Romo worth nurturing As Broncos will find out, life without a legit QB is much harder
by TIM COWLISHAW,
timcowlishawblog.dallasnews.com
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
There are Cowboys fans who believe the team has too rapidly rewarded Tony Romo despite his lack of playoff achievement. They think his $31 million in guaranteed money is not yet deserved.
They consider owner Jerry Jones' attempt to make the team, in his words, more "Romo friendly" in 2009 a mistake.
Here's all you really have to say to establish why those critics of how Romo is being treated are wrong.
Kyle Orton vs. Chris Simms.
That, of course, is the quarterback battle that Denver Broncos fans are left to enjoy after the trade of Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears on Thursday.
Despite getting a sizable package from Chicago - two first-round draft picks, a third-round pick and Orton for Cutler and a fifth - the trade is a ridiculous one for the Broncos to have made.
You don't get rid of Pro Bowl quarterbacks in the NFL.
You especially don't get rid of young Pro Bowl quarterbacks in the NFL.
The Broncos just did.
I'm sure new head coach Josh McDaniels feels he has the magic touch and can win with less decorated quarterbacks after watching Matt Cassel win 11 games in New England last season.
But the club's attempt to trade for Cassel, which led to the battle between McDaniels and Cutler that the team could never resolve, was stupid to begin with.
There are GMs all around the league who are lukewarm on Cassel's talents. That's one reason the Patriots only got a second-round pick from Kansas City for him.
There are undoubtedly some GMs who have questions about how Cutler handled the situation in Denver, but there are no real questions about his arm and his talents on the field.
He's far, far better than Orton or Simms, as Broncos fans will soon learn, if they don't understand that already.
Good quarterbacks are just too hard to find in this era. If you were going to pick one reason why the Cowboys are currently at 12 years and counting without a playoff victory, it would be quarterback play.
At least that's true for the first nine years of the streak.
Romo was a Pro Bowl player in the 10th and 11th seasons. No, he hasn't performed well in two playoff opportunities, but that's no reason to give up on him or to handle him any way other than the Cowboys are doing.
Yes, he has to become more of a leader, but that will happen. He gets that. He knows that his "life goes on" speeches after bitter defeats are not the way to go.
If you were going to pick three reasons why the Cowboys can do better than 9-7 this season and get back to the playoffs, it would be their wealth of running backs, a pass rush led by 20-sack man DeMarcus Ware and the playmaking abilities of their quarterback.
Not necessarily in that order.
There is plenty of work to be done, and there are no guarantees. The Cowboys might not be the best team in their own four-team division. They might not even be second best.
But all you have to do is relive the Anthony Wright, Quincy Carter, Ryan Leaf, Chad Hutchinson, Clint Stoerner, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Bledsoe years to understand why the only way to go is to give your quality quarterback whatever he desires once you have one.
Until Romo finds some success in January, the Cowboys won't know for sure whether they have one. Romo's play has at least provided reason to think they do.
The Denver Broncos know that they don't.
timcowlishawblog.dallasnews.com
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
There are Cowboys fans who believe the team has too rapidly rewarded Tony Romo despite his lack of playoff achievement. They think his $31 million in guaranteed money is not yet deserved.
They consider owner Jerry Jones' attempt to make the team, in his words, more "Romo friendly" in 2009 a mistake.
Here's all you really have to say to establish why those critics of how Romo is being treated are wrong.
Kyle Orton vs. Chris Simms.
That, of course, is the quarterback battle that Denver Broncos fans are left to enjoy after the trade of Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears on Thursday.
Despite getting a sizable package from Chicago - two first-round draft picks, a third-round pick and Orton for Cutler and a fifth - the trade is a ridiculous one for the Broncos to have made.
You don't get rid of Pro Bowl quarterbacks in the NFL.
You especially don't get rid of young Pro Bowl quarterbacks in the NFL.
The Broncos just did.
I'm sure new head coach Josh McDaniels feels he has the magic touch and can win with less decorated quarterbacks after watching Matt Cassel win 11 games in New England last season.
But the club's attempt to trade for Cassel, which led to the battle between McDaniels and Cutler that the team could never resolve, was stupid to begin with.
There are GMs all around the league who are lukewarm on Cassel's talents. That's one reason the Patriots only got a second-round pick from Kansas City for him.
There are undoubtedly some GMs who have questions about how Cutler handled the situation in Denver, but there are no real questions about his arm and his talents on the field.
He's far, far better than Orton or Simms, as Broncos fans will soon learn, if they don't understand that already.
Good quarterbacks are just too hard to find in this era. If you were going to pick one reason why the Cowboys are currently at 12 years and counting without a playoff victory, it would be quarterback play.
At least that's true for the first nine years of the streak.
Romo was a Pro Bowl player in the 10th and 11th seasons. No, he hasn't performed well in two playoff opportunities, but that's no reason to give up on him or to handle him any way other than the Cowboys are doing.
Yes, he has to become more of a leader, but that will happen. He gets that. He knows that his "life goes on" speeches after bitter defeats are not the way to go.
If you were going to pick three reasons why the Cowboys can do better than 9-7 this season and get back to the playoffs, it would be their wealth of running backs, a pass rush led by 20-sack man DeMarcus Ware and the playmaking abilities of their quarterback.
Not necessarily in that order.
There is plenty of work to be done, and there are no guarantees. The Cowboys might not be the best team in their own four-team division. They might not even be second best.
But all you have to do is relive the Anthony Wright, Quincy Carter, Ryan Leaf, Chad Hutchinson, Clint Stoerner, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Bledsoe years to understand why the only way to go is to give your quality quarterback whatever he desires once you have one.
Until Romo finds some success in January, the Cowboys won't know for sure whether they have one. Romo's play has at least provided reason to think they do.
The Denver Broncos know that they don't.
posted by The Gryphon at 3:39 PM
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