AMERICA’S TEAM AGAIN
This has been a very exciting year for Cowboy Nation. The Cowboys are 5-1 on the season, the offense is humming along like a well-oiled machine, and surprisingly, the make-shift defense hasn’t been too shabby either. “America’s Team” appears to be well on their way to actually earning the nickname after decades of habitual disappointment.
But what has been the root of their success? Well, unless you’re oblivious to all social media, it’s pretty clear that the bulk of the fan base gives credit to Dak Prescott for the Cowboys’ miraculous resurrection – which is not unwarranted. Dak has emerged as the clear future of the Dallas Cowboys, touting a passer rating of 103.9 with 1,486 yards and 7 touchdowns. What’s more impressive is that he takes care of the football, with only 1 interception (albeit 4 fumbles) through 6 games. He’s clearly a guy with a knack for managing football games and piling up the W’s, which is why football pundits and arm-chair quarterbacks across the nation are screaming at the top of their lungs: “Do NOT sideline the Dak-Attack for old-man-Romo!”
FOOTBALL PUNDIT-MANIA
It didn’t take long for a majority of the football “experts” to abandon Tony at the train station and load up on the Dak-Express. Troy Aikman, Steven A. Smith, Phil Simms, Skip Bayless and even Brett Favre are all in favor of Romo donning a headset for the remainder of the year (just to name a few examples). But the sports-media giants are not the only publications chiming in on the debate… With the controversy garnishing nationwide attention, even publications like The Wall Street Journal have tried to capitalize on the hysteria by throwing their opinion into the mix.
WARNING: At this point in the article, I need to ask everyone to take a minute to relax and search for that happy, zen-like place in your mind. Why do we need to relax, you ask? Great question – thanks for asking! It’s because I’m about to step away from the Dak-mania crowd and go full Romo-sexual, which apparently is a very unpopular thing to do. According to recent polls, 78.35% of you have either 1) Renamed your dog (or son) after Dak Prescott, 2) Stopped listening to Carrie Underwood because she once dated Romo, or 3) Re-purposed your Romo jersey as floor mop – But please folks, try to remain calm. We’ve got some important facts to discuss…
Well guess what? The majority of the pundits are simply dead-wrong. Yes, that’s right – I’m talking like forecast from The Weather Channel kind-of-wrong. I mean, Skip Bayless once claimed Tim Tebow was going to take the Jets to a Super Bowl! Are you kidding me?
The problem is most sports commentators, much like stock market analysts, don’t really aim to be “right”. They only try to make the safest bet and avoid being “wrong”. For example, in early 2007, Blackberry, Ltd. was plowing through the competition in the telecommunications industry. The success of the Blackberry cell phone had led the company stock price from $2.00 in 2002 to $230 in 2007. Market analysts at the time declared the company was unstoppable and encouraged investors to continue “riding the wave”. Well, I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen a Blackberry in quite some time. Of course, Apple, Inc. released the iPhone in 2007 and quickly brushed Blackberry aside as they gained the bulk share of the cell phone industry. The analysts had been short-sighted and encouraged investors into what appeared to be the safe-bet due to the recent success of the stock. Hopefully you see where I am going with this. To be clear, I’m not saying that Dak is about to fall off into oblivion as Blackberry did – We’ve certainly found the future face of the franchise with Dak. I’m just pointing out that pundits and analysts are notoriously sheepish, and that the ability of the competition should be considered whether you’re making investment decisions or deciding which quarterback to start.
