NFL Fact or Fiction: Tony Romo Will Win a Super Bowl Ring

When you are the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, there will always be large expectations. Since becoming the Cowboys' play caller in 2006, Tony Romo has had the weight of success resting on his shoulders every second that he has worn that big blue star.

In five seasons, Romo has yet been able to deliver a Super Bowl title to the Cowboys' organization and fans. Not only that, he hasn't even taken them to the big dance yet. The Cowboys are still in it this season, so there is a chance that 2011 can finally be the year Jerry Jones gets another ring. Whether it is this season or one down the line, the question is: Can Romo deliver it to him?

Here are the reasons why Romo will—and will not—win a Super Bowl ring in his career.

Fact: Jerry Jones Will Continue to Build a Great Team No Matter What the Costs

Jerry Jones loves to win. He will do whatever he can to do so, and he has proven so in the past. Whether the moves have benefited or hurt the organization, he has never been the type of guy to sit back and see how things play out. If he needs something, he gets it.

When the Cowboys were in need of a big play-making wide receiver, Jones went out and brought in Terrell Owens. When Owens began to fail, he made a big splash to get then Detroit Lions' star wideout Roy Williams.

He has also surrounded Tony Romo with a plethora of talented running backs, and now a talented wide receiver corps led by Miles Austin and Dez Bryant.

If the Cowboys once again fail to capitalize this season, Jones likely will not hesitate to bring in more pieces to complement his starting quarterback (if he decides to keep him around that is).

Fiction: He Is 31 Years Old

Tony Romo isn't exactly old, but his time is running up. At 31 years old, it is becoming more essential to the Cowboys that Romo plays at his highest and best levels now. Not too many quarterbacks have won the Super Bowl over the age of 31, and those who have are considered the cream of the crop.

Since Romo didn't start playing in the NFL until he was 25 years old, he perhaps has a little more longevity in him than many elite quarterbacks who start to take the snaps right out of college.

With age, Romo will likely become wiser, but for the Cowboys' sake, he must also continue to get better.

Fact: The NFC East Is Winnable

If the 2011 NFL season holds true for seasons to come, the NFC East appears to be a division that will be winnable for years to come. Currently, the New York Giants are sitting at 6-2, while the rest of the division are at .500 or lower. The Dallas Cowboys are second to the Giants, with a 4-4 record, while the preseason's heavily-favored Philadelphia Eagles sit at 3-5.

With no team having significant success, this division could be up for grabs for years. If the Cowboys were not missing Miles Austin for much of this season, who knows where they would be as of now in the in win-loss column.

If this division stays the same, it will be an easy division to win and an automatic postseason bid up for grabs for seasons to come.

Fiction: Tony Romo Has Only Had Two Seasons with over 10 Wins

In Tony Romo's five seasons of being the Dallas Cowboys' starting quarterback (not including 2011), he has only managed to win over 10 games twice. His overall record as a starter for those five seasons is 39-22, which is a great overall record.

The thing is, he hasn't been able to compile enough wins during each season in order to get the Cowboys into the playoffs consistently or with home field advantage.

The two seasons where Romo shined was in his second and fourth year. In 2007, he took the Cowboys to a 13-3 mark. In 2008, Romo got the Cowboys to 11-5, but besides these two seasons nothing has been above 10 wins.

At 4-4 this season, Romo has a chance to take the Cowboys to at least 10-6, perhaps better. If he can do so, he could get himself and the Cowboys back on a winning track. As history stands, Romo has yet to prove that he can take this team into contention on a consistent basis.

Fact: He Is a Pro-Bowl Caliber Quaterback

In five seasons, Tony Romo has been elected to the NFC Pro Bowl squad three times. Considering that he missed significant time in 2010, that pretty much makes him three for four. 

Many wouldn't doubt that Romo possess a huge arsenal of skills, but he is going to need to be able to continue to use those skills effectively. Many times, Romo shines and he looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the game, but other times he seems to lose his composure and many question why he is a starting quarterback.

Romo has proven time and time again that he could be great, and he needs to continue to do so and go beyond in order to get that ring.

