5 Reasons Tony Romo Will Be the Dallas Cowboys QB for Another Decade

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has had some historic highs and equally historic lows with his football team, but there's no reason to believe those lows will land Romo on any other roster for the next decade.

The casual NFL fan's opinion on the Dallas QB is constantly changing depending on how the media chooses to portray him in a given week. One day he's a gladiator that fights through injury, the next he's the biggest choke artist since the 2004 New York Yankees. 

While opinions may change, on thing stays consistent in Big D, and that's faith in the face of their franchise. Here are five reasons why Dallas should continue to believe in No. 9.  

Jerry Jones Has Faith

It's easy to keep your job when you know the boss believes in you. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has watched (many times from the sidelines) as Tony Romo has brought his team a unthinkable victory or crushing loss, but the man continues to say all the right things when it comes to his quarterback.

After the opening game loss to the New York Jets when Romo through the essentially game-ending interception, Jones publicly said "This may draw a little criticism, but I thought Tony played one of the best games I've ever seen him play" to KLDR-FM in Dallas.

When Romo threw the back-to-back interceptions that brought the Detroit Lions back into the game back in Week 4, Jones had his back once again.

Jones told the Washington Post following the loss: 

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"There's no issue about faith in Romo in any place in this organization, period. Any place. There's no issue regarding Tony."

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The Cowboys owner has done nothing but back his franchise quarterback throughout Romo's entire career.

Tony Romo Is a Top 10 Quarterback

Perhaps the reason that Jones believes in his quarterback is that he realizes he's one of the 10 best in the NFL.

Sure, you can put Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger ahead of him, but not many else.

Even if you put Eli Manning above Tony Romo, you've still got four spots to fill without saying his name. This season alone, Romo has a 102.2 passer rating, 3,845 yards and 29 touchdowns with one game left to play in the regular season. Those numbers are right on par with Rodgers' 2010 output at this same point in the season.

When the Eastern Illinois alum went down with the broken collarbone injury in 2010, Dallas went .500 the rest of the way. When Romo exited the game last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, the 'Boys barely made an appearance on Philly's side of the field offensively.

For all the talented players at other positions, this team struggles without Romo in the lineup.

He's a Leader

For many seasons, there has been a feeling among NFL analysts and even some of the Cowboys faithful that Tony Romo just wasn't a leader in the locker room, but the QB has all but erased that feeling this season.

The 31-year-old passer was married during the lockout last offseason and is currently an expecting father, so perhaps that has lead to his willingness to embrace his role as leader of this football team in 2011.

It's been seen on game footage that Romo has gotten in the faces of his center Phil Costa when the ball isn't being delivered on time or to his receivers when they weren't lining up correctly for a passing play.

This is a side of Romo that many naysayers have been waiting to see, and it seems the veteran has finally become the leader he needs to be if this team wishes to hoist the Lombardi Trophy sometime soon.

Who Else Is There?

To quote one-time Dallas Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells, "You can't just call 1-800-get-a-quarterback," and find someone that plays the position better than Tony Romo.

Look at the Oakland Raiders as of late, who thought JaMarcus Russell was the answer at quarterback for them. Then after that project failed they signed Jason Campbell, and then Carson Palmer after Campbell's season-ending injury. Though each had little in common on the field, they both fall in a category as being nowhere near as talented as Romo.

As long as Romo is out there starting for Dallas, they will consistently be in playoff contention and thus nowhere close to being able to draft one of the premier quarterbacks when the draft roles around.

As for free agency, even if the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning were to part ways this offseason, the Cowboys aren't going to go after any free-agent quarterback who would replace Romo as the starter.

He Gives Dallas the Best Chance to Win

Before Tony Romo became a starter for the Dallas Cowboys, the team had been to the playoffs just twice from 2001-07, with the '06 playoff berth coming when Romo took over for former quarterback Drew Bledsoe.

During that same time period, America's Team had just three seasons above a .500 record. Every season in which Romo has been the starter for the whole year, this team has been in the playoff hunt, with Dallas recently winning their first playoff game since the late 1990's with the help of their quarterback.

When Jon Kitna stepped in for the brief period Romo was out of the San Francisco game earlier this year, the offense looked sluggish. When Stephen McGee played the entirety of the Philadelphia game, the offense was lucky to pass the 50-yard line.

In a year where the Cowboys have one of the most inexperienced offensive lines in football, a first-year head coach and their first season with their new defensive coordinator, they're knocking on the postseason's door.

Not all of that is due to Romo, but he has a lot to do with this team's success in 2011.