Keep Blaming Romo, But the Folks at FO Don't Agree

Terry, eat your heart out!
For those others who insist that Dallas rids itself of it's heroic Franchise QB, allow (probably) the most respected football analysis in town to iterate what most of us here at BtB have lambasted you with the whole time: You're wrong to want Romo gone. He's pretty damn good.

5 months ago jakezze01 23 comments 0 recs |

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He had a really good year. Unfortunately, for the idjits amongst us, we're back to

meme of, “yeah, he’s got great stats, but he can’t pull his team along to a win.” Because he doesn’t play defense or special teams or block for himself, he’s not a winner. Worse, some of this comes from the mediots, who should know better.

by Fernie67 on Jan 7, 2012 9:29 AM CST reply actions

I'll bite.

Someone @ FO loves Romo. He directly cost us two games, and split responsibility on three more. I have been a strong Romo supporter over the years, but over the last two years he can not peel that defeatist “Eli” look off of his face. I am still impressed with his raw talent, toughness and improvisational skills, but as a leader you have to be the source of energy, not the one sucking it from your organization because your mind is full of concern.
That gift to Carpenter is one of the top ten worst all-time Cowboys’ plays. Taken with the gift to Revis (He had to know an injured, young Dez was not beating the over-under,) it continued the trend of not taking the throat, then laying down for the ultimate collapse.
Overall, our teams’ head is in a weird place, and Romo is a microcosm.
Also, It is weird to see a piece on top TEs not mention Witten, huh?

I smell something... It smells like... hope. And BBQ.

by BlueNSilverBlood on Jan 7, 2012 9:46 AM CST up reply actions

That must be it. It couldn't be that he's just that good, right? No numbers are good enough

because someone at each site must love him. Now, to your contentions, leaving aside the fact that all QBs have bad games, how about the Jets game? Did he miss the block on special teams? Did he fail to stop a crap-ass QB like Sanchez from leading scoring drives? How about crap-ass QBs like Rex Grossman or whoever is the QB of the week in Arizona? The Lions game was bad, no question. I can show you bad games by Brady, Manning, etc., that also cost their teams games, if you want to argue that one person is responsible for wins and losses.. If you’re going to do the “Romo loses games alone” thing, then I can balance what you said about two games with more games he directly won. You also conveniently ignore the injuries he played through, although I realize it’s all macho and s*** to deny that injuries matter. That “defeatist look” is in your imagination. Sorry.

The weirdest part is watching people give other parts of the team a pass. How is Romo a microcosm of anything? Why don’t you single out Ware and his off sides penalties (one that cost the Cowboys a turnover) in the Giants game, lack of key plays when it mattered, and so on? I actually don’t feel that way about Ware, but I understand that, like Romo, he can’t do it without help. You want a microcosm of what ails the team? How about the players on D looking to blame each other for missed plays, looking confused, and ADMITTING to taking plays off? The most annoying thing I see with this kind of preoccupation with everything Romo does is that it shines the light away from what really needs fixing on this team.

Regarding tight ends, Witten had a down year, as I understand it. He has badly regressed as a blocker, and I believe his reception total was down (feel free to correct me, if I’m wrong). I’m not surprised he wasn’t in the top five.

by Fernie67 on Jan 7, 2012 10:14 AM CST up reply actions 2 recs

Let's compare the number of games Romo has lost

compared to any other top QB. You want to compare those.

by Sharksbreath on Jan 10, 2012 6:33 AM CST up reply actions

Let me add that if you think Romo's numbers are all wrong there, then you must also believe

that it’s all skewed and that the other guys in the top five don’t belong there, right? If the numbers are bad then they’re all bad, and you’ll have to show me how everyone else’s are fair and Romo’s aren’t..

by Fernie67 on Jan 7, 2012 10:22 AM CST up reply actions

Just to add to this, here are more rankings:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/passing/sort/quarterbackRating/seasontype/2

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/tag/_/name/2011-week-17-total-qbr

In every list, Romo is number four. I’m sorry, but I don’t understand the “foot on the throat” argument, the choker label, or the “facial expression” thing. Romo has made mistakes, but as I said elsewhere, they all do. I guess the question is, now much margin for error has Romo had as opposed to the other QBs on the list? I think that’s as big a key as anything. I’d say little to none.

by Fernie67 on Jan 8, 2012 9:55 AM CST up reply actions

Sorry for the multiple posts. I'm not trying to be spammy; I just keep having additional

thoughts.

by Fernie67 on Jan 7, 2012 1:39 PM CST up reply actions

So emotional :)

