Cowboy’s Fans Speak Out: Romo is Getting Too Much
By Jeff Magnia
Nov 11, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (center) talks with COO/EVP Stephen Jones (left) and EVP Jerry Jones, Jr. (right) prior to playing the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Cowboys defeated the Eagles 38-23. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Just like all of you, being a fan of the Dallas Cowboys this offseason hasn’t been a very easy task. Jerry Jones has not very active in free agency, he has had to worry more about re-working contracts to get under the salary cap, and he is re-signing players to some quite questionable contracts even asking some players to take pay cuts that aren’t worth keeping.
On my Facebook page, facebook.com/jeffmagnia, I asked some of the people that have liked my page “How does everyone feel about Tony Romo’s $108 million dollar contract, which $55 million is guaranteed?”
Needless to say, the answers I received didn’t really surprise me. We even discussed Doug Free and his status as a Cowboy.
One poster stated that they didn’t like the idea of a six year contract, stating that a three to four year contract was better. They continued to state that you never know what kind of talent will be around in the next few years, which is valid point. The poster continued to say that they feel Jones was desperate and figured this was the answer.
My thoughts on their comments are in agreement. Some folks in the state of Texas would love nothing more than have Heisman trophy winner Johnny Manziel wear a helmet with a star on it in the very near future. So signing Romo to a contract that has him in his near 40’s wasn’t the best of ideas. Was Jerry Jones desperate? I’m sure he is, he sees Romo as the franchise leader but doesn’t realize that he is putting the Cowboys in more salary cap danger with such a long contract and big amount of money. Much like the deal he had with Deion Sanders, Jones strapped the Cowboys to secure the services of the Hall of Famer but hindered the team from being active in free agency and improve the roster.
Another fan posted that they felt it was too much money but he also defended Jones. He stated that free agency really didn’t have a short term or long term answer to replace the caliber kind of quarterback that Romo is. They felt that some of the money promised Romo could have been used to help another problem the Cowboys has…the offensive line.
Speaking of the offensive line, the question was posted
Good insights thus far, Doug Free is set to make $7 million this season. Last season, he led the team in holding penalties. Hold on to him or set him free?
One fan stated what we have all along, “Doug Free is a problem has been for a while.” Another fan felt like Free is a waste of money, let him go and spread the wealth on up and coming talent. One fan said that “Free was terrible last year and not worth $7 million.” He continued to say “Jerry and his staff need to look at things from all angles this coming season.”
My comments to that are simple, well said and I agree. Free is a waste of money that has been a problem for the Cowboys. Getting rid of him and spending some money on someone like OL Eric Winston. According to STATS, Free was the most penalized starting offensive tackle in the NFL last season. So we can pay Free by the penalty or we can set him loose and go for a player worth it.
The topic of the NFL draft came about in the Facebook conversation, Chance Warmack has been stated as a favorite pick but it was agreed that Kenny Vacarro was well respected as a first round pick.
I still think that Sheldon Richardson is the best pick for the Cowboys; Vacarro is a very solid second pick if Richardson isn’t there.
I spent Sunday afternoon enjoying the answers posted by my fellow fans of the game. To see the comments as plentiful as they were, tells me that people still have football on the mind.