The problem with Tony Romo

[Tailback U]

Fine. Just name me an offense that mismanages there talent more than the Cowboys. Why does it take over a year to figure out Roy Williams best routes ? STILL havent found a way to manage 3 good running backs. Now we're just ignoring Witten ?

Play calling still predictable and passing routes far too time consuming. Theres no problem with deeper complex routes but you dont always have time for double moves and combination routes 15 yards deep. You need to work the underneath which the Cowboys suck ass at.

Granted he blew some hot reads last week. But for the most part he doesnt have quick options underneath to allow him a better progression. Whats he going to check off to the other WR who is still in the middle of his route ?

I mean, that's partially why I made this thread. For whatever reason, the playcalling and gameplan are not maxing out the offense's potential. That much is obvious.

But you'd think that in his 5th season, Romo would be able to have some control and authority over the offense at the line of scrimmage, wouldn't you?

I see Romo point out the mike and make a couple calls here and there but sometimes he really looks kind of shy or timid out there when it comes to audibling or making adjustments before the snap.

You obviously watch the Cowboys much more than I do, how much control over the offense do you think Romo really has? Do you think he's capable of having that power even?

 

[Tailback U]

Romo's in his 4th season as a starter. 3 and 1/2 if you wanna be really technical.

Yeah, 5th season in the NFL, though.

 

[Tailback U]

I am by no means a Tony Romo fan but I will defend him here, only because I have nothing better to do right now. Except, in my argument, I will include the Atlanta game, it is unfair to ignore his best game to suit your argument.

Teams below .500
Totals = 79/130 (60%), 1215 yards (303ypg), 8 TD, 0 INT, 113.0 QBR.
4-0 record


Teams above .500
Totals = 104/173 (60%), 1248 yards (250ypg), 6 INT, 6 TD, 79.35 QBR.
2-3 record


Now, how is that much different to any other 'decent' quarterback? For the sake of argument, I will compare him to a QB that may be similarly valued, Matt Ryan.


Matt Ryan
Teams below .500
Totals = 123/193 (64%), 1322 yards (220ypg), 11 TD, 7 INT, 87.60 QBR
5-1 record

Teams above .500
Totals = 55/105 (52%), 686 yards (229ypg), 3 TD, 5 INT, 62.65 QBR
0-3 record



Look at other QB's with similar expectations..

McNabb; 3-1 against teams below .500
1-2 against teams above .500


Rodgers; 4-1 against teams below .500
1-3 against teams above .500

E.Manning; 4-0 against teams below .500
1-4 against teams above .500

Flacco; 3-0 against teams below .500
2-4 against teams above .500

Rivers; 4-0 against teams below .500
2-3 against teams above .500

This is a good post so thanks for putting it together but I don't think it's fair or even worth including guys like Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, and Aaron Rodgers because two of them are rookies and Rodgers only has 1 season under his belt.

McNabb, Rivers, and Eli have all done something that Romo hasn't - win at least 1 playoff game.

That's the whole question behind this thread really: Do you believe that Romo will win a playoff game this year? I don't see how anyone can based on the stats in the OP and Romo's record and performance over the course of his career in the month of December.

Again, it's not all on his shoulders because the coaching must take some of the blame, too, but everyone knows that the QB is always the guy that people look to judge first and foremost.

 

[Derrville]

Yeah, 5th season in the NFL, though.

Actually its 7 but he has had about 4 different offensive cordinators.

 

[mgoblue2290]

I love when some of you guys complain about having a bad offensive lines. Clearly you've never seen the Lions offensive line(I know, I know, we're not on TV much but watch on Thanksgiving and you'll see).

 

[Archer]

I'm still confused as to why the Boys don't try and be a power running team

Best 1-2-3 punch in the NFL and a good run blocking offensive line

What's the point in NOT playing to your strenghts?

 

[Bear Pand]

Actually its 7 but he has had about 4 different offensive cordinators.

So has Jason Campbell and JaMarcus Russell. No one ever makes that excuse for them though.

And wow, Romo is pushing 30 and still hasn't done shit yet huh?

 

[bucky]

I love when some of you guys complain about having a bad offensive lines. Clearly you've never seen the Lions offensive line(I know, I know, we're not on TV much but watch on Thanksgiving and you'll see).

GB O-Line isn't much better.

 

[nflman2033]

The three best players Dallas has on offense are Romo, Witten, and Marion Barber. This year, a typical Dallas game features 1 or 2 passes to Witten, 8 or 9 carries by Barber with no passes to him, and a lot of plays for Crayton, Austin, Williams, and Choice. Its beyond comprehension. I really don't think that Romo is the problem.

I think Austin could make a case for being up there, his TD's have been the product of YAC which is all him, well and some horrible tackling.

