NFL Fact or Fiction: Tony Romo Is the Most Overrated QB in the NFL

Tony Romo has been America's favorite media story to pitch for years. He's a glorified player for the Dallas Cowboys, one of the most propaganda-level teams in the NFL. He has his series of praises and criticisms, though mostly praises.  

This season thus far, Romo has been criticized for struggling so late in his games. Some say he hasn't been making plays. Others say he is. Others say he is the problem of Dallas' current season. Others say he is the solution.

It appears that a majority of the media believe in Tony Romo. 

Is Romo the most overrated quarterback in the NFL? Is he living up to the hype that he has been receiving?

Dallas Cowboys: Most Loved Team in NFL

It is a known fact to everyone who knows anything about the NFL: The Cowboys are "America's Team." In 1979, the Dallas Cowboys were introduced as American's Team and it stuck around for nearly 32 years. 

Here comes in Tony Romo, the Cowboys quarterback. Of course he's going to be over-exposed and over-discussed. He's the face of the Cowboys franchise. When he started playing for Dallas, no one had any idea who this kid was. Since then, he's had a lot of publicity. He's been talked about to death.

Is he overrated? Well, to be overrated, one has to actually perform some merits. What has Tony Romo done to make himself known to be a good quarterback in the NFL?

Career Stats

Romo started playing for the Cowboys in 2006 and has had his ups and downs.

2007 was his best season, as he threw for 36 touchdowns and 4,211 yards. The Cowboys finished 10-7 and lost in the playoffs against the (eventual) Super Bowl champions. Since then, Romo has always finished the season as one of the top 10 quarterbacks, apart from his 2010 season where an injury kept him out for 10 games.

He has the stats to prove he is one of the best quarterbacks.

The Cowboys are 39-21 with Tony Romo. He's giving them more wins than loses. 

So, it's obvious Romo has his merits—or does he? 

Playoff Appearances

In the five past seasons with Romo, the Cowboys won the division in 2007 and 2009 and made four playoffs appearances. Three of those four, they lost in the first round (the last losing in the divisional round).

They have yet to make a Super Bowl appearance. Romo does not wear any championship rings. In the last decade, several of these top 10 quarterbacks have won the Super Bowl: Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Aaron Rodgers. 

Now, there have been great quarterbacks in the NFL that have never won a Super Bowl. Romo has been criticized for choking in the playoffs and not taking his team there, but in a league where it's always about the quarterback, one tends to forget that it is a team effort.

Though his Super Bowl run was often stopped in the first or second round of the playoffs, Romo has taken the Cowboys strong season finishes.

Currently

After the first eight games of the 2011 season, Romo has throw for 2,238 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Cowboys are 4-4, having lost two games when up at halftime (against the New York Jets and Detroit Lions). It goes to show that sometimes in the most critical situations, Romo chokes.

However, it's not fair to judge entirely on him for this season until it's over. The Cowboys are .500 halfway through the season and Romo is still one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the league. He has shown to have strong abilities but poor decision-making when it comes down to pressure.

So, what is the reaction the media are giving him right now?

Overrated?

As of now, the media still believes Tony Romo is one of the best quarterback in the league. ESPN has ranked him No. 9 in the top quarterback list. The Dallas fans, however, seem to want Romo out and a new quarterback in, as if that would fix anything.

Numbers don't lie. Romo is putting up good offensive numbers. There are other quarterback in the league that are worse than him with a better record (Sanchez).

Is Tony Romo overrated?

If anything, the Dallas quarterback is rated just as he should be.