NFL Top 100: What Pathetic Ranking Says About Tony Romo

They say that perception is reality, and if that truly is the case then the reality is that in the eyes of players in the National Football League, Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys isn't an exceptionally good quarterback.

The NFL Network has begun to release its' list of the top 100 players of 2012 as voted on by their peers. The nine-year veteran didn't get much love from his fellow footballers, coming in at number 91 on the list.

That's only four spots higher than Tim Tebow, who was so well thought of by the Denver Broncos that they traded him to the New York Jets for the equivalent of a bag of Fritos and some Oreo Cakesters.

This is in spite of the fact that Romo had one of the best statistical seasons of his career in 2011, throwing for over 4,100 yards and 35 touchdowns against only 10 interceptions while posting a career high quarterback rating of 102.5.

Romo somehow dropped 19 spots from last year's rankings, which is puzzling given his stats from last season. That would seem to indicate that many of Romo's peers share an opinion that has dogged him throughout his career.

That opinion being that Romo folds under pressure and can't win the "big game."

The "choke artist" label has been hung on Romo for some time, dating back to his famous fumble of a field goal attempt against the Seattle Seahawks in a 2007 playoff game. Second half meltdowns by the Cowboys against the New York Jets (in primetime) and Detroit Lions (a game in which Romo had two interceptions returned for touchdowns) last year appear to have only reinforced that notion, as there wouldn't seem to be another reason for such a precipitous drop from one year to the next.

Granted, Romo has certainly made his share of ill-advised passes in the past, and some of the blame for each of those implosions last year rests squarely on his shoulders.

However, statistical studies have shown that Romo's career statistics and winning percentage in close games is similar to that of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who will likely find himself among the top 10 players on the NFL's list once it's complete.

They are also very similar to that of San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who will probably come in higher on this list than Romo despite the fact that he hasn't had much more postseason success than Romo and just struggled through one of the worst seasons of his eight-year career.

Finally, the last time I checked, football is a team sport, and Romo doesn't deserve all the blame for last year's late-game collapses any more than he would deserve all the credit for a blowout win. Romo didn't cause a punt to be blocked against the Jets, nor did he single-handedly allow Detroit linebacker Bobby Carpenter to weave his way through the entire Dallas offense en route to returning an interception for a score.

It may well be that Romo fell victim to the same expectation among NFL players that he has among fans. He's the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, and the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys is expected to win the Super Bowl.

It might even be that some of Romo's peers envy his fame as the signal-caller for "America's Team,"or are jealous of the bevy of beautiful women he's been linked to over the years (I know I am).

Maybe they just don't like him. Maybe he owes them all money.

Whatever the reason, it would seem that Tony Romo has just as many detractors among players in the National Football League as he does among fans. At this rate if he doesn't hoist the Lombardi Trophy this season, he may find himself left out of next year's popularity contest altogether, regardless of the numbers he posts in 2012.

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