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you’ve got some real juevos, shares of Blackberry, Ltd. can currently be swiped up at the low, low price of around $7.00 a share…
NO R.E.S.P.E.C.T
Few people realize or give any credit to Tony’s actual accomplishments. In our “what have you done for me lately” society, fans and critics alike seem to dismiss his top-tier ability because he hasn’t been able to lead the Cowboys to new championships. But the stats can’t be ignored or pushed aside. When it comes to passer rating, Tony Romo comes in at 3rd on the list (All-Time). Yup, that’s 3rd in the entire history of the NFL, not just among active QB’s. Just to list a few names who fall below Tony: Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner, Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Brett Favre, Ben Rothlisberger, etc, etc…
I can already hear the Romo-Haters now: “Oh wow [sarcasm], he’s 3rd all-time in passer rating, but Romo can’t seem to close out games, that’s why he’s a loser!” Well, the haters are incorrect once again because our boy Tony happens to hold the 2nd highest 4th Quarter Passer Rating OF ALL TIME. Again, that’s an all-time stat (see above list for QB’s who fall below him).
To be honest, Romo has significant standing in practically every major category of the all-time stats, but he never gets credit for his entire body of work – only the memorable losses seem to come to the minds of the pundits when they form their opinions.
2014 RING A BELL?
Probably one of the most over-looked reasons for starting Romo when he is fully healthy is due to the success the Cowboys had in 2014. With DeMarco Murray in 2014, the Cowboys were able to bruise their way into leading the league in time of possession (54.69%), which kept the mediocre defense off the field as much as possible. In 2016, the Cowboys have looked very similar with Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield, coming in at 2nd in the league in TOP (55%). This not only limits the vulnerability of our defense, but it significantly opens up the down-field passing game for the quarterback. Dak Prescott has been the biggest benefactor of this, and I firmly believe it’s one of the main reasons that he’s had success this year.
But Tony Romo has more capability to push the ball down-field in the passing game than Dak Prescott does. If there has been any “flaw” in Dak’s performances this year, it’s that he has preferred to check down to the third and fourth pass options and hasn’t really challenged the defensive backs that he’s faced. Dak may have gotten away with this during the first 6 games, but we’ve played some very mediocre teams with a 17-24 combined record – he won’t get away with that kind of strategy down the stretch or in the playoffs. With Romo at QB, he’d be able to stretch the defense down field which would create gaping holes more frequently for the run game. He did it in 2014 for DeMarco and he’ll do it again for Zeke, if afforded the opportunity.
PLAYOFFS! PLAYOFFS?
Admittedly, Romo’s early playoff resume doesn’t exactly impress. As a matter of fact, one of the most common arguments I hear from Romo-haters is that “Tony is a choke-artist in the playoffs.” The “choke-artist” label for Romo first surfaced after he botched the snap on a game-winning field goal during the 2006 playoffs against the Seahawks. I can understand why this debacle would be permanently ingrained into the minds of the fan-base, and the Cowboys’ successive playoff appearances in ’07 and ’09 did little to restore his image either, but he certainly can’t shoulder all of the blame. The 2014 playoffs, however, are a much different story.
Every time I hear someone accuse Romo for the Cowboys’ quick exit from the 2014 playoffs, I have to question their knowledge of the game. After leading the ‘Boys to yet another 4th quarter comeback win against the Lions in the NFC Wildcard game, Romo was brilliant again against the Packers. He may have only thrown 19 passes, but he connected on 15 of them for 191 yards, 2 touchdowns and a Passer Rating of 143.6 (which is the 25th best PR in playoff history). Many will remember the game as the “Dez Bryant Catch/No-Catch” game, but the truth is, if DeMarco Murray had never fumbled in the 3rd quarter (leading to a Packers’ FG), or if the Dan Bailey field goal at the end of the 2nd quarter wasn’t blocked, the “Dez Bryant Catch/No-Catch” would have never even happened. Instead of going for it on that 4th and 2, the Cowboys would have just kicked a field goal for the win.
I understand that toying with the starting quarterback of a 5-1 (potentially 6-1) team is a scary proposition for any NFL fan base, but with how the league is shaping up this year, the Cowboys have a very real opportunity to make a deep run in the playoffs and contend for their sixth Super Bowl ring. Dak has been outstanding, and he’s certainly solidified his role as the future of the franchise, but let’s not lose sight of the forest through the trees. This IS and ALWAYS HAS BEEN Tony Romo’s team.
