Dallas Cowboys: Why Tony Romo Will Be Better Than Ever in 2011
Looking through the NFL page on Bleacher Report, I came across an article by Jason Henry titled, "10 Reasons the Dallas Cowboys Need to Replace Tony Romo."
The first thing I said to myself was, "Oh boy, here we go again."
For the last two seasons, all Tony Romo has done is be a solid quarterback. He silenced his critics and got that coveted first win in the playoffs, put up solid Pro Bowl numbers and, let's face it, was very solid despite the Cowboys' terrible record in the first half of the season last year.
So here are a few counters to Jason Henry's article on why Tony Romo is in the best position that he's ever been as quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys—and why Jerry Jones should look forward to an extremely successful season.
Romo's Age
1 of 7
Jason Henry brought up the fact that Romo is getting old—that he's 31 and time is running out on him.
First of all, Drew Brees was 31 when he won his ring with the Saints. He is now 32 and still considered among the top five quarterbacks in the NFL.
In fact, three of those most commonly acknowledged top five quarterbacks in the league (Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees) are over 31.
Brett Favre, in fact, was very effective up until his late 30s!
If anything, Tony Romo is still in his prime and will be for a few more years.
Many quarterbacks in the league have succeeded in their 30s. So, with a new head coach and a team that will finally listen to him, is it wildly impossible that Romo might put up huge numbers again and win the Super Bowl?
If he does, he wont be breaking any records for being oldest quarterback to do so.
Romo's Indecision
2 of 7
Henry bashes Romo for his lack of good decision-making on the field and his inconsistent play.
If anyone thinks Cam Newton has better decision-making ability on the field (let alone off the field) and a more consistent game at the NFL level than Tony Romo, please excuse yourself from the room.
Really?
On a garbage team last year, and in just six games, Tony Romo put up 1600-plus yards. He was on pace for over 3500 yards on a very bad team.
On that same miserable team, he had more touchdowns than interceptions—and of those interceptions, most were tipped by his receivers or deflected off the legs of Jason Witten!
The year before, he put up stellar numbers. He had over 4000 yards and only had nine interceptions.
Oh, yeah, and he won a playoff game, too, under an incompetent head coach.
That's bad decision-making?
If anything, Tony Romo has developed into a fine quarterback. For an undrafted player to a solid contributor, the Cowboys can and will win with him.
Tony's Leadership
3 of 7
Romo has been criticized for his leadership throughout the years.
Ever since he stepped foot in the NFL, everybody has banged on him for his lack of ability to lead. However, when one analyzes the situations he has dealt with even further, it is easy to understand why.
First off, he had to deal with Terrell Owens in his first few years. No quarterback has been able to lead his team properly with him around. None! He made the team dysfunctional and there was no leader because of him.
Now, Owens is gone.
Tony has matured and he knows it.
During Super Bowl week in Dallas, Romo went on Colin Cowherd's radio show The Herd and said that he feels like a quarterback in his senior year at high school. Everybody on the team finally listens to him. It's his team. He said that when he first broke in he felt like a high school freshman and it was harder to lead because nobody would really listen to him.
Indirect jab at Owens? Perhaps.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Romo's Offensive Line
4 of 7
Henry points out that a reason why Dallas should consider moving on with Tony is because of their offensive line.
My question is, how is that Tony's problem? That's a front office organization problem. Not Tony's. If anything, the team should draft better offensive linemen to help Romo. His offensive line has always been pretty solid. And even if it hasn't been, Romo is a quick quarterback and has shown he can run well. He's no Mike Vick, but he's a mobile quarterback and that should be a huge advantage. In fact, Romo looks his best when he is moving around the pocket, evading the rush and throwing bullets.
Tony's Ego and Social Life
5 of 7
One of the most controversial moments of Romo's career was when he went off to Cabo, Mexico with his teammates, just one week before a playoff game.
That was then.
Tony has matured. He wants to win now.
Besides, which high profile NFL quarterback doesn't have a highly active social life?
There is nothing wrong with a quarterback dating actresses and models.
Nobody bangs on Tom Brady for his social life. Nobody says anything about Aaron Rodgers and his beautiful girlfriends. It's part of being a quarterback.
As long as they're not breaking the law, it's totally cool and awesome for star quarterbacks to hang out with beautiful women and be seen in public places.
What's more, if someone is considering drafting Cam Newton as a future replacement for Tony, just remember that Newton has been in the news several times for the wrong reasons.
Romo's Running Game
6 of 7
The argument was made that the Cowboys running game is so strong, that if Romo leaves, the Cowboys will still be fine.
First off, it's a quarterback league. Nobody drafts running backs anymore. They're easily replaceable.
The Packers had a no-name running back last year during the Super Bowl. They won because of Aaron. Not because of their running game. Same with the Saints the year before and the Steelers in 2008.
How long do running backs even last? Marion Barber could be done already. His numbers have declined in recent years. Felix Jones has been injury prone and Tashard Choice, although solid, is no Adrian Peterson.
Point is, the Cowboys and every team in the NFL cannot survive without a quarterback. The Cowboys are blessed with a very good one and they should keep him.
Jason Garrett
7 of 7
We haven't seen Romo play with new head coach Jason Garrett yet, but Garrett may be a blessing for Romo.
Tony had to deal with incompetency at the head coaching position for years, and he still succeeded!
With a better play caller and a high IQ guy from Princeton as head coach, Romo will be even better!
To those who don't think coaching matters, just look at the New England Patriots and ask yourself if Tom Brady would be the legend he is without Bill Belichick.
No.
Coaching matters!
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")