DMN: Dallas Cowboys' Romo doesn't grasp importance of protecting the football
by Jean-Jacques TAYLOR
IRVING – As Tony Romo described his interception just before halftime of the Baltimore debacle, the quarterback said something that changed my opinion of him.
"Once I made him miss, I knew he was one-on-one," Romo said of Terrell Owens. "Ed Reed did a good job of following me once I rolled that way. It was the end of the half. I believe it was third down. You treat it kind of like a punt.
"I was hoping to give him [Owens] a chance to make a play. I just kind of put it out there."
I'm not one of those people who have been hammering Romo since his trip to Cabo before the playoffs last year. Just the other day, I wrote that Romo has won some big regular-season games, and that's the first step every quarterback must take on what he eventually hopes will be a championship journey.
But his statement after the game is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard a good quarterback say.
Yes, there are times when an interception at the end of the half is essentially like a punt, but that wasn't one of them. It was an indiscriminant throw with 43 seconds left, and it cost the Cowboys points.
Reed is the game's most dangerous defensive player with the ball. Think Deion Sanders in his prime.
There's a reason he has 11 career touchdowns. A couple of weeks ago, he returned an interception 107 yards for a touchdown.
Reed returned Romo's interception 29 yards to the Ravens' 49 with 27 seconds left in the first half. Three plays later, Matt Stover kicked a 37-field goal on the final play of the half to give the Ravens a 9-7 lead in a game everyone knew points would be at a premium.
More important, it spoke to Romo's immaturity as a player. His cavalier response indicates that after 38 starts, he still doesn't understand the importance of protecting the ball.
There's no excuse for that.
See, this is different than being a gambler. Or a gunslinger. This is different than forcing the ball into a tight spot because he has so much confidence in his arm.
This means Romo has discarded too much of the meaningful stuff Bill Parcells pumped into him and that he's regressed under offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson.
"A lot of stuff is out of your control as a quarterback. What I do control is decision-making," Romo said. "There were one or two balls that I'd like to have back, but I felt like I managed the game pretty well after that."
OK, but the damage was done.
How in the world does Romo expect his teammates to trust him when he throws a pass like the one Reed intercepted just before halftime? Or the equally hideous pass Reed intercepted on the Cowboys' first possession, when Romo needlessly threw into double-coverage?
We already know Romo's approval rating has been dropping steadily.
That's why Terrell Owens, Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton had individual meetings with Jason Garrett after the loss to Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago. Do you think they would've done that if they trusted Romo? Of course not.
Whether Romo is throwing too many passes to Jason Witten because of their relationship is irrelevant – personally, I think it's one of the silliest things I've ever heard – because perception is reality.
Some unnamed teammates have questioned Romo's practice habits in published reports; others believe Phillips and Garrett give the quarterback a pass when he makes mistakes.
Throw in his 5-7 December record, and you understand why there's a national perception that he's stat-sheet stuffer who chokes under pressure.
None of this means Romo won't eventually regain his star status, but he should spend some time reflecting on his season this week, while preparing for Sunday's winner-take-all game against Philadelphia. Or he's going to wake up one day trying to figure out how he never fulfilled his immense potential.
IRVING – As Tony Romo described his interception just before halftime of the Baltimore debacle, the quarterback said something that changed my opinion of him.
"Once I made him miss, I knew he was one-on-one," Romo said of Terrell Owens. "Ed Reed did a good job of following me once I rolled that way. It was the end of the half. I believe it was third down. You treat it kind of like a punt.
"I was hoping to give him [Owens] a chance to make a play. I just kind of put it out there."
I'm not one of those people who have been hammering Romo since his trip to Cabo before the playoffs last year. Just the other day, I wrote that Romo has won some big regular-season games, and that's the first step every quarterback must take on what he eventually hopes will be a championship journey.
But his statement after the game is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard a good quarterback say.
Yes, there are times when an interception at the end of the half is essentially like a punt, but that wasn't one of them. It was an indiscriminant throw with 43 seconds left, and it cost the Cowboys points.
Reed is the game's most dangerous defensive player with the ball. Think Deion Sanders in his prime.
There's a reason he has 11 career touchdowns. A couple of weeks ago, he returned an interception 107 yards for a touchdown.
Reed returned Romo's interception 29 yards to the Ravens' 49 with 27 seconds left in the first half. Three plays later, Matt Stover kicked a 37-field goal on the final play of the half to give the Ravens a 9-7 lead in a game everyone knew points would be at a premium.
More important, it spoke to Romo's immaturity as a player. His cavalier response indicates that after 38 starts, he still doesn't understand the importance of protecting the ball.
There's no excuse for that.
See, this is different than being a gambler. Or a gunslinger. This is different than forcing the ball into a tight spot because he has so much confidence in his arm.
This means Romo has discarded too much of the meaningful stuff Bill Parcells pumped into him and that he's regressed under offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson.
"A lot of stuff is out of your control as a quarterback. What I do control is decision-making," Romo said. "There were one or two balls that I'd like to have back, but I felt like I managed the game pretty well after that."
OK, but the damage was done.
How in the world does Romo expect his teammates to trust him when he throws a pass like the one Reed intercepted just before halftime? Or the equally hideous pass Reed intercepted on the Cowboys' first possession, when Romo needlessly threw into double-coverage?
We already know Romo's approval rating has been dropping steadily.
That's why Terrell Owens, Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton had individual meetings with Jason Garrett after the loss to Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago. Do you think they would've done that if they trusted Romo? Of course not.
Whether Romo is throwing too many passes to Jason Witten because of their relationship is irrelevant – personally, I think it's one of the silliest things I've ever heard – because perception is reality.
Some unnamed teammates have questioned Romo's practice habits in published reports; others believe Phillips and Garrett give the quarterback a pass when he makes mistakes.
Throw in his 5-7 December record, and you understand why there's a national perception that he's stat-sheet stuffer who chokes under pressure.
None of this means Romo won't eventually regain his star status, but he should spend some time reflecting on his season this week, while preparing for Sunday's winner-take-all game against Philadelphia. Or he's going to wake up one day trying to figure out how he never fulfilled his immense potential.
posted by The Gryphon at 3:15 PM
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