Archer: 'Coach' Tony Romo with a lot on plate

[boozeman]

'Coach' Tony Romo with a lot on plate

May, 15, 2013


By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com


GRAPEVINE, Texas – Tony Romo’s golf hobby has always been a topic of interest. Now that the Dallas Cowboys quarterback has cut back on his golf game this offseason, it remains topical.

Romo did not take part in the team’s annual sponsors’ appreciation golf tournament at Cowboys Golf Course on Wednesday, continuing an offseason in which he has kept the clubs in the trunk ... at least publicly.

Romo played the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February with Dallas PGA Tour pro Jordan Spieth, but since then has not played in the Azalea Invitational in Charleston, S.C., a tournament in which he has played the last few years, the Adams Pro-Scratch or attempted to qualify for the HP Byron Nelson Classic or the U.S. Open.

“I just think Tony’s got a lot on his plate now with his new role as coach,” executive vice president Stephen Jones joked.

A Cowboys official said Romo was taking part in “installation meetings” at Valley Ranch with coaches Wednesday as they prepare for next week’s organized team activities.

Much has been made of the increased role Romo has had in the offensive meetings in the offseason and will have when the season starts, but coach Jason Garrett does not believe much will change.

“It’s really been similar to every quarterback situation I’ve been involved in with every team I’ve been involved in,” Garrett said. “I was a quarterback in the league, so I saw those dynamics. I’ve been a quarterback coach and an offensive coordinator and in every place, in this organization and others you’re trying to get that kind of rapport with your starting quarterback and coaching staff. We’ve had it and we’ll continue to have that.”

 

[boozeman]

Stephen Jones on Tony Romo’s offensive involvement: ‘We want to do some things that we feel like may work better’




By Jon Machota / Special Contributor
jmachota@dallasnews.com
3:49 pm on May 15, 2013 |

GRAPEVINE – Tony Romo did not attend Wednesday’s Dallas Cowboys annual sponsor appreciation golf classic. Romo’s an avid golfer and face of the franchise so that’s somewhat surprising.

Some will speculate that Romo wasn’t there because he’s trying to cut back on golf to show his commitment to an increased role with the Cowboys’ offense.

Is there any truth to that?

“I just think Tony’s got a lot on his plate with his new role as coach,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones joked. “Tony’s always been a team guy and he’s obviously doing the things he needs to be doing.”

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said after this year’s NFL Draft that Romo’s recent six-year contract extension included the 33-year-old quarterback spending “Peyton Manning-type time on the job.” He then explained that Romo would be more involved in the team’s offensive game-planning.

Before taking to the golf course, Stephen Jones briefly discussed Romo’s increased role on Wednesday. The executive V.P. said Troy Aikman also had the type of influence Romo will have going forward.

“Tony’s always influenced the offense,” Stephen Jones said. “Obviously, as he matures more in his career, that’s what happens with quarterbacks, they have more influence. I think he’ll have even more this year. I do believe him, Bill Callahan, Jason [Garrett] and the offensive staff are on the same page. It’s just that we want to do some things that we feel like may work better.”

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett has downplayed the idea that Romo is going to be more involved than he has been in the past. Garrett says Romo has always had influence on the team’s offense and it will continue.

“Tony’s been around our offense for a long time and we think the lines of communication are open in a really positive way, so we’ll continue to have it that way, both in the offseason and during the season,” Garrett said. “And Tony’s worthy of that opportunity, and it’s really been that way since he’s been our quarterback.”

 

[boozeman]

Jason Garrett: No change in Tony Romo’s input into game plan

Posted by Josh Alper on May 15, 2013, 6:24 PM EDT

There’s been a certain pattern around the Cowboys in recent years.

Whether the topic has been windows of opportunity to win a Super Bowl or the identity of the team’s offensive play caller, owner Jerry Jones tends to make a proclamation that’s quickly followed by coach Jason Garrett playing things down. Since Jones has been talking up an an expanded role for quarterback Tony Romo when it comes to offensive game planning, it was only a matter of time before we heard Garrett’s take on things.

“It’s really been similar to every quarterback situation that I’ve been involved in with every team that I’ve been involved in,” Garrett said, via the Cowboys website. “In every place in this organization and in others, you’re trying to get that kind of rapport between your starting quarterback and the coaching staff, and we’ve had it, and we’ll continue to have that. … He’s been our starting quarterback for six years now, so his voice matters to us. But, it’s mattered for a long time.”

Romo turned 33 in April and took over as the Cowboys quarterback in 2006, so this will actually be his eighth year as a starter for the team. At some point, people should stop the annual talk about all the things Romo needs to do more of and realize that he’s probably developed into the quarterback he is going to become.

For better or worse, the Cowboys’ fate will likely be determined by how much they’ve improved the team around him.

 

[Genghis Khan]

 

[Cotton]

This team is such a clusterfuck.

 

[boozeman]

It is kind of cute when Garrett contradicts Jones in a passive-aggressive sort of way.

 

[EZ22]

Man, this is comical.

Guys, Tony is playing less golf... So pretty much look forward to a kick ass season.

 

[boozeman]

Man, this is comical.

Guys, Tony is playing less golf... So pretty much look forward to a kick ass season.

