In the NFCE...Only Cowboys are truly thankful for their QB
By Michael Smith
ESPN.com
Archive
We figured it would be the league's toughest division. We just had no idea the NFC East's quarterbacks would have such a hard time.
Think about it. Three of the division's quarterbacks at the start of the season are either on the bench or the shelf now that the Eagles' Donovan McNabb is out with an ACL (this, after Dallas starter Drew Bledsoe's and then Washington incumbent Mark Brunel's services were no longer required). Philly's offense, for now, is in the hands of 36-year-old Jeff Garcia. The Redskins are out of it so they're doing the smart thing and getting '05 first-rounder Jason Campbell some run. We don't know where the fourth guy is right now, neither do the Giants, and neither, it seems, does Eli Manning. Really, this Thanksgiving, only the Cowboys are thankful for their status at quarterback.
And on Thanksgiving Day, longtime backup Romo gets his latest test when he leads the Cowboys against visiting Tampa Bay.
The other day Bill Parcells said it was "a joke" that Tony Romo was being talked about for the Pro Bowl. Why is that? Because he's only played four games? Whose fault is that?
Obviously Parcells will do whatever it takes, even if it isn't necessary, to keep Romo's head out of the clouds. But there's no denying that right now Romo easily is one of the best three quarterbacks in the conference. Had Parcells made the switch after the Philly loss in Week 5, we're talking about a 12-game season for Romo. Dallas is 3-1 in games he's started, with the kid playing well enough for the Cowboys to win all four. If Romo continues to play well and leads them to a division title, he not only deserves to be in Hawaii but to start the game.
Romo qualifies by default, as far as I'm concerned. Maybe it has something to do with the imbalance of power in the conference, but top to bottom the NFC isn't getting the same level of quarterback play as the AFC. If the usual suspects such as Jake Delhomme, Brett Favre, Matt Hasselbeck, or Michael Vick get in, it's strictly on popularity. I think it should be Romo, Drew Brees, and Rex Grossman or Marc Bulger representing the NFC quarterbacks, with the edge going to Grossman because he's leading the conference's best team. McNabb's obviously not going to play but through nine games his numbers were as good as anyone's.
It's not like in the AFC where a guy like the Patriots Tom Brady -- who's excelled even with a questionable receiving corps might be on the outside looking in at the top three passers. Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, and probably Carson Palmer likely will be in Hawaii representing the AFC. You could make a case for Steve McNair of the 8-2 Ravens.
Sorry. Didn't mean to get off into a Pro Bowl conversation. Back to Romo. The thing you have to appreciate about him is how oblivious he is to pressure, both literal and figurative. He's been sacked seven times in 4½ games, whereas Bledsoe was sacked 13 times in the 2½ games before giving way to Romo. And check out Romo's numbers against the blitz, the obvious tactic used when facing an inexperienced quarterback: He's completing almost 69 percent (31-for-45) of his passes and has been sacked just twice.
What's most impressive about Romo's performance is that each of his starts has been a so-called "must win" and three have been on a national stage. The Cowboys were 3-3 when Romo led them to victory in Carolina. The next week he got his first taste of the Cowboys-Redskins' rivalry and played great but penalties, Terrell Owens, and a last-second special teams breakdown cost Dallas a win. So the Cowboys had to win at Arizona, and they did. And then Sunday they handed Indianapolis its first loss. In Week 13, Romo will face the Giants in a game that probably will decide the East. And the next week, Dallas plays host to New Orleans, perhaps another game with playoff implications.
If Romo and the Cowboys win the division, darn right he deserves to be in Hawaii in February.
As for McNabb, he deserves better than the reaction he's gotten since suffering his third regular-season ending injury in five years. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a McNabb fan. It just seems like the folks in Philly look for any excuse to trash him or --better yet -- get rid of him. The latest charge is that he's injury prone and -- goodness -- turning 30 Saturday. It's absurd.
The injury is a real shame in light of how hard McNabb worked in the offseason coming off last year's trials. But there should be no doubt about his future as the leader of the franchise, as has been suggested. He's still in the prime of his career. I'm betting he's back closer to eight months than 12 and in time for training camp.
