Romo worth the wait
By David Elfin
November 15, 2007
It's good to be Tony Romo.
The Dallas Cowboys quarterback recently signed a six-year, $67 million contract that includes $30 million in guaranteed money.
He is 14-5 as a starter and has a superb passer rating of 98.9.
His No. 9 jersey is the top seller in the NFL.
He has been linked to Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears — well, nothing's perfect — and Jessica Simpson.
He even judged this year's Miss Universe pageant.
And best of all for the Cowboys, he has led his team to an 8-1 record — the club's most successful start since the Super Bowl glory days of the mid-1990s.
Save for one botched hold on a field goal attempt in the playoffs last season, the NFL has been a magical ride for a guy who was signed as a rookie free agent and spent 3½ years watching from the sideline.
"If I were aloof or I didn't enjoy people, it would be difficult," the 27-year-old from Burlington, Wis., said of his newfound celebrity. "Most people are very respectful. They just want an autograph or a picture. That's not a big deal. I can remember back when I was like that with the Green Bay Packers growing up. I try to give a little bit of time to everybody. You just pick and choose your spots when you go out. You don't do it as much as you used to."
If Romo is handling his sudden fame and wealth well, opposing defenses aren't doing nearly as well handling him. Romo leads the NFC in passer rating and ranks ahead of his teenage idol, Packers quarterback Brett Favre, in most categories.
"He's not prototypical in terms of his mechanics," said linebacker London Fletcher, whose Washington Redskins face Romo and the Cowboys on Sunday at Texas Stadium. "He'll throw the ball from a bunch of different angles and deliveries, but he makes plays. He's like Brett Favre, a gunslinger."
Romo, like almost any quarterback, said he would rather stand in the pocket all day. When that's not possible, Romo still has a knack for making good things happen.
"The big plays sometimes happen when you get outside," Romo said. "You either have a sixth sense for that or you don't. Things either slow down for you or they speed up. Sometimes I guess it just slows down for me."
The Redskins couldn't slow Romo down last November in the second start of his career. Romo threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns in a loss, and he has improved since then while playing with virtually the same cast.
"I think he's playing with a lot more confidence, and it seems like those guys are playing like he's the guy," Redskins linebacker Marcus Washington said. "The way he's getting the ball to their playmakers is a challenge for us."
Romo obviously faced a challenge just to make an NFL roster and keep his job as a third-stringer, but he endeared himself to former Cowboys coach Bill Parcells with his work ethic.
Parcells had drafted quarterback Drew Bledsoe No. 1 with the New England Patriots and traded for him in 2005 with the Cowboys. When Bledsoe faltered last season, the taskmaster finally turned to the understudy.
"I was smart enough to understand in the time that I was sitting that I knew I was getting better each year," Romo said. "I was getting to a point where I knew I could play in the NFL and play decent. It was a really neat feeling last year when I got to start against Carolina for the first time — 'Well, we'll find out if I'm really good enough or not.
"You can do all the things you want in preseason, but until you prove it in a regular-season game, you really don't know if you're good enough to do it."
Romo has left no doubt on that score.
Romo said he is prepared for the lows that come with being a starter — the killer mistake on the field goal in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs last season, the five interceptions he threw in a dramatic and unlikely victory over the Buffalo Bills earlier this season.
"It's not ever quite as big as people make it out to be — not just football, life in general," Romo said. "Things are going to happen. It's a journey. You're going to have your ups and downs, and if you keep an even keel you'll probably come out on top. If you can tell yourself that I did everything I could to put myself in a position to succeed, I can live with that. You're not going to win them all."
But if you're Tony Romo, you're going to win most of them.
November 15, 2007
It's good to be Tony Romo.
The Dallas Cowboys quarterback recently signed a six-year, $67 million contract that includes $30 million in guaranteed money.
He is 14-5 as a starter and has a superb passer rating of 98.9.
His No. 9 jersey is the top seller in the NFL.
He has been linked to Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears — well, nothing's perfect — and Jessica Simpson.
He even judged this year's Miss Universe pageant.
And best of all for the Cowboys, he has led his team to an 8-1 record — the club's most successful start since the Super Bowl glory days of the mid-1990s.
Save for one botched hold on a field goal attempt in the playoffs last season, the NFL has been a magical ride for a guy who was signed as a rookie free agent and spent 3½ years watching from the sideline.
"If I were aloof or I didn't enjoy people, it would be difficult," the 27-year-old from Burlington, Wis., said of his newfound celebrity. "Most people are very respectful. They just want an autograph or a picture. That's not a big deal. I can remember back when I was like that with the Green Bay Packers growing up. I try to give a little bit of time to everybody. You just pick and choose your spots when you go out. You don't do it as much as you used to."
If Romo is handling his sudden fame and wealth well, opposing defenses aren't doing nearly as well handling him. Romo leads the NFC in passer rating and ranks ahead of his teenage idol, Packers quarterback Brett Favre, in most categories.
"He's not prototypical in terms of his mechanics," said linebacker London Fletcher, whose Washington Redskins face Romo and the Cowboys on Sunday at Texas Stadium. "He'll throw the ball from a bunch of different angles and deliveries, but he makes plays. He's like Brett Favre, a gunslinger."
Romo, like almost any quarterback, said he would rather stand in the pocket all day. When that's not possible, Romo still has a knack for making good things happen.
"The big plays sometimes happen when you get outside," Romo said. "You either have a sixth sense for that or you don't. Things either slow down for you or they speed up. Sometimes I guess it just slows down for me."
The Redskins couldn't slow Romo down last November in the second start of his career. Romo threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns in a loss, and he has improved since then while playing with virtually the same cast.
"I think he's playing with a lot more confidence, and it seems like those guys are playing like he's the guy," Redskins linebacker Marcus Washington said. "The way he's getting the ball to their playmakers is a challenge for us."
Romo obviously faced a challenge just to make an NFL roster and keep his job as a third-stringer, but he endeared himself to former Cowboys coach Bill Parcells with his work ethic.
Parcells had drafted quarterback Drew Bledsoe No. 1 with the New England Patriots and traded for him in 2005 with the Cowboys. When Bledsoe faltered last season, the taskmaster finally turned to the understudy.
"I was smart enough to understand in the time that I was sitting that I knew I was getting better each year," Romo said. "I was getting to a point where I knew I could play in the NFL and play decent. It was a really neat feeling last year when I got to start against Carolina for the first time — 'Well, we'll find out if I'm really good enough or not.
"You can do all the things you want in preseason, but until you prove it in a regular-season game, you really don't know if you're good enough to do it."
Romo has left no doubt on that score.
Romo said he is prepared for the lows that come with being a starter — the killer mistake on the field goal in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs last season, the five interceptions he threw in a dramatic and unlikely victory over the Buffalo Bills earlier this season.
"It's not ever quite as big as people make it out to be — not just football, life in general," Romo said. "Things are going to happen. It's a journey. You're going to have your ups and downs, and if you keep an even keel you'll probably come out on top. If you can tell yourself that I did everything I could to put myself in a position to succeed, I can live with that. You're not going to win them all."
But if you're Tony Romo, you're going to win most of them.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:34 AM
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