An NFL Exec's take on Romo

by dunkman on Jun 17, 2008 5:21 AM CDT Comment 23 comments

I'm sure a lot of you read this assessment of Tony Romo. By now most of us are pretty happy with the newly franchised QB for America's team. Still, I found a few interesting items. What struck me was how certain he is about what the Cowboys found, which runs counter to so many less informed "analysts" we hear carp about players inability to be perfect...

First, who is Michael Lombardi? Yeah, not Vince's son. But he describes his resume.

I have been an NFL executive for over 20 years,working for Bill Walsh, Marty Schottenheimer, Ernie Accorsi, Bill Belichick, Jon Gruden, Bill Callahan, Norv Turner and Mike Shanahan.

And what about Tony?

I think Romo is one of the top quarterbacks in the league and feel he will continue to improve.

And how close did Tony come to residinig in the great Black Hole of the NFL?

When I was with the Raiders, Jim Harbaugh our quarterback coach loved Romo coming out of college. He wanted to pick him in the fourth or fifth round.

He goes on to detail Tony's stats and accomplishments in high school and college and finishes sincerely with this

Read that bio, add in the fact that he is a scratch golfer, competitive and you have to ask, what more did he have to do to get drafted? I admire the Cowboys scouting staff for signing him and still pissed off I did not know enough. How many scouts have since changed their reports on Romo?

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Interesting stuff

Just goes to show that real players come out of smaller schools. Not that anyone should doubt this (Jerry Rice anyone?), but it’s kind of nuts that with accolades like that, no team (including us) spent a 7th rounder on him.

by grapejoos on Jun 17, 2008 10:08 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

+1

Very true..

T.O. and Romo smaller schools

Demarcus Ware smaller school..

"Why everything that's supposed to be bad, Make me feel so good?"

by Wmillion on Jun 17, 2008 12:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

If Romo would have went to a division IA school

he would have been a first rd pick, thats how good he was in college.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jun 17, 2008 10:54 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

NFL LIVE

Did anyone catch NFL live today?

Michael Smith was talking about a conversation he had with a veteran defensive player in the NFC. The defensive player said he thinks Romo struggled down the stretch because teams started to figure out what Romo and Garrett.. Stating you have to take away Romo’s first read and keep him improvising. Michael Smith went on to say easier said then done.

I was thinking the same thing. I saw plenty plays were Romo went to his 3rd read. I am sure Jason Witten wasn’t his primary option 87 times. I think teams will try to take TO out of the game even more this season. I envision a huge season for the WR that steps in the 2/3 wr role and a lot of dump offs for the barbarian and el gato..

"Why everything that's supposed to be bad, Make me feel so good?"

by Wmillion on Jun 17, 2008 9:39 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Huh?

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Jun 18, 2008 5:34 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

need to preview instead of just post..

Did anyone catch NFL live today?

Michael Smith was talking about a conversation he had with a veteran defensive player in the NFC. The defensive player said he thinks Romo struggled down the stretch because teams started to figure out what Romo and Garrett like to do.. Stating you have to take away Romo’s first read and keep him from improvising. Michael Smith went on to say easier said then done.

"Why everything that's supposed to be bad, Make me feel so good?"

by Wmillion on Jun 17, 2008 9:40 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Interesting...not sure I buy it

I mean, taking away TO will make life more difficult for Romo, but that’s true for every QB and their #1 receiver. Witten caught a LOT of passes, and Crayton got a decent number for a 3rd option. Of course, TO is not always the first read, but the stats don’t really suggest he struggles to throw to checkdowns. MB3 made a lot of plays out of the backfield too.

When Romo was really burning teams, particularly the Eagles and Giants on the road, it was when he and TO would read and recognize the gaps in coverage and change the play at the line to get TO one on one with a safety. If teams want to devote most of their defense to shutting down TO, other guys will thrive. The key to beating Romo is to take away his time to throw. Reminds me of just about every other QB ever.

by grapejoos on Jun 18, 2008 12:15 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yup

romo does his reads fast, though, it seems to be one of the qualities he’s particularly gifted at. and he’s only going to get better. he needs less time to get to his third read than a lot of qbs. so force him to go to his third read, and he still executes it well a lot of times.

but garrett and romo will have to step it up to another level in terms of the complexity and unpredictability of what they do as the season progresses. having a team that is almost all return players, with upgrades in versatile weapons like el gato and martellus in addition to mb3 and witten and the wr corps that all will be one year further along with potentials for breakthrough seasons, all of that should give them plenty of options to work with to keep defenses guessing!

by scottmaui on Jun 18, 2008 1:57 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Right

When Jaworski broke down Romo’s game, he noted that Tony is effective and fast in his progressions. My guess is that Tony’s accuracy dropped as he went throgh his reads – he and Garrett have talked about refining Tony’s footwork this off-season for each read. I think that’s the purpose – making the throw on his third read as accurate as his first.

