A Fallen Cowboy: The Case for Tony Romo
Tony Romo has been associated with the Dallas Cowboys since 2003. Over the years, Romo has been a quarterback that is definitely above average, but not an elite quarterback. He would be best classified as a Tier 2 quarterback that a team could and did build around. If someone were to go back and look at the NFL Draft of 2003, you would see that Romo was never drafted by the Cowboys, but signed as an undrafted free agent. It wasn't until 2006 that Romo actually played at the quarterback position as a full-time starter. For the previous two seasons, Romo was the placeholder for the kicker. Looking to the present we now find that the Dallas Cowboys have moved on from Romo and now Dak Prescott is the new starting quarterback. The question now is what will Tony do? Multiple teams could definitely use Romo as their quarterback with the remaining years he has left in the league. Why not trade for him, sign him, and use him to take your team all the way? Better questions though are why did the Cowboys bench Romo and what could he potentially do?
Why did the Cowboys bench Tony Romo. Tony Romo was benched for injuries and playoff appearances wasted, but it is not entirely his fault. The Cowboys are a tough team to play for. High expectations are set for every player. The Cowboys, especially during the later half of the century, has been "America's Team." Expectations were low for Romo when he joined the Cowboys, he wasn't even drafted. Sean Payton, head coach of the Dallas Cowboys when Romo was signed, was interested in Romo when he left to coach the New Orleans Saints. Ultimately, a trade did not happen in 2006, because Jerry Jones wanted a high draft pick in exchange for Tony Romo. The Saints did not think he was worth it. That same year, Romo became the official starter for the Cowboys, and with the first pass of his starting career, he threw an interception. To many fans of the NFL, most think of interceptions and Romo as intertwined like peas in a pod. You cannot have one without the other. Despite his first mistake, he led the Cowboys to the playoffs, but lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the wildcard game.
As the years progressed, the Cowboys stayed about average. The years that Romo was elected to the Pro Bowl were the years the Cowboys went to the playoffs and lost. In the six appearances of the Romo-led Cowboys in the playoffs, he has only won two. That doesn't necessarily mean he is a terrible quarterback. Peyton Manning, future Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl winner with two different teams, had a playoff record of 12-13, below 50%. Peyton Manning will go down in NFL history as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the league but did not eclipse a .500 win-loss percentage with his playoff games. The quarterback is held to a high standard, but a quarterback can only do as much as his team allows him. If one were to look at the Dallas Cowboys team stats during the years of Romo's reign, the stats would show that the Cowboys had a great offense. The Cowboys had a top ten offense multiple times, which coincided with the years Romo was healthy. However, the Cowboys defense since 2006 has been on the backside of the league with a defensive rank hovering in the mid-20s, sinking to dead last in yards allowed in 2013.
All that being said, an offense is going to try to do everything possible to win, especially if a defense is giving away point after point. The Dallas Cowboys offense was no exception. Tony Romo put the Cowboys on his back on multiple occasions. Since 2006, Romo has the most fourth quarter comebacks, 24, and leads the league in game-winning drives, 29. Romo also has the highest fourth quarter passer rating in NFL history with a mark of 102.9. This is better than Joe Montana, Tom Brady, and John Elway. His passer rating of 93.1 in the last two minutes of a game is the highest of active quarterbacks. He is a no doubt, a clutch offensive player. However, it seems that turnovers and injuries are the talking points among fans and media.
Turnovers and injuries have dominated the talk of a potential Tony Romo trade. He has had a broken finger, 3 broken left collarbones, ruptured disk, two transverse process fractures, and a compression fracture L1 vertebrae. A team that signs Romo has to take these injuries into consideration. Can he perform or will his injuries make him into a potential trade fail? If you look at his injuries, most of Romo's injuries came from his offensive line allowing him to be sacked. Romo has been sacked a grand total of 248 from 2006-2015, with four separate years the offense allowing 30+ sacks. Romo's interception totals every year were either in single digits or in the "teens." His touchdowns totals in the years he was healthy were always high, even when his offensive weapons weren't that impressive. The Cowboys had Terrell Owens, who was on the last few years of his career, but Romo never really had a superstar receiver to throw to until Dez Bryant began to take over in 2012. Old-faithful Jason Witten has been the steady recipient of many Romo touchdowns, but a tight-end can only do so much. Most of Romo's turnovers can therefore be attributed to lack of offensive weapons and trying to push his team to victory solely through offense because of a poor Cowboys defense which led to poor decision making.
What team would be the best fit for Tony Romo?
The Denver Broncos would be the best fit. Denver has led the league for the past few years defensively. Having a great defense helps limit Romo's time on the field, and he does not have to constantly pull his team out of a hole. Offensively, the Broncos have many weapons, Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, two of the best receivers in the game. The offensive line is average enough to protect Romo. Plus the Broncos took a chance signing Peyton Manning after his neck surgery which could have ended his career, and they won a Super Bowl with him.
Romo should NOT sign with a team that has struggled in recent years such as the Browns, Jets, Bills, Bears, or 49rs. He needs to find an offense that can use his skills, while protecting him. He still has a few years left in the tank, and he could definitely use his veteran mindset to help lead a team to the Super Bowl. He is one of the best 4th quarter quarterbacks and he has consistently led a thriving offense. Overall, I say Tony Romo should be signed by a NFL team this year for the 2017 season.
