Tony Romo Is Under-Appreciated, Not Overrated

I recently read an article about Tony Romo being overrated.

My problem with the article is that it didn’t really use any facts. The truth is: Tony Romo is not overrated; if anything, he is under-appreciated. 

Does anyone remember the Dallas Cowboys under the helm of Drew Bledsoe in a very similar offense? In 2006, in Bledsoe’s six starts, he had a quarterback rating of 69.2, with seven touchdowns and eight interceptions—the Cowboys went 3-3. 

After Romo became the starter for the Cowboys, their offense looked great, as they went 6-4 to finish the regular season and made the playoffs. In those 10 games, Romo had a quarterback rating of 95.1 as he made the Pro Bowl.

As an undrafted quarterback from Eastern Illinois University, he sat the bench in Dallas for three-and-a-half years, but when he got his shot, Romo immediately made the Cowboys a contender once again.

Considering he is supposedly overrated, it was quite remarkable for him to perform so well in his first 10 starts. 

In the 2006 playoffs, Romo was as close as you can get to winning his first playoff game, but he fumbled the field-goal snap, and the Cowboys lost to Seattle 21-20.

You can blame Romo the holder for that loss, but you can’t blame Romo the quarterback. He put his team in a position to win that game, and that’s all you can ask for a quarterback.

Then, last season, Romo had another Pro Bowl season with 36 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, leading the 'Boys to the best record in the NFC.

Once again this year, he has looked great, going 3-1 with eight touchdowns and four interceptions thus far.

Let’s go over the common misconceptions for why he is supposedly overrated.

He’s only good because he plays for the Cowboys

Maybe the Cowboys should go back to Bledsoe for a couple games to remind people of just how good Romo really is.

There is no doubt that the Cowboys have a good offense, but Romo is one of the main reasons why.

Most of the Cowboys' big plays come from Romo keeping plays alive and making plays out of nothing. Remember how the media the past couple years has been comparing Romo to Favre?

Well that’s because Romo has that “it” that Favre has, and you could also say Ben Roethlisberger has. These three players have that “it” that cannot be taught to players, and that’s why they are three of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

By the way, do you Romo haters really believe that many quarterbacks could have 36 touchdowns and 13 wins in one season just because they play for the Cowboys?

He’s can’t win a playoff game

Well, it’s a little early to judge a player who hasn’t even played two full seasons yet. Keep in mind Peyton Manning was 0-3 in his first three playoff games, and he wasn’t as close as Romo to winning one.

Most quarterbacks in their first two NFL seasons don’t even make the playoffs. People need to relax and be a little bit more patient.

He throws too many interceptions

He had 19 interceptions last year. I’ll admit that it’s a decent amount. However, Drew Brees had 18 interceptions and Derek Anderson had 19 as well last year.

Two other Pro Bowl quarterbacks had almost just as many interceptions as Romo, and both weren't close to having 36 touchdowns. As long as a quarterback is close to having twice as many touchdowns than interceptions, he is doing well.

There is a reason he has a quarterback rating of 96.8 in his career. By the way, it's no coincidence that Favre, the player is he often compared to, is known for throwing too many interceptions, too.

Just like Favre, he takes risks and sometimes ends up throwing interceptions. But Romo, just like Favre, succeeds way more often than not when taking risks.

He’s unorthodox and doesn’t play like your typical quarterback

Not everyone can be a Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. If Romo is successful doing it his own way, than he should be left alone. Even you Romo haters can’t say that you don’t enjoy watching him making that unorthodox throw, which somehow manages to find an open receiver.

Tony Romo is not overrated, but I will say that he is over-scrutinized

I think most of the people who claim that Romo is overrated are just sick of hearing about him. Ever since Romo became the starter of “Americas Team,” every little thing he does has been scrutinized and magnified by the media.

Maybe it’s the fact that he plays for the Cowboys. Maybe it’s the Terrell Owens factor. Maybe it was the Parcells factor. Maybe it’s his underdog story. Maybe it’s the Jessica Simpson factor, or those magical plays that remind us of Brett Favre.  

Regardless of what it is, there is no doubt the media has an obsession with him. I love Romo, but get sick of hearing about him, too. Even though the media may talk about Romo more than Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, people need to realize that nobody is actually saying that Romo is better than them.

The truth is that Romo is a great young quarterback who still has a lot to prove. But he is also very under-appreciated and, if anything, he should get a gold medal just for getting a long with T.O. so well.