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Jun 18, 2008 5:38 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

That is why they are working on his posture in the pocket. One step ahead..

"Why everything that's supposed to be bad, Make me feel so good?"

by Wmillion on Jun 18, 2008 9:07 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

good point

and also being able to get through his reads even faster without having to totally reset his feet for each one, and without floating up in the pocket, and then being able to get a quick release.

by scottmaui on Jun 18, 2008 11:50 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Question.

Is Tony Romo better then Carson Palmer? I continue to hear callers and Radio Host on NFL radio state Carson Plamer is 3rd best QB in the NFL.

I go back and forth in my mind. Carson has two really good WR’s, but his O-line sucks, and his Defense is horrible, so he plays from behind a lot. He has a great Arm, Great foot work, and very accurate..

Romo has a great WR, Great TE, a good O-line, and a solid defense. Good arm strength, foot work, and accuracy.-I think his ablility to improvise and mobility is what makes the difference.

"Why everything that's supposed to be bad, Make me feel so good?"

by Wmillion on Jun 19, 2008 7:44 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Palmer is a very very good QB, but so is Romo

They are two VERY different players. Palmer is the stereotypical pro-style quarterback: big, tall, strong arm, and a drop back passer. Romo is the opposite, he isn’t very big but is quick and nimble. Romo does his best throws outside of the pocket and likes to improvise and control the play. Both are effective and one isn’t 100% better than the other.

by ctrain7379 on Jun 19, 2008 10:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

ok

So if you had to start a franchise and Peyton and Brady weren’t available who would be your QB?

"Why everything that's supposed to be bad, Make me feel so good?"

by Wmillion on Jun 19, 2008 10:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's a great question

They are pretty even in most categories – ability, leadership, accuracy. I guess I’d say Romo because todays’ pressure defenses demand a guy with a little more escapability than Palmer has. Even Eli started moving nicely in the pocket at the end of last season, a fact I think contributed more tho their suiccess than so-called “maturing”. He evaded pressure while satying focused downfield. Well Romo is that plus some. So unless you are Tom Brady with an obscenely good offensive line (you saw what he was when that line took some injuries) I’d want a Romo. But barely.

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig loves it.

by dunkman on Jun 20, 2008 6:06 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Romo, even if Manning and Brady were available

because Romo is much younger than those guys.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jun 20, 2008 7:50 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Romo isn't that much younger

Brady’s 30 and Tony’s 28, remember Romo was a backup for longer than people think.

by ctrain7379 on Jun 20, 2008 11:25 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

I was thinking the same thing, but I know how much Terry loves Romo.

Honestly, Romo pops a championship this year, he could wedge himself in between Peyton and Brady.

"Why everything that's supposed to be bad, Make me feel so good?"

by Wmillion on Jun 20, 2008 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think Brady is 31, although not positive

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jun 20, 2008 3:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ages!!

http://www.nfl.com/players/tombrady/profile?id=BRA371156
He is 30 now, but will be 31 when the season starts. Romo is 28 and will not turn 29 until April of next year..

Peyton is 32!

"Why everything that's supposed to be bad, Make me feel so good?"

by Wmillion on Jun 20, 2008 3:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yes, Romo is better than Palmer

and quite frankly I don’t think its that close. Palmer has mobility issues, and their ability to throw the rock is about equal although Romo has a little better accuracy.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jun 20, 2008 7:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

ooooooooooooo thats tough but...

I’m a Cowboys fan for life, I’ll take Romo. I like his leadership, athleticism, talent, and attitude towards the game.

by ctrain7379 on Jun 19, 2008 11:00 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Last Year

I think last year’s performances moved Romo ahead slighty.. Carson threw less TD’s and More Picks then Romo, with 2 of the best WR’s in the league, and big time 3rd WR for half the season. Romo’s ability to make plays with his feet gives him the edge in my opionon, but Carson is right there, he is extremely talented. Carson has logged 3 straight seasons with at least 3800 yds, 26 tds, and completed 62% of his passes..

"Why everything that's supposed to be bad, Make me feel so good?"

by Wmillion on Jun 20, 2008 8:57 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs