Romo's got all the right offseason moves
The Cowboys QB knows he has to prove himself, and he's making sure he'll be ready for '07 season
By JENNIFER FLOYD ENGEL
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
Use this little bubble of non-frenzied offseason between minicamp and training camp, Cowboy fans.
Work on your honey-do list.
Spend time with your family.
Get yourself current on movies, novels and your workout routine. Because when September arrives, I have a funny feeling a long ride awaits your team. In a good way.
Why? Tony Romo.
It is not that question marks no longer surround the Cowboys QB and how he is going to play in 2007. They do. What is refreshing is he acknowledges them. He has spent his offseason trying to answer them. Romo is the master of self eval’.
This is no small feat in professional sports -- or really any business. Who doesn’t work with the guy who thinks he is better than he actually is and who thinks everything would be perfect if only everybody else changed?
Looking in the mirror is a lost art form. So is being honest with yourself. Romo proved he excels at both during minicamp.
It is a long convoluted story and I will not bore you with the details except to say Romo was gigging me about my column on Keyshawn Johnson calling him the most over hyped player in the NFL.
“It might be true, a little bit,” Romo conceded.
He noted the wording was a little weird but that he understood the sentiment because, well, everything he does is news by virtue of where he plays. Nor is it lost on him that what he has done on the football field is incomplete.
“I like to think I went through growing pains last year,” Romo said. “I think last year, I look back now, sometimes you are out there and you are playing but you just don’t have the experience. Just being out here now, I just feel more at ease and calm when I am dropping back.
“I relied a lot on my instincts last year. I like to think this year will be relying more on the offense, my ability to have done it over and over again.”
In other words, he understands he needs to improve.
This understanding is why he spent a good hunk of his offseason at Valley Ranch, watching film, tweaking his mechanics, talking to coaches, studying the offense.
Romo is also smart enough to know that just because Owner Jones says he's the Cowboys quarterback of the future does not mean he will be. He'll have to earn that by how he plays.
“I’m growing as a quarterback and as a player,” Romo said. “I definitely think I will be an improved player next year.”
And while I try to decide if Romo needs to lecture Roy Willy on this self-evaluation idea, let’s dive into an abbreviated edition of The Hate Index because, well, too much Rangers talk gives me fuzzy brain.
Nobody asked me but ...
7. Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said, if Greg Ellis is healthy, he is a starter. Obviously, DeMarcus Ware is a starter leaving four people for two spots. So what big-name, big-money, high-pick guy is getting benched?
Akin Ayodele? Brady James? Kevin Burnett? Bobby Carpenter?
In my mind, James is a guaranteed starter because he’s a) good and b) a leader. Akin is the front runner for the other spot even though coaches say Burnett has had a good offseason.
This, of course, leaves the question of why exactly did the Cowboys use a first-round pick on Bobby Carpenter? And why did they move him inside when his best game was outside?
By JENNIFER FLOYD ENGEL
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
Use this little bubble of non-frenzied offseason between minicamp and training camp, Cowboy fans.
Work on your honey-do list.
Spend time with your family.
Get yourself current on movies, novels and your workout routine. Because when September arrives, I have a funny feeling a long ride awaits your team. In a good way.
Why? Tony Romo.
It is not that question marks no longer surround the Cowboys QB and how he is going to play in 2007. They do. What is refreshing is he acknowledges them. He has spent his offseason trying to answer them. Romo is the master of self eval’.
This is no small feat in professional sports -- or really any business. Who doesn’t work with the guy who thinks he is better than he actually is and who thinks everything would be perfect if only everybody else changed?
Looking in the mirror is a lost art form. So is being honest with yourself. Romo proved he excels at both during minicamp.
It is a long convoluted story and I will not bore you with the details except to say Romo was gigging me about my column on Keyshawn Johnson calling him the most over hyped player in the NFL.
“It might be true, a little bit,” Romo conceded.
He noted the wording was a little weird but that he understood the sentiment because, well, everything he does is news by virtue of where he plays. Nor is it lost on him that what he has done on the football field is incomplete.
“I like to think I went through growing pains last year,” Romo said. “I think last year, I look back now, sometimes you are out there and you are playing but you just don’t have the experience. Just being out here now, I just feel more at ease and calm when I am dropping back.
“I relied a lot on my instincts last year. I like to think this year will be relying more on the offense, my ability to have done it over and over again.”
In other words, he understands he needs to improve.
This understanding is why he spent a good hunk of his offseason at Valley Ranch, watching film, tweaking his mechanics, talking to coaches, studying the offense.
Romo is also smart enough to know that just because Owner Jones says he's the Cowboys quarterback of the future does not mean he will be. He'll have to earn that by how he plays.
“I’m growing as a quarterback and as a player,” Romo said. “I definitely think I will be an improved player next year.”
And while I try to decide if Romo needs to lecture Roy Willy on this self-evaluation idea, let’s dive into an abbreviated edition of The Hate Index because, well, too much Rangers talk gives me fuzzy brain.
Nobody asked me but ...
7. Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said, if Greg Ellis is healthy, he is a starter. Obviously, DeMarcus Ware is a starter leaving four people for two spots. So what big-name, big-money, high-pick guy is getting benched?
Akin Ayodele? Brady James? Kevin Burnett? Bobby Carpenter?
In my mind, James is a guaranteed starter because he’s a) good and b) a leader. Akin is the front runner for the other spot even though coaches say Burnett has had a good offseason.
This, of course, leaves the question of why exactly did the Cowboys use a first-round pick on Bobby Carpenter? And why did they move him inside when his best game was outside?
posted by The Gryphon at 6:59 PM
<< Home