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4 Games In…3 Big Concerns
The first quarter of the 2017 NFL season is over; and while it’s still a very young season, there is much to be learned. These are my three largest concerns heading into week 5 of the season.
What’s going on with Dak?His stats are actually pretty decent. Dak has 8 passing touchdowns and only 3 picks this year. I realize he only had 4 picks all of last year, but he only had 3 passing touchdowns through 4 weeks last season. I will take a 2:1 TD to INT ratio any day.But something just isn’t right. He is having accuracy issues that he did not seem to have last year. There are times when it is difficult to decipher if Dak is throwing the ball away or actually trying to hit his target. This issue has been evident ever since he missed a wide open Dez in the season opener against the Giants. Is he losing confidence, going through a normal sophomore slump, or have we just replaced our all-time passing leader for a random 4th round pick? Time will be the ultimate judge, but it does make you wonder where would the Cowboys be today if he had the same issues last year. Would Dak be the Cowboys starting quarterback today, and would Phil Simms still have his job?The Leary EffectI’m completely sure Jonathan Cooper should have started over Chaz Green the first four games of the year. Cooper is simply better at left guard than Chaz Green. However, it doesn’t take a great NFL mind to notice our offensive line is not playing at the same level as last year. As sure as I am that Cooper is greater than Green, I am just as confident that Leary is greater than Cooper.Was Leary the undervalued piece of our interior push last year? It’s hard to argue against that based off the first four games of the season. The only other change is La’el Collins replacing Doug Free at right tackle. Although Free brought a lot of experience to the table, Collins has handled his own against the NFL pass rushing elites.DeMarcus Lawrence is the Defense’s Ride or DieA significant DeMarcus Lawrence injury would provide a death blow to the Cowboys defense. Against the Rams, Goff was under pressure in different parts of the game, but Lawrence was the only Cowboy who registered a sack. DeMarcus has 7.5 sacks for the year, leaving the rest of the Cowboys with a grand total of 5.5 sacks. DeMarcus has been the only bright star on this defense outside of an injured Sean Lee. DeMarcus only needs 0.5 a sack to meet his season high sack total, and should easily have over 15 sacks this year. David Irving returns from his four week suspension against the Packers this week, and can give Lawrence a partner in crime. This will hopefully shift some of the attention on DeMarcus from offensive coordinators for the remainder of the season. Also, has anyone heard from our first round draft pick lately? -
WEEK12 PREVIEW: Redskins (6-3-1) @ Cowboys (9-1)
A lot has changed since the last time these two teams met in week 2. One team left 1-1 and the other 0-2 and they have lost a combined 1 game since. The week 2 matchup featured a Cowboys rookie backfield that was just beginning to come into its own and a Kirk Cousins that was the focal point of everyone’s laughter. The interception by Barry Church 6 yards into the end zone spelled disaster in the 4th quarter as the Cowboys drove down the field to score the game’s last touchdown to secure a 4 point lead. Just to put everyone back in the mindset after that game, here is my opening paragraph:
After the Cowboys win in Landover, one thing is for certain: the Redskins have issues. Kirk Cousins threw for 364 yards and 1 TD, but should have had 3 more easy ones as Jamison Crowder and DeSean Jackson both had breakaways well past the Cowboy secondary only to be over thrown. Redskins Running Back, Matt Jones, had a good game as well rushing for 61 yards on only 13 carries. Why Jay Gruden doesn’t run more is beyond me. Not saying Cowboys coach Jason Garrett is perfect, but he did try to be less predictable with an onside kick in the middle of the game, which caught both teams off guard when the ball didn’t travel the 10 yards required. I want to feel good about this win, I do, but watching all the blatant missed opportunities by Washington makes it difficult.
