Pat Kirwan has a good article on NFL.com on who’s the better quarterback – Tony Romo or Eli Manning?
Although we’ve heard these arguments before, Kirwan does a good job of repackaging them. Romo’s got the statistics but Manning has got the playoff pedigree and Super Bowl ring. Just for fun we’ll throw in the fact that Manning was a first round draft pick who fulfilled expectations and Romo was a nobody that nobody heard of who became the talk of league and tabloid-headline-attracting ladykiller. Oh yeah, he also had the best statistical season of any Cowboy quarterback. Ever. That’s including Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman.
Kirwan goes out on a limb and calls it … a tie.
I’d agree with that. But if I were forced to choose a side, I’d have to give the edge to Manning. He’s got the Super Bowl MVP trophy and a ring. He was instrumental in his team’s success with comebacks, timely throws and poise under fire. He has playoffs wins. His run was highlighted more by the picks he didn’t throw than the anything else but he’s not a game-manager a la Trent Dilfer, Mark Rypien and Brad Johnson. He was asked to win games and he did. Plus his scramble and game-saving Super Bowl throw was one of the best plays I’ve seen in years. He gets the nod from me.
That doesn’t mean I think he’s a better QB than Romo because I don’t. If I could have one quarterback in the league with the ball down six with less than two minutes I’d take Romo. Everytime. If it was 4th and 10 and I needed a first down to keep a big drive alive, I’d choose Romo to make the play. He’s just a special player. Obviously, my loyalties lie with Antonio.
He’s just not "playoff accomplished" yet and until he joins that frat he has to get hazed a little bit. Part of that is giving him grief for this hole in his resume. Manning, who is mechanical while Romo is fluid, stiff while Romo is mobile, stoic while Romo is giddy – doesn’t have a hole in his resume. So that’s why I’d give him the nod.
Good interview with Wade Phillips. He talks about T.O., Terry Glenn and this year’s expectations.
"This team has character and a lot of characters," Phillips said.
That’s such a good quote on so many levels.
The DMN Blog poses an interesting take on the Terry Glenn-Jerry Jones-Waiver-Gate-Fiasco: did the Greg Ellis-Jerry Jones-Show-Me-Some-Commitment-By-Giving-Me-More Money-Fiasco send the wrong signal? Tim McMahon poses the question here.
Terry Glenn, an aging veteran coming off a career-threatening injury, doesn't seem to have any leverage in his contact squabble with the Cowboys.
Of course, I thought the same thing about Greg Ellis when he was in a similar situation last summer. And Jerry Jones gave in to Ellis, reworking his contract to get the OLB onto the field a month into last season.
Jerry didn't give Ellis a big raise, but he tweaked the contract to put Ellis' mind at ease. The move paid off for the Cowboys, as Ellis earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl.
But it also might have sent a message to the Cowboys' veterans: Hold your ground with Jerry and he'll eventually budge.
As Daniel Plainview would say, Jerry’s an "oilman." And he’s stared down a helluva lot more risks than an aging receiver. I’d say the Greg Ellis standoff was an isolated incident, just like this dustup with Terry Glenn. At the end of the day, Jerry decided to put a prideful veteran’s mind at ease and I’ll think he’ll do the same with Glenn.
Patrick Watkins.
When I think of that name I think "height," "speed," and "potential."
What I don’t think a lot of is "playing time" and "making plays."
I do think of his fumble return for a touchdown that Brandon W spoke about here. I also think about the 87-yard touchdown he gave up two years ago. But mostly I think about how excited I was when Dallas selected him and how disappointed I’ve been ever since. He hasn’t played bad, he hasn’t played good, he just … hasn’t played. I mean, I’ve seen him on the field. I just haven’t seen him making an impact.
Hopefully all this changes this year. Watkins thinks it will. Hurd hopes so too.
Hurd also predicts greatness for the unit, especially if Watkins enjoys a breakthrough season. The Cowboys, who ranked ninth last season in total defense with an average yield of 307.6 yards per game, bolstered their secondary by trading for Jones and drafting Jenkins in the first round.
"They would be so much better if Patrick were to come on," Hurd said. "He has so much range, and can cover so much field that even if someone messes up, he can make up for their mistakes. That's a great asset."
Because of his 6-foot-5 frame, the selection of Watkins in the fifth round in 2006 represented one of the Cowboys' more intriguing draft picks in recent years. A former Florida State star, Watkins has shown flashes the past two seasons, but the Cowboys still are looking for him to put it all together.
The DMN Blog's Albert Breer thinks we need a good start or the cracks will start to show.
Agreed.