When they write that Romo hasn't proven he can win a big game...

[TNCowboy]

Doesn't matter to me whether they call it a big game or not. A division win on the road is a rare bird. It's a huge win. It sets things up so that December could be a fight for a first round bye, not just a wild card spot.

But "they" have it partially right. Romo must win in December. He's not shown he can play well at the end of the year with any consistency. The franchise has been horrid in December for over a decade (though to be fair to some of those teams, they were awful September - November also).

Romo's September to November record is one of the best in history. His December record leaves much to be desired. Romo and his teammates must reverse that trend, and whatever the reason, it is a trend.

Until December gets here and the Cowboys play well at that time, I'll be somewhat skeptical of them. 2007 should've conditioned every Cowboys fan to beware.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Of course Playoffs and SB are the real big games not just in Dallas. People talk like this is the 70's or 90's where it was a given that we would be in the playoffs the teams in the 2000's are not those teams this is a team learning how to win in big games and make a push for the post season

This was a great quality Regular Season win that put us in the driver's seat in the Division, that's all it was.

Tony Romo has won quite a few big Regular Season games so we didn't reach any milestone after this game.

 

[Doomsday101]

This was a great quality Regular Season win that put us in the driver's seat in the Division, that's all it was.

Tony Romo has won quite a few Regular Season games so we didn't reach any milestone after this game.

I agree. I just think people get a bit carried away with "This is the Dallas Cowboys so only SB matter or SB or bust" This franchise is not the same franchise of the 70's and the 90's this team is young and learning, when this team becomes a perennial playoff team like the Colts are currently or the Pats then I can understand that mindset but this team is learning how to become a championship team and a game like this I think is big in the overall process.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

I agree. I just think people get a bit carried away with "This is the Dallas Cowboys so only SB matter or SB or bust" This franchise is not the same franchise of the 70's and the 90's this team is young and learning, when this team becomes a perennial playoff team like the Colts are currently or the Pats then I can understand that mindset but this team is learning how to become a championship team and a game like this I think is big in the overall process.

I agree. I believe one of the players last year (maybe Bradie James) made a comment saying that now we know we cannot beat teams because of the star on our uniform or something like that, after a loss.

This was a big game, anybody trying to say it wasn't probably just has an agenda.

My argument is that I have already seen Tony Romo win big games in the Regular Season and I come to expect him to do so.

It was a huge win, but even the players will tell you that there is a ton of work to be done to achieve the ultimate goal, which of course is the save Wade Phillips' job :laugh2: .

Again, a co-worker asked me last week why I was so confident and the main reason is that Tony Romo has found a playmaker at Receiver that he is comfortable with and doesn't always have to have a big game for him to be happy.

That is the reason why I am not so worried about December at the moment.

 

[Doomsday101]

I agree. I believe one of the players last year (maybe Bradie James) made a comment saying that now we know we cannot beat teams because of the star on our uniform or something like that, after a loss.

This was a big game, anybody trying to say it wasn't probably just has an agenda.

My argument is that I have already seen Tony Romo win big games in the Regular Season and I come to expect him to do so.

It was a huge win, but even the players will tell you that there is a ton of work to be done to achieve the ultimate goal, which of course is the save Wade Phillips' job :laugh2: .

Again, a co-worker asked me last week why I was so confident and the main reason is that Tony Romo has found a playmaker at Receiver that he is comfortable with and doesn't always have to have a big game for him to be happy.

That is the reason why I am not so worried about December at the moment.

I agree it was a big game it was not a do or die game where you lose and go home or win and move on. This team still has a lot of work ahead of them and some other tough games coming up.

I also agree with you that Tony and Austin working good together along with a lot of others guys gives me the sense that this team can and will get over the hump. Some may not want to hear it but I think once RW and Tony can show consistency that this offense is going as good as any offense out there.

To me it seems we have the offense, defense and special teams all performing and making positive plays that championship teams need make.