Fast forward 10 weeks and the Redskins appear to have righted the ship. All those missed opportunities aren’t missed anymore as the Redskins rank 3rd in the league in passing yards per game and 9th in scoring. Kirk Cousins has a 98.8 passer rating on the season and only 4 interceptions since week 2. The Cowboys secondary had a hard time containing DeSean Jackson and will be even more hard pressed this week without Barry Church and Morris Claiborne helping cover the talented receiving core of this Washington team. The Skins rushing attack is no slouch either, ranking 10th with 117.1 ypg. This team will score, but to win, they need to score over 24 points per game as their defense is among the bottom feeders of the league allowing 23.3 points per game.
The Redskins aren’t the only ones to have improved since week 2. The Cowboys star running back has gone from averaging 67 ypg to 121 ypg since and Dak Prescott has earned the starting quarterback job over a healthy Tony Romo. The Cowboys put up over 100 yards rushing on the top ranked Ravens rush defense last week and will look to continue that domination this week vs the 22nd ranked Redskins D.
This game will be decided by which high powered offense can beat the weaker defense the worst. The Redskins vaunted pass attack vs the injured Cowboys secondary or the Cowboys vicious running game vs a bottom feeder Redskins front 7? What the Cowboys have going is their strength also keeps their opponents strength off the field. The Cowboys need to run the ball well and punish this Redskins defense by way of numerous 7-8 minute drives in order to prevent their own weakness from being too exposed.
Keys to the Game:
- RUN! Get the Offensive line moving downhill and wear the Redskins defense out. The longer the Cowboys have the ball, the less time Kirk Cousins has to throw to DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Jamison Crowder.
- Don’t let DeSean Jackson get behind you. With Morris Claiborne and Barry Church still out, look for the Redskins to attack this Dallas secondary early and often. We saw different Redskins WRs behind the coverage on numerous plays in the week 2 matchup only to have Cousins overthrow them
- For the sake of having a 3rd key: Dominate time of Possession. This needs to be as lopsided as possible. 35:00-25:00 or more.
Prediction:
Redskins: 24
Cowboys: 31
For more information on The Landry Letters Blog, please visit www.thelandryletters.com
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The New Look 2017 NBA: Southwest Division (Part 1 of 6)
I feel as if I’m in the Seinfeld Bizzaro World. KD is a Warrior, DWade is a Bull, and we will see the first NBA season of the millennium without Kobe, KG, or Duncan. The increased salary cap, crazy free agent signings, and trades in the summer of 2016 gave a whole new look to the NBA. It’s almost as if Adam Silver created a franchise on NBA2K and selected random draft. It was the most exciting NBA offseason ever, with almost no team unchanged, and sets up what looks to be one of the most exciting NBA seasons ever. Let’s go through a team by team breakdown of what the NBA will look like next year, and
perhaps make some predictions as well.Dallas Mavericks
Starting Five: C: Andrew Bogut PF: Dirk Nowitzki SF: Harrison Barnes SG: Wesley Matthews PG: Deron Williams
Ceiling, Floor & Most Likely: 3 seed; 8 seed; 5 seed
The Mavs were the ‘winner by default’ of the KD signing in Golden State. If KD doesn’t sign there, Barnes stays on and the Warriors have no reason to trade Bogut, and the Mavs would be left in shambles. So, as much as I hated the KD signing for the league, as a MFFL, I feel I owe KD a drink. Grabbing Barnes and Bogut, as well as resigning Dirk & Deron Williams gives the Mavs one of the best starting 5’s in the West. With Rick Carlisle still being a top 5 coach in the league, the Mavs will continue to be a team that gets the most from its players. Thankfully, this year Carlisle will have more talent to work with.