I like the idea that suddenly, Garrett is going to turn over his coaching future to Romo in regards to gameplanning.

Nobody with half a mind and an ego to boot, would ever do that.

This is just Jerry's world and that guy is definitely living in it.

 

[Simpleton]

Oh man, I can't wait for Tony Romo to be our offensive coordinator.

I guess this is what Garrett was talking about when he kept saying they were "figuring things out" in regard to who would call plays.

Idiots.

 

[junk]

If you want to maximize Romo, you don't put the reins in his hands. Romo needs to be managed and doesn't need to feel like he has to completely drive the offense.

Give him a running game. Run some play action. Control the clock and let your defense rest once in a while.

I don't think Garrett understands those concepts at all. He's still, at best, an OC who doesn't really understand game management.

 

[mcnuttz]

Hard to take this seriously when that dope Wade Wilson is still the QB coach.

Shouldn't he be a part of this since he's obviously not busy developing a young qb?

 

[mcnuttz]

If you want to maximize Romo, you don't put the reins in his hands. Romo needs to be managed and doesn't need to feel like he has to completely drive the offense.

Give him a running game. Run some play action. Control the clock and let your defense rest once in a while.

I don't think Garrett understands those concepts at all. He's still, at best, an OC who doesn't really understand game management.

Garrett never established himself as an OC period.

 

[vince]

Oh man, I can't wait for Tony Romo to be our offensive coordinator.

I guess this is what Garrett was talking about when he kept saying they were "figuring things out" in regard to who would call plays.

Idiots.

I trust Romo calling plays than Garrett.

 

[Smitty]

If you want to maximize Romo, you don't put the reins in his hands. Romo needs to be managed and doesn't need to feel like he has to completely drive the offense.

Give him a running game. Run some play action. Control the clock and let your defense rest once in a while.

I don't think Garrett understands those concepts at all. He's still, at best, an OC who doesn't really understand game management.

Fix the OL and he'll understand it a lot better than he did last year.

 

[Simpleton]

I trust Romo calling plays than Garrett.

Same, it's still a half-assed way of going about things though.

 

[junk]

Fix the OL and he'll understand it a lot better than he did last year.

Well, if the theory is that he had a "good" OL in 07 and his middling offenses since have been solely due to the OL (rather than he had a real OC holding his hand in his first year), then I hope he wakes up and realizes he needs to improve his OL someday. I mean, it has only been 5 seasons of a middle of the pack offense....you'd think it may have sunk in by now.

Or, it is what it is.......Garrett is a middle of the pack OC.

 

[Smitty]

Well, if the theory is that he had a "good" OL in 07 and his middling offenses since have been solely due to the OL (rather than he had a real OC holding his hand in his first year), then I hope he wakes up and realizes he needs to improve his OL someday. I mean, it has only been 5 seasons of a middle of the pack offense....you'd think it may have sunk in by now.

Or, it is what it is.......Garrett is a middle of the pack OC.

No, it's the first thing. I hope he realizes it soon too.

I mean, he is an average head coach. But he gets top 10 yardage stats with this talent, just not top 10 scoring stats, mostly due to the inability to finish off drives in the redzone. Which is an OL problem, not a gameplanning or a playcalling problem.

 

[Clay_Allison]

No, it's the first thing. I hope he realizes it soon too.

I mean, he is an average head coach. But he gets top 10 yardage stats with this talent, just not top 10 scoring stats, mostly due to the inability to finish off drives in the redzone. Which is an OL problem, not a gameplanning or a playcalling problem.

You say that, but you don't know it. I've always said I don't really believe he works on the running game enough in practice. It's a common problem among offensive coordinators. I've seen the head coach of the last high school I worked for yell at the OC for running all passing plays in practice and I can see Garrett having the same problem. He wants to play with his toys and still doesn't see the big picture well enough to care about fundamentals.

Neither of us see the practices, but I don't see Garrett as the type of guy that would demand that they work until they were at least technically sound in what any offensive lineman will tell you is the easiest thing to do, run blocking.

 

[Texas Ace]

No, it's the first thing. I hope he realizes it soon too.

I mean, he is an average head coach. But he gets top 10 yardage stats with this talent, just not top 10 scoring stats, mostly due to the inability to finish off drives in the redzone. Which is an OL problem, not a gameplanning or a playcalling problem.

Bullshit.

It isn't just a lack of scoring in the redzone, it's an inability to get the offense rolling early. How many damn times under Garrett's watch have we fallen behind by double digits early then rallied in the 2nd half with an up-tempo/no-huddle offense?

That isn't great coaching, that's sandlot football being implemented because the team has to score a lot of points and do so quickly.

Garrett has shown no ability to create and implement a consistent and productive NFL offense. You keep pointing to those stupid worthless yards when you know damn well this offense has struggled frequently under his watch and does not have the points to accompany all those yards.

You're just a Garrett whore and everyone knows it. That's why nobody takes your arguments about Garrett seriously. You have zero objectivity when it comes to him.

 

[ravidubey]

Garrett's offense only works with superior pass-blocking, excellent running, and a superstar HOF WR playing at the peak of his ability. Oh yeah, and a fantastic QB.

Show me any offense that doesn't work with all those pieces in place.