The Dallas Cowboys Are a Team
What a week it has been for the Dallas Cowboys, and especially starting quarterback Tony Romo. Would you ever have thought Dallas would have had a chance at winning against the seemingly indestructible Denver Broncos? They way Peyton Manning and company are playing it doesn’t look like anyone in the league can beat them. But Romo willed the Cowboys to 48 points, the most the Denver defense has given up so far in the young season. A critical mistake late in the fourth quarter sealed the game for Denver. But you can’t pin this all on any one person.
Oct 6, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) scrambles in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at AT
How many players does it take to make a team? How many different players get a chance to step on the field each week and help their team win? On offense, defense, and special teams there are eleven players on the field, working together for a common goal. Are they all created equal? Absolutely not. If that were the case there would be 300-pound offensive linemen 30-yards down the field catching passes, kickers blocking defensive linemen on extra-point attempts, and quarterbacks playing coverage. Each player has their assignments, and if they fail to do so the other ones suffer. One man cannot do it all.
People can’t see the fact that Romo does so much for this offense. He is elusive and that makes his line better. He’s got a rocket arm and can make any throw on the field and that makes his receivers better. He does so much and yet he’s the only one left out to dry. Ah the life of a quarterback.
That’s what my point is. Romo had a career day, and yet his performance is blemished because of one poor throw. No one is pointing out that the receivers weren’t getting open, or that the defense put them in this position in the first place. Instead, people are calling for his head, criticizing owner and general manager Jerry Jones for extending his contract, and in some extreme cases wanting Romo out the door. If you don’t believe me just read some of the comment sections on sites like ESPN.com and NFL.com. It can get ugly sometimes.
So much has already been said on this topic so far that in the end what it boils down to is there is not another player on the Dallas Cowboys roster that makes those around him better as much as Romo. Look what he did for Laurent Robinson. Without Romo, Robinson wouldn’t have ever landed his big deal with Jacksonville (five years, $32.5 million) and yet he can’t seem to find any work after one injury-plagued season. And Romo still takes flack for others’ shortcomings.
The Dallas Cowboys are a team. They win together and lose together. If the defense had been able to force at least one punt it may have been a different story. But did you hear Romo ever call out the defense for putting the offense in a position to have to score 48+ points? No, because he understands the idea of a team. Maybe some of the fans that don’t quite get this concept can figure it out before Sunday night. The Cowboys still have a game to play.