No joking, as soon as my roommates saw the Cowboys’ demeanor before the second Giants game, they knew we had no chance. Especially Romo’s face, there is no way you can tell me like he looked in his zone before the game. I am not making excuses for the rest of the team, I am one of the cynical fans, I think there is something wrong with the mindset or preparation. Of course, I can not make a real judgement on what that prob may be. I am only saying that we do not deal with success well, we do not hustle through the whistle on every play, we lose focus in key moments, our O attacks harder in crunch time, and our D gets confused in crunch time.
Romo is certainly a microcosm of those things. I do not blame him so much for not settling down, he had a young, patchwork line all year. It is things like the easy incompletions, key INTs and forward laterals when he could slide for a first. K, that last one only happened once, but jeez, man that was really bad. Against the Cards, that easy flare to Jones, nerves push the ball. KILLS MOMENTUM!
And while there are times I see our O play harder in crunch time, most times they are only there because they failed to make a small, easy play that would have sealed the whole thing. Fernie, I honestly do not know how you do not see these things. It is almost like the Cowboys get paid to make it interesting. I grew up watching Cowboys and Cardinals football a lot. Cowboys FB is the only fb that has been harder to watch than Cards’ FB, because we both play erratic, close games, but the Cowboys have actual expectations, which the Cards did not for a long time.
BTW, Cards QB is Skelton, young kid who may turn into a fine leader.

I smell something... It smells like... hope. And BBQ.

by BlueNSilverBlood on Jan 7, 2012 4:22 PM CST up reply actions

Not really. I'm not the one talking about the look on people's faces. That's emotion

and imagination. I don’t know how Romo looked before the game, but if he had a “look,” before the Giant’s game, maybe it was pain, since his hand hurt. I don’t see what you see, but I will say this; if his numbers are consistently good every year, and they are, and they show that he had a great year this year, which he did, then maybe you should look elsewhere for things to fix.

by Fernie67 on Jan 7, 2012 4:36 PM CST up reply actions

Sorry, yet another thought to add:

I am not making excuses for the rest of the team, I am one of the cynical fans, I think there is something wrong with the mindset or preparation. Of course, I can not make a real judgement on what that prob may be.

Fundamentally, I think it’s a lack of talent at too many positions. It’s hard to look confident or prepare when you know you can’t run down the opposing WR or stop the pass rush. I think a bit too much is made of bravado and cockiness in the NFL. Those come with knowing that you can do your job well. Too many guys in this roster just can’t. Look, they went 8-8 with some serious holes in their personnel. I don’t know that a quick fix is possible, but I think with some key cuts and additions, they can be competitive again.

by Fernie67 on Jan 7, 2012 5:04 PM CST up reply actions

Another area we disagree in...

I believe that we have a relatively talented squad overall. But I love the team, and am crushed when we fall on our faces.
Romo can have a good game then make two bad plays that put us in peril, and while we get an “L”, his stats still look solid.

I smell something... It smells like... hope. And BBQ.

by BlueNSilverBlood on Jan 7, 2012 6:57 PM CST up reply actions

We'll have to agree to disagree on principle. As I said, every QB makes

mistakes, and some of them are costly. Five minutes ago, I saw Matthew Stafford throw a bad INT in the playoffs. Tom Brady threw a four-pick game this year and certainly contributed to a bad loss (a team the Cowboys beat handily). Drew Brees had a huge number of turnovers last year, more than Romo has ever had in any one year, and more than twice as many as Romo had this year. You think they’re all super duper, right? I’ll bet I could come up with more mistakes by any and all of them, if you like. You can focus on every bad play Romo has made and choose to think that that’s all he’s about, but If you’re truly objective, as you seem to believe you are, then you’ll acknowledge that Romo has been a key reason this team has even had a chance for the playoffs nearly every year he’s been starting instead of looking for a scapegoat for problems that go far beyond his job description.

Which leads me to the issue of overall talent, you think highly of the O line? Really? Outside of Smith, and, as a rookie, even he had his problems, could you point to the players you think a did a consistently great (or how about even good) job this year? Could you point to the great players on defense that protected the leads Romo gave them, especially at the end of the year? I’ll give you Ware and Lee. Two out of 11. I’ll be fascinated by your answer. I’ll also be fascinated to see how many of the guys you pick out will be starting next year.

by Fernie67 on Jan 7, 2012 10:07 PM CST up reply actions

I bet you can't find those numbers for Dec.

or games against teams with winning records.

