Will Romo's future come at the right price for Cowboys?
By RANDY GALLOWAY
Star-Telegram staff writer
Tony Romo can't seem to make anyone happy these days, which is not a commentary on the women he dates. I have no knowledge of that hands-on situation.
But Romo's sudden celebrity status is apparently bugging everyone except his owner, his head coach and his offensive coordinator. So I guess that narrows the concerned-about-Tony list to local media and a segment of fans, most of them male, most of them without a social life unless someone else is picking up the bar tab.
From a football standpoint, the last thing Romo did wrong goes back to the postgame locker room in Seattle.
Tony cried.
Damn it, Tony, don't cry. Ever.
But that botched snap-hold caused Romo to sink into a temporary state of emotional distress, which he admitted lasted a long week. Then Carrie probably called, and Tony was back on the town again. Why the heck not?
As with all-other-things-Romo in this off-season, even his playoff dropsy made headlines a few months later. Because of him, the changed the rules on how kicking balls are allowed into the game, although Romo never once even hinted that Seattle operatives may have slipped him a doctored pigskin.
But as penance for his blunder, there are apparently many who thought Romo should lock himself in his darkened room for seven months, and not publicly appear again until July in San Antonio.
Instead, Romo roams local and national streets of neon, and even had the gall to show up in Mexico City on Miss Universe judging duty.
Personally, I think this kid is red-blooded normal.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys just wrapped up many weeks of "voluntary" practice sessions, and Tony never missed one, which is more than most of his teammates can say. Night life did not interfere with Romo's day job, but his premature celebrity status is now being used against him by those who seem to be waiting to pounce should he fail at quarterback next season.
This is the same Romo who saved last season from being about a 7-9 disaster, or worse. He was the one difference-maker on the field. He was the best player on the team, although not in December, when the Cowboys had no best player.
It says here the least of Wade Phillips' worries, or Jason Garrett's worries, is Romo. What went wrong with this team under Bill Parcells goes far beyond the quarterback play.
But it's actually Jerry Jones who now faces the most interesting Romo-related issue. It's about money. Romo money for the future.
After years of being stuck in a quarterback never-never land, Jones believes he finally has one. I second the motion. But after only 11 NFL starts, how much is Romo worth, long-term, with this being the final season on his contract?
If I'm Romo's agent, I'm negotiating this new deal based on Jerry's own words this off-season, and also on the Matt Schaub contract in Houston, which is six years, $48 mil for a guy with two NFL starts in three seasons. Those Schaub stats show six TD passes and six picks.
Meanwhile, Jerry keeps telling us why the Cowboys didn't draft Brady Quinn in April. It was about all kinds of Romo-related reasons, like Jones' confidence in Tony at the position, Tony's celebrity status, Tony's Hispanic heritage as a marketing tool. (Ignore my laughing. Jerry is just such a hoot.)
Seriously, for those who think Romo is currently an undeserving celebrity, how does a $10 million-a-year new contract sound? The Schaub money, the Quinn snub and Jerry's own words put Romo in that financial category.
Tony said this week he hopes to have a new deal with Jones by the start of training camp in July. Jerry will attempt that, but an agreement would be a surprise.
The best guess is no deal for the time being because the question of how much is Romo worth remains murky. Instead, Jones takes another look at Romo's play this season.
If Tony's real good, Jerry gambles he can keep him here with an even richer free-agent offer. And if Romo is not good...
Well, the Cowboys are probably dead for another decade, and today's doubters will preach that it was because Romo had too much neon fun.
But if having too much fun is an indictment, many would love to be able to plead guilty, particularly those same doubters.
Star-Telegram staff writer
Tony Romo can't seem to make anyone happy these days, which is not a commentary on the women he dates. I have no knowledge of that hands-on situation.
But Romo's sudden celebrity status is apparently bugging everyone except his owner, his head coach and his offensive coordinator. So I guess that narrows the concerned-about-Tony list to local media and a segment of fans, most of them male, most of them without a social life unless someone else is picking up the bar tab.
From a football standpoint, the last thing Romo did wrong goes back to the postgame locker room in Seattle.
Tony cried.
Damn it, Tony, don't cry. Ever.
But that botched snap-hold caused Romo to sink into a temporary state of emotional distress, which he admitted lasted a long week. Then Carrie probably called, and Tony was back on the town again. Why the heck not?
As with all-other-things-Romo in this off-season, even his playoff dropsy made headlines a few months later. Because of him, the changed the rules on how kicking balls are allowed into the game, although Romo never once even hinted that Seattle operatives may have slipped him a doctored pigskin.
But as penance for his blunder, there are apparently many who thought Romo should lock himself in his darkened room for seven months, and not publicly appear again until July in San Antonio.
Instead, Romo roams local and national streets of neon, and even had the gall to show up in Mexico City on Miss Universe judging duty.
Personally, I think this kid is red-blooded normal.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys just wrapped up many weeks of "voluntary" practice sessions, and Tony never missed one, which is more than most of his teammates can say. Night life did not interfere with Romo's day job, but his premature celebrity status is now being used against him by those who seem to be waiting to pounce should he fail at quarterback next season.
This is the same Romo who saved last season from being about a 7-9 disaster, or worse. He was the one difference-maker on the field. He was the best player on the team, although not in December, when the Cowboys had no best player.
It says here the least of Wade Phillips' worries, or Jason Garrett's worries, is Romo. What went wrong with this team under Bill Parcells goes far beyond the quarterback play.
But it's actually Jerry Jones who now faces the most interesting Romo-related issue. It's about money. Romo money for the future.
After years of being stuck in a quarterback never-never land, Jones believes he finally has one. I second the motion. But after only 11 NFL starts, how much is Romo worth, long-term, with this being the final season on his contract?
If I'm Romo's agent, I'm negotiating this new deal based on Jerry's own words this off-season, and also on the Matt Schaub contract in Houston, which is six years, $48 mil for a guy with two NFL starts in three seasons. Those Schaub stats show six TD passes and six picks.
Meanwhile, Jerry keeps telling us why the Cowboys didn't draft Brady Quinn in April. It was about all kinds of Romo-related reasons, like Jones' confidence in Tony at the position, Tony's celebrity status, Tony's Hispanic heritage as a marketing tool. (Ignore my laughing. Jerry is just such a hoot.)
Seriously, for those who think Romo is currently an undeserving celebrity, how does a $10 million-a-year new contract sound? The Schaub money, the Quinn snub and Jerry's own words put Romo in that financial category.
Tony said this week he hopes to have a new deal with Jones by the start of training camp in July. Jerry will attempt that, but an agreement would be a surprise.
The best guess is no deal for the time being because the question of how much is Romo worth remains murky. Instead, Jones takes another look at Romo's play this season.
If Tony's real good, Jerry gambles he can keep him here with an even richer free-agent offer. And if Romo is not good...
Well, the Cowboys are probably dead for another decade, and today's doubters will preach that it was because Romo had too much neon fun.
But if having too much fun is an indictment, many would love to be able to plead guilty, particularly those same doubters.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:29 PM
<< Home