Fiction: He Has Been Injured A Lot

If there is one thing that holds true to Tony Romo, it is that he is extremely fragile. In three of his last four seasons, Romo has been sidelined with injury.

In 2008, Romo was injured against the Washington Redskins and was forced to miss three games after getting the Dallas Cowboys off to a 3-1 start. That season, Romo finished the season at 8-5 as a starter while the team went 9-7. Perhaps with him under center, the Cowboys could have had a better record going into the playoffs.

In 2010, Romo was once again injured, this time in Week 6 against the New York Giants. In that game, Romo broke his clavicle, and was forced to sit out the rest of the season. Before getting hurt, the Cowboys were sitting at 1-4 behind Romo.

In 2011, although he has not missed anytime, Romo has been playing injured throughout the season with a broken rib. Romo deserves kudos for playing under this injury, but his history has proven that he is fragile and could potentially go down for the season at any moment.

Fact: He Is Elite

While Tony Romo has missed a lot of time over his career, at this point in time he ranked No. 4 for the All-Time Career Passer Rating with a 95.1 on the rating scale.

Considering the length of Romo's career, he still can move up and down on this list a lot over the remainder of his career. Fact of the matter is, this is where he stands in about six seasons of the NFL, so it cannot be discounted where he stands in history.

The passer rating only tells so much about a player, and it solely based on statistics, but in end that is one thing that people will look back at.

Fiction: He Struggles in Pressure Situations

Tony Romo has one major flaw, and that would be his major struggles within highly pressured situations. Although Romo has taken the Cowboys to the playoffs in three of the four years he has started, it tends to be him who takes them out as well.

Most recently, Romo has thrown away two interceptions on comeback drives in the fourth quarter this season. He had the Dallas Cowboys within range twice to win, but instead he failed to do so and turned the ball over. If he would have been able to come through on those drives, the Cowboys perhaps could be sitting at 6-2 right now and possibly be in the lead for the NFC East.

His history stands behind this as well. Most known would be Romo's botched holding of the ball for a field goal in the 2006 NFC Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks when they were down 21-20 with about a minute left on the clock. 

Continued...

He Struggles Continued

Another situation was in 2007, when the Cowboys were playing in the divisional round against NFC East foes the New York Giants. Down by only four points, Romo threw an end zone interception that ended the Cowboys' hopes of winning the game.

In 2008, the Cowboys were playing the Philadelphia Eagles looking to win to get the final spot in the playoffs. The Cowboys lost that game 44-6 which included three Romo turnovers. The performance once again echoed that of Romo's past two most pressured performances.

The last big game that Romo managed to lose was in 2009 against the Minnesota Vikings in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. In that game, the Cowboys lost 34-3. Romo committed three turnovers that game as well, two of which were fumbles and the other was an interception.

If the past has proven anything, one would have to question how Romo would even handle himself in a situation such as the Super Bowl.

Summary

After observing the career thus far of Tony Romo we have learned a few things:

1. He has the best man behind him in order to build a contender.

2. His age is catching up on him, and Father Time will only wait so much longer.

3. With the sloppy play of the Eagles and Giants, the NFC East could be an automatic playoff berth for years to come.

4. Romo has much to prove, as he has only taken the Cowboys to two 10-plus win seasons.

5. The guy can play, being in the Pro-Bowl already three times in just four full seasons.

6. His longevity is in question, as he often finds himself injured.

7. He has the history to back that he can be a consistent quarterback, with a career 95.1 passer rating.

8. He needs to figure himself out in pressure situations, otherwise the turnovers will never get him anywhere near a Super Bowl ring.

So what can we conclude...

Answer: Fiction

With everything taken into consideration, it is too hard to believe that Tony Romo will ever win a Super Bowl. While he is extremely talented and is arguably in a great position with the Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones, the fact that he is just incapable of handling the pressures of late and big situations are just way too detrimental on his future success.

Romo could get past this obstacle of his career. At this point in time, it is hard to imagine him really doing much at this rate considering what he has shown in the past. Maybe 2011 will garner different results, but as of now Romo's career spells no rings.