 

[nflman2033]

I'm still confused as to why the Boys don't try and be a power running team

Best 1-2-3 punch in the NFL and a good run blocking offensive line

What's the point in NOT playing to your strenghts?

two words.. JASON GARRETT. he tries too hard to be cute with his play calls

 

[Derrville]

So has Jason Campbell and JaMarcus Russell. No one ever makes that excuse for them though.

And wow, Romo is pushing 30 and still hasn't done shit yet huh?

Theyve never won with any of them, why should they? Im not making an excuse, saying this game was on Romo is quite Ridiculous, he didnt fumble just flat out fumble while running, he didnt committ stupid penalty on 3rd down, he didnt sack Rodgers and get the fumble only for it to be called back on a hands to the face call, he wasnt Orlando Scandrick getting picked on like a grade school nerd, he didnt drop the ball in Green Bay territory nor did he miss a 38 yard FG. He threw a pick, ya ok, Woodson also made one heck of a play to catch it too. Green Bay shut the running game down, no one could do anything.

All im saying is blaming this loss on Romo is fucking ridiculous. And lol with the He hasent done anything yet, like hes been playing for 10 years. Hes started for 3 1/2 years and lost 2 playoff games. Both games he had the team winning in the 4th. I guess its his fault Terry Glenn Fumbled for a safety than the shitty defense gave up a long TD pass for the go ahead score. All Romo did was lead the team down field, get robbed on a 1st down call, and then the botched snap happened. Same with the Giants game, He leads the team down the field before the half to take the lead and the defense lets New York drive down in like 20 secs. Than i guess its Romo's fault for Crayton and TO dropping a few Key passes, right?

Haters are gonna hate.

 

[Senser81]

So has Jason Campbell and JaMarcus Russell. No one ever makes that excuse for them though.

Thats actually all I hear about Jason Campbell. LOL at including JaMarcus Russell. He went 9-24 for a whopping 67 yards last Sunday.

 

[Tailback U]

It's not that the Cowboys Fans blame the Offensive Line. We all know we had an overrated group making the Pro Bowl and that it was Tony Romo that made them look better in pass protection. However, there's only so much scrambling a QB can do before he finally gives up on his offensive line.

Really? I was under the impression that it was the other way around as one of the knocks on Romo was that he holds on to the ball a bit too long?

It goes hand in hand with his inability to consistently go through his progressions while in the pocket. He often locks on to his primary target and waits for the split second that he can force the ball in. He'll wait for that moment but if his primary doesn't get open then he will ditch the pocket and start running around so he can buy time to look for his other options.

Flozell Adams needs to write a book called "The Deaf Side" and then adapt it into a blockbuster movie.

While he's at it, he needs to write a manual on how to protect his quarterback cleanly.

Kyle Kosier is serviceable.

Andre Gurode ... ever since he got his head smashed in my Fat Albert, well, he hasn't been the same.

Leonard Davis is just a big body we love to run behind.

Marc Columbo has been one overrated fat sack of shit since he came to the Cowboys.

Of course, I may be just being too hard on their evaluation.

The Deaf Side..lmao..

As KOF has stated, the receivers routes are complex and take time to run apparently ... time that Tony Romo does not have. When you offensive line sucks at pass protection, then why do you devise passing schemes with where every receiver runs a complex route? One or maybe at max, 2 route should be complex. The rest need to be simple for checkdown purposes.

As I said before, Peyton Manning would be a sitting duck with the pass protection our offensive line gives to their quarterback.

I'm sorry but I just can't buy into this. It seems like Cowboys fans have been blaming these super high tech "complex" routes for Romo's struggles forever now and I think it's silly.

You guys are acting like Cowboys run some fancy complex passing scheme that is light years ahead of what everyone else is running.

How "complex" the route is is typically determined by the drop of the QB. Do you guys mean to tell me that Romo takes more 7 step drops than 3 or 5 step drops and that the majority of the Cowboys passing plays are out of 7 step drops?

Not only that, but I have a hard time believing that every receiver is running a route designed for a 7 step drop. That just doesn't make any sense. All teams flood zones and stagger routes to attack different levels in coverage and give the Quarterback a number of reads and options. You guys are telling me that the Cowboys only run deep or long developing routes with no checkdowns for Romo.

I don't know, maybe I'm not quite understanding what you guys mean by "complex" routes. I really need to see a Cowboys game live so I can see what these fancy complex routes are all about.

So if any of you have an extra ticket to the game on Thanksgiving send it my way in a hurry and maybe this will all make sense. Thanks. :rock3:

 

[Senser81]

Not only that, but I have a hard time believing that every receiver is running a route designed for a 7 step drop. That just doesn't make any sense. All teams flood zones and stagger routes to attack different levels in coverage and give the Quarterback a number of reads and options. You guys are telling me that the Cowboys only run deep or long developing routes with no checkdowns for Romo.

