Defending Romo

[Irving Cowboy]

I see accuracy. I see a guy who makes reads in progression. I see a guy who inspires his team. The stats are nice, but if he did those things and had Troy type stats and we were running the ball more than passing I would still like him very much. I do not think we can pin the losses of the last 3 years on him in any way.

 

[junk]

Is he talking about Romo? I tend to agree. This team has bigger issues than Romo

 

[bbgun]

Romo had nothing to do with the loss to Washington two years ago? Yes, the defense was a Mash unit that got gashed on the ground, but three picks didn't help our cause.

 

[cmd34(work)]

There is no denying Romo has choked or come up short in critical situations. I just wish the horrible defense and subpar coaching would stop putting him in so many critical positions/crucial situations. Because of those late game interceptions, people forgot that two drives earlier Romo pulled off an amazing drive to give the Cowboys the lead only to watch the defense give it up in 48 seconds.

 

[Doomsday]

There is no denying Romo has choked or come up short in critical situations. I just wish the horrible defense and subpar coaching would stop putting him in so many critical positions/crucial situations. Because of those late game interceptions, people forgot that two drives earlier Romo pulled off an amazing drive to give the Cowboys the lead only to watch the defense give it up in 48 seconds.

That's alot of the false Romo mystique - he wouldn't need to be giving us clutch drives if he hadn't coughed the ball up several times in the game then late, putting the defense in untenable situations. Or simply just offering up the Romo specialty, the pick six.

But yeah, when that happens the defense needs to nut up and stop somebody occasionally too.

I liken Romo a bit to Danny White - great numbers, but that's about it. That confidence factor is missing with Romo alot like it was with Danny - we never had the "faith" that either was going to pull it off, we're always 50-50 whether they were gonna pull it off, or choke. With Roger and Troy, we had the "faith" that they were going to pull out the win and not do something boneheaded - the one thing you CANNOT do - like take the big sack or turn the ball over (or both).

Romo simply doesn't inspire confidence like Roger and Troy did and I think that's felt by the players too whether they would admit it or not, or even if they're aware of it or not. There's a "here we go again" cloud hanging over them, every game. Always just waiting for that one thing to go wrong and sure enough, it does.

And I know that's not fair, and I know Romo's had alot of 4th quarter comebacks, has the highest passer rating in the 4th quarter of any other pro QB and has done alot of amazing things. So did Danny. But I am talking about times that really count. In games that matter more, where the pressure is really on. The critical situations.

Romo is amazing for what he is. A Division 1-AA player who made it in the big league. And he worked hard and ate alot of shit to get where he is. But I still think he has never mentally got past the Boy Who Made Good mentality, and has really never stopped living the boyhood dream. I guess I am trying to say, I don't see hunger in him. I don't see competitive fire - losses seem to be okay, mistakes seem to be okay, we'll get 'em next time type attitude. Yuk-Yuk on the sidelines right after the bonehead pick or sack-fumble. Hey Tony, that shit isn't funny Pal. We never saw Roger, Troy or even Danny doing that.

I just don't think Romo takes this nearly as seriously as we, and most other fans do. I don't get that vibe from him at all.

 

[boozeman]

Good stuff Doomsday.

He is very much like Danny White. What amazes me is today's generation can look at this guy and seriously consider him the best QB in Cowboys history because he holds the statistical records.

Back in the day, when White fucked up...he just did. "No, Danny, no!".

Now we get bad Tony two or three games a year, people think the evil media is making up the impression.

 

[cmd34(work)]

I don't think it's an evil media issue with Romo. I think he has definitely contributed to his own demise. I do think its blown out of proportion by the media and other team's fans. He takes risks to make incredible plays and we all cheer when the results are great but then freak out when the results are bad. It's who he is.

Personally, I think it (the recent failures) has much more to do with the country club slash Hollywood atmosphere that Jerry has created and Garrett's continued ineptness, but I will agree that Romo's hands are dirty.

 

[boozeman]

He's a risk taker. He's also a overachiever. He does not hate to lose.

That's not the psychological profile of a championship level QB.

 

[cmd34(work)]

He's a risk taker. He's also a overachiever. He does not hate to lose.

That's not the psychological profile of a championship level QB.

I can't argue with that. I love a QB who wills his team to the win, the guy who will do anything.

The kid (Blake Kemp) we had last year played through a broken collarbone. He re-broke it in the championship game and we had to fight him to keep him from going back in. That kid will always hold a special place with me. He's at East Carolina now and I expect him to fight for the starting job. I get what you are saying because I saw that in Blake. He refused to lose.

 

[cmd34(work)]

I would like to see Romo:

1) had Parcells stayed here

or
2) He had a creative, strong presence at HC

or
3) He had a great defense.

Doesn't excuse him, I just think he's had to do without a lot of key components.

 

[boozeman]

I would like to see Romo:

1) had Parcells stayed here

or
2) He had a creative, strong presence at HC

or
3) He had a great defense.

Doesn't excuse him, I just think he's had to do without a lot of key components.

I honestly think the worst thing that ever happened to Romo was Jason Garrett and to a lesser degree Wade Wilson.

He has nobody either as his sounding board nor his ass kicker.

It also does not help that Jones has enabled him to believe he is irreplaceable.

Even if that is fact, I think it is a mistake to do that when the QB has never got to the top of his profession.

