Tony Romo: Please Call Sean Payton!
I call upon all loyal Dallas Cowboy fans. Please help this post go viral. Tony Romo needs to call Sean Payton the moment his suspension is lifted and beg him to come to Dallas next year. For those of you under a rock (or Barack, as the case may be) this week, the currently suspended head coach for the New Orleans Saints will apparently become a free agent at the end of the season. Payton signed an extension through 2015 with the Saints that was voided by the league earlier this year allowing him to pursue other coaching positions if he wishes. And the Cowboys’ quarterback could be a key deciding factor in helping bring him back to Dallas.
Nov 4, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) waits for the call after a penalty flag is thrown during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Josh D. Weiss-US PRESSWIRE
It is widely known that Payton is the sole reason Romo is in Big “D”. As the Cowboys’ assistant head coach back in 2003, Sean signed Tony as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Illinois. In 2006, as the new head coach for the Saints, Payton offered Dallas a third round pick for Romo. Cowboys’ owner and general manager Jerry Jones refused because he wanted a second round pick or higher instead. It obviously never happened. Later that season, Romo replaced quarterback Drew Bledsoe as the starter and has been ever since.
That brings us to two conclusions: (1) Payton is invested in Romo and his success. (2) Payton believes in Romo. Those two facts alone should have Payton’s phone number on Romo’s speed dial.
You could see it on the face of Romo in last Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Even Tony himself is looking at the sidelines at current head coach Jason Garrett and saying “What are you doing???”. Many believe Garrett has lost faith in his veteran quarterback. As a former back-up quarterback in the NFL himself, you can imagine Garrett is probably a very harsh critic of the position. And it appears Romo has lost faith in Garrett as well. His questionable play-calling and general inexperience has the young coach on the hot seat this season.
The window is closing on Romo and other current Cowboy stars like Jason Witten and DeMarcus Ware. Tony knows his legacy hangs in the balance. Payton knows it too. He could finally prove that his pick, Romo, was the right one. That he was right about him all along. Why not jump at that chance to finally work together? There is nothing left to prove in New Orleans. Payton made Drew Brees a shoe-in Hall of Famer. He gave the lowly Saints their first Lombardi Trophy. Where’s the next challenge? There is little doubt it’s in Dallas.
Romo is by no means a Hall of Famer right now. There’s a chance he ends up a legend like Roger Staubach or Troy Aikman. There’s also an equal chance he becomes the new Danny White. A good player who could never quite lived up to the high expectation set before him. That expectation: A Super Bowl win. If this is about Romo’s legacy, Payton is the man to call. No one believes in Romo more than him and he has a winning pedigree.
Here’s how the phone conversation should go:
"Payton: “Hello.”Romo: “Hello coach, it’s Tony Romo.”Payton: “Hey, Tony. How are things going?”Romo: “Not good coach. I really need you in Dallas next season.”Payton: “You had me at hello, Tony. You…had…me…at hello.”"
There’s a 99.9% chance it doesn’t go down that way. But a fan can dream, can’t he?
Seriously, Romo needs to make that call to Payton (when he can. As pointed out by a reader, Payton is not allowed any contact with any NFL team until his suspension is over). Let the recruiting wars via the media begin. The Saints may have the inside track, but you can be sure the Cowboys are in-line. And it may take some coaxing for Payton’s personal pet project to get him out of New Orleans. Bottom line: If Romo wants to end up an NFL legend, like his idol Brett Favre, he better have a ton of anytime minutes on his cell phone once Payton’s suspension is lifted.