The two areas that the Mavs have weaknesses are depth & durability. Bogut & Williams have a history of various injuries and missing a big chunk of games in multiple seasons, while Matthews is still not 100% where he was before his Achilles tear. Depth will be a big factor for the Mavs with 4 of the 5 starters being in their 30s this season. Young guns Dwight Powell and Justin Anderson need to keep improving, while the Mavs will still need to rely on veterans Devin Harris & JJ Barea (although I am more impressed with JJ dating two Miss Universe contestants than anything he has done on the court since 2011). Also, look for rookie AJ Hammons to get more playing time than you might think this year. The big ‘if’ for the Mavs could be Steph’s little brother, Seth Curry. When I say he hasn’t done much in the league in his first three seasons, I mean it. He has played about half a season worth of games, with almost all of that being last season. The one positive from his play last season was that he shot 45% from 3 on 111 attempts. The best help an aging Dirk can ask for is competent shooters around him that will space the floor and allow him to launch his signature fade away jumper. All in all, let’s all pray really, really, really hard for a healthy Mavs starting rotation this year, because without that, it will be another 1st round exit for Dirk and Dallas.
Houston Rockets
Starting Five: C: Clint Capela PF: Ryan Anderson SF: Trevor Ariza SG: Eric Gordon PG: James Harden
Ceiling, Floor & Most Likely: 5 seed; Out; Out
It looks as if moving James Harden from the shooting guard to the point guard was to make room for Eric Gordon in the starting lineup. This will make the Houston starting defense even more deplorable by moving Patrick Beverly to the bench. However, that is not surprising when the head coach is Mike D’Antoni, the man who created the ‘7 seconds or less’ offense in Phoenix. It may be smart to keep Beverly in the starting lineup and keep Gordon as first man off the bench, possibly striving for 6th Man of the Year award. Gordon will give the Rockets a great scoring threat off the bench, to play alongside Terrance Jones, Nene & Corey Brewer. Not a bad bench crew, but depth is not the Rockets concern in 2017…
James Harden needs to find out what he is going to be in the league. Is he going to be a superstar that can bring his team a title or at least be in competition for one, which he has the talent to do, or is Harden more worried about ‘The flick of his wrist’ after every made basket? Harden may be the next Carmelo Anthony, always tearing up box scores, but also getting to admire the NBA playoffs from a tropical location as he makes his exit in late April/early May. James Harden is a great individual talent, but that does not always translate to team success. Let’s see if Mike D’Antoni can revive his career in Houston. But honestly, this seems more like the Lakers stint than what D’Antoni did in Phoenix.
Memphis Grizzlies
Starting Five: C: Marc Gasol PF: Zach Randolph SF: Chandler Parsons SG: Tony Allen PG: Mike Conley
Ceiling, Floor & Most Likely: 3 seed; 8 seed; 7 seed
The self-proclaimed ‘Ultimate player GM’ who will get your team the big stars you’ve been longing for because he’s ‘bros’ with everyone, just got recruited to another team. Apparently, Mike Conley convinced Chandler Parsons to come to Memphis, and honestly, I don’t see how this helps them very much. They now own the best pump-fake in the NBA (for max money, mind you).
The Grizz also are proud owners of the highest played player in the NBA! No, they didn’t steal Lebron from the Cavs. Mike Conley, the 2013 NBA All-Defense Second Team & 2014 NBA Sportsmanship winner (yes, those are his highest NBA accolades) is the HIGHEST PAID PLAYER IN THE NBA at 5 years $153 million!!! KD, Lebron, Kawhi, Russ & Steph better get to work if they want to catch this ZERO TIME ALL STAR! The contracts given out this summer are just laughable.
Probably the weakest point for the Grizz will be the coaching. They hired lifetime assistant coach, David Fizdale, to lead this team. You know what, that isn’t completely fair, he did coach Team Shaq to a loss against Team Chuck in the 2013 Rising Stars Challenge. I’d be more impressed if he were under the tutelage of a great coach, but it has been Eric Musselman, Mike Woodson, and Erik Spoelstra. Good luck Memphis, you’re gonna need it this year!
