Romo Receives New Contract, Now Just Has To Earn It
By Joshua Huff
I can never tell if Romo is the luckiest or unluckiest quarterback in the NFL. During the season, it would appear that he is both.
Dec 23, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) throws a pass on the field before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Cowboys Stadium. The Saints beat the Cowboys 34-31 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
On the lucky side, Tony makes completions, picks up fumbles, and shovel passes his way out of busted plays and impossible situations. He spins, jukes, and ducks his way out sacks and losses.
A lot of this “luck” can be attributed to Romo’s skills as a quarterback, because in all honesty, a lot of this so called “luck” isn’t luck at all. Romo’s ability to extend the play is something most quarterbacks will never learn throughout their entire career. Tony possesses the determination and the vision to often create something out of nothing, to turn a loss into a gain, and to at times appear very lucky.
On the other side of that coin, Romo can often appear downright cursed. This is the same quarterback that can throw a handful of interceptions in one game, fumble an ill-advised shovel pass, and get crushed by an opposing team’s defense to the consequence of a broken clavicle, a punctured lung, and/or broken ribs. I think it’s important to point out that Romo played through these injuries, where other quarterbacks have chosen to sit out several weeks (I’m looking at you Michael Vick), and often led us to comeback victories while suffering the damage.
Dec 30, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) is help to his feet by referee Walt Anderson during the first half against the Washington Redskins at FedEX Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA Today Sports
A lot of Tony’s “bad” luck wasn’t necessarily his doing. It is difficult to fault a quarterback for not having time to complete a pass and instead having to dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge (what were the 5 D’s of Dodgeball?), nearly every time he drops back for a pass. You also can’t blame a guy for the ill-advised and low percentage attempts when the only alternative seems to be a perpetual 3 and out.
Between our offensive front line issues and seemingly no receiver other than Witten able to get on the same page with Romo, what exactly were we expecting from him? How many times was Tony seen on the sidelines coaching receivers on proper route adjustments during the game? Many of you may remember my suggestion of replacing our receiver’s coaches last season, as there were just way too many issues with route adjustments and proper route running across the board.
The true bad luck that I see from Tony is that in all the times these low percentage endeavors work, the ones that don’t seem to come at the worst possible time. These are the times you see Tony at the end of the game, head hung, somber….deflated.
Which brings me to the biggest obstacle Tony faces hands down, and that’s being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
Leading the Dallas Cowboy’s is an absolute dream, and at the same time, a complete nightmare. Primarily because Dallas is simultaneously the most loved and most hated team in professional sports. Those that hate the Cowboy’s will trash you no matter what your ability or performance, and that is to be expected. The real problem is that with so many loyal, die hard Cowboy’s fans out there, someone will need to be the scapegoat when things don’t go as planned. Someone must be the lightning rod, the masses demand their whipping boy.
That is what I find to be the most unlucky for Tony, but such is the price to play for the biggest team in professional football. You would think Tony’s new contract would help ease that burden, but as we all know when it comes to professional sports, with great money comes great expectations. Here’s hoping we put the proper people in place this year to allow Tony to earn his.