 

[Hostile]

Clearly there are two schools of thought on the lightening rod.

Both sides defend their positions.

Lots of people label. I surely have in the past. But what I find to be most interesting about it is the fact that labeling diminishes the other's point without actually addressing it.

I mean you really do not have to debate if the person you are engaged with is a moron. You simply need to call attention to that assertion.

That is a common tactic on message boards. The other is to change the focal point so you aren't pinned into a position you cannot defend.

I say tomato and you say tomato and I say radish.

Will there be people who lambaste Romo if he doesn't win? Surely.

Don't really disagree with anything said here, but I want to point out the last line. It doesn't even have to get to that point. There are people who are lambasting him, and we did win.

How else do you describe the incessant need to bring up past Decembers when December is not here? How else do you describe the mentions of the Post Season, when the Post Season is not here? Both of which are valid points as I said in my very first post.

Why bring those things up now? They are not currently relevant to anything relating to the game yesterday. Not one damned thing.

But since this thread was about what constitutes a big game, that really wasn't germane.

I don't know how anyone can deny that what Juke posted was correct TD. NFC East, 1st place. Division rival. How anyone can deny that is a big game is beyond me.

I said people would and they would say December and Post Season. Pulled it right out of the tea leaves in the turban under my crystal ball. How did I know? Because people parrot the media and the media want to bring up that same mantra over and over and over, ad nauseum.

No one had to raise their hand and say, "Hostile, that's me you're talking about. I don't think it was a big game now that we won." I didn't ask for volunteers and I didn't point fingers. I merely made a prediction.

Lo and behold it came true within a few posts. It's my fault people raised their hands? Naw, I don't think so.

The inception of Romo chokes at the end came from the press and stats. Stats lie depending on how you use them. But the fact remains Romo hasn't been as sharp at the end of the season as he has in September and November.

Juke's OP didn't deny this. I haven't denied it. So why bring it up?

There are other factors. He does play a team sport. But since the OP decided to state this game answers the premise that Romo cannot win a big game, he leaves the other factors out of the equation. Thus those factors cannot be used to prove or disprove the point.

Ah, so the real problem here is that in 4 lines of commentary he did not get specific enough to satisfy every possible angle of a discussion on what a big win means and who it involves.

Dude, that is silly. You've been around the NFL long enough to know that there are 2 people on a football team who are focused on as it pertains to wins. They are the Head Coach and the Starting Quarterback. Anyone who sits there and in all sobriety tells me they have never seen that phenomenon exist in football commentary is either deluded, naive, or flat out lying.

Now see, what will now happen is someone will skip right over deluded and naive and say, "you just called me a liar." Yeah, I know the game. I know every tired tactic. This (debates) are my chess board and I do not miss a move. I win some. I lose some. But the game is never over my head.

My position is simple. Does this or does this not constitute a big game?

My way of thinking is this is an important game, but hardly qualifies as a big game. Since the loser still has a shot at making the play-offs rather than the season ends or the play-offs are in dire jeopardy for the loser.

Those games have conventionally come in December. Hence the comments by the press on Romo's late season erosion.

I appreciate this confession. It partially explains why you would take offense to what I said when I didn't say it to you, about you, or accuse you of anything.

I have yet to see anyone really take up an opposing position and defend it.

Of course, if I'm a trogodyte, just ignore my post. ;C)

If you wish to apply the label to yourself TD, that is your business isn't it? I defy you to show me where I applied it you. Where I demanded a confession from you. Where I even intimated you. By all means show me where I have done these things.

It's like I said before. "Some people stink." Now you want to shout "I do not" and say I accused you of stinking. No sir. You want to raise your hand so people smell your pits that is your right. But I didn't stick a gun in your face and say "stick em up." If your hands are in the air, you put them there of your own free will and choice.

All I did was predict the coming commentary.

 

[Vintage]

Jay Ratliff and Demarcus Ware need to prove they can win in December, too.

Jury is still out on both, imho.