Dallas Cowboys: Is Tony Romo an Extremely Underrated Quarterback?

People often throw around the words 'underrated' or 'overrated' without paying attention to its meaning.

Here is some quick clarity:

An underrated player is one who is a lot better than people give him credit for. An overrated player means that people perceived an athlete to be better than he really is.

Simple as that.

Many people consider Tony Romo one of the most overrated quarterbacks in the league. There was a time where they may have been right. When Romo first broke into the league and had his early success, a lot of people were already starting to put him on a pedestal when he really hadn't done anything. 

In fact, the Cowboys head coach at the time, Bill Parcells, once said to put the anointing oil away when talking about Tony Romo.

However, three playoff losses and an injury riddled season later, people still use the terms 'overhyped' and 'overrated' when discussing Romo. 

Really?

Is ESPN or the average football fan saying he's better than Aaron Rodgers?

No.

Do we hear more of "Tony Romo is an elite quarterback" or "Tony Romo can never get done in the clutch"?

The latter.

How can we call someone overrated when he is constantly being bashed by mainstream media and fans? Every single time the Cowboys lose, the media and fans say how he's never clutch, but in reality he has come from behind victories this season.

Sure, he's had some off moments against the Lions and Jets, but that doesn't mean he isn't clutch. He's had bad moments, but who hasn't? Romo, in fact, has a lifetime quarterback rating in the fourth quarter that hovers over 100. That's not clutch?

In fact, it's Romo's first quarter stats that are suspect. He has a 78.1 passer rating lifetime in the first. He's a slow starter, but strong finisher. That's what Romo is. Don't let a botched field goal attempt six years ago make you label this quarterback as a choke artist. He isn't.

It's like the whole "LeBron isn't clutch" argument. People say he's not clutch but he has one of the highest fourth quarter and overtime field goal percentages in the league and he singlehandedly carried Miami past Boston and Chicago to the NBA Finals in a year where most people thought the Heat project would be an experimental first year. 

All of this exemplifies why Romo is extremely underrated. Most people don't want to put him in their top ten because they say he doesn't have playoff success. 

So what? Neither did Peyton Manning until 2006!

The playoff success will come, folks. Romo's lack of playoff success has more to do with his lack of maturity earlier in his career and his head coach Wade Phillips. Terrell Owens was also a major distraction for Romo and the Cowboys late during his stint in Big D.

Romo isn't going to take any more Cabo trips during the playoffs. He's matured and has become the leader of this Dallas team. Jason Garrett is also a competent coach who has the potential to win in January.

This isn't to say that Romo needs to be in the top five. No! He doesn't have enough success yet to be put up with Brees, Brady, and Rodgers. But he does have enough to be considered in the top ten. People need to stop putting guys like Mike Vick ahead of Tony Romo. Vick has three more turnovers than touchdowns this season. 

In fact, it's Mike Vick that's heavily overrated. People quickly jumped on his bandwagon last season after that unbelievable Monday night game against Washington. The Eagles then threw $100 million at him and named him their franchise quarterback. 

Really?

He's the smallest quarterback in the league, a turnover machine, runs too much, and seemingly gets hit every other play. And people put him ahead of Romo? And what has Vick done in the playoffs? He has two playoff wins in a longer career than Romo. Nobody ever hears about how Vick isn't clutch. 

If anything it's Vick that's overrated. Not Romo. Romo's been getting bashed since that botched snap on that cold night in Seattle on a daily basis. One can make an argument that he's been underrated ever since he got out of college. He was never drafted. Nobody gave him a shot except for Bill Parcells.

People just don't realize how much Romo has had to deal with. The Dallas media, the national media, crazy sports fans, TMZ.com, Terrell Owens, and Wade Phillips are just a few distractions that Romo has dealt with. 

Obviously, just like any other fan base, there might be Cowboys fans who think that Romo is the greatest quarterback in the league. They're delusional though. They are sports fans who overly attached to their team and don't have perspective. Besides, every single fan base for every team has that group of delusional fans who think that their player is better than anyone else's. It's not just Cowboys fans. 

That being said, the general public views Romo negatively. Fans and media have fabricated a story about how Romo has never been clutch in his career and is the ultimate choke artist when he really isn't. Then, they simultaneously call him overrated.

That's a contradiction. It doesn't make sense. Nobody, other than a delusional Cowboys fan, is putting him above Manning, Brady, and Brees. He's a solid quarterback who happens to be in the second tier of great quarterbacks in the NFL. Some playoff success will catapult him to the elite level