huge role in helping the Cowboys win their first playoff game since 1997?

What is inaccurate about this statement ? I suppose this team might win with the pound the ball, play strong D, QB is a busdriver approach but that certainly wouldn't be using Romo to the potential he has shown.

Romo DOES have to have a very good season for the Cowboys to have success in the playoffs. I really don't see how that can be denied.

If (and it's a big if) Romo does regress and lays a big fat egg the Cowboys will not have success in the playoffs.

I hope it doesn't happen. I don't THINK it will happen. It could happen though.

Then what?

 

[CoCo]

Well,

I agree with the sentiment but a VERY good case could be made that Romo hasn't "proven" anything yet. He's done very well but has had some key mis-steps in the biggest games he's played in.

The op said



What is inaccurate about this statement ? I suppose this team might win with the pound the ball, play strong D, QB is a busdriver approach but that certainly wouldn't be using Romo to the potential he has shown.

Romo DOES have to have a very good season for the Cowboys to have success in the playoffs. I really don't see how that can be denied.

If (and it's a big if) Romo does regress and lays a big fat egg the Cowboys will not have success in the playoffs.

I hope it doesn't happen. I don't THINK it will happen. It could happen though.

Then what?

Baloney to "Romo really hasn't proven anything yet." He overnight transformed a team from completely mediocre to contender when he took over for the former SB QB who couldn't get this team even into the playoffs.

Yes, Romo does HAVE to have a very good season for us to have playoff success. He has a to replicate the kind of seasons he's been having for the last 2.5 years. Has he been perfect? Of course not. But again, by comparison to others playing QB in this league during the same time the numbers say he is one of the best.

We need Romo to succeed for this team to succeed, and he has. We also need this defense to succeed and the O-line to succeed and if you go back and watch the 2006 & 2007 playoff losses you'll see it was those units more than QB play that led to our defeat.

Go watch those games again. I did just that this weekend. Romo is fine. I hope we've fixed our secondary play and I hope our O-line can hold together better than it did in the 4th qurtare of that 2007 loss to the Giants.

 

[Zaxor]

Rarely do I respond to a thread without reading what others have already written. But this thread ticks me off so much that I'm making an exception.

The expectation some fans have for Romo are absolutely sickening to me. From memory, the guy has always been Top 10 in QB rating for his 2.5 years as a starter in this league. Another recent thread presented some more detailed analysis that I think reveals the guy as Top 5 overall during his time as a starter.

There are a mere handful (3 to 6 maybe) of QB's in this league that some people might prefer over Romo. But we might need to go shopping for a QB? We have problems at other positions that require those resources. Check out the OL performance in the 4th quarter in that playoff loss. That is where resources need to be spent. And our QB play, IMO, is light years ahead of where our safety play has been the last 3 years.

On the other hand, I think it is great that we drafted a QB this year. Yes, lets invest some resources for the future at the team's arguably most important position. If McGee, or Kitna, or whoever ends up on our roster the next few years can prove themselves better than Romo - hallelujah! But I'm not holding my breath cause it is a tall, tall, order.

Romo is 29 without extreme NFL mileage on his body. I hope he can play another 6 years at least. We'll see. If he can play, going forward, like he has cumulatively for the past 2.5 seasons I'll take that in a heartbeat whether we win a single playoff game during that time or not.

If we fail to win a playoff game in 2009 it won't be because we don't have adequate QB play to do so.

If you made a list on offense of which positions are "good enough" for us to win in the playoffs with you would start with Witten. And the next player on your list should IMO be Tony Romo. From there you can make your own picks but for my money those are the two most proven pieces.

nice

 

[Dodger]

I agree with the sentiment but a VERY good case could be made that Romo hasn't "proven" anything yet. He's done very well but has had some key mis-steps in the biggest games he's played in.

Really?

He's proven that he can play well in this league for the most part. Doesn't that count?

Sure, he hasn't been a part of a team that's won a playoff game yet, but again, as has been said about 1,000 times, he's one guy on a team. The entire team has to play well to win, especially come playoff time.

