The Dallas Cowboys. They will always be in the news whether it’s after a victory or a defeat. They are one of the most historic, yet popular teams in football today. Coming into the 2016 season, Tony Romo re-injured his back and fourth round pick, Dak Prescott was penciled in as the starter and the young guy led the Dallas Cowboys to 11 wins in a row, a 13-3 record and a first-round bye in the playoffs. With all this success, what did this mean for Tony Romo? We all knew that he wouldn’t be back in Dallas and he felt he could still be a starter on any team gave the opportunity. Today, he announced his retirement after failing to sign with a new team.
Tony Romo was a good quarterback. I know we’ve looked at the mistakes late in games and the way he turned the ball over at crucial moments in the game and I think we focused on that more than what he was actually able to do on the field. I often referred to him as the NFC’s version of Ben Roethlisberger due to the mobility he showed and how he was able to move from the pocket and make that throw on the run. Here’s a perfect example of his mobility: JJ Watt was positioned perfectly for a sack and somehow, Tony rolled to the opposite side of the pocket (his left) and still manages to get the ball out his hands. One thing he never received much credit for was the mental toughness he played with. I remember in week two of the 2011 season, he had bruised ribs and a collapsed lung. He still played and led the Cowboys to a hard-fought win. He was a top ten quarterback in the league at one time and he simply played his best when he had a solid running game to lean on and didn’t have to throw the ball 50-55 times a game. Balance is still important in the game today though the NFL has become a pass-happy league.
I originally had him going to Denver and becoming the Broncos new quarterback and there’s no disrespect to Trevor Siemian, but I feel with Romo under center, the Broncos would be more of a contender with him. The Broncos are just a team that’s in the middle of the group right now. With Romo and that defense back to its 2015 form, this is the biggest threat to the Patriots in the AFC. Everybody thought he’d be a Houston Texan after the team shockingly decided to trade Brock Osweiler. Romo will still be involved in the game. He’s now been hired by CBS as an NFL analyst.
