Buck Harvey: Call Dallas QB anything but a rookie
San Antonio Express-News
IRVING — The play on words in North Texas has come as quickly as his release, albeit without the same accuracy or flair.
There's Romo-Cop. Adored by Romo-sexual fans. In Romo Coliseum. Which has created, as Terrell Owens added Thursday, Romo-mentum.
Romo-notonous. Never has one man turned around a football team AND lowered the humor of (pardon another) Romo sapiens.
But there's another pun that actually applies. This one became clear as Tony Romo tied Troy Aikman for touchdowns thrown in one game, and Tampa coach Jon Gruden said afterward he thought he was watching Aikman.
Romo isn't Aikman. Romo didn't have to play as a rookie as Aikman did, as most NFL quarterbacks do, as the Tampa Bay quarterback had to. Romo got time to learn behind veterans, to see how the game should be played. That, and ability, is why he has changed his franchise and the NFC.
Romo, to stay with the theme, wasn't built in a day.
It just seems that way. Bruce Gradkowski has started more NFL games than Romo has, and yet Romo has jetted past him and even Pro Bowl projections. If Romo keeps this up, isn't he an MVP candidate?
Bill Parcells might faint at the suggestion. He requested the media "put away the anointing oils" (fit for a Romo Emperor?), because he still sees "warts."
Everyone sees the warts, too. Romo could be taller.
And a first-quarter pass to Terry Glenn? If Romo had put his usual touch on the throw, as Parcells lamented later, then he would have thrown for a half-dozen touchdowns instead of merely tying a franchise record.
Otherwise, Romo has become the NFL's best story. He played against the Bucs as he has everyone, with second-half perfection and a command of the game. His numbers impress, but his manner does even more. Romo makes Everything Look Easy, which is hard in this game. Ask Drew Bledsoe.
The first drive of the second half summed up everything. A Dallas player was caught holding on the first play, and a month ago that would have ended the Cowboys' possession.
Romo, facing long yardage inside his own 10-yard line, instead rolled right and side-armed a pass to his rookie tight end, Anthony Fasano. Romo followed with an out to Glenn for the first down.
One play later Romo threw a perfect spiral to Glenn for 45 yards. Considering the distance and accuracy of the throw — and that Romo was running when he threw it — his physical talent is undeniable. A slant to Owens preceded a flip to Marion Barber for a 1-yard TD pass.
Romo-matic?
Afterward Parcells made fun of these short touchdown passes, saying, "I could have thrown some of those." Romo, told what Parcells said, countered his coach as well as he did Tampa.
"I wouldn't go that far," Romo said, laughing. "It's not easy getting down there."
It's not easy. Look around the league. High draft picks such as Eli Manning have struggled at times because, well, the game can be confusing.
It should be for Romo, too. He had never thrown a pass before this season. And when he meets the Giants in his next game, it will be the first time he's thrown a pass against an opponent for a second time.
But Romo seems to understand everything around him, unlike his young peers. Why? All of today's starting quarterbacks threw at least one pass in their first three seasons except for Romo.
Both Mannings, Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Vick, David Carr, Steve McNair, Jake Plummer, Joey Harrington and others played as rookies. Late bloomers were Carson Palmer, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Brett Favre and Daunte Culpepper. They didn't play until their second seasons.
Romo, instead, wasn't rushed, and it shows. "He was as prepared as anybody we played against this year," said the Tampa Bay defensive star, Ronde Barber.
As prepared? "You guys look at him like a rookie," Parcells said, "and I'm not."
So he's new, but he's been around. He's young, but he's ready.
There must be a name for that.
IRVING — The play on words in North Texas has come as quickly as his release, albeit without the same accuracy or flair.
There's Romo-Cop. Adored by Romo-sexual fans. In Romo Coliseum. Which has created, as Terrell Owens added Thursday, Romo-mentum.
Romo-notonous. Never has one man turned around a football team AND lowered the humor of (pardon another) Romo sapiens.
But there's another pun that actually applies. This one became clear as Tony Romo tied Troy Aikman for touchdowns thrown in one game, and Tampa coach Jon Gruden said afterward he thought he was watching Aikman.
Romo isn't Aikman. Romo didn't have to play as a rookie as Aikman did, as most NFL quarterbacks do, as the Tampa Bay quarterback had to. Romo got time to learn behind veterans, to see how the game should be played. That, and ability, is why he has changed his franchise and the NFC.
Romo, to stay with the theme, wasn't built in a day.
It just seems that way. Bruce Gradkowski has started more NFL games than Romo has, and yet Romo has jetted past him and even Pro Bowl projections. If Romo keeps this up, isn't he an MVP candidate?
Bill Parcells might faint at the suggestion. He requested the media "put away the anointing oils" (fit for a Romo Emperor?), because he still sees "warts."
Everyone sees the warts, too. Romo could be taller.
And a first-quarter pass to Terry Glenn? If Romo had put his usual touch on the throw, as Parcells lamented later, then he would have thrown for a half-dozen touchdowns instead of merely tying a franchise record.
Otherwise, Romo has become the NFL's best story. He played against the Bucs as he has everyone, with second-half perfection and a command of the game. His numbers impress, but his manner does even more. Romo makes Everything Look Easy, which is hard in this game. Ask Drew Bledsoe.
The first drive of the second half summed up everything. A Dallas player was caught holding on the first play, and a month ago that would have ended the Cowboys' possession.
Romo, facing long yardage inside his own 10-yard line, instead rolled right and side-armed a pass to his rookie tight end, Anthony Fasano. Romo followed with an out to Glenn for the first down.
One play later Romo threw a perfect spiral to Glenn for 45 yards. Considering the distance and accuracy of the throw — and that Romo was running when he threw it — his physical talent is undeniable. A slant to Owens preceded a flip to Marion Barber for a 1-yard TD pass.
Romo-matic?
Afterward Parcells made fun of these short touchdown passes, saying, "I could have thrown some of those." Romo, told what Parcells said, countered his coach as well as he did Tampa.
"I wouldn't go that far," Romo said, laughing. "It's not easy getting down there."
It's not easy. Look around the league. High draft picks such as Eli Manning have struggled at times because, well, the game can be confusing.
It should be for Romo, too. He had never thrown a pass before this season. And when he meets the Giants in his next game, it will be the first time he's thrown a pass against an opponent for a second time.
But Romo seems to understand everything around him, unlike his young peers. Why? All of today's starting quarterbacks threw at least one pass in their first three seasons except for Romo.
Both Mannings, Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Vick, David Carr, Steve McNair, Jake Plummer, Joey Harrington and others played as rookies. Late bloomers were Carson Palmer, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Brett Favre and Daunte Culpepper. They didn't play until their second seasons.
Romo, instead, wasn't rushed, and it shows. "He was as prepared as anybody we played against this year," said the Tampa Bay defensive star, Ronde Barber.
As prepared? "You guys look at him like a rookie," Parcells said, "and I'm not."
So he's new, but he's been around. He's young, but he's ready.
There must be a name for that.
posted by The Gryphon at 1:00 PM
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