Dallas Cowboys News: Meme-Busting Tony Romo Suddenly So Clutch Even Madden Changed His Rating

Trent Dilfer: "there's a Mount Rushmore of quarterbacks and if you think Romo is not on it, you're crazy." - ESPN UK
He was already short a star running back, and now Tony Romo is without his star wide receiver. But an older, wiser Romo has the ability to carry the Cowboys for this stretch, writes Jason Reid and lets Trent Dilfer do some of the talking:

He says even without Bryant, there's a whole lot to like about any Romo-led offense, "which is why, even five years ago, I said Romo was in that group of the best guys," Dilfer said on the phone the other day.

"You never know when to say 'elite,' because you don't know where you stop. Do you stop at [Ben] Roethlisberger? Do you put Eli [Manning] in? I really never know where to go there. But I would say there's a Mount Rushmore of quarterbacks in the NFL. And if you think Romo is not on it, you're crazy."

Tony Romo's maturation as Dallas Cowboys QB is no accident | The MMQB with Peter King
Peter King isn't going to become our favorite writer anytime soon, but this is a really good read that's well worth your time. King explains how Tony Romo has worked hard to fix careless mistakes and how that has changed the entire narrative about the Cowboys QB.

Tony Romo: Elite - Deadspin
Deadspin is so flabbergasted by the suddenly changed narrative about Tony Romo that for once they are at a loss for words. The quote below is essentially their entire article.

"Tony has been an elite quarterback for a long time," Kelly said during a Wednesday conference call. "He’s as good as anybody playing right now. I’ve always been a big fan of Tony and just how he plays the game at quarterback. He has an unbelievable understanding of what they’re doing. He gets them always into the right play, always in the right protection and he can make all the throws. He’s playing as good as any quarterback in the National Football League."

Romo now "clutch" in Madden - Reddit.com
The "Madden NFL" series of video games has a feature called "Player Traits," and one of the ratings in those player traits is "Clutch." The clutch setting provides a ratings boost to the clutch players in the final minutes of games or in tight situations. At the start of the season, 28 players were designated as "Clutch" in 'Madden NFL 16'. Tony Romo was not one of them, but that changed yesterday, as this excited reddit user explains:

As some of you may know there's player traits in Madden that further define a player beyond their numerical ratings. Tony has been changed to "Clutch Yes."

I'm shocked he's getting respect. This was just changed moments ago in a roster update.

'Sound FX': Romo's Giant Comeback | Dallas Cowboys
What better to do on a Saturday morning than to re-watch the Cowboys game winning drive against the Giants from Week 1.

Tony Romo is actually a clutch player, and the stats prove it | Larry Brown Sports
It's like the lights are going on across the NFL all of a sudden.

Aikman Thinks Romo, Cowboys Can Overcome Loss of Dez | Scott Crisp, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman believes the Cowboys have what it takes, starting with Tony Romo, to weather Dez Bryant's absence.

"I think Tony showed it last year and he has shown it again this last game that he's going to methodically take what the defense gives him and he's going to have time to do that. So that's huge with the offensive line and the protection he's been afforded."

No amount of facts will convince the willfully ignorant, but here it is anyway: pic.twitter.com/W4EhSkO0uE

— One Cool Customer (@OCC44) September 16, 2015

Video: Tony Romo is Castrol Edge Clutch Performer of the Week - NFL.com
All aboard the clutch train: Tony Romo's performance in a 27-26 victory over the New York Giants in Week 1 helped him land Castrol EDGE Clutch Performer of the Week honors.

Even the Dallas Cowboys Fanclub found out about Romo's clutchness and sent me a mail about it:

Cowboys begin life without Dez Bryant | Drew Davison, The Star-Telegram
With no timetable for Bryant's return, every Cowboys receiver steps up a rung on the depth chart and steps up to more responsibilities.

Terrance Williams ascends to the No. 1 receiving option for quarterback Tony Romo, and it’s a safe bet that slot receiver Cole Beasley and tight end Jason Witten could see more balls thrown their way.And don’t forget about second-year receiver Devin Street, who should also get significantly more playing time.

"It’s going to be fun watching guys step up in their roles with bigger expectations and go on from there," offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. "I look forward to it. I feel really good about the guys and how they have responded to the challenges, being able to step up and get more responsibilities."

Is Devin Street ready to be next Romo-made receiver? - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
Archer writes that the Cowboys will need Street to produce in the passing game.