Did you know the Cowboys have only beaten two teams with a winning record in the last two years. One each year.

by Sharksbreath on Jan 10, 2012 6:36 AM CST up reply actions

Actually, you can save your answer. I'm kinda done, since we aren't

going to persuade each other, and I’ve already violated my own vow not to get drawn into these kinds of pointless debates. If you think this is a talented team and Romo is the problem, more power to ya.

by Fernie67 on Jan 7, 2012 10:12 PM CST up reply actions

Ha,

Have a good night.
JFTR, I’m not a huge fan of our O-line this year, they were a young, patchwork line; give them time. Most teams don’t have several O-linemen who play consistently good ball.

I smell something... It smells like... hope. And BBQ.

by BlueNSilverBlood on Jan 7, 2012 10:50 PM CST up reply actions

BTW, apologies to all for the idjits comment. While I feel like it's a tired cliche about Romo,

and I expect the media to see beyond it, since they get paid to, the average fan is welcome to perpetuate it without being called an idjit.

by Fernie67 on Jan 7, 2012 10:26 AM CST up reply actions

Yeah

I agree it gets really annoying. The media portrays Romo in a negative way so the average fan, and basically every fan of any other team thinks he’s not very good. Which is all BS. It is what it is I suppose. Never understood the hate for Romo. Especially from other fans.

by BrickTop on Jan 7, 2012 10:35 AM CST via mobile up reply actions

Yeah, that's the thing that bothers me about the media. They say things things just

to get controversies going, that they know will get a reaction, and then the damage is done. They don’t say the things about other players that they say about Romo, don’t show near the disrespect (and this is often defended with, “well, he’s got a ring,” which is unbelievably lazy thinking and a cheap way to defend double standards). Now some of them are backing off the cliches and memes because Romo had a really good year and wasn’t the reason the Cowboys are out of it, but it would likely take years and multiple rings to turn it around. And even then, I strongly suspect that if the Cowboys did win the big one, they’d find a way to credit someone else.

by Fernie67 on Jan 7, 2012 10:47 AM CST up reply actions

Agree. Eli's Super Bowl years was his worst statistical year ever.

I think his QB rating was in the 70’s. But, he had a strong running game and great defense. So, all he had to do was drive. Of course, David Tyree saved his bacon on a give up Hail Mary.

by Mr._Mulligan on Jan 7, 2012 11:21 AM CST up reply actions

Eli had good stats this year overall, too, but he laid eggs in the two games

before the last game against the Cowboys. His D has come on strong toward the end of the season, which is exactly what happened in 2007.

by Fernie67 on Jan 7, 2012 11:44 AM CST up reply actions

I'm not mad at ya

I smell something... It smells like... hope. And BBQ.

by BlueNSilverBlood on Jan 7, 2012 3:59 PM CST up reply actions

Good. I didn't like the way I sounded there.

by Fernie67 on Jan 7, 2012 5:05 PM CST up reply actions

Stats aren't all, but come on!

QB rating, with all of its defficiencies, has served more or less well (at least, for comparisons of players within the same era of the game). There, Romo is amongst the best ever.

Now, FO says that QB rating is flawed, ant they come up with their DYAR and DVOA thingies, and Romo, again, is right there, at number 4, right behind Rodgers, Brees and Brady.

ESPN also says that QB rating is so very 2010, and introduce us to the ultimate statistic, “QBR”, which among other things, is supposed to measure all relevant aspects of the game, including (Maestro! dramatic music, por favore): “Clutch Play”. And again, Romo is number 4, right after the above mentioned.

And of course, we can’t forget that we have seen all possible slices and dices of his statistics: long passes, fourth quarter play, blitzed, not blitzed, play action… Whatever, Romo always comes up among the games best.

So, have you heard of Occam’s razor? It is an old and time honored principle, according to which, the simplest explanation of a phenomenom, will usually be the correct one.

In that context, which is more likely?

A. Romo inhabits a different place of the space-time continum, in which really-sucky play translates into great statistics (just checked, profootball reference say’s that he has the second best all time QB rating, after Rodgers).

B. Perhaps, maybe, possibly, the rest of the team is not that good?

Certainly, I don’t want to argue that he is perfect, that he can’t improve his play in certain areas, or that he is better than Aikman, Brady, or whomever.

But, and fully understanding that there is no way to say this for sure, I will state, that: Comparing Romo to whomever QB you choose, the drop of talent , would be, if any, small.

Small enough, at least, to say in public that in my opinion, if Romo was playing in a team surrounded by players named “Emmit Smith”, “Larry Allen” and “Charles Haley”, or who earned fearsome nicknames, like “The Manster”, or better yet a defenseive unit baptised, " The Doomsday Defense", he would have at least one superbowl ring.

Anyway, I just can’t understand that after what we have seen the last couple of years, there is still people coming here to say that Romo is the problem.

by Fsanchezf1983 on Jan 10, 2012 8:10 PM CST reply actions