What is inaccurate about this statement?

How about the entire statement. First of all, it's not a "make or break" year for Romo. Second, he doesn't have to have a "huge" year for the team to do well, make the playoffs, and win a couple of those games. Why would anyone even think this? Did Roethlisberger have a "huge" game when he won his first SB? Did he need to?

Nope.

 

[DFWJC]

I feel dumber just reading this thread. It is a preposterous question at this early point in his career.

 

[Vtwin]

Baloney to "Romo really hasn't proven anything yet." He overnight transformed a team from completely mediocre to contender when he took over for the former SB QB who couldn't get this team even into the playoffs.

Yes, Romo does HAVE to have a very good season for us to have playoff success. He has a to replicate the kind of seasons he's been having for the last 2.5 years. Has he been perfect? Of course not. But again, by comparison to others playing QB in this league during the same time the numbers say he is one of the best.

We need Romo to succeed for this team to succeed, and he has. We also need this defense to succeed and the O-line to succeed and if you go back and watch the 2006 & 2007 playoff losses you'll see it was those units more than QB play that led to our defeat.

Go watch those games again. I did just that this weekend. Romo is fine. I hope we've fixed our secondary play and I hope our O-line can hold together better than it did in the 4th qurtare of that 2007 loss to the Giants.

That could speak as much to just how bad Bledsoe was as it does to how good Romo is. I acknowledged that in my first post. Romo looked great pretty much then entire 2007 season. The last drive of the playoff game he looked lost. So yes, the stats look great but when EVERYTHING was on the line he looked bad. Now this doesn't prove that he is a bad QB in any way. It sure as hell doesn't prove he is a good one either.

Of course others had responsibilty in those losses. That in no way absolves Romo of his responsbility in those losses.

You can point out every other plausible reason you can come up with but as of now Romo has not stepped up in a BIG game and made the difference. He has done it numerous times in the not so big games but has not yet done it in a BIG game. This thread was started defining success as winning a playoof game.

There is no denying that Romo has not PROVEN he can step up and make the play that will win the big game. You and I both think he can but he has PROVEN nothing.

 

[Dodger]

This thread was started defining success as winning a playoof game.

I didn't see that spelled out so literally, but if that's the criteria, then I guess DeMarcus Ware hasn't proven anything either...

 

[zrinkill]

I didn't see that spelled out so literally, but if that's the criteria, then I guess DeMarcus Ware hasn't proven anything either...

Or Jason Witten

 

[Vtwin]

I didn't see that spelled out so literally, but if that's the criteria, then I guess DeMarcus Ware hasn't proven anything either...

Here you go...

Would you say this is a make or break year for Tony meaning that he has to play a huge role in helping the Cowboys win their first playoff game since 1997?

 

[Vtwin]

DeMarcus Ware hasn't proven anything either...

Or Jason Witten

Right.....

Because the QB, who touches the ball on every offensive play and has to make the decision on what to do with on many of those plays, has the same level of responsibility as these guys do.



Who would you rather we have to replace in a worst case scenario?

Witten, Ware or Romo?



Why does everything have to be so black and white here.

It's either Romo sucks or Romo is a god....

The fact is Romo is somewhere between sucks and a god and to think he doesn't need to improve any aspect of his game is naive.

If we could get the officials on our side then he could pull a Rothlesburger and stumble his way to a ring but we all know that ain't gonna happen to the Cowboys.

 

[tyke1doe]

Since when do teams get rid of good quarterbacks because they don't win playoff games?

Romo will be here as long as he's playing well and if there's no one on the roster who can take his place.

Besides, it's the duty of the coaches to rein in Romo and not Romo. Protect him with the same game plan Eli or Big Ben had in his first Super Bowl run, and Romo will be fine.

 

[Gemini Dolly]

"When you let your mind wander or think about other things you are setting yourself up for failure" --Tony Romo

 

[sonnyboy]

I didn't see that spelled out so literally, but if that's the criteria, then I guess DeMarcus Ware hasn't proven anything either...

