Dallas' inexperienced QB not sorry for confidence, brash decisions
by Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer
Tony Romo gigs Jerry Jones, calls reporters old enough to be his father "kid" and walks around the locker room like a player with three Super Bowl rings on his hand instead of three NFL starts under his belt.
But not to worry, Dallas Cowboys fans: Romo may be cheeky, but he isn't in any danger of getting a big head.
Bill Parcells won't let him.
"It's my job to keep Tony on the ground," the coach said. "Sometimes, the way he practices, it's not hard to do."
While some fans and members of the media stand ready to anoint Romo the team's next great quarterback, Parcells wages a one-man campaign to bring some perspective to Cowboys Nation.
"I'm impressed with his poise, but I'm telling you guys, he's a little less than perfect," Parcells said after Sunday's Romo-fueled 27-10 victory over Arizona.
Don't misunderstand. Parcells is a huge Romo fan and is confident that benching old pal Drew Bledsoe was the right move.
But Parcells also knows Romo, 26, has yet to get his "nose bloodied," has yet to face an outstanding defense and has yet to cure himself of his obsessive desire to make the big play.
Parcells says the great quarterbacks are the ones who can take a beating and still play at a high level.
"That's what separates some of these guys like (Brett) Favre," Parcells said. "They just keep going out there and going out there. There are a lot of them that can't do that."
Is Romo tough like his boyhood idol Favre? Nobody knows yet.
There are other question marks surrounding Romo, who will make his Texas Stadium debut as a starter Sunday when the Cowboys (5-4) face the Indianapolis Colts (9-0).
Since replacing Bledsoe as the starter three games ago, Romo has completed 67.3 percent of his passes and thrown for five touchdowns and only one interception while leading the Cowboys to a 2-1 record.
But those numbers were amassed against defenses that currently rank 17th, 30th and 29th. What will Romo do against a defense that excels against the pass?
The Cowboys should find out Sunday. The Colts rank second against the pass, yielding 158.3 yards a game.
That worries Parcells, especially because he knows Romo continues to pull some "beauties" when it comes to what the coach calls impulse decisions.
A perfect example came just before halftime against the Cardinals. After receiving orders from the sideline to stop the clock by spiking the ball, Romo faked the spike at the 10-yard line and threw a jump ball to Sam Hurd in the end zone.
Cardinals cornerback Antrel Rolle ignored the fake and nearly intercepted, getting a hand on the ball. Two plays later, Mike Vanderjagt kicked a 38-yard field goal to give Dallas a 13-3 lead.
"He's got a little renegade in him," Parcells said of Romo. "That pass could have been intercepted and returned 99 yards for a touchdown. I told him, 'Dumb players do dumb things.'"
Romo never apologized for the play, saying his only regret was he didn't make a better throw.
Parcells might forgive a rookie for such foolishness, but he has higher expectations for Romo.
"You folks look at him differently than I do," Parcells said. "I'm not looking at a rookie. I'm looking at a (four-year) veteran that lacks experience but has been around."
Still, Parcells admitted it was hard for him to get too angry at Romo, who passed for 308 yards against Arizona to become the first Cowboys quarterback since Troy Aikman in 1993 to throw for more than 250 yards in three consecutive games.
"Yeah, I'm happy with the performance," Parcells said. "But I'm also cognizant of the fact that some of the things he does will eventually jump up and bite you."
Said Romo: "It's a learning deal. I'm not going to make all the right decisions all the time. I'm just trying to make it so there's very few (bad decisions)."
The Cowboys' final seven games include outings against several playoff contenders. A bad decision in any of those games could cost them a playoff berth.
"We've got a long way to go and we've got some tough games," Parcells said. "This kid will be tested. And it won't go smoothly, I promise. It doesn't ever go smoothly."
Express-News Staff Writer
Tony Romo gigs Jerry Jones, calls reporters old enough to be his father "kid" and walks around the locker room like a player with three Super Bowl rings on his hand instead of three NFL starts under his belt.
But not to worry, Dallas Cowboys fans: Romo may be cheeky, but he isn't in any danger of getting a big head.
Bill Parcells won't let him.
"It's my job to keep Tony on the ground," the coach said. "Sometimes, the way he practices, it's not hard to do."
While some fans and members of the media stand ready to anoint Romo the team's next great quarterback, Parcells wages a one-man campaign to bring some perspective to Cowboys Nation.
"I'm impressed with his poise, but I'm telling you guys, he's a little less than perfect," Parcells said after Sunday's Romo-fueled 27-10 victory over Arizona.
Don't misunderstand. Parcells is a huge Romo fan and is confident that benching old pal Drew Bledsoe was the right move.
But Parcells also knows Romo, 26, has yet to get his "nose bloodied," has yet to face an outstanding defense and has yet to cure himself of his obsessive desire to make the big play.
Parcells says the great quarterbacks are the ones who can take a beating and still play at a high level.
"That's what separates some of these guys like (Brett) Favre," Parcells said. "They just keep going out there and going out there. There are a lot of them that can't do that."
Is Romo tough like his boyhood idol Favre? Nobody knows yet.
There are other question marks surrounding Romo, who will make his Texas Stadium debut as a starter Sunday when the Cowboys (5-4) face the Indianapolis Colts (9-0).
Since replacing Bledsoe as the starter three games ago, Romo has completed 67.3 percent of his passes and thrown for five touchdowns and only one interception while leading the Cowboys to a 2-1 record.
But those numbers were amassed against defenses that currently rank 17th, 30th and 29th. What will Romo do against a defense that excels against the pass?
The Cowboys should find out Sunday. The Colts rank second against the pass, yielding 158.3 yards a game.
That worries Parcells, especially because he knows Romo continues to pull some "beauties" when it comes to what the coach calls impulse decisions.
A perfect example came just before halftime against the Cardinals. After receiving orders from the sideline to stop the clock by spiking the ball, Romo faked the spike at the 10-yard line and threw a jump ball to Sam Hurd in the end zone.
Cardinals cornerback Antrel Rolle ignored the fake and nearly intercepted, getting a hand on the ball. Two plays later, Mike Vanderjagt kicked a 38-yard field goal to give Dallas a 13-3 lead.
"He's got a little renegade in him," Parcells said of Romo. "That pass could have been intercepted and returned 99 yards for a touchdown. I told him, 'Dumb players do dumb things.'"
Romo never apologized for the play, saying his only regret was he didn't make a better throw.
Parcells might forgive a rookie for such foolishness, but he has higher expectations for Romo.
"You folks look at him differently than I do," Parcells said. "I'm not looking at a rookie. I'm looking at a (four-year) veteran that lacks experience but has been around."
Still, Parcells admitted it was hard for him to get too angry at Romo, who passed for 308 yards against Arizona to become the first Cowboys quarterback since Troy Aikman in 1993 to throw for more than 250 yards in three consecutive games.
"Yeah, I'm happy with the performance," Parcells said. "But I'm also cognizant of the fact that some of the things he does will eventually jump up and bite you."
Said Romo: "It's a learning deal. I'm not going to make all the right decisions all the time. I'm just trying to make it so there's very few (bad decisions)."
The Cowboys' final seven games include outings against several playoff contenders. A bad decision in any of those games could cost them a playoff berth.
"We've got a long way to go and we've got some tough games," Parcells said. "This kid will be tested. And it won't go smoothly, I promise. It doesn't ever go smoothly."
posted by The Gryphon at 8:31 AM
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