New Orleans Pelicans
Starting Five: C: Omer Asik PF: Anthony Davis SF: Dante Cunningham SG: Tyreke Evans/Buddy Hield PG: Jrue Holiday
Ceiling, Floor & Most Likely: 7 seed; Out; Out
Anthony Davis must have felt like he was in hell on this Pelicans team last season. The team just isn’t good, period. There is some talent, but it doesn’t mesh. Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday do not understand that the ball needs to run through Davis, and it makes the offense unwatchable. Davis has to be frustrated, but he isn’t the type of player to make it known publicly. The Pelicans better do something to change the culture on this team, or The Big Easy is going to be exactly that when opposing teams come to play.
With the addition of 6th overall pick, Buddy Hield, the Pelicans need to look for some kind of trade to dump Evans to get a defensive, all about the team type of player. The Miami Heat may have a few trade option to try to replace some of Dwyane Wade’s (and possibly Chris Bosh’s) offense. This team will be fun to watch to see if Buddy Hield can develop into Robin to Anthony Davis’ Batman. The Pels could be a team that scares people in the future, but that is several players and several years away from happening. Until then, enjoy the crawfish, oysters, and gumbo Buddy.
San Antonio Spurs
Starting Five: C: Pau Gasol PF: LaMarcus Aldridge SF: Kawhi Leonard SG: Danny Green PG: Tony Parker
Ceiling, Floor & Most Likely: 1 seed; 5 seed; 2 seed
San Antonio just lost probably the greatest power forward the NBA has ever seen. As a Mavericks & Dirk fan, that may have been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to admit. But the numbers don’t lie. 5 rings, 3 Finals MVPs, 2 MVPs, 1 All Star MVP, 15 All Stars, 15 All NBAs, 15 All Defense NBAs. Kareem is the only other player to have 26k points, 15k rebounds and 3k blocks. Only player with 1,000 wins on one team. 2nd most playoff games played and wins (1st if you don’t count role players like Derek Fisher). He has played in more playoff games than 18 franchises, and won more playoff games than 22 franchises.
Ok, enough butt kissing. Onto the gripes. I’m pissed that the Spurs got Duncan in the first place. Having an all-time great in David Robinson go down for a year, so you bottom out, win the lottery and get another all-time great? BS. And now Duncan is retiring and the Spurs are still not going to even miss the playoffs? More BS. And can someone explain to me why Duncan is considered a PF and not a C? Just because Robinson was a center, now Duncan is considered a power forward. So instead of being just another great center, he is considered the greatest power forward ever (a much weaker all-time position). The most BS. I need a shot of whisky.
Now onto this year’s Spurs. After winning 67 games, there is not a lot you need to do, just retool a little bit. That’s exactly what they did in getting Pau Gasol. It is a good move for them, giving them a low post scorer and a capable defender. David West stopped ring chasing with the Spurs to go chase one with the Warriors, so they picked up David Lee to backup the front court. The Spurs will do what the Spurs always do, and will be looking to win another 55-60 games with Pop at the helm.
Right on! This article is truly accurate. For those Romo haters, they will always remembered the things that Romo did bad, or somehow find something to blamed Romo for. So, I am grateful to read such beautiful article written from a very intelligent and knowledgeable person!
