Fans React to Romo’s Extension
By Kim Dunning
On Friday, March 29th, 2013, the Dallas Cowboys came to an agreement with quarterback Tony Romo on a 6-year 108 million dollar extension with 55 million in guaranteed money. As soon as the news broke, social media’s Twitter and Facebook blew up with status messages, message board debates and NFL group debates. One of the most intriguing status messages I saw on Facebook was by fellow Cowboy fan Mark James. Mark posted “You mean to tell me Tony Romo is the # 1 talked about athlete on the internet right now? Well there’s a shocker!!!!” Mark hit it dead on, Romo was talked about, meme’d about and heatedly debated with Cowboy fans and other NFL fans on either side of the deal. As social media blew up people were mostly talking either positively about Romo’s deal or they were talking about it negatively. Very few fans were in between.
The Positive Side:
Dec 2, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) smiles prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Surprisingly enough, quite a few fans were relieved that Romo’s deal was done. For quite a few of them it meant that this wasn’t lingering over the head of the Cowboys anymore and for those die hard Romo fans it meant that he wasn’t walking in 2014. One Dallas fan was very excited about the fact that there was cap room and his hopes for Charles Woodson to be signed by Dallas still had life. Patrick Blais, a Tampa Bay fan had posted in a Facebook group that “he (Romo) deserves the contract. If you just look at his numbers they are very good actually. I know the haters will tell you that he throws dumb picks, can’t win important games and doesn’t bring the Cowboys to the playoffs, (but) he is not the problem, offensive line and play calling plague the Cowboys last year, defense too. Personally I would take Romo tomorrow with my Bucs”. Our own Chris Dietz said that he had no problem with the extension as “Romo has been a good player on a poorly constructed team, starting from the coaching staff to the players around him.” Chris goes on to say that “ the 55 million guarantee has been blown out of proportion because (Baltimore Ravens quarterback) Joe Flacco only got 52 million and agents who represent players would do their clients a serve disservice if they did not push for guaranteed money”. Other Dallas fans like Chris Nadrowski and Kristi Kelly commented to say that they thought this was a good move for the Cowboys as it did free up some cap space but that Romo can only do so much by himself that the rest of the team needs to step up.
The Negative Side:
Dec 16, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) leaves the field during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys beat the Steelers 27-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
On the flip side there were quite a few fans that said it was a dumb move on the Cowboys part. One fan who asked to be named anonymous said that “ I believe it was a stupid move. You don’t give a 32-year old quarterback a 6-year deal. That means when it ends he’s almost 39.” This fan goes on to say “You basically strapped yourself for cash since this was not a good year for your team to do big contracts with the NFL penalty coming at us.” And he wraps it up by saying “Honestly, this is his 9th year in the league and the Cowboys still haven’t built a team around him. Either you let him go or find someone else. How long are the Cowboys going to use the same excuse “he has no weapons or offensive line”. These are valid points and it’s true the same excuses used by fans year in and year out but to a point they aren’t necessarily excuses as much as facts of the inter-workings of the Dallas Cowboys team. Some other fans said it was too early to extend him for that much and wished he had the 2013 season to prove he was worth the money Dallas paid him. They go on to say that “he (Romo) better play like he’s worth it and stop choking in the win or go home games.” Some other fans feel like it’s a waste of money as the upgrade isn’t needed at quarterback and could be better spent on positions we are lacking.
Depending on what side you, as Dallas fans, fall on the extension of Tony Romo depends on how you have begun to look at the 2013 season. Whether or not you agree, we do have our starting quarterback locked up for a few more years. Now it’s time for Dallas to draft smart and get that young gun to groom to eventually take Romo’s spot so that we aren’t stuck in the quarterback carousel we were the years before Tony Romo.