JJT - Romo proves worthy of promotion
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Drew Bledsoe never really trusted any receiver other than Terry Glenn in his 22 games as the Cowboys' starter.
Ultimately, that distrust led to his benching after yet another pass directed to Glenn resulted in a disastrous interception last month in a blowout loss to the New York Giants.
Apparently, Tony Romo has learned from Bledsoe's flawed approach.
With Romo, everyone who draws a paycheck from the Cowboys gets to catch the ball. That makes the offense more efficient, the locker room happier and the Cowboys a better team – one that has rekindled the owner's Super Bowl dreams.
Romo is the sole reason for Jerry Jones' newfound optimism about a season that has, thus far, been shrouded in disappointment. Romo is the reason Bill Parcells was smiling in the locker room after the Cowboys' 27-10 win over hapless Arizona.
He's the reason the players have hope again. They believe Romo gives them a chance to win every week. They never felt that way about Bledsoe.
On Sunday, Romo became the first Cowboys quarterback with three straight games of at least 250 yards passing since Troy Aikman had a four-game streak in 1993.
Romo did it on a day when the Cowboys' best receiver, Terry Glenn, didn't play. He did it by using the same philosophy that has allowed him to compile a 106.1 quarterback rating in the first three starts of his four-year career.
"I don't think about who I'm trying to throw to," he said. "I throw to the guy I think is open."
T.O. caught five passes for 96 yards, Patrick Crayton had five for 104, Jason Witten had five for 58 and Sam Hurd had four for 42. Romo directed eight passes toward T.O. and seven each to Witten and Hurd.
"He's making it tough for defenses to stop us," Witten said of Romo. "With T.O., Terry, Sam and Patrick, we have a lot of weapons. You just can't sit on one guy, especially T.O., or we'll hurt you."
Last week, three different players had at least five receptions. With Bledsoe running the offense, the Cowboys had as many as three receivers catch at least five balls just once in Week 5 – a 34-6 win over Houston.
Nothing makes a receiver run good routes more than knowing he's going to get the ball if he's open. It doesn't always happen, but if the receivers know the quarterback has already decided where he's going with the ball when he breaks the huddle, their motivation can disappear. Sure, it happens from time to time, but it affects the team's chemistry when it becomes a regular occurrence.
"If teams want to double 81 [Owens], that's fine," Crayton said, "because we believe we can get open when we're one-on-one, especially if we get a safety or a linebacker covering us."
Romo also helps the offensive line by getting rid of the ball quickly, something Bledsoe couldn't or wouldn't do. Romo, like Bledsoe, often takes a peek deep to see if a big play is available. If it's not, he looks for Witten or Crayton running an intermediate route.
He can do that because he understands his ability to avoid pressure, another Bledsoe weakness, occasionally enables him to make big plays from chaos. In the first half against Arizona, Romo twice avoided sacks and completed passes of 22 and 34 yards. Each of those drives resulted in points as Dallas took a 13-3 halftime lead.
Romo is hardly flawless, but with each week it becomes clear Parcells made the right decision in benching Bledsoe. The only second guess is whether he should've done it sooner.
Romo passed for more than 300 yards, a milestone for sure, for the first time Sunday. He said it wasn't a big deal.
Said he wasn't concerned about statistics as long as the Cowboys won. Said he didn't care who caught the ball as long as the Cowboys won. Said he didn't care about anything except winning.
Aikman didn't care about stats, either. In fact, winning percentage was the only stat that excited him.
If Romo sincerely believes that, then maybe, after 86 games and eight starters, the journey for Aikman's successor has finally ended with an undrafted free agent from Burlington, Wis., via Eastern Illinois.
HEIR APPARENT?
Tony Romo became the first Cowboys quarterback since Troy Aikman to have three consecutive games of at least 250 yards passing. Here's a look at each player's streak:
TROY AIKMAN (1993)
Opponent.............Result.....Yards
at Washington...........L........267
Buffalo.....................L........297
at Phoenix................W.......281
Green Bay................W.......317
TONY ROMO (2006)
Opponent..............Result.....Yards
at Carolina................W........270
at Washington............L........284
at Arizona.................W........308
Ultimately, that distrust led to his benching after yet another pass directed to Glenn resulted in a disastrous interception last month in a blowout loss to the New York Giants.
