Dallas Cowboys: Predictions Concerning Tony Romo and Jason Garrett

If you play sports in Texas, dealing with pressure is the first thing you will have to learn. Basketball players know it. Football players know it. Heck, even 15-year-old high school players feel the pressure of their respective town. When they get on the field, they need to win or critics will arise.

Ever watched Friday Night Lights? This isn’t science-fiction, if you want to play in Texas, you know you will have to deliver what the fans are looking for.  The two most prestigious teams in Texas, the Cowboys and the Mavericks, are owned by two of the most high-profile owners. Marc Cuban and Jerry Jones aren’t looking for profit like many other owners, they want a championship!  

As of now, the Cowboys stand with a .500 record but both losses were really ugly. On paper, the Cowboys have one of the best teams in the league. Their defense is solid and Rob Ryan is doing a good job. They also have a bunch of talent on the offensive side of the ball. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the league and several stars including Jason Witten, DeMarcus Ware and Miles Austin.

However, the Cowboys are not a Super Bowl caliber team because of two men. Jerry Jones has to get rid of one of these men if he wants his team to have a shot at the ring.

The man in charge: Jason Garrett

It’s not because you are a great cook that you can run a restaurant. Even if you can create the best recipes, your restaurant might go bankrupt if you can’t manage your resources.  Garrett is a great coordinator, but not a great coach.  He might draw good plays, but he can’t manage a game appropriately.

Ever since he 's been with the Cowboys, Garrett has always struggled to make in-game adjustments. Now that he is the head coach of the Cowboys, he demonstrates his lack of game management. We have several examples of it, but I will use the Lions game to make my point.

In the first quarter, the Cowboys are up by seven and inside Detroit’s five-yard line. On fourth down, instead of kicking the field goal, Garrett elects to go for it. The Cowboys have a weak rushing game and miss their star wide receiver. In contrast, the Lions have one of the best defensive lines in the league. The result is obvious, it’s missed.

Early in the third quarter, Cowboys are up by 24 points. On first down, with about 10 minutes left in the third quarter, Garrett calls a passing play. The Pass is intercepted and returned for a touchdown.

On third down and two yards to go, with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Garrett calls another dangerous passing play with a 17-point lead. Again, the pass is intercepted.

On first down, with only four minutes left in the game, Garret makes another questionable call. With a three-point lead, he decides to call a pass play on first down.

You’re not in college football; you don’t need to win by 50 for the BCS rankings. In the NFL, all you need is the big W. Why didn’t he call more rushing plays to work the clock? Jerry Jones expressed his dissatisfaction towards Garret’s ill decision making that I’ve detailed above. After the loss vs. Detroit, he admitted that he wasn’t pleased with the play calling.  Don’t you think Mr. Garrett got a phone call from his boss?

The man under center: Tony Romo

I don’t question Tony Romo’s abilities. He is a great quarterback with a lot of talent and you can’t even debate on this. Statistics don’t lie.

You might be surprised, but Romo has the best fourth quarter passer rating among active quarterbacks. Yes, he is even in front of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. The Cowboys quarterback has two seasons of over 4,000 yards and three seasons with at least 25 touchdown passes.  Romo seems to throw many interceptions, so you might wonder about his career QB rating.

He has an impressive career rating of 95.9. On the all-time list, it places him in front of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Drew Brees, Dan Marino and John Elway. Definitely Romo has outstanding abilities.

There’s another thing I won’t question and it’s his heart and determination. Romo is always ready to step on the field and he made an inspiring performance on Week 2 with broken ribs and a punctured lung.

However, what I question is his decision making, not only on the field but outside the field. It all started in 2008 when Romo started to date Jessica Simpson. He knows that the media scrutinizes his entire life since he is playing for team America. Still, Mr. Romo brings Jessica to his golf club, in Cabo San Lucas. No big deal? It was the week before a playoff game. What happens the next game? Playoff loss!

Under pressure, Romo seems unable to keep his poise to make good plays and decisions. We now have several examples.  He fumbled a snap on the potential game-winning field goal in a playoff loss to the Seahawks. In 2008, he threw an interception with nine seconds left in the playoff game vs. the Giants. This year, he has been awful late in games (examples include games against the New York Jets and the Detroit Lions).

The examples are numerous, it’s not a coincidence. Decision making is difficult to learn and sometimes even impossible. Romo needs a coach who will be able to control this aspect of his game by drawing an appropriate game plan, making in-game adjustments and taking off some of the pressure.

The Problem and the Solution

The Cowboys have a problem and it’s obvious. They have a quarterback struggling with his decision making and a coach who isn’t able to manage the game.

Both men are not complimentary and this is the main problem. A coach like Jason Garrett needs a quarterback able to manage his offense and very few quarterbacks can do this. On the other hand, Romo needs a coach who will take off some pressure from him and build a game plan minimizing the probabilities of errors.

Can the Cowboys win the Super Bowl with Tony Romo? Totally! The Ravens won the Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer, so everything is possible. However, I don’t think they can win with this duo. Here’s the question for Jerry Jones. Do you sacrifice your head coach or your franchise quarterback?