Tony Romo Should Remain The Man–ning In Dallas for a Long-Time !
By flaportejr
As I tuned in to watch new Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning’s press conference last Tuesday, I noticed something important that was said just as he was walking up to the podium to be introduced to the Denver fans and media for the first time. It was subtle, but I overheard one Bronco’s public relations representative state: “Please welcome the greatest regular season quarterback of all time, Peyton Manning.”
That statement got me thinking. Why is the former Colt being praised for his superior regular season statistics while Dallas Cowboys ‘quarterback Tony Romo is ridiculed and criticized weekly by the media? (both in and out of Dallas) Particularly by one NFL Network Analyst and former Cowboys CB Deion “Primetime” Sanders for basically putting up the same numbers.
I decided to research and display the below statistics, so Cowboy fans could see just how favorable Romo’s statistics compare to the future Hall of Fame Quarterback and newest $96 million Bronco.
(Stats from pro-football-reference.com)
Tony Romo – #9 – Quarterback – 6’2” 228lbs
Born: April 21, 1980 in San Diego, CA
Undrafted 2003 NFL Draft – Eastern Illinois University
Comp Att Cmp % Yards TD’s Int’s QB rating
2011 346 522 66.3 4,184 31 10 102.5
Career 1,672 2,592 64.5 20,834 149 72 96.9
1 win -3 loss – 25.0% – playoff win % (2006-2011)
Peyton Manning – #18 – Quarterback – 6’5” 235lbs
Born: March 24, 1976 in New Orleans, LA
1st Pick – 1st Round 1998 NFL Draft – University of Tennessee
Comp Att Cmp % Yards TD’s Int’s QB rating
2010 450 679 66.3 4,700 33 17 91.9
Career 4,682 7,210 64.9 54,828 198 86 94.9
9 wins -10 loss -47.3% playoff win % (1999- 2010)
Now, many Cowboy fans and haters will argue that Manning has a Super Bowl ring and a better playoff record. HOWEVER, I must argue that Manning’s first Super bowl win did not take place until February of 2007, some 9 years after his first NFL start in 1998.
In fact, you can also argue that the same also ironically applies to yet another Hall Of Fame legend and former Denver Bronco quarterback, John Elway. Elway was drafted in 1983 and didn’t win his first Superbowl until 15 years after his first NFL start. Romo was signed as a free agent after he went undrafted in 2003, and did not officially replace Drew Bledsoe until his first full NFL start on Sunday Night Football on 10/29/06. Thus giving him less than 6 years as a starting NFL QB.
Therefore, to conclude my point, the next time you hear one of these so called NFL experts state that the Dallas Cowboys will never win a Super bowl with Romo at quarterback and that they should replace him immediately with Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Tim Tebow, or even Peyton Manning, remember one important #, mentioned in this article: that of Romo’s jersey #, The #9. Which coincidentally is half of Peyton Manning’s jersey #18.
The #9 is relevant because as the above information clearly shows Romo, not only compares favorably to future Hall of Fame QB Manning having played only roughly half the amount of time, but also he still has 9 years left to get his first Super bowl win. Just as Manning accomplished exactly 9 years after his first NFL start and Elway did also did late in his career in his 15th NFL season as a starting QB.
As Cowboy fans, we all just have to remember to remain patient and supportive with Romo, and we should all follow the previous example set by both the Colt and Bronco fans before us. You can argue that the way that his early career statistics compare to some of the all-time NFL great QB’s, Romo definitely has displayed both the talent and drive to not only win a Super bowl but to also one day reach the NFL Hall of Fame. He just needs the positive support of us as Cowboy fans, and the patience to give him the required time prove it. I believe # 9 has already earned it.