Tony Romo Vows To Be a Better Leader: Is This a Turning Point?

Every successful football team needs a vocal leader. Now, quarterback Tony Romo wants to be the leader of the Dallas Cowboys.

"I'm definitely going to take a more active approach with that as we move forward from last year to this season," he said, according to the report. "I'll be very excited to get back out there and be with the guys and figure out a way to improve and get better and do the things we need to do to win. Period."

Last year, the Dallas Cowboys finished just 9-7. That would be decent for a team with very few weapons. But it’s devastating considering the weapons Dallas has. They have a great quarterback in Romo. They have a great receiving core with Terrell Owens, Patrick Crayton and Jason Witten. They have a dangerous running back trio for the future with Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice.

Looking through the years, it’s undeniable that Romo has yet to come up big in a meaningful game. But do I think he’s overrated? No. The only reason the shots are fired at Romo is because of where he plays. Dallas. He plays for America’s Team. The team with the history.

The Cowboys have had the quarterbacks in the past (Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman) and with the talent and weapons Romo possesses, he is expected to be no worse. But Romo is just 5-8 in December.

With the comments Romo made today, I think he shifts his team from a respectable team in 2008 to an elite in 2009. Last year, the Cowboys didn’t have a real vocal leader. Most of the vocals came from wide receiver Terrell Owens, and it wasn’t for a good cause. In the last game of the season, the Cowboys lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 44-6. Everything that could go wrong did. They scored six points and committed five turnovers.

Romo was 45-for-84 with 435 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions and two fumbles in his last two games. Most importantly, both games were losses. Should we believe Romo? Will he actually lead? Personally, I believe him.

But we all know talk is cheap. Romo’s teammate, Terrell Owens, talks all the time about wanting the ball more, but didn’t seem to take advantage when the ball was thrown his way. Roy Williams, another Cowboy wideout, will have a breakout year next year.

He’ll have more of the plays in his mind next year—something that clearly bothered him this year. The reason for his struggles with Dallas was the lack of memory of Dallas’ plays. It was a much more complex offense then the Detroit Lions. If Romo can seriously take over this leadership role he claims he will, Dallas could become a true elite.

No fan can deny they don’t have the talent to. On offense, they have Romo, the three dangerous backs and an incredible wide receiver core. On defense, they have DeMarcus Ware, who finished 2nd in Defensive Player of the Year voting, They have a very talented defensive line, with Marcus Spears and Chris Canty on the ends and Jay Ratliff at nose tackle.

The linebackers surrounding Ware are very good, with 2007 Comeback Player of the Year Greg Ellis, accomplished vet Zach Thomas and one of the most underrated linebackers in football in Bradie James. The corners and safeties are also quite good. They have a very good Terence Newman at corner and Anthony Henry on the other side.

The safeties are Keith Davis and Ken Hamlin, also a great duo. Will the Cowboys repeat the 2007 New England Patriots 16-0 season? It's doubtful. But if Romo does actually lead, I think the Cowboys can return to their ’07 status: a division title.

Does Romo need to fire the Cowboys up pre-game like Ray Lewis does with the Ravens or Drew Brees with the Saints? No, but he needs to learn how to lead like effective quarterbacks do. Like Tom Brady in New England or Peyton Manning in Indianapolis.

Is Romo going to win three Super Bowls like Brady has or win three MVP awards like Manning? It’s very unlikely. But he can start now by bringing together a clubhouse in disarray. But despite the struggles when it mattered, Romo is not a bad quarterback.

In his three full seasons, he has over 10,000 yards, 81 touchdowns, 46 interceptions, a 94.7 quarterback rating and a 27-12 record as a starter. Yes, Romo can be overrated at times. All quarterbacks are. When a team loses, the quarterback gets too much blame. When a team wins, a quarterback can get too much credit.

But the Cowboys, like all teams, lose as a team. Romo doesn’t lose games. Even in a 33-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, he did a very good job of keeping Dallas in it. After a Matt Stover field goal made it 19-10 Baltimore, Romo threw a touchdown pass to Owens.

The Cowboys defense responded by allowing a 77-yard touchdown run to Willis McGahee. Romo threw another touchdown pass, making it a winnable game, at 26-24. But, the Cowboys defense allowed another touchdown—this one to Le’Ron McClain, from 82 yards away. So did Romo really choke?

From what I see, he kept his team in it and the defense choked. Not Romo. Yes, sometimes losses are the boulder that deserved to be put on Romo’s shoulders. However, like all teams, it’s not always the quarterback. Naturally, he and head coach Wade Phillips get most of the blame. But it’s not always their doing.

Yes, I can’t say Romo can compete with the greats of all time. He can put up the numbers, but he can’t win the important games—yet. This is a big if: but if he actually takes over the leadership role, Romo could become the big game winner Dallas fans need him to be.

Yes, I know Dallas fans don’t have the utmost trust in Romo. In fact, they don’t trust him at all in big games. And for now, it’s see it to believe it. But, I honestly think that this is a turning point for the Dallas Cowboys organization and Tony Romo’s career.

In 2008, the Dallas Cowboys were a very undisciplined team. Tardiness was a problem. The team lacked commitment to a common goal. The team charter left late for road games five times this year. The trip to the last game of the year in Philadelphia left over an hour late. Under Bill Parcells, players were fined $5,000 for being late and $12,000 for missing an injury treatment session. Under Phillips, players were fined just $100 for both.

Yes, Phillips has to make a much more strict program. However, Romo’s leadership can aid the team and won’t urge Phillips to have strict rulings. The Cowboys need a step up from Romo. The leadership would only help. He needs to make the Cowboys a tighter group, a united clubhouse.

Hall of Fame quarterback and former Cowboy Troy Aikman doubted Romo’s future. "I think maybe things happened so quickly for Tony in terms of obscurity to all of a sudden national spotlight that he hasn't fully grasped what being the Cowboys quarterback is all about. It didn't take away from his preparations. I know that. I mean, everything he says is I think accurate. I don't think that had any bearing. But to say, 'I don't worry about perception,' you better worry about perception, because it's a big part of making it through some very difficult times.”

Yes, it’s hard to believe a quarterback going into his fourth full season in the NFL. But I honestly can foresee this becoming a turning point for the Dallas Cowboys franchise and Tony Romo’s career.