Romo Passing the ‘Show Me’ Test?

By Rafael Vela

The coaches and brass must really like what they see.

Tony Romo got his first strong endorsement when the Cowboys passed on Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn last month.

Now comes word that the Cowboys and Romo’s agent are discussing a new contract. The player hopes to have it signed before the season starts.

Typical Jerry. His gambling self is willing to roll the dice on a player with ten starts on his resume. And yet, it’s consistent Jerry. His offseason blueprint contained many steps to develop number nine; Romo’s new mentor Jason Garrett, you’ll recall, was hired before HC Wade Phillips.

I’d wait until Romo showed me more consistently and just plain more. Jerry handed out some large contracts last year and some players, most notably Roy Williams and Bradie James, turned in underwhelming years.

If Jerry hits, he’ll reap the benefits for a long time. Signing Romo now will likely hold his price down, compared to waiting and seeing Romo turn in another Pro Bowl season. And putting his big contract on the books this season staggers the cap pain and frees Dallas to slot Terence Newman into 2008’s offseason.