Gosselin: Tony Romo the better passer, but Peyton Manning the better quarterback

[L.T. Fan]

Tough to say how much blame either the defense or Romo deserves.

Both made mistakes that if corrected, we would have won. The defense made more.

That doesn't change the fact that Romo had the chance to win it and did not because he screwed up. Again.

Even without the interception there was a possibility that Dallas would not have scored and the game goes to overtime then what? Dallas may still have lost then where do you place the blame?. To me clearly the defense lost the game by not stopping their opponent the entire game Hell's Bells. had they stopped even one drive Dallas wins.

 

[Cotton]

Even without the interception there was a possibility that Dallas would not have scored and the game goes to overtime then what? Dallas may still have lost then where do you place the blame?. To me clearly the defense lost the game by not stopping their opponent the entire game Hell's Bells. had they stopped even one drive Dallas wins.

Yeah, there's also the possibility that Dallas stopped them in OT.

The credibility of that outcome is the same as the one where Romo doesn't throw an INT to lose.

 

[L.T. Fan]

Yeah, there's also the possibility that Dallas stopped them in OT.

The credibility of that outcome is the same as the one where Romo doesn't throw an INT to lose.

That's true but the point is that the game was lost because the defense could not keep the Broncos from scoring and one bad play at the end of the game isn't where it was lost. It was the play that closed out any opportunity to win.

 

[Cotton]

That's true but the point is that the game was lost because the defense could not keep the Broncos from scoring and one bad play at the end of the game isn't where it was lost. It was the play that closed out any opportunity to win.

Both are to blame. I agree.

 

[Genghis Khan]

There are some people that just absolutely refuse to blame him for anything.

As I said, while the defense was awful, he was still in a position to win in both contests. I can't believe that making the game clinching mistake in those instances still doesn't warrant blame in the Romo defenders' eyes.

I love how people turn defending Romo on a particular instance into automatically defending Romo on everything. It's silly, as if Romo is indefensible. Argue the merits of this specific debate, not the character of the debater.

When did i say you can't blame Romo for anything? I've been pretty critical of Romo leading up to this game, even in the face of Romo getting props for "playing well" this season. His TD to INT ratio was nice and all but his YPA had been terrible for a guy like him. I even suggested that Romo may have simply lost his ability due to age and the offseason contract was looking like a huge mistake. He wasn't particularly great for the most part last season either. I am not shy to criticize Romo when I think it's warranted.

That said, he put up an all timer performance against Denver.

So that brings us to the interception. I maintain that Romo would have at the very least not thrown that interception and in my estimation would have completed the pass had he not been stepped on by his own offensive lineman. Which to me says the interception and by extension the loss is not on Romo at all. I can't expect a QB to make accurate throws while he's being tripped by his own teammate. That's an impossible standard.

Truth be told, I wouldn't really put the blame for the loss on anybody. Yes, they had opportunities to win and very well might have if they played a perfect game (they didn't, of course, and that Dez fumble was pretty big also, btw) but otherwise they were simply outclassed in the end by a superior team and QB.

 

[Genghis Khan]

Even without the interception there was a possibility that Dallas would not have scored and the game goes to overtime then what? Dallas may still have lost then where do you place the blame?. To me clearly the defense lost the game by not stopping their opponent the entire game Hell's Bells. had they stopped even one drive Dallas wins.

Yep. If the offense goes into a conservative shell there, we punt and Manning goes down the field and beats us anyway. Might as well go balls to the wall, that's essentially what got us to that point.

 

[boozeman]

So that brings us to the interception. I maintain that Romo would have at the very least not thrown that interception and in my estimation would have completed the pass had he not been stepped on by his own offensive lineman. Which to me says the interception and by extension the loss is not on Romo at all. I can't expect a QB to make accurate throws while he's being tripped by his own teammate. That's an impossible standard.

So Romo has no obligation to sense the pressure or if he does check it down to a wide open Murray?

And that foot stepping on thing is something that quite honestly, I am not buying. It was as much a mental mistake as it was a physical one. At least that's what the head coach was saying today.

And here, it looks more like Romo is locked in on Escobar and he steps on Smith's foot as he was planting and throwing, not the other way around.

 

[asklesko]

Romo is not mature enough to be in Manning's class. He's never stepped up in that way. I hope it happens, but it hasn't so far.

 

[boozeman]

Romo is not mature enough to be in Manning's class. He's never stepped up in that way. I hope it happens, but it hasn't so far.

It won't. What you saw Sunday was Romo's finest...and unfortunately on those two downs, worst.

He's not going to suddenly change at this point in his career and become Peyton's equal.
A big huge problem nobody talks about is that he holds the ball far too long...longer than say Manning and Rivers have, which negates the pass rush. It was something Parcells had to take an air horn to his ear to get him to understand and I don't know if he gets it.

That could be for one of two things (or both actually): the routes that are designed into the offensive system, or his penchant for always looking for the big play instead of taking the easy one. I tend to think it is more Romo than Garrett's system when it comes down to pressure situations.

I do think Garrett's system generally does not have much more worthwhile in the short to intermediate range except for Witten. The backs rarely run deeper routes.

But for whatever reason, it seems to be hard-wired into his system that he has to be the hero.

Maybe that is just his nature being the Cinderella boy, Cinderella story, this unknown, former greenskeeper that comes out of nowhere to lead the pack and have a chance to become the Masters' Champion.

 

[boozeman]

Gosselin: Tony Romo Must Forget Atrocious Interception

Gosselin: Tony Romo Must Forget Atrocious Interception

Gosselin: If Tony Romo wants to continue to be Peyton Manning-esque in preparation, he must forget atrocious interception


Rick Gosselin



rgosselin@dallasnews.com

Published: 07 October 2013 09:47 PM

Updated: 07 October 2013 11:19 PM


Peyton Manning threw an atrocious interception on his final pass of the 2012 season.

Manning whipped an across-the-body duck at Brandon Stokley in overtime against Baltimore in the AFC semifinals that Ravens cornerback Corey Graham picked off. It became the pass that would end Denver’s season. It gave the Ravens possession at the Denver 45 and set up the game-winning field goal.

“Bad throw,” Manning said at the time. “Probably the decision wasn’t great, either.”

Manning took ownership of his mistake and learned from it. He would not throw his next interception for five games, 284 minutes, almost 19 quarