Romo rides tall in 'Boys' saddle
http://www.philly.com
He's got that it. It's an ability to laugh as easily at his less-than-imposing physique as at his wide receivers' flamboyance, to shuttle credit effortlessly to his coaches and teammates, and, perhaps most important in the context of the NFL, to win.
If there was a question about quarterback Tony Romo before this season - and there were more than one - there isn't anymore. Romo is the real deal. A player. A leader. A quarterback who gets that Terrell Owens needs to be involved early and often in games. A man who as a boy idolized Brett Favre and now plays like him, with a new, rich contract to boot.
With Romo lighting it up week after week, the Dallas Cowboys are off to their best start since 1995, the last season they won the Super Bowl. A franchise that hasn't won a playoff game in 11 years - a span that includes four painful exits in the wild-card round - is atop the standings in the NFC, tied with Green Bay at 8-1 with seven games to play.
The Cowboys are coming off double-digit road wins against the Eagles and the New York Giants for the first time since 1998, and if they beat Washington on Sunday, will be 9-1 for just the third time.
Why, after years of mediocrity, are the Cowboys on the cusp of greatness? It's Romo.
Yes, the Cowboys are loaded. Their new coach, Wade Phillips, has fostered a loose atmosphere, turning Valley Ranch from a place of fear to a place of fun. His 3-4 defense has worked, and his offense, under new coordinator Jason Garrett, has exploded.
Everyone talks about Tom Brady's toys, but Romo, 27, has his own - Owens, Patrick Crayton, Jason Witten, Julius Jones, Marion Barber, and an offensive line that has kept Romo upright most of the time. He's got a deep threat, a reliable tight end, a pair of dangerous running backs, and a supporting cast.
But had Romo suffered a sophomore slump, had a couple of flawless games last season been an aberration, had he been less than great, none of the Cowboys' success would have been possible. He knows it. His teammates know it. And the coaches know it.
"We know he's our guy," Owens said after the Cowboys left Giants Stadium with a 31-20 victory Sunday night. "His contract solidified that."
Romo has played determined football, "and that's all we can ask for," Owens said.
Owner Jerry Jones strengthened Romo's status as the Cowboys' quarterback of the present and future last month during the team's bye week when he re-signed him to a six-year, $67.5 million contract, with $30 million guaranteed over the next three years.
As these things go, Romo's teammates noticed. To an extent, it confirmed their success as a team. Confidence breeds confidence, and the Cowboys have plenty of it.
So, too, does Romo, and why not? Although his 11 interceptions are tied for second most in the league behind Drew Brees' 12, Romo ranks third in passing yards with 2,555, for an average of 283.9, behind only Favre (2,757, 306.3) and Brady (2,686, 298.4). Romo has completed 65.1 percent of his passes and thrown for 23 touchdowns, and his 103.3 rating trails only Brady's 131.8 and Ben Roethlisberger's 110.2.
When Romo did slip this season, against Buffalo, throwing five interceptions, the Cowboys won anyway. They survived, and although the next week Dallas lost its only game of the season, to New England, it hasn't lost since. Romo had an average game against the Patriots - 18 of 29 for 199 yards, with two touchdowns and one pick - but has posted three consecutive games with a triple-digit passer rating.
"The biggest thing for him is continuing to play," Garrett said. "Playing quarterback in the NFL is hard. You need to keep playing, and he's learning every week. He's having new experiences every week that he can benefit from, and, like with the rest of our guys, his approach is right in that he wants to get better, he wants to be a good player. So he learns from those positive and negative experiences that he has. The more snaps he gets, the better he's going to be."
Romo essentially shrugs off the compliments in his Midwestern aw-shucks manner. He is in one breath self-deprecating and in another totally serious. He's humble yet confident, a combination that has made him beloved in the locker room.
And, like his boyhood idol Favre, Romo loves the game.
"The contract is nice and all, but I feel like I play the game the exact same way as before and after," he said. "That's probably why I wanted to get most of the work done during the bye week, just so people didn't have to talk about it and didn't have to deal with it. You don't play this game for money, I'll tell you that. You go out there to play it for the love of it and to win, and that's what we're doing right now."