Apparently, Tony Romo has learned from Bledsoe's flawed approach.
With Romo, everyone who draws a paycheck from the Cowboys gets to catch the ball. That makes the offense more efficient, the locker room happier and the Cowboys a better team – one that has rekindled the owner's Super Bowl dreams.
Romo is the sole reason for Jerry Jones' newfound optimism about a season that has, thus far, been shrouded in disappointment. Romo is the reason Bill Parcells was smiling in the locker room after the Cowboys' 27-10 win over hapless Arizona.
He's the reason the players have hope again. They believe Romo gives them a chance to win every week. They never felt that way about Bledsoe.
On Sunday, Romo became the first Cowboys quarterback with three straight games of at least 250 yards passing since Troy Aikman had a four-game streak in 1993.
Romo did it on a day when the Cowboys' best receiver, Terry Glenn, didn't play. He did it by using the same philosophy that has allowed him to compile a 106.1 quarterback rating in the first three starts of his four-year career.
"I don't think about who I'm trying to throw to," he said. "I throw to the guy I think is open."
T.O. caught five passes for 96 yards, Patrick Crayton had five for 104, Jason Witten had five for 58 and Sam Hurd had four for 42. Romo directed eight passes toward T.O. and seven each to Witten and Hurd.
"He's making it tough for defenses to stop us," Witten said of Romo. "With T.O., Terry, Sam and Patrick, we have a lot of weapons. You just can't sit on one guy, especially T.O., or we'll hurt you."
Last week, three different players had at least five receptions. With Bledsoe running the offense, the Cowboys had as many as three receivers catch at least five balls just once in Week 5 – a 34-6 win over Houston.
Nothing makes a receiver run good routes more than knowing he's going to get the ball if he's open. It doesn't always happen, but if the receivers know the quarterback has already decided where he's going with the ball when he breaks the huddle, their motivation can disappear. Sure, it happens from time to time, but it affects the team's chemistry when it becomes a regular occurrence.
"If teams want to double 81 [Owens], that's fine," Crayton said, "because we believe we can get open when we're one-on-one, especially if we get a safety or a linebacker covering us."
Romo also helps the offensive line by getting rid of the ball quickly, something Bledsoe couldn't or wouldn't do. Romo, like Bledsoe, often takes a peek deep to see if a big play is available. If it's not, he looks for Witten or Crayton running an intermediate route.
He can do that because he understands his ability to avoid pressure, another Bledsoe weakness, occasionally enables him to make big plays from chaos. In the first half against Arizona, Romo twice avoided sacks and completed passes of 22 and 34 yards. Each of those drives resulted in points as Dallas took a 13-3 halftime lead.
Romo is hardly flawless, but with each week it becomes clear Parcells made the right decision in benching Bledsoe. The only second guess is whether he should've done it sooner.
Romo passed for more than 300 yards, a milestone for sure, for the first time Sunday. He said it wasn't a big deal.
Said he wasn't concerned about statistics as long as the Cowboys won. Said he didn't care who caught the ball as long as the Cowboys won. Said he didn't care about anything except winning.
Aikman didn't care about stats, either. In fact, winning percentage was the only stat that excited him.
If Romo sincerely believes that, then maybe, after 86 games and eight starters, the journey for Aikman's successor has finally ended with an undrafted free agent from Burlington, Wis., via Eastern Illinois.
HEIR APPARENT?
Tony Romo became the first Cowboys quarterback since Troy Aikman to have three consecutive games of at least 250 yards passing. Here's a look at each player's streak:
TROY AIKMAN (1993)
Opponent.............Result.....Yards
at Washington...........L........267
Buffalo.....................L........297
at Phoenix................W.......281
Green Bay................W.......317
TONY ROMO (2006)
Opponent..............Result.....Yards
at Carolina................W........270
at Washington............L........284
at Arizona.................W........308
posted by The Gryphon at 8:56 AM
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