The Cowboys drafted Street last year in the fifth round. While he was active for every game, he was more insurance policy. In this offseason he was elevated into the first-team offense with Bryant missing as he awaited a new contract. The coaches lauded Street's work in the spring and early in training camp, but an ankle injury sidetracked his development in the preseason. Street said Thursday the ankle is fine and he is 100 percent.

J.J. Wilcox Is Stitched Up, Ready To Build On Strong Week 1 Performance | Dallas Cowboys
Wilcox has eight stitches on his broken nose as a reminder of the gif-tastic hit he put on Odell Beckham Jr.

Gavin Escobar to get chance to produce - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
In response to a Twitter question about an expanded role for Escobar in the passing game, Archer offers this observation.

I don't think you'll see more two-tight end sets. I think you could see more three-tight end sets.

If three tight-end sets somehow seem familiar, Witten, Escobar, and Hanna crisscrossing the end zone against the Giants may be the reason why:

Sam Bradford must throw deep to beat Tony Romo - Phil Sheridan, ESPN Philadelphia
Yeah, good luck with that.

Tale of Two Halves: Monday Night Film Breakdown - The Falcoholic
Here's your chance to read up on what happened in the Eagles game on Monday night - from a Falcons perspective. I trust that you'll find it much more informative than almost anything else you've read about the game.

Charles R. McDonald explains that the Falcons did indeed have difficulty with the pace of the Philly game in the second half, and that Darren Sproles was a mismatch for the Falcons linebackers. But the Falcons decision to play a Cover 3 scheme also helped the Eagles out a lot.

Too Many Completions Underneath

In the second half, Sam Bradford and the Eagles passing game started to get into a groove by attacking one of the main weaknesses of Cover 3 defenses: underneath routes. In the diagram above, notice that the middle of the field within 5-7 yards of the line of scrimmage is susceptible to receivers running into that area. Philadelphia feasted off that cushion in the second half as they dinked and dunked their way up the field with tempo and timing routes.

5 things for Eagles to worry about vs. Dallas Cowboys | NJ.com
Much of the pre-game coverage so far has focused on who the Cowboys will miss against the Eagles. And while Dez Bryant, Randy Gregory, Greg Hardy, Rolando McClain, and probably even Ronald Leary will certainly be missed, this article points out that the Eagles still need to worry about Tony Romo, Jason Witten, and Cole Beasley. And there's also this:

In two years, under Chip Kelly, the Eagles are 10-7 at Lincoln Financial Field (they are the same 10-7 on the road). More pressing is the fact they are 0-3 in "big'' games at home, losing to New Orleans in the 2013 wild-card game and losing late-season games with playoff implications at home to Dallas and Seattle in 2014. It's too early in the season to call this real big, but it is a game the Eagles really need to win. And it's time they do that at home.

Dallas Cowboys hope to continue road success in 2015 - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
The Cowboys are looking to make it four straight wins in Philadelphia, and given their record as a road team, that's certainly a possibility.

The Cowboys have not been afraid of the road under Garrett. Since he took over as the interim coach midway through the 2010 season, the Cowboys are 21-15 away from AT&T Stadium. They were 8-0 last year, the only undefeated road team in the NFL.

They will walk into Lincoln Financial Field Sunday with an NFL-best nine-game road winning streak, dating back to 2013. The Carolina Panthers have the second-longest streak at three games. A win Sunday would equal the franchise record for road winning streaks. In 2006-07, the Cowboys won 10 in a row away from home.

Dallas Cowboys install new LED lighting system at AT&T Stadium - Stadia-Magazine.com
You may not have noticed it, but the Cowboys' season opener featured a new state-of-the-art LED lighting system on September 13.

Musco’s SportsCluster Green system with an LED light source will provide several benefits for athletes, fans, and HD broadcasts, including custom optics which direct light onto the field and not into the players or spectators’ eyes; an energy consumption reduction of 76% compared with the prior lights; and increased light levels of 42%. The LED light source also eliminates the flicker effect, for excellent slow motion replay.

Why incessantly advertised fantasy football sites remain legal, even if only for now | Sharon Grigsby, Dallas Morning News
Many fans do not realize exactly how much money is being made on fantasy football. Consider this: Draft Kings spent $80 million in advertising since August 1, Fanduel spent $20 million over the same span. And that's just for advertising. With that much money floating around, many interested parties are trying to get a piece of the action. Including legislators.

One thing’s clear from the number of lawmakers who have this week come out with calls to consider whether everything is above board with daily fantasy sports or whether there’s tax revenue in all this: Those 8,000 commercials caught their attention too. I wouldn’t count on that legal loophole lasting too much longer.

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