He's got that it. It's an ability to laugh as easily at his less-than-imposing physique as at his wide receivers' flamboyance, to shuttle credit effortlessly to his coaches and teammates, and, perhaps most important in the context of the NFL, to win.
If there was a question about quarterback Tony Romo before this season - and there were more than one - there isn't anymore. Romo is the real deal. A player. A leader. A quarterback who gets that Terrell Owens needs to be involved early and often in games. A man who as a boy idolized Brett Favre and now plays like him, with a new, rich contract to boot.
With Romo lighting it up week after week, the Dallas Cowboys are off to their best start since 1995, the last season they won the Super Bowl. A franchise that hasn't won a playoff game in 11 years - a span that includes four painful exits in the wild-card round - is atop the standings in the NFC, tied with Green Bay at 8-1 with seven games to play.
The Cowboys are coming off double-digit road wins against the Eagles and the New York Giants for the first time since 1998, and if they beat Washington on Sunday, will be 9-1 for just the third time.
Why, after years of mediocrity, are the Cowboys on the cusp of greatness? It's Romo.
Yes, the Cowboys are loaded. Their new coach, Wade Phillips, has fostered a loose atmosphere, turning Valley Ranch from a place of fear to a place of fun. His 3-4 defense has worked, and his offense, under new coordinator Jason Garrett, has exploded.
Everyone talks about Tom Brady's toys, but Romo, 27, has his own - Owens, Patrick Crayton, Jason Witten, Julius Jones, Marion Barber, and an offensive line that has kept Romo upright most of the time. He's got a deep threat, a reliable tight end, a pair of dangerous running backs, and a supporting cast.
But had Romo suffered a sophomore slump, had a couple of flawless games last season been an aberration, had he been less than great, none of the Cowboys' success would have been possible. He knows it. His teammates know it. And the coaches know it.
"We know he's our guy," Owens said after the Cowboys left Giants Stadium with a 31-20 victory Sunday night. "His contract solidified that."
Romo has played determined football, "and that's all we can ask for," Owens said.
Owner Jerry Jones strengthened Romo's status as the Cowboys' quarterback of the present and future last month during the team's bye week when he re-signed him to a six-year, $67.5 million contract, with $30 million guaranteed over the next three years.
As these things go, Romo's teammates noticed. To an extent, it confirmed their success as a team. Confidence breeds confidence, and the Cowboys have plenty of it.
So, too, does Romo, and why not? Although his 11 interceptions are tied for second most in the league behind Drew Brees' 12, Romo ranks third in passing yards with 2,555, for an average of 283.9, behind only Favre (2,757, 306.3) and Brady (2,686, 298.4). Romo has completed 65.1 percent of his passes and thrown for 23 touchdowns, and his 103.3 rating trails only Brady's 131.8 and Ben Roethlisberger's 110.2.
When Romo did slip this season, against Buffalo, throwing five interceptions, the Cowboys won anyway. They survived, and although the next week Dallas lost its only game of the season, to New England, it hasn't lost since. Romo had an average game against the Patriots - 18 of 29 for 199 yards, with two touchdowns and one pick - but has posted three consecutive games with a triple-digit passer rating.
"The biggest thing for him is continuing to play," Garrett said. "Playing quarterback in the NFL is hard. You need to keep playing, and he's learning every week. He's having new experiences every week that he can benefit from, and, like with the rest of our guys, his approach is right in that he wants to get better, he wants to be a good player. So he learns from those positive and negative experiences that he has. The more snaps he gets, the better he's going to be."
Romo essentially shrugs off the compliments in his Midwestern aw-shucks manner. He is in one breath self-deprecating and in another totally serious. He's humble yet confident, a combination that has made him beloved in the locker room.
And, like his boyhood idol Favre, Romo loves the game.
"The contract is nice and all, but I feel like I play the game the exact same way as before and after," he said. "That's probably why I wanted to get most of the work done during the bye week, just so people didn't have to talk about it and didn't have to deal with it. You don't play this game for money, I'll tell you that. You go out there to play it for the love of it and to win, and that's what we're doing right now."
posted by The Gryphon at 7:49 AM
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