In 2007, the Cowboys had the #2 offense in the NFL, second only to the record-setting Patriots offense. Witten had 96 catches for 1145 yards. Barber had 44 catches.

In 2009, Cowboys have the #10 offense in the NFL. Barber is on pace for 21 catches. Witten is on pace for 779 yards.

Seems to be a different offense with less checkdowns, no?

 

[bringbackjimmy]

Tony Romo is a top 5 QB just because haters don't want to credit him with the big games he wins doesn't make him suck...If you don't watch many cowboys games how can you judge the offense besides listening to ESPN. You cant see that all the WR run 15-20 yrd routes every play.

you obviously don't watch much if you still think Roy Williams is decent. The guy is absolute garbage and the only good thing he did all season was get hurt. He's TO without the talent and can't wait for the yr to be over so we can cut his ass and get rid of that awful contract.

 

[Tailback U]

Not really.

Witten's numbers have declined because he is staying in to help pass protect much more than in previous seasons.

Barber has missed a game and been banged up all year. Couple that with the fact that he is splitting time with Choice and Jones, who the Cowboys prefer as pass catchers out of the backfield over Barber, and the decline in his receptions, and statistics all across the board for that matter, makes perfect sense.

Also, Choice has 15 catches on the year, Barber has 12, and Jones has 4. 15 + 12 + 4 = 31. Chances are they tally up more than 44 receptions amongst the 3 of them.

Not only that but tight ends and backs aren't the only checkdown options. I know you know this, but as I said earlier, tons of passing plays incorporate a combination of short (checkdown), medium, and deep routes from the WRs so to assume that the Cowboys don't give Romo any checkdown options just because Witten and Barber's receptions have declined this season is not all that reasonable.

 

[Tailback U]

Not really.

Witten's numbers have declined because he is staying in to help pass protect much more than in previous seasons.

Barber has missed a game and been banged up all year. Couple that with the fact that he is splitting time with Choice and Jones, who the Cowboys prefer as pass catchers out of the backfield over Barber, and the decline in his receptions, and statistics all across the board for that matter, makes perfect sense.

Also, Choice has 15 catches on the year, Barber has 12, and Jones has 4. 15 + 12 + 4 = 31. Chances are they tally up more than 44 receptions amongst the 3 of them.

Not only that but tight ends and backs aren't the only checkdown options. I know you know this, but as I said earlier, tons of passing plays incorporate a combination of short (checkdown), medium, and deep routes from the WRs so to assume that the Cowboys don't give Romo any checkdown options just because Witten and Barber's receptions have declined this season is not all that reasonable.

 

[bucky]

Tony Romo is a top 5 QB just because haters don't want to credit him with the big games he wins doesn't make him suck...If you don't watch many cowboys games how can you judge the offense besides listening to ESPN. You cant see that all the WR run 15-20 yrd routes every play.

you obviously don't watch much if you still think Roy Williams is decent. The guy is absolute garbage and the only good thing he did all season was get hurt. He's TO without the talent and can't wait for the yr to be over so we can cut his ass and get rid of that awful contract.

Dude, so far Romo has faded badly in Dec. Jan. When he starts playing better at the end of the season and in the playoffs, I'll put him in the top 5. The guys has had talent around him during those late season fades.

He is still young enough that he may do it. Maybe even this year. But until he does. NOT a top 5.

 

[mgoblue2290]

Tony Romo is a top 5 QB just because haters don't want to credit him with the big games he wins doesn't make him suck...If you don't watch many cowboys games how can you judge the offense besides listening to ESPN. You cant see that all the WR run 15-20 yrd routes every play.

you obviously don't watch much if you still think Roy Williams is decent. The guy is absolute garbage and the only good thing he did all season was get hurt. He's TO without the talent and can't wait for the yr to be over so we can cut his ass and get rid of that awful contract.

:jonesy:

No, no he isn't. Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Brett Favre Phillip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, Donovan McNabb, and Joe Flacco are all better quarterbacks and theres a few more guys who you could also argue for.

 

[GoChargers]

This is a good post so thanks for putting it together but I don't think it's fair or even worth including guys like Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, and Aaron Rodgers because two of them are rookies and Rodgers only has 1 season under his belt.

McNabb, Rivers, and Eli have all done something that Romo hasn't - win at least 1 playoff game.

That's the whole question behind this thread really: Do you believe that Romo will win a playoff game this year? I don't see how anyone can based on the stats in the OP and Romo's record and performance over the course of his career in the month of December.

Again, it's not all on his shoulders because the coaching must take some of the blame, too, but everyone knows that the QB is always the guy that people look to judge first and foremost.

I see your point.. In honesty I would probably take all of those QB's listed ahead of Romo, the jury is still out on Flacco and Ryan. I agree with you that I think he will continue to have trouble getting a win in the post season, I think this will be the year he finally gets his 1st, but no more than that.