Why the Dallas Cowboys are still Tony Romo’s Team

Although Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has guided Dallas to a 6-1 record, Tony Romo should still retake the reins when healthy.

The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most talked about topic in sports right now, right behind the Chicago Cubs and 3-1 series leads. The Cowboys are 6-1, and have a very good chance to make it 7-1 with an afternoon tilt with the winless Cleveland Browns coming up this weekend.

They have the NFL’s leading rusher in Ezekiel Elliott, they’re on a six game winning streak, and they have a two game lead in their division and could even have a two game lead over the entire NFC after Week Nine. Yet all that’s talked about is the Cowboys quarterback position.

The “Cowboys Quarterback Controversy;” or, as I like to call it: “we have two franchise quarterbacks and you have zero;” has become the hot topic everywhere from ESPN to bar talk with your buddies.

Everybody has an opinion on who should be under center once both are healthy enough to play. The answer should be obvious: you play the better of the two players. And until proven otherwise, that is Tony Romo.

This is not a knock on Dak Prescott, who has been fantastic at doing what he’s been asked to do this season. Contrary to popular belief, you can like both players and believe both players are good quarterbacks. Saying one should start does not mean you think the other is not good enough to start. As a lifelong fan of the Dallas Cowboys, I want whoever gives the team the best chance to win to play, and that player remains Tony Romo.

A lot of factors are talked about in support of Prescott, such as “riding the hot hand” and “ruining team chemistry.” While these arguments do hold some merit, Dak will be the first to tell you he was not the hot hand for the first three and a half quarters against the Eagles last week.

Philadelphia and their excellent defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz came in looking to confuse the rookie signal-caller, and succeeded. There were a few plays where Dez Bryant was wide open downfield and Dak either checked it down or missed Dez entirely. These are rookie mistakes that nobody should hold against Prescott, but these are mistakes a veteran like Romo doesn’t make.

As well as he’s played in his rookie campaign, it’s not like Prescott is the team MVP to this point. The Cowboys boast the NFL’s leading rusher, the most talented offensive line in the league, and plenty of weapons in Bryant, Cole Beasley, and future Hall of Fame tight end Jason Witten.

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Dak has shown good chemistry with this offense, but I think Romo’s decade with this team trumps the rookies 7 games. Romo has thrown 87 touchdowns to Witten and Bryant alone. Quite frankly, if Romo got the recognition he deserved, the notion of starting Prescott over a healthy Romo would be blasphemous.

Simply put: Romo is easily the most underappreciated quarterback in football history. Some of that comes from his early career struggles, from botched field goal holds, to poorly timed interceptions. Some of it comes from the immense pressure that comes from being the quarterback for America’s Team, because as a fan base we have been spoiled with success.

Some of it comes from fans of teams other than the Cowboys, until just recently, Dallas has been voted the most hated NFL team every year. Due to all of these factors, there have been a lot of negative narratives surrounding Romo for his entire career, despite owning some of the best numbers in NFL history, such as:

• Third Best Passer Rating of All Time (97.1)
• T-Fourth Best Completion Percentage (65.3%)
• T-Fourteenth Career 4th Quarter Comebacks (25)
• All Time Cowboys Leader in Yards, Completion %, and Touchdowns

This is the quarterback that many fans want to see waste his last years away on the bench. It’s amazing how fickle Cowboys fans can be: in 2014 he was an MVP candidate, in 2015 the team went 4-12 without him, and in 2016 fans are ready to send him out to pasture.

The biggest question I have for those who are so against inserting Romo back into the lineup is simple: what is there to lose? Should Romo go out and play like a rusty beat up quarterback, well then it’s not like Prescott is going anywhere. Pulling him for Romo could break the rookie’s rhythm, but that happens in the NFL and if he is indeed the quarterback of the future, he needs to be able to deal with adversity.

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My favorite part of this team has been the quarterback position, both on the field and off. Dak has constantly repeated that this is Tony’s team. Romo can be seen on the sidelines helping the rookie during games, unlike the treatment Romo received when he was in Prescott’s position. There is a lot of Romo in Prescott’s game. The future is bright for both Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys; but this is still Tony’s team, and he deserves one last chance to lead this team to the mountaintop.