One question about all these nice stats. How many rings does he have ? He has never been a championship caliber qb. And clearly now more than ever he never will. So keep adding oto the stats
That’s right Phia, Romo is one of the all time greats. And if the Cowboys are going to the Super Bowl Romo will have to get healthy and take them. Dak is limited in what he has been allowed to do. That is by coaching design. Play to his strength and keep it controlled. Otherwise don’t lose games. When Romo gets back they will start really turning the offense loose and people will really like the looks of this team. I take nothing from Dak he is the future but he hasn’t faced any real tests. But Romo is the guy who can do it now not Dak…
Thank you for the facts to many people are so quick to blame the QBfor everything but when you had one of the worst defenses during all of this the owner pulls a bonehead move and trades the leagues leading rusher we have a piss poor offensive line that wasn’t protecting Room. And it is all Romo’s fault. Let get really all you haters. This is a team sport and everyone shoulders the blame startering with the owner making bad decisions that lead to failure. So word of advise if you open your mouth base it on facts. Fact we have a great offensive line that is protecting Dak. How often can you say that Room had this? Not that often. Fact strong running back that is health. How often has he had this with a good offensive performing line? Not that often. And when have did we last have a defense that did their job acceptably ? Not in the recent past. Now when did we .haveall of this at the same time?
As a die hard cowboys fan I have always known that romo was an elite top tier quarter back thanks for the solidification.. It’s an honor for any player to don the star but can we please be realistic about the glass man?? Romo is injury prone and he’s also in his mid 30s.. Where does that place us as a franchise if we derail the dak express for an accident waiting to happen?? In a boat gone fishing.. The future is now and as they say if it ain’t broke don’t let the broke man play lol or something to that affect..
Absolutely this is his team have said over and over and when he finally does step in were going to fire on all cylinders! There isn’t going to be 1 team in the playoffs that isn’t going to feed what’s coming there way
Phia, glad you liked the article. Thanks for the complement.
Thanks for this article. I’m so tired of all the Romo hate. He’s a great quarterback that is going to come back and take us to the superbowl. Go Cowboys!
Thank you Carlton, and we hope you are right!
I too am thankful to finally read an article with ALL the Romo facts. He is an amazing guy on and off the field yet people hate him. I totally agree with everything you have said. Spot on!! Romo deserves the chance with thia team to get a ring.
Thanks for reading Griffin. Dak’s a great quarterback and I love the guy. But until he develops the downfield capability, I think we need Romo. Last night was a great victory, but there were way too many times where he couldn’t hit wide open receivers (mainly Dez) deep downfield. If he’d of made a few of those throws, we wouldn’t have even gone into OT. Thanks again –
Bravo, nicely done. I’ve used similar arguments. Not to mention, Romo has sacrificed his body at the expense of some very bad o-lines. If it wasn’t or him, those mediocre years of 8-8 would have looked like 2015, 4-12.
Thanks Brian, and I agree. But more and more each day I feel like it’s going to take a Loss before we see Romo again. Maybe Dak can develop the deep ball over the next few weeks, but I don’t anticipate that after seeing last nights game. Our defense won’t always bail us out…
Wow its a great article, thank you!! Romo is and will always be a great QB regardless of his haters! Not to mention, a great person, mentor, and teammate!! Teams respect Romo more than they do Dak right now, and that’s why Romo needs a chance when he’s completely healthy! You are absolutely right about those long passes where the receivers were wide open, and shouldn’t have been that close of a game!! Thank you again for all those stats!!
He was 12-4 , left the team at 3-0 and you don’t think he can do it? Dak is doing good ,but did you see how many ball he threw to the ground , when they could easily been completed, we can’t give up those passes especially with Dez, you watch Tony throw the ball to Dez, Dak can’t get it out there as good as Tony.. not to mention we can’t say the rushing game is winning games for us also, not just dak,, But until then keep doing your thing Dak.. DC4L
finally some god damn sense with someone in the media…good read
I’m a fan of Romo as well! You stated your case very well with his stats. Romo has always been a good quarterback in my eyes! I just would love for him to be 100% healthy and ready when he returns to the game. In the meantime, allow Dak to do what he’s been doing all season! Great read, thanks!
I like the article as well I think that Romo is the better choice right now downfield accuracy and keeping the defenses honest Ezekiel Elliott is going to be able to get the same type of running lines that DeMarco Murray had if you’re stretching the field and you’re giving the defense an option of picking their poison we have a potent offense we have a potent offense with Dak. But I think that it’s still Romo’s team even if they don’t make a Deep Run they should Romo Romo because the team is geared toward his skill-set.
