Tony Romo; It’s Not Reality, It’s Just a Fantasy
By Tonni Shook. Fantasy – a mental image, especially when unreal or fantastic. We have all had fantasies. Some more fantastic than others. This weekend I had a fantasy. I dreamed that Tony Romo led the Dallas Cowboys to the Super Bowl. Unreal, possibly so, but that’s the beauty of an imagination.
When I first started playing fantasy football in 2003, Antonio “Tony” Ramiro Romo joined the Dallas Cowboys as a walk on. Over the next four years, he practiced hard and eventually worked his way into the starting lineup. Over the next eight years, the Web Mistress, my alter ego, would take over the league as commissioner, win the league in back-to-back seasons, and basically dominate an all-male sport. Or at least in my fantasy. In that same amount of time, Romo has worked his way onto fantasy roster’s across America. Sunday, he made those owners proud and he finally earned that ludicrous paycheck.
Let me preface that I have called Romo every name you could think of the past couple of years. Screams could be heard from my living room, “Get rid of this loser!” “What are you thinking Jerry Jones – didn’t you learn your lesson with average quarterbacks in Quincy Carter?” I would bet many of you have screamed similar words. However, Sunday, against the Bills, Romo did what not too many have done before him. He threw for 270 yards with three touchdowns. He finished 23 of 26 completion, which is 88.5% accuracy. He earned a quarterback rating of 148.4. Not perfect, mind you, but pretty darn good in quarterback circles.
Romo quarterback ratings 2011 year-to-date:
Week 1 vs NY Jets 101.9 Loss
Week 2 vs San Fran 116.4 Win
Week 3 vs Washington 70.9 Win
Week 4 vs Detroit 86.4 Loss
Week 5 Bye
Week 6 vs New England 87.1 Loss
Week 7 vs St Louis 107.3 Win
Week 8 vs Philadelphia 66.7 Loss
Week 9 vs Seattle 112.2 Win
Week 10 vs Buffalo 148.4 Win
There is really no rhyme or reason to this madness, other than the Jets loss with a 101.9 rating and a Washington win with a 70.9 rating. As I see it, Romo needs to perform better than 102 to win consistently. His year-to-date average for 2011 is 97.7. In 2009, he averaged 97.6 in 16 games. In 2010, he averaged 94.9 in 6 games. In his Dallas Cowboys history, in 92 games, he averages 95.8. This little stat makes him the #3 best passer of all time. Have I been to harsh on the guy?
Then Sunday happened. Something snapped in his head, or maybe his fantasy of playing a superb game came to fruition. Whatever it was, Romo did it right. Here is what Jason Witten had to say:
"“Probably the best game I’ve seen him play where he’s just picking them apart with the way he approaches it. They were trying to give a lot of different looks. He knew where he wanted to go with the ball. … I think he’s getting healthy and it’s a sign of what’s ahead with the way he’s really being a dictator out there with how his approach is.”"
I like what I saw and I like what I hear from his teammates.
In my fantasy league, Romo’s year to date performances have also been average at best. Being a fantasy football commissioner, I know all about Romo and his dismal performances. He played on my starting roster, two years ago, and not only did I NOT make the playoffs, I was barely able to make my way back into the league. I have given the owner who has Romo this season all out grief for his second round pick up. I witnessed, in person, the Detroit debacle. I watched in horror, the Philadelphia pommeling. But since those two games, Romo and his posse have played well and added two more W’s to the standings. For the remainder of November, they have Washington, Miami, and Arizona, before they meet up with the mighty Giants. If all goes well, the Dallas Cowboys will be making all of our fantasies come true.
Romo fantasy points scored 2011 year-to-date in my league:
Week 1 – 21 points
Week 2 – 25 points
Week 3 – 8 points
Week 4 – 25 points
Week 5 – Bye
Week 6 – 17 points
Week 7 – 18 points
Week 8 – 12 points
Week 9 – 24 points
Week 10 – 28 points (getting close to Tom Brady fantasy numbers)
Was a new standard set on Sunday? Can fantasy owners around the world expect this type of production the rest of the season? Will his quarterback rating continue to improve? Only Romo can answer these questions and that is by performing on the field. As fans, we are looking for consistency. I do not think that is too much to ask. In my fantasy world, the Dallas Cowboys do win a Super Bowl. They do bring America’s team back to national prominence. Not sure what is going on in your fantasies, but I can say mine is fantastic.
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