ARON ON COWBOYS: Forget mobility; Romo most offers hope
Associated Press
National Football League News Wire
IRVING, Texas -- Tony Romo lacks Drew Bledsoe's big arm and
his pedigree. He wasn't drafted, much less taken No. 1 overall. He
hasn't started a Super Bowl and perhaps hasn't even watched an
entire Pro Bowl, while Bledsoe has played in four.
But for the time being, Romo offers the Dallas Cowboys something
Bledsoe can't: Hope.
The same statement could've been made last week, after coach
Bill Parcells announced the quarterback change. Yet it would've
been wishful thinking for Cowboys fans, not something based on
"demonstrated ability," to borrow from the Parcells phrase book.
Now Romo has demonstrated that ability. And while Parcells tried
tempering his optimism by saying Monday that Romo's success against
Carolina might have been beginner's luck, do you really think the
65-year-old coach would've gone around kissing players as if they'd
won the Super Bowl unless he thought this game really meant
something?
C'mon. That was way too rousing of a celebration for a
pre-Halloween victory from a guy who repeatedly says a season isn't
worth evaluating until after Thanksgiving.
It was all about a player sparking a team -- not just for one
win, but in a way that could lead to many more, perhaps enough for
this team to finally win its first playoff game since 1996.
Sure, that's reading a lot into one game that turned as much on
mistakes by the Panthers as it did perfection by the Cowboys, but
it describes the fresh mood at Valley Ranch this week.
"You just hope the course of action you decided to take is for
the good of the team," Parcells said Monday.
Parcells had a lot riding on the move -- this season and,
perhaps, the final chapter of his career. Had it blown up on him
Sunday night, there's no telling what might've happened this week.
Now Parcells is fired up. He's got friends calling and telling
him how great he is. He feels like a genius for having stuck by the
kid and maybe takes a bit more glee in having turned his nothing
into something when Jerry Jones' hand-picked somethings all turned
out to be nothings.
Players are feeling good, too. They finally beat a good team and
did it on the road after getting down by two touchdowns. They are
rallying around Romo right now more than they ever were around
Bledsoe this season.
"He can play," said Terrell Owens, who may benefit from this
move as much as anyone. "You saw Tony scanning the field, scanning
the defense and putting the ball in the right place at the right
time. I think with the weapons we have on offense, we can rip a
defense apart."
While some might say Romo was a better option simply because he
couldn't be any worse than Bledsoe, he certainly seemed to know
what he was doing out there, proving that he really was paying
close attention during his three-plus years of apprenticeship.
Down 14-0 after three drives (a punt, a missed field goal and an
interception), Romo got Dallas within 14-10 at halftime. A pair of
punts to start the second half didn't get him down either. The
Cowboys scored on four of their final five possessions, ringing up
a club-record 25 points in the fourth quarter.
"His game management could use a little work, but for the first
time out in that kind of situation, I'd say I was generally
satisfied with that," Parcells said Monday.
The next challenge is how Romo handles the fame that comes with
being the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
He got a taste of it being everyone's darling the last few
months, as Bledsoe fell out of favor. But that might be nothing
compared to what could be coming.
Consider this: The team sent fans a "Breaking News" e-mail
Tuesday with the subject line "QB Tony Romo Jerseys Are Here,"
along with pictures of the home and road versions. Click through to
the jersey page on their Web site and those two models are in the
first two slots, ahead of the top-selling Terrell Owens models.
Then there's the 21st century example of his new status: an
anti-Romo blog began last Tuesday that's purely a farce. All
postings are signed by "Really Drew Bledsoe," and nearly all are
good for a chuckle or two, providing you don't offend easily.
That'll be obvious once you do a Google search and discover the
address is a derogatory tweak of Romo's name.
That's off the field stuff, though. He'll have plenty more
challenges on the field, starting Sunday with the blitz-happy
Washington Redskins, who now have six quarters' worth of film to
study.
Actually, his first on-field test comes at practice Wednesday.
He might still be sore from Sunday night, and perhaps still
bursting with pride, but will have to wipe the slate clean and get
ready to try proving himself all over again.
He's already been warned. As Romo was getting on the team bus
Sunday night, Parcells told him: "You better be able to get back
in the huddle on Wednesday and try to convince us you can move the
team."