Great read!!!! I believe in the best interest for the team. I’m a huge DALLAS fan and enjoy watching the Boys win games. The truth is we have two amazing QBS on our squad. And when Tony is 100% I don’t see a problem of rotating Romo and Dak depending on what the play calls for. Yes defenses might be able to read what the play is going to be depending on who the quarterback is but with the accuracy that we have from Tony it really won’t matter when Tony’s in the game and he links up with one of his receivers mainly Bryant or even down to Witten it doesn’t matter who is guarding or what kind of defense they’re running if Tony is there to hook up with him he’s going to make the pass is going to complete it and vice versa with Dak. I belive in giving the team the best chance at winning this year and every year and want so bad to see us go the the playoffs and win a superb owl even if that means using both QBS and what ever their strengths are put it in whoever you need to depending on what the play calls for and using the strengths of both quarterbacks. Tony is a great qb and I wpuld like to see his stay healthy and honestly like to see him back in a game just to see him step up and play like his job is on the line which looks like it may be. that being said I believe that he will step up and play his hardest and play his smartest and put those numbers on the scoreboard and allow us to win games if you can get Romo in there and put the points on the board and take him out late in the game and put it back in you know that Dak will ultimately do the same he will put more points on the board or he’ll at least move the chains and get our running game going. I’m a firm believer in using both quarterbacks rotating in and out using them for their strengths and their weaknesses to win games and ultimately bring the Lombardi trophy home at the end of the year.
Great article! I’m also tired of the Romo haters and fair weather fans. Dak is great but let’s not forget what Romo has done for our tteam.
You seem to leave out how injury prone Romo has become, don’t get me wrong I agree that statistically Romo is a great quarter back, but over for a while now he has become incredibly injury prone, out pretty much all of last year and now this year as well as years before that. Romo has become FRAGILE!! While now we have Dak, younger, healthier, quick, has a good mentality and mind for the game, and on his way to become statistically far better than Romo will be, he has his whole career ahead of him. Yes he has made some mistakes but he’s just starting.
Charles Sneed
Romo is a great QB but this article is telling half the story….yes Romo might be able to throw down field better but there’s things Dak can do to take pressure off the running game too…QB read option from time to time…he also takes care of the ball way better then Romo….I haven’t seen Romo throw a ball away in years I’m sure he has but probably only inside the 20 and how long will we be able to depend on Romo since he’s so injury prone….just too many question marks for me
Thanks for the article. I personally see Romo as the Blackberry and Dak as the iPhone in your analogy. As you described I have forgotten all Romo has done in favor of what he hasn’t. I now see Romo as injury prone and brittle. As for being his Team, he played 4 regular season games last year and no games this year. Much of this young team know Dak better than Tony at this point. Elliott hasn’t even taken a handoff from him in regular season. Regardless of who plays down the stretch, We are lucky to have strong options at the QB slot.
I’m a die hard cowboys fan, I guess people for get how it was before Romo when we didn’t have a quarter back after troy. We went years trying to find someone then he took over and we have had a good offense. Eveyone forgets there are 3 phased of the game. Romo only plays one but it takes all 3 to will the game. He’s one of the greats and people need to understand that it’s a team sport. It’s his team. Here is another thing did everyone forget about what happened to the redskins? His name was RG3 oh wow he is so great he’s the best. How that work out for him and them not very good the next year after his rookie season now did it. Dak is good but not like Romo more like RG3 plays the same way dump off passes and running out of the pocket. Just a thought while everyone his ready to trade Romo away for Dak a rookie that hasn’t really played a good team yet.
Just saying!!!
Sounds like some fans and credicts r having a problem letting something go? The future has no time to wait for something of the past. Romo was very good ! But it would be foolish to change something special that came out of the dark. Embrace the new franchise QB and prepare for a road to victory.