Romo leads the Cowboys' renaissance
'He extends the play' — and Dallas' chances to make the playoffs
ASK THE NFL EXPERT
By Don Pierson
Updated: 12:15 a.m. CT Nov 22, 2006
Tony Romo continues to be too good to be true. The Dallas Cowboys can only hope he stays that way.
They have been celebrating Thanksgiving for four games now and will continue Thursday if Romo can beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their rookie quarterback, Bruce Gradkowski, who has more game experience than four-year veteran Romo.
Where has this guy been?
That's what people are asking coach Bill Parcells, who hesitated to pull the trigger on Drew Bledsoe until it looked like it was too late. But suddenly, the Cowboys are 6-4, tied for first with the Giants in the NFC East, and only one NFC team has a better record: the Bears.
"We have played our best football in the last month," Parcells said. "Even though we lost that game to Washington, we have still played our best football this last month. We have six to go, so there is a long way to go, but if we keep playing like this, I think we have a chance to do something."
Maybe Parcells unveiled Romo just at the right time. Maybe instead of wondering whether he should have been playing three years ago, fans should remember the old days, when it took quarterbacks three or four years on the bench to figure things out.
All the Cowboys know now is they just knocked Indianapolis from the unbeaten ranks. They just watched their new quarterback beat Peyton Manning, who happens to be the only quarterback in the NFL with a higher passer rating than Romo.
In his past two games, just when opposing defenses are supposed to start figuring out new starters, Romo has completed 20 of 21 passes in the second half.
All Cowboy fans know is they're in love with the guy whether Jessica Simpson is eyeing him or not. Romo gave a "no comment" when asked about the rumors of a star girlfriend. He has demonstrated similar escapability under pressure in the pocket, which is the biggest obvious difference between what he brings the Cowboys and what Bledsoe couldn't.
"He extends the play. He gets himself out of bad situations," said linebacker Kevin Burnett. "If we go to the Super Bowl, he's going to be the guy who takes us there."
Super Bowl?
Parcells always said the real season doesn't start until Thanksgiving, and the Cowboys are in a position now to write a happy ending. With 10 days rest after their Thanksgiving date with Tampa, they go to New York to face a reeling Giants team that has lost two in a row and plays on Sunday in Tennessee.
After that, the Cowboys finish with three of their final four games at home, against New Orleans, Philadelphia and Detroit. Their only two trips are to New York on Dec. 3 and Atlanta Dec. 16.
It was against the Giants on Oct. 23 that Romo replaced Bledsoe. He has now completed 68 percent of his passes (103-of-151) for 1,350 yards with eight touchdowns. He's thrown five interceptions, but three came in that first outing against the Giants.
Linebacker Bradie James came to the Cowboys with Romo in 2003, except Romo was an undrafted free agent from Eastern Illinois who impressed people at the Scouting Combine but not enough to warrant a draft pick.
"The way he's been playing is what we've always seen with him on the practice field," James told Dallas reporters this week. "We all knew what he could do, but when you've got 11 beasts on the other side of the ball, we never knew how he would respond. He's responded well."
Now that he's performed on the field, Romo's next challenge seems to be the bright spotlight off the field.
"I'm a football guy 24-7, so, for me, all the other stuff off the field is just for you guys to talk about," Romo said.
Four games does not a season or a career make, but Romo's play has been so consistent and unflappable that even Parcells seemed excited after the Indy win.
"I told the team that ought to tell them something about what they are capable of doing," Parcells said.
Parcells loves to talk about players who have "it."
"I don't know what 'it' is," Romo said. "I think you try to work hard, try to get better each week. I think I play the game with a little bit of passion. I enjoy the game a lot, it's a lot of fun when I'm out there. I think that's the way I play. For some reason, people like me."
Nearly lost in the excitement over the quarterback is the play of the defense. It wasn't Romo who held Manning and the Colts to 14 points and collected four turnovers, most ever for the Colts in the Tony Dungy era.
The defense pressured Manning all day, sacked him twice, and forced him to fumble. It was a bit surprising since the Cowboys were playing their first game without linebacker Greg Ellis, out for the season.
"When you can play defense like that," owner Jerry Jones said, "you can be in a lot of games."
