DMN: JJT: Believe in Dallas Cowboys' Romo's talent, not his words
By Jean Jacques Taylor
CARROLLTON – Tony Romo wants you to believe he had nothing to do with Terrell Owens' release.
Maybe he didn't make a phone call to Jerry Jones' office or send him a text, but none of us really believes Romo wanted the petulant receiver to return.
There's no forensic evidence, but surely you don't think it's a coincidence that Jerry said he wants the offense to be more Romo friendly and T.O. got whacked a short time later.
Of course not.
You know what? That's cool. It's Romo's team, as it should be.
Ultimately, we all know this team's success hinges on whether the 29-year-old quarterback maximizes his talent and plays to his potential.
He's that good. We've all seen it. More than once. We just haven't seen it when it matters most. For now, though, Romo is too young to write off as a guy who can't win in the postseason.
So if Romo thinks he'll be a better player without T.O. demanding the ball every play, then T.O. had to go. Romo finally addressed the issue Tuesday at the Cowboys' first OTA practice open to the media after ducking and dodging those with tape recorders and notepads for nearly two months.
"That's not up to any of us players to decide. That's why we're players," Romo said of T.O.'s release. "The organization and management decides those things.
"We're all at risk every off-season, depending upon everything. You always want to go out there and try to have all the guys you play with every year. That just doesn't happen."
When asked whether Jerry had talked to him about releasing T.O. before he did it, Romo said, "No, I'm just a player. Those are internal discussions for management and coaches."
Poppycock.
Romo's either being disingenuous or naïve.
You're never just a player when you're the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, not when Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman are the standard.
There's too much history and prestige associated with the position. When you're the quarterback of the Cowboys, owner of a contract worth $65 million and a star, then what you say and do matters.
That's why Romo's name was on the front pages of sports sections throughout the country when he made his infamous trip to Cabo a couple of years ago.
Ten bucks if you can name the other high-profile starter who accompanied him. Twenty bucks if you can name the third player who went on the trip with Romo. Obviously, I'm not really sending you a check if you guessed Jason Witten and Bobby Carpenter, so there's no need to send me an e-mail with your address.
You get the point. Romo's name made the headlines – not theirs.
It's easy to understand why Romo chooses his words carefully when it comes to T.O. After all, a chunk of the locker room believes he ran the enigmatic receiver out of town.
If he gives credence to the locker room perception with his comments, there could be some backlash. This way, the T.O. storylines might just fade away.
Despite his comments on T.O., Romo did provide some indications that he's maturing as a leader. He must for the Cowboys to make the playoffs this season.
First, Romo said this team is going to focus on getting better each day. That's great, because last year at training camp, everyone from Romo to Jerry to Wade Phillips let it be known they were thinking about the Super Bowl whether they actually uttered the words or not.
Then, Romo said the players on this team were going to make each other accountable for playing to their ability each day. Obviously, that didn't happen last year when the Cowboys produced the most disappointing season in franchise history.
In the end, his thoughts and feelings about T.O. won't matter one bit if he plays his best football in December and leads the Cowboys to their first playoff win since 1996.
CARROLLTON – Tony Romo wants you to believe he had nothing to do with Terrell Owens' release.
Maybe he didn't make a phone call to Jerry Jones' office or send him a text, but none of us really believes Romo wanted the petulant receiver to return.
There's no forensic evidence, but surely you don't think it's a coincidence that Jerry said he wants the offense to be more Romo friendly and T.O. got whacked a short time later.
Of course not.
You know what? That's cool. It's Romo's team, as it should be.
Ultimately, we all know this team's success hinges on whether the 29-year-old quarterback maximizes his talent and plays to his potential.
He's that good. We've all seen it. More than once. We just haven't seen it when it matters most. For now, though, Romo is too young to write off as a guy who can't win in the postseason.
So if Romo thinks he'll be a better player without T.O. demanding the ball every play, then T.O. had to go. Romo finally addressed the issue Tuesday at the Cowboys' first OTA practice open to the media after ducking and dodging those with tape recorders and notepads for nearly two months.
"That's not up to any of us players to decide. That's why we're players," Romo said of T.O.'s release. "The organization and management decides those things.
"We're all at risk every off-season, depending upon everything. You always want to go out there and try to have all the guys you play with every year. That just doesn't happen."
When asked whether Jerry had talked to him about releasing T.O. before he did it, Romo said, "No, I'm just a player. Those are internal discussions for management and coaches."
Poppycock.
Romo's either being disingenuous or naïve.
You're never just a player when you're the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, not when Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman are the standard.
There's too much history and prestige associated with the position. When you're the quarterback of the Cowboys, owner of a contract worth $65 million and a star, then what you say and do matters.
That's why Romo's name was on the front pages of sports sections throughout the country when he made his infamous trip to Cabo a couple of years ago.
Ten bucks if you can name the other high-profile starter who accompanied him. Twenty bucks if you can name the third player who went on the trip with Romo. Obviously, I'm not really sending you a check if you guessed Jason Witten and Bobby Carpenter, so there's no need to send me an e-mail with your address.
You get the point. Romo's name made the headlines – not theirs.
It's easy to understand why Romo chooses his words carefully when it comes to T.O. After all, a chunk of the locker room believes he ran the enigmatic receiver out of town.
If he gives credence to the locker room perception with his comments, there could be some backlash. This way, the T.O. storylines might just fade away.
Despite his comments on T.O., Romo did provide some indications that he's maturing as a leader. He must for the Cowboys to make the playoffs this season.
First, Romo said this team is going to focus on getting better each day. That's great, because last year at training camp, everyone from Romo to Jerry to Wade Phillips let it be known they were thinking about the Super Bowl whether they actually uttered the words or not.
Then, Romo said the players on this team were going to make each other accountable for playing to their ability each day. Obviously, that didn't happen last year when the Cowboys produced the most disappointing season in franchise history.
In the end, his thoughts and feelings about T.O. won't matter one bit if he plays his best football in December and leads the Cowboys to their first playoff win since 1996.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:11 PM
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