Romo asking questions now, plans to answer more later
A liberal dose
As a longtime, highly respected NFL defensive coach, Jim Bates has been considered a beacon of football knowledge no matter where he's been, which, going on 20 seasons, includes the Cowboys, Browns, Falcons, Dolphins, Packers, and now the Denver Broncos.
But it had always been his own players coming to Bates, seeking advice and tips.
Then last week, he met Tony Romo at the Valley Ranch practice fields.
'I got a kick out of that,' said Bates, the Broncos' defensive coordinator. 'The young man came up, introduced himself, not that I didn't already know who he was, and Tony asked if he could chat with me about football.
'He wanted my opinion about what he should be looking for in some different coverage schemes, and what the cornerbacks are thinking in those situations.'
And Bates' response to Romo?
'Oh, I BSed him a little bit,' laughed Bates, 'but I really came away impressed that Tony was taking this kind of approach to the job, and that he was willing to try and learn anything from anybody.'
Bates already had a favorable impression of Romo after watching him on TV several times last season. 'You could tell Tony had a joy for the game, and a great demeanor about him,' he said, 'plus, there's some talent there. Overall, I saw a good football package, and all this was confirmed after we had our chat.'
Bates got his first up-close and personal look at Romo when the Broncos came to town for two days of practice against the Cowboys, and then an exhibition game Saturday night, which wasn't much of a contest on either side of the ball, with the Cowboys dominating.
Defensively, Bates described the Broncos as 'not being anywhere close right now to where we need to be,' and his unit also took a hit when former Cowboy Ebenezer Ekuban was lost for the season Saturday due to injury.
But Bates has an opinion that is trusted league-wide, and certainly at Valley Ranch, where he's still a favorite of Jerry and Stephen Jones after spending four seasons here in the late '90s.
About the Cowboys:
'I'd think it comes to this: If Romo has a good year, the Cowboys will have a good year. And I really don't see any reason for Romo not to have a good year. He obviously has the right attitude, he knows he can be successful in this league, because he's had success, and he's working at cleaning up the things he needs to clean up. Just a real good kid who gives you a combination of everything, I'd say.'
Bates also believes Romo's best ally will be the Cowboys' offensive line.
'That's a massive group of people,' he said. 'With that kind of size, they should be a power running team when necessary, so it shouldn't be a case of Romo having to go out every Sunday and win the game. Outside of maybe Peyton Manning, you don't want to ask your quarterback to do that week after week.'
Ah, yes, high expectations for the offensive line, which is nothing new around here. But those expectations have not become reality in forever.
'I liked what I saw from that group,' countered Bates.
But the key, of course, will be how the Blutos up front handle defensive units that feature quickness and blitzing.
Meanwhile, with exhibition game No. 3 coming up Saturday in Houston, coach Wade Phillips has indicated he will play the starters into the third quarter in what should be the final major tuneup of August.
Thus far, Romo has looked sharp this summer, but as introducing himself to Jim Bates last week indicated, he continues to strive for improvement.
Then again, this is nothing new. Anytime Romo has the opportunity to pick a football mind, he will.
Last December, when the Cowboys were playing in Atlanta, Romo was being interviewed the night before the game by the network TV announcers. One of those announcers was Dick Vermeil, the former NFL coach.
What was supposed to be Romo answering questions for a half hour lasted about five minutes. The remainder of the time it was Romo 'interviewing' Vermeil on all things involving quarterback play in the NFL.
The session ended with Romo having Vermeil at a chalkboard, drawing up formations.
As Jim Bates said after meeting Tony last week, 'this kid ain't shy. In this league, you can't be shy and play quarterback.'
As a longtime, highly respected NFL defensive coach, Jim Bates has been considered a beacon of football knowledge no matter where he's been, which, going on 20 seasons, includes the Cowboys, Browns, Falcons, Dolphins, Packers, and now the Denver Broncos.
But it had always been his own players coming to Bates, seeking advice and tips.
Then last week, he met Tony Romo at the Valley Ranch practice fields.
'I got a kick out of that,' said Bates, the Broncos' defensive coordinator. 'The young man came up, introduced himself, not that I didn't already know who he was, and Tony asked if he could chat with me about football.
'He wanted my opinion about what he should be looking for in some different coverage schemes, and what the cornerbacks are thinking in those situations.'
And Bates' response to Romo?
'Oh, I BSed him a little bit,' laughed Bates, 'but I really came away impressed that Tony was taking this kind of approach to the job, and that he was willing to try and learn anything from anybody.'
Bates already had a favorable impression of Romo after watching him on TV several times last season. 'You could tell Tony had a joy for the game, and a great demeanor about him,' he said, 'plus, there's some talent there. Overall, I saw a good football package, and all this was confirmed after we had our chat.'
Bates got his first up-close and personal look at Romo when the Broncos came to town for two days of practice against the Cowboys, and then an exhibition game Saturday night, which wasn't much of a contest on either side of the ball, with the Cowboys dominating.
Defensively, Bates described the Broncos as 'not being anywhere close right now to where we need to be,' and his unit also took a hit when former Cowboy Ebenezer Ekuban was lost for the season Saturday due to injury.
But Bates has an opinion that is trusted league-wide, and certainly at Valley Ranch, where he's still a favorite of Jerry and Stephen Jones after spending four seasons here in the late '90s.
About the Cowboys:
'I'd think it comes to this: If Romo has a good year, the Cowboys will have a good year. And I really don't see any reason for Romo not to have a good year. He obviously has the right attitude, he knows he can be successful in this league, because he's had success, and he's working at cleaning up the things he needs to clean up. Just a real good kid who gives you a combination of everything, I'd say.'
Bates also believes Romo's best ally will be the Cowboys' offensive line.
'That's a massive group of people,' he said. 'With that kind of size, they should be a power running team when necessary, so it shouldn't be a case of Romo having to go out every Sunday and win the game. Outside of maybe Peyton Manning, you don't want to ask your quarterback to do that week after week.'
Ah, yes, high expectations for the offensive line, which is nothing new around here. But those expectations have not become reality in forever.
'I liked what I saw from that group,' countered Bates.
But the key, of course, will be how the Blutos up front handle defensive units that feature quickness and blitzing.
Meanwhile, with exhibition game No. 3 coming up Saturday in Houston, coach Wade Phillips has indicated he will play the starters into the third quarter in what should be the final major tuneup of August.
Thus far, Romo has looked sharp this summer, but as introducing himself to Jim Bates last week indicated, he continues to strive for improvement.
Then again, this is nothing new. Anytime Romo has the opportunity to pick a football mind, he will.
Last December, when the Cowboys were playing in Atlanta, Romo was being interviewed the night before the game by the network TV announcers. One of those announcers was Dick Vermeil, the former NFL coach.
What was supposed to be Romo answering questions for a half hour lasted about five minutes. The remainder of the time it was Romo 'interviewing' Vermeil on all things involving quarterback play in the NFL.
The session ended with Romo having Vermeil at a chalkboard, drawing up formations.
As Jim Bates said after meeting Tony last week, 'this kid ain't shy. In this league, you can't be shy and play quarterback.'
posted by The Gryphon at 8:38 AM
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