You know who should feel silly are all those folks who've criticized him over the past several years for not running as much as he did early in his career. Well, because McNabb made himself into a great passer, he'll still be effective when he comes back next year even if he isn't able to move around outside the pocket as well right away. I see more of a Palmer than a Daunte Culpepper recovery with McNabb. And remember, Palmer suffered a much more devastating knee injury in January and was back in time to start the last two preseason games this year. McNabb will be back and he'll be just fine.
And then, finally, there's Eli Manning. First of all, the guy's only in his second season as a starter. Generally, especially nowadays, we expect guys to master the hardest position in sports almost overnight. Give Manning a few more years before tagging him a bust. Was he a bust last year when he was rallying the Giants to a last-second win over Denver, or this year when he brought them back against the Eagles to win in overtime? And I know he's been struggling for about six weeks.
But keep in mind his last two games have been against what I believe are hands down the two best defenses right now, the Bears and the Jaguars'.
There are a lot of theories flying around regarding what's wrong with Eli, from his mechanics to his personality to his body language. And, yes, I agree he has the look of a young man being made to work in the family business. He's a former No. 1 overall pick who asked to play in New York, but it's time we lowered our expectations for him. It's doubtful he's going to reach his brother's level. And that's OK. There's only one Peyton Manning anyway. I'm not so sure, even though I hear he puts the work in, that Eli even wants to be the next Peyton. The sooner we accept Eli for who he is -- a decent, at times very good, young quarterback with potential -- the less frustrating he'll seem.
Let him grow up. For now, he is what he is. We can't ask him to be someone or something he's not. Not only is Eli not Peyton, Eli's not Rivers or Ben Roethlisberger. By that I mean if you've ever met either, you know they both embrace being the quarterback. Remember how Rivers walked on to NC State's campus and took the team over from the start? And Roethlisberger, he's just got a presence and a cockiness about him. Eli's not that fiery kind of guy. He just isn't. And regardless of his pedigree or his draft status, he might not ever be more than just a pretty good QB some of the time. But let's wait and see.
Michael Smith is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
ESPN.com
Archive
We figured it would be the league's toughest division. We just had no idea the NFC East's quarterbacks would have such a hard time.
Think about it. Three of the division's quarterbacks at the start of the season are either on the bench or the shelf now that the Eagles' Donovan McNabb is out with an ACL (this, after Dallas starter Drew Bledsoe's and then Washington incumbent Mark Brunel's services were no longer required). Philly's offense, for now, is in the hands of 36-year-old Jeff Garcia. The Redskins are out of it so they're doing the smart thing and getting '05 first-rounder Jason Campbell some run. We don't know where the fourth guy is right now, neither do the Giants, and neither, it seems, does Eli Manning. Really, this Thanksgiving, only the Cowboys are thankful for their status at quarterback.
And on Thanksgiving Day, longtime backup Romo gets his latest test when he leads the Cowboys against visiting Tampa Bay.
The other day Bill Parcells said it was "a joke" that Tony Romo was being talked about for the Pro Bowl. Why is that? Because he's only played four games? Whose fault is that?
Obviously Parcells will do whatever it takes, even if it isn't necessary, to keep Romo's head out of the clouds. But there's no denying that right now Romo easily is one of the best three quarterbacks in the conference. Had Parcells made the switch after the Philly loss in Week 5, we're talking about a 12-game season for Romo. Dallas is 3-1 in games he's started, with the kid playing well enough for the Cowboys to win all four. If Romo continues to play well and leads them to a division title, he not only deserves to be in Hawaii but to start the game.
Romo qualifies by default, as far as I'm concerned. Maybe it has something to do with the imbalance of power in the conference, but top to bottom the NFC isn't getting the same level of quarterback play as the AFC. If the usual suspects such as Jake Delhomme, Brett Favre, Matt Hasselbeck, or Michael Vick get in, it's strictly on popularity. I think it should be Romo, Drew Brees, and Rex Grossman or Marc Bulger representing the NFC quarterbacks, with the edge going to Grossman because he's leading the conference's best team. McNabb's obviously not going to play but through nine games his numbers were as good as anyone's.