This is my point exactly when these assinine threads are started. And when an opposing fan(hater) or talking head(usually a hater), want to detract from Romo's performance by playing the clutch/postseason card.

Why are Ware and Witten considered the best at what they do? Why are both on a fast track for the HOF?

Neither of them have won a playoff game. Neither has a winning record in Dec.

Now just take a step back and think about this for a second before you respond.

Since Tony Romo assumed the Cowboys starting job, his measurable performance is 2nd to no QB in pro football.

Considering what we spent to acquire him and the QB play we've had between Akiman's prime and Romo, I'm very happy.

In fact I'd be happy if he was only the 10th highest rated QB since mid 2006.

But considering the fact that he'sthe highest rated QB over his tenure, I think the Romo bashers need to put down the crack pipe.

OMT- I call Commanders TROLL on the OP. That's a favorite troll technique. Come on a site and pose as a concerned fan.

Commander trolls are the most likely culprit to come on here and attempt to create doubt in Romo because they're miserable over the fact that Campbell sucks big fat moose****.

 

[DallasEast]

Time to play pseudo general manager for a second. Here's the scenario:

It's the end of Dallas' 2009 season. That ending may be the conclusion of the regular season, the wild card round, the divisional round, the NFC championship game and/or the Super Bowl (we lost ).

You're a CowboysZone poster who has watched Romo throughout the season and/or throughout the playoffs and in your eyes (not Jerry Jones' and certainly not mine/I'm not a part of this) Romo has been deemed replaceable.

You have watched McGee carry a clipboard all season. You have Kitna's resume. You have scanned every NFL roster for a suitable quarterback replacement. You have watched college games galore and read dozens of 2010 draft guides.

Time for you (leave Jerry Jones completely out of it) to make a decision, three actually.

Your list:

1.___________________
2.___________________
3.___________________

Three quarterbacks. Name more if necessary, but start with a minimum of three.

Choose three names you feel will (Not maybe. "Will".) replace Romo in 2010 after they have been promoted, traded and/or drafted for. If you can elaborate on which round you're expecting a drafted quarterback to be taken in or what type of trade package or contract will be extended to an established NFL quarterback or how many games must McGee or Kitna win in 2010 to be labeled a success or etc. etc., that would be fantastic.

But please remember the golden rule:

"Romo is easy to replace".

 

[sonnyboy]

Since when do teams get rid of good quarterbacks because they don't win playoff games?

Romo will be here as long as he's playing well and if there's no one on the roster who can take his place.

Besides, it's the duty of the coaches to rein in Romo and not Romo. Protect him with the same game plan Eli or Big Ben had in his first Super Bowl run, and Romo will be fine.

Agree with half of what you're saying. He needs better pass protection for sure to help him remain healthy.
But he doesn't need protection via a conservative gameplan. He's a better QB than both Ben and Eli.

 

[DallasEast]

Agree with half of what you're saying. He needs better pass protection for sure to help him remain healthy.
But he doesn't need protection via a conservative gameplan. He's a better QB than both Ben and Eli.

Watch out for a RedRaiderCowboysFan reply! He doesn't like it when folks state that Romo's better than Roethlisberger, Manning and/or Rivers. He may throw some stats at you justifying why you're wrong, but don't toss any stats back at 'im proving that you're right--because that would only show that you're wrong.



I know. It hurts my head too.

 

[LandryFan]

OMT- I call Commanders TROLL on the OP. That's a favorite troll technique. Come on a site and pose as a concerned fan.quote]
You are probably right on track with that call.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

How in the world can anyone say Romo is better than Rothlisberger? That guy has been to and won 2 SBs and been to 3 AFC Championship games in 4 years of play. He drove his team to a SB win in the last 2 minutes of the game. Something the great Tom Brady hasn't even done.

I would take Big Ben over just about any QB in the league. The guy is a flat out stud and a winner!