 

[Doomsday]

Personally, I think it (the recent failures) has much more to do with the country club slash Hollywood atmosphere that Jerry has created and Garrett's continued ineptness, but I will agree that Romo's hands are dirty.

I would like to see Romo:

1) had Parcells stayed here

And in fairness to Romo, Parcells departed at the worst possible time for him. Without that influence, and instead had Yuk-Yuk buddy Wade Wilson and feckless Yuk-Yuk Wade Phillips, then this educated idiot Yuk-Yuk Redball, Romo lost out in mental development - mental toughness development.

And I'm not talking about the mental toughness that lets him play on with a fractured rib and punctured lung. I'm talking about the mental discipline to never accept failure or losses. He does accept both, with aplomb.

Because he's living the dream. Still.

or
3) He had a great defense.

Which likely he might have had, had the Tuna stayed awhile longer too.

 

[Doomsday]

I honestly think the worst thing that ever happened to Romo was Jason Garrett and to a lesser degree Wade Wilson.

He has nobody either as his sounding board nor his ass kicker.

It also does not help that Jones has enabled him to believe he is irreplaceable.

Even if that is fact, I think it is a mistake to do that when the QB has never got to the top of his profession.

This too.

 

[Doomsday]

It's that FEAR of failure that's absent. The kind he had and would have had ingrained, had the Tuna stayed. There's no fear of failing Wade, or Redball. There's no deep respect for them, to create that fear. They are and were, just Yuk-Yuk buddies who still love him no matter what.

 

[marionbarberthe4th]

Anyone wanna tell me the 2-3 "romo derp fuckfest lolz" of each season?

I feel like he's had about 3-4 of those in his life, just complete wtf moments.

Any other games I tend to put in the "didn't go our way and he didn't play that great too" category

 

[marionbarberthe4th]

Man these romo debates are so stale by know tho ya know

 

[bbgun]

No one will ever question his toughness (see: broken rib game)

[video=youtube;tESefWSK3S8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tESefWSK3S8[/video]

The problem is that he's more of a fantasy/rotisserie QB than a championship one. Excitement and razzle-dazzle can only take you so far. Think Don Majkowski, but more talented. As Dooms and others have noted, coddling him by making the offense "Romo-friendly" was a privilege he never earned. The Broncos drafted Maddox despite having Elway. The Packers drafted Rodgers despite having Favre. And we have pushed Romo by signing or drafting .. who, exactly? In all likelihood he will leave Dallas despite not winning anything of consequence, and his cultish admirers will insist it's because we failed him by not surrounding him with enough talent. While there may be a kernel of truth in that, it doesn't tell the whole story.

 

[Sheik]

There's a middle ground when it comes to discussing Romo. Anyone that looks at this teams shortcomings over the last 6 or so years and points to the QB, that's where I have a problem.

Show me any other QB in the league that has to play 60 minutes of near perfect football every single week in order to give his team a chance to be in a game.

There isn't one. The situation in Dallas puts Tony in that exact position every week. From piss poor defenses that ensure it's a shoutout every week, to a head coach that has no clue how to coach with a lead.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

I don't see why some of you think he doesn't hate to lose, other than that Philly disaster when his dad had been ill and he made the regrettable "if this is the worst thing that ever happens to me" comments.

I think by nature he's just a gunslinger type who is always going to make a lot of crazy good plays and some crazy bad ones. You really can't have one without the other. But that doesn't mean his competitiveness is an issue.

I do agree with booze that it's insane when I see the odd person claim that he's the best QB we've ever had.

 

[Doomsday]

coddling him by making the offense "Romo-friendly" was a privilege he never earned. The Broncos drafted Maddox despite having Elway. The Packers drafted Rodgers despite having Favre. And we have pushed Romo by signing or drafting .. who, exactly? In all likelihood he will leave Dallas despite not winning anything of consequence, and his cultish admirers will insist it's because we failed him by not surrounding him with enough talent.

^^This.

Show me any other QB in the league that has to play 60 minutes of near perfect football every single week in order to give his team a chance to be in a game.

There isn't one. The situation in Dallas puts Tony in that exact position every week.

Last year, the worst year for the defense - maybe every other week. If you really look at the situations, Romo puts himself and the team on the spot more than not - with pick sixes, fumbles, untimely sacks. LOTS of three and outs. And it's always Yuk-Yuk on the sidelines with some chum, after a bad play.

I don't see why some of you think he doesn't hate to lose, other than that Philly disaster when his dad had been ill and he made the regrettable "if this is the worst thing that ever happens to me" comments.

I think by nature he's just a gunslinger type who is always going to make a lot of crazy good plays and some crazy bad ones. You really can't have one without the other. But that doesn't mean his competitiveness is an issue.

It's evident when, five minutes after the loss, he is going all Yuk-Yuk with his pals. Like what just happened, never really happened. It's just a perception that as the years have gone by, reinforces its own reality.

He's a little boy living the dream, coddled like bbgun said, rolling in the dough and trying to make the pro golf tour. He is getting all the rewards with none of the accomplishments, and again like bbgun said, not being pushed at all by anyone. Not the owner, not the coaches, and not players at his position.

This Romo experiment has played out, there's no reason at all to believe next year or the year after will be any different than the previous ones.