It's not like in the AFC where a guy like the Patriots Tom Brady -- who's excelled even with a questionable receiving corps might be on the outside looking in at the top three passers. Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, and probably Carson Palmer likely will be in Hawaii representing the AFC. You could make a case for Steve McNair of the 8-2 Ravens.
Sorry. Didn't mean to get off into a Pro Bowl conversation. Back to Romo. The thing you have to appreciate about him is how oblivious he is to pressure, both literal and figurative. He's been sacked seven times in 4½ games, whereas Bledsoe was sacked 13 times in the 2½ games before giving way to Romo. And check out Romo's numbers against the blitz, the obvious tactic used when facing an inexperienced quarterback: He's completing almost 69 percent (31-for-45) of his passes and has been sacked just twice.
What's most impressive about Romo's performance is that each of his starts has been a so-called "must win" and three have been on a national stage. The Cowboys were 3-3 when Romo led them to victory in Carolina. The next week he got his first taste of the Cowboys-Redskins' rivalry and played great but penalties, Terrell Owens, and a last-second special teams breakdown cost Dallas a win. So the Cowboys had to win at Arizona, and they did. And then Sunday they handed Indianapolis its first loss. In Week 13, Romo will face the Giants in a game that probably will decide the East. And the next week, Dallas plays host to New Orleans, perhaps another game with playoff implications.
If Romo and the Cowboys win the division, darn right he deserves to be in Hawaii in February.
As for McNabb, he deserves better than the reaction he's gotten since suffering his third regular-season ending injury in five years. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a McNabb fan. It just seems like the folks in Philly look for any excuse to trash him or --better yet -- get rid of him. The latest charge is that he's injury prone and -- goodness -- turning 30 Saturday. It's absurd.
The injury is a real shame in light of how hard McNabb worked in the offseason coming off last year's trials. But there should be no doubt about his future as the leader of the franchise, as has been suggested. He's still in the prime of his career. I'm betting he's back closer to eight months than 12 and in time for training camp.
You know who should feel silly are all those folks who've criticized him over the past several years for not running as much as he did early in his career. Well, because McNabb made himself into a great passer, he'll still be effective when he comes back next year even if he isn't able to move around outside the pocket as well right away. I see more of a Palmer than a Daunte Culpepper recovery with McNabb. And remember, Palmer suffered a much more devastating knee injury in January and was back in time to start the last two preseason games this year. McNabb will be back and he'll be just fine.
And then, finally, there's Eli Manning. First of all, the guy's only in his second season as a starter. Generally, especially nowadays, we expect guys to master the hardest position in sports almost overnight. Give Manning a few more years before tagging him a bust. Was he a bust last year when he was rallying the Giants to a last-second win over Denver, or this year when he brought them back against the Eagles to win in overtime? And I know he's been struggling for about six weeks.
But keep in mind his last two games have been against what I believe are hands down the two best defenses right now, the Bears and the Jaguars'.
There are a lot of theories flying around regarding what's wrong with Eli, from his mechanics to his personality to his body language. And, yes, I agree he has the look of a young man being made to work in the family business. He's a former No. 1 overall pick who asked to play in New York, but it's time we lowered our expectations for him. It's doubtful he's going to reach his brother's level. And that's OK. There's only one Peyton Manning anyway. I'm not so sure, even though I hear he puts the work in, that Eli even wants to be the next Peyton. The sooner we accept Eli for who he is -- a decent, at times very good, young quarterback with potential -- the less frustrating he'll seem.
Let him grow up. For now, he is what he is. We can't ask him to be someone or something he's not. Not only is Eli not Peyton, Eli's not Rivers or Ben Roethlisberger. By that I mean if you've ever met either, you know they both embrace being the quarterback. Remember how Rivers walked on to NC State's campus and took the team over from the start? And Roethlisberger, he's just got a presence and a cockiness about him. Eli's not that fiery kind of guy. He just isn't. And regardless of his pedigree or his draft status, he might not ever be more than just a pretty good QB some of the time. But let's wait and see.
Michael Smith is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:19 PM
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