Dallas Cowboys: Will Andrew Luck get the Tony Romo treatment in history?
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo’s career is a very polarizing topic. Will history treat Andrew Luck the same way?
Like the shot that is historically credited with starting the American Revolutionary War, there was an announcement late Saturday evening that was simultaneously heard around the world, or at least that’s the way it seemed. No, it wasn’t a new deal struck between the Dallas Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott.
It started when ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news that Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts would be calling it quits and retiring from the NFL at the age of 29. It literally shocked the world. From analyst to reporters, to players both current and former and especially to fans, this news was a total blindside.
Although blindsided and even though some Colts fans decided to boo Luck, the response from everyone wasn’t a nasty one or one of vitriol. This was indicative by responses like the supportive Tweet from former Cowboy Dez Bryant along with statements like this one from Jerry Jones where he says that he hopes Luck becomes president of the United States.
While this was the immediate reaction to Luck’s announcement of retirement, what will be the reaction once the news cycles start to digest and analyze Luck’s career? Will history and those that commentate on these types of matters give Luck the Tony Romo treatment?
What this refers to is the way that Tony Romo and his career are underrated and discredited when it comes to his place in history and among other great quarterbacks. Most times, the rap on Romo is that although he put up the numbers and had the comebacks and/or game-winning drives, he never performed at his best in the most important situations.
Most specifically mean the playoffs with these notions and although they are absolutely right to make that point, there are other factors that are never considered. These would be the factors and questions surrounding things like team management issues(why is your starting quarterback also your holder on field goals?) or team-building issues(almost never consistently having dependable units or talents in all three phases and/or in key positions).
While neither here nor there at the moment, as you could dive way deeper into why Romo wasn’t as successful in the postseason as he could have been, this is more about Luck. While Romo was 2-4 over his career in the playoffs, Luck bested him by two games in the win department, achieving a record of 4-4.
Luck averaged 281.75 passing yards with a 56.4 completion percentage across eight games, while Romo averaged 219.33 passing yards per contest on a 61.6 completion percentage across his six games. While Luck has a slightly better win percentage and average as far as yards per game in the Playoffs, Romo does have a better completion percentage. They are both four-time NFL Pro Bowler’s while Romo also has a second-team All-Pro honor to his name.
After a quick glance over their basic resumes, the verdict is in. Unfortunately, Luck will probably be viewed in the same light as Tony Romo, that being as a talented quarterback who couldn’t win the big one or come up big enough in the biggest spots.
Next. Tony Romo talks contracts, coaching, and Tom Brady. dark
This is with total respect for his decision, as that was obviously the best one for him, so this isn’t an assessment of his life or life choices but strictly based on the Football aspect. While his career isn’t a failure by any means, with the hype that surrounded him coming into the league along with the talent he displayed, it was a bit of a disappointment. History will most likely give him the Tony Romo treatment.