ASK THE NFL EXPERT
By Don Pierson
Updated: 12:15 a.m. CT Nov 22, 2006
Tony Romo continues to be too good to be true. The Dallas Cowboys can only hope he stays that way.
They have been celebrating Thanksgiving for four games now and will continue Thursday if Romo can beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their rookie quarterback, Bruce Gradkowski, who has more game experience than four-year veteran Romo.
Where has this guy been?
That's what people are asking coach Bill Parcells, who hesitated to pull the trigger on Drew Bledsoe until it looked like it was too late. But suddenly, the Cowboys are 6-4, tied for first with the Giants in the NFC East, and only one NFC team has a better record: the Bears.
"We have played our best football in the last month," Parcells said. "Even though we lost that game to Washington, we have still played our best football this last month. We have six to go, so there is a long way to go, but if we keep playing like this, I think we have a chance to do something."
Maybe Parcells unveiled Romo just at the right time. Maybe instead of wondering whether he should have been playing three years ago, fans should remember the old days, when it took quarterbacks three or four years on the bench to figure things out.
All the Cowboys know now is they just knocked Indianapolis from the unbeaten ranks. They just watched their new quarterback beat Peyton Manning, who happens to be the only quarterback in the NFL with a higher passer rating than Romo.
In his past two games, just when opposing defenses are supposed to start figuring out new starters, Romo has completed 20 of 21 passes in the second half.
All Cowboy fans know is they're in love with the guy whether Jessica Simpson is eyeing him or not. Romo gave a "no comment" when asked about the rumors of a star girlfriend. He has demonstrated similar escapability under pressure in the pocket, which is the biggest obvious difference between what he brings the Cowboys and what Bledsoe couldn't.
"He extends the play. He gets himself out of bad situations," said linebacker Kevin Burnett. "If we go to the Super Bowl, he's going to be the guy who takes us there."
Super Bowl?
Parcells always said the real season doesn't start until Thanksgiving, and the Cowboys are in a position now to write a happy ending. With 10 days rest after their Thanksgiving date with Tampa, they go to New York to face a reeling Giants team that has lost two in a row and plays on Sunday in Tennessee.
After that, the Cowboys finish with three of their final four games at home, against New Orleans, Philadelphia and Detroit. Their only two trips are to New York on Dec. 3 and Atlanta Dec. 16.
It was against the Giants on Oct. 23 that Romo replaced Bledsoe. He has now completed 68 percent of his passes (103-of-151) for 1,350 yards with eight touchdowns. He's thrown five interceptions, but three came in that first outing against the Giants.
Linebacker Bradie James came to the Cowboys with Romo in 2003, except Romo was an undrafted free agent from Eastern Illinois who impressed people at the Scouting Combine but not enough to warrant a draft pick.
"The way he's been playing is what we've always seen with him on the practice field," James told Dallas reporters this week. "We all knew what he could do, but when you've got 11 beasts on the other side of the ball, we never knew how he would respond. He's responded well."
Now that he's performed on the field, Romo's next challenge seems to be the bright spotlight off the field.
"I'm a football guy 24-7, so, for me, all the other stuff off the field is just for you guys to talk about," Romo said.
Four games does not a season or a career make, but Romo's play has been so consistent and unflappable that even Parcells seemed excited after the Indy win.
"I told the team that ought to tell them something about what they are capable of doing," Parcells said.
Parcells loves to talk about players who have "it."
"I don't know what 'it' is," Romo said. "I think you try to work hard, try to get better each week. I think I play the game with a little bit of passion. I enjoy the game a lot, it's a lot of fun when I'm out there. I think that's the way I play. For some reason, people like me."
Nearly lost in the excitement over the quarterback is the play of the defense. It wasn't Romo who held Manning and the Colts to 14 points and collected four turnovers, most ever for the Colts in the Tony Dungy era.
The defense pressured Manning all day, sacked him twice, and forced him to fumble. It was a bit surprising since the Cowboys were playing their first game without linebacker Greg Ellis, out for the season.
"When you can play defense like that," owner Jerry Jones said, "you can be in a lot of games."
posted by The Gryphon at 10:15 PM
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