Is Tony the next in the line of great Dallas Cowboy QB’s (Staubach and Aikman) or is he going to leave with good, perhaps even great, stats but ultimately the frustration of unmet expectations (Danny White)?

To assess this I have tried to pull together a summary of my view of the key attributes of Romo as I see them. 

He is talented

There is little doubt he has the talent.  He has a history of strong personal performance, going back to Eastern Illinois (3 x 3x OVC Player of the Year (2000–2002) and Walter Payton award in 2002. 

He has performed from the first game he stepped into the starter’s role.  In around 2.5 seasons he has already broken several Cowboy passing records.  His QB rating is phenomenal – Aikman didn't break 90 till his 5th year, Brady never had a year better than Romo's until ’07 and Peyton's didn't until his 6th year.  And he made the pro bowl his first two seasons. 

He is a nice guy with a calm demeanour

You don’t hear of many NFL starting QB’s changing an old couple’s tire after a game or buying a homeless person a movie ticket – and then sitting next to them!   He has real character.  He is not a rah-rah but I am not sure he needs to be.  But the downside of this personality in a locker-room or on the field is that he likely does not hold his teammates to account enough. 

He has never won a playoff game, at any level

His high-school team wasn’t good enough to ever get in the playoffs.  Eastern Illinios made the playoffs each of Romo’s 3 years as a starter but lost each time.  In 2001 they lost narrowly despite a 5-TD effort from Romo.  In 2002, they got killed including 2 turnovers from Romo.  You are all more than familiar with his record in the NFL….  This creates a hurdle of self-believe but I think Romo's resilience can overcome this. 

He is resilient

He has shown a great ability to bounce back from adversity.   His 2007 performance was not impacted by the Seattle fumble.  He came back from a 6 turnovers to help his team to victory against Buffalo.  Sometimes those early losses set up a lack of belief that manifests itself in further failures (e.g. Levy’s Bills – lost SB narrowly then got blown out in later years….).  I don’t think Romo is at this point yet. 

I think the danger with this resilience is that he puts too much on himself and continues to take too many risks.  In the playoffs this can kill you, as we have seen….

He is “philosophical” (but he does care) 

Often with strengths there is another side to the coin.  His nice guy personality and resilience I think also lead him to take a pretty balanced view of football – it is not the be-all and end-all for him.  There has been a lot of flak over both the Calvin Watkins article and some of Romo’s press conference comments so I won’t rehash it here.  But there is also a counter-point from Todd Archer. 

This is where Aikman's advice resonates strongly.  Romo has not handled perceptions well.  Perhaps this is due to his rapid transition from obscurity to NFL star, perhaps due to his balanced view, but he does need to do this better.  I personally don't believe his trip to Cabo was a big deal, but it undoubtly created much unneeded pressure and distraction.  Perceptions do matter in the NFL, because the mediots are always looking for an angle. 

He practices hard, but perhaps without sufficient discipline

These two articles also raise seemingly contradictory points about Romo’s practice habits which I had trouble reconciling.  But after reviewing carefully and looking at other evidence (e.g. Woodson’s DC podcasts – great listening BTW) I think I have a view that reconciles them. 

There is plenty of evidence of Romo’s work ethic in Archer’s article and from the past few years.   Question is whether, as some believe, the fame and fortune has changed these habits.  I don’t think so.  If you read the CW article carefully it is not critical of HOW HARD Romo practices, but HOW he practices:

“ Romo, sources said, often forced throws in practice and often did not treat practice work consistently.” 

I believe the issue is that he is not serious enough in practice and does not execute in practice how he should in the game.  This carries over into game situations where he does force the ball when he shouldn’t or pre-determine which receiver is getting the ball regardless of coverage. 

It seemed to me that there were a lot of throws this year where there was clear communication issues – even with Witten.   Passes where the receiver never turned around or clearly wasn’t expecting the ball.  Now I am sure that not all of those were Romo’s fault, but it is disciplined repetition in practice that would reduce the number of those errors or issues, whether by the receiver or Romo. 

My “Romo recipe” for success

In my view Romo has both the physical talent and the resilience to be one of the Cowboy “greats”, but there are a few things he needs to do to get over that hump. 

1. Lead by example.  Got to hold yourself accountable before you can hold others accountable. 

2. Continue to work hard – but practice with discipline, focus and concentration.  Sset the tone for others as Aikman did.  [The coaches hold the greater responsibility here though] 

 3. I don’t think he can change his nice guy personality and honestly I wouldn’t want him to.  But he must hold people to account even if he knows they won’t take it well.  If the player responds badly, then the coaches and other players must stand by Romo.

4.  Manage perceptions - don't give the mediots any ammunition.

5.  Don’t try to win it by yourself, limit mistakes and check-down or throw it away. 

There was a short quote in his Eagles press conference that didn’t get much attention.   “We didn’t show it today, and I’m disappointed and frustrated.  But we will be better next year, I promise you that.” 

I for one am looking forward to it.