To Romo or Not to Romo?
That is the question this week as many folks in and around the National Football League speculate on the future of current Dallas Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo.
If he is indeed released by Dallas, the rumors continue to point toward Denver as possible destination for the 36-year old signal caller.
And based on the online fan feedback, there doesn't seem to be a lot of love for the idea.
Should Denver go after the oft-injured veteran?
Absolutely.
Hang with me a second Broncos Country. Yes. He's Romo. He's the dude who couldn't hold the ball for an extra point try. He's the one who has the injured reserve on speed dial. He's old. And for crying out loud he's a freaking Cowboy!
But Tony Romo is also a really, really good quarterback when he's healthy.
A healthy Romo is flat out better than the youthful tandem of Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. Both players may end up as fine quarterbacks someday. They just aren't Super Bowl ready. Do you know how we know? 9-7 last year with a Super Bowl defense that was mostly intact.
How many of those Lombardi trophies do they hand out every year?
Yep. Just one.
What quarterback instantly upgrades the offense? Tony Romo.
Broncos fans last saw him up close in 2013 during a classic shoot-out with Peyton Manning. Denver won as time expired with a Matt Prater field goal and won 51-48 in Dallas. In that game, Romo actually out-dueled threw for a mere 505 yards and 5 touchdowns with a QBR of 140. And a lifetime QBT of 97.1 compared to young Siemian's 84.6 last year.
I know, you're still not quite ready for John Elway to go after the old Cowboy. Siemian and Lynch are our guys. I get that. I love players who love to wear the orange and blue. They're loyal and gosh they seem like great kids. What's not to like?
The defense isn't getting any younger for one. More key players will be spun off and if Denver wants to take advantage of this championship caliber defense, they will need an offense to match. The division ain't getting any easier either. The Raiders are still moving upward with their young talent getting more experience and the Chiefs always seem willing to stand in the way of Broncos trying to get to the playoffs.
Sure, Romo could get hurt. The Romo injury factory standing behind the current line does sound like trouble. Since the offensive line in Denver pretty much offended anyone looking for a running game or pass protection last season, it is a real concern. Although, in addition to Romo I imagine Elway will be finding some O-line assistance.
And so what if Romo gets hurt?
Manning was hurt a lot during his final Super Bowl season as his back-up, Brock Osweiler did just enough to get overpaid by the Houston Texans.
Or, think of it this way. A Romo-led Denver team could be the only obstacle in the way of New England grabbing their sixth Lombardi trophy.
Or folks could just cheer real hard for the youthful quarterbacks to grow up in a hurry and be a little more competitive this year.
We all know Elway loves the win.
I'm thinking he pushes pretty hard to see if Romo looks good in orange and blue.
I have several perspectives to point out. How many playoff games has Tony Romo won? Oh he's only won 1 playoff game, well yes that is 1 more than Lynch or Siemian. In my opinion 1 Playoff win doesn't push the balance of the yes/no scale in favor of signing him. How well was the Cowboys Offensive line over the last 5 years? Well they were arguably the best O-Line in all of football, and yet, somehow, Romo still got thrown around like a rag doll and broke his Collar bone twice and back once. I wonder what is in store for him in Denver with arguably one of the worst O-lines in the league. So lets Pay Romo 12 Million for 3 games? LOL ... we'd be better off re-signing Russell Okung to 12 mil per year.
ReplyDeleteThe leader in the locker room from an Offensive perspective is Siemian. That's who they will follow. They'd all probably die for him now that it is known Siemian played through a "horrific" shoulder separation. Will Vance Joseph have enough of a 1st year coaches respect to turn that focus to someone else? Maybe? I'm fairly sure Romo isn't "That Guy" though. Lets face it, he's not PFM. It's not like Romo's had success in post the season. OK so he's actually played in 4 playoff games, but I still do not see Elway signing Romo. Kick his tires? Sure lets see what he looks like. If he comes in well under 12mil/year it might not be a bad idea to have a "vet" on the roster, but lets NOT hand him the reigns to the wagon just so he can break the other 5 vertebrae in his back.
Ah, the dreaded playoff wins argument. How many Super Bowl wins does Dan Marino have? Was John Elway suddenly a BETTER quarterback in those last two title games? Or does the Hall of Fame care about the last few games of the season? Complete teams tend to win it all, Romo has not been on one of those. And Elway didn't win until he had a running game and a defense. I do agree Romo is no PFM. Only one of those per lifetime. But the eye test shows Siemian has difficulty going deep (one great deep ball versus the Bengals is about it on the long pass highlight reel). If we're to believe the insiders Siemian is already the odd man out if Denver adds a veteran QB. Good stuff though Steve! Thanks for your thoughtful retort!
ReplyDeleteHow do you account for Trent Dilfer? Doug Williams? Jim McMahon? Joe Flacco? All Siemianesque QB's without flashing "star wars numbers" but yet still won Superbowls? Marino had 8 Playoff wins in his career, and 1 Superbowl loss. Arguably a WAY better QB than Romo. I think leadership is underrated and isn't as flashy as a "cannon arm", but still history has proven thatn Siemianesque QB's can win SB's. Siemian is only going to get better as time goes on. I am not convinced that Lynch is all that either. One thing is for sure, it will be fun to watch no matter who is under center.
DeleteNone of those lucky one ring guys are as good at passing as Romo. That's the thing. Give Romo that Raven defense and he's better than Dilfer. Doug Williams throws a LOT like Romo, but he had Timmy Smith Day at the SB. Jimmy Mac won the lotto with the 85 Bears defense, but couldn't move the ball against an anemic Miami defense that year. I like Flacco. But he has to show some more before I put him in the leader spot. You're talking about game managers. I don't think Elway is into that. I honestly think that is why Kubes suddenly had more health issues. All that said - I love 'our' guys. Trevor and Paxton are cool, but best chance to win it all before Von Miller gets old? Romo baby! Dealing against Dallas in SB 52.
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