National Football League News Wire
IRVING, Texas -- Tony Romo lacks Drew Bledsoe's big arm and
his pedigree. He wasn't drafted, much less taken No. 1 overall. He
hasn't started a Super Bowl and perhaps hasn't even watched an
entire Pro Bowl, while Bledsoe has played in four.
But for the time being, Romo offers the Dallas Cowboys something
Bledsoe can't: Hope.
The same statement could've been made last week, after coach
Bill Parcells announced the quarterback change. Yet it would've
been wishful thinking for Cowboys fans, not something based on
"demonstrated ability," to borrow from the Parcells phrase book.
Now Romo has demonstrated that ability. And while Parcells tried
tempering his optimism by saying Monday that Romo's success against
Carolina might have been beginner's luck, do you really think the
65-year-old coach would've gone around kissing players as if they'd
won the Super Bowl unless he thought this game really meant
something?
C'mon. That was way too rousing of a celebration for a
pre-Halloween victory from a guy who repeatedly says a season isn't
worth evaluating until after Thanksgiving.
It was all about a player sparking a team -- not just for one
win, but in a way that could lead to many more, perhaps enough for
this team to finally win its first playoff game since 1996.
Sure, that's reading a lot into one game that turned as much on
mistakes by the Panthers as it did perfection by the Cowboys, but
it describes the fresh mood at Valley Ranch this week.
"You just hope the course of action you decided to take is for
the good of the team," Parcells said Monday.
Parcells had a lot riding on the move -- this season and,
perhaps, the final chapter of his career. Had it blown up on him
Sunday night, there's no telling what might've happened this week.
Now Parcells is fired up. He's got friends calling and telling
him how great he is. He feels like a genius for having stuck by the
kid and maybe takes a bit more glee in having turned his nothing
into something when Jerry Jones' hand-picked somethings all turned
out to be nothings.
Players are feeling good, too. They finally beat a good team and
did it on the road after getting down by two touchdowns. They are
rallying around Romo right now more than they ever were around
Bledsoe this season.
"He can play," said Terrell Owens, who may benefit from this
move as much as anyone. "You saw Tony scanning the field, scanning
the defense and putting the ball in the right place at the right
time. I think with the weapons we have on offense, we can rip a
defense apart."
While some might say Romo was a better option simply because he
couldn't be any worse than Bledsoe, he certainly seemed to know
what he was doing out there, proving that he really was paying
close attention during his three-plus years of apprenticeship.
Down 14-0 after three drives (a punt, a missed field goal and an
interception), Romo got Dallas within 14-10 at halftime. A pair of
punts to start the second half didn't get him down either. The
Cowboys scored on four of their final five possessions, ringing up
a club-record 25 points in the fourth quarter.
"His game management could use a little work, but for the first
time out in that kind of situation, I'd say I was generally
satisfied with that," Parcells said Monday.
The next challenge is how Romo handles the fame that comes with
being the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.
He got a taste of it being everyone's darling the last few
months, as Bledsoe fell out of favor. But that might be nothing
compared to what could be coming.
Consider this: The team sent fans a "Breaking News" e-mail
Tuesday with the subject line "QB Tony Romo Jerseys Are Here,"
along with pictures of the home and road versions. Click through to
the jersey page on their Web site and those two models are in the
first two slots, ahead of the top-selling Terrell Owens models.
Then there's the 21st century example of his new status: an
anti-Romo blog began last Tuesday that's purely a farce. All
postings are signed by "Really Drew Bledsoe," and nearly all are
good for a chuckle or two, providing you don't offend easily.
That'll be obvious once you do a Google search and discover the
address is a derogatory tweak of Romo's name.
That's off the field stuff, though. He'll have plenty more
challenges on the field, starting Sunday with the blitz-happy
Washington Redskins, who now have six quarters' worth of film to
study.
Actually, his first on-field test comes at practice Wednesday.
He might still be sore from Sunday night, and perhaps still
bursting with pride, but will have to wipe the slate clean and get
ready to try proving himself all over again.
He's already been warned. As Romo was getting on the team bus
Sunday night, Parcells told him: "You better be able to get back
in the huddle on Wednesday and try to convince us you can move the
team."
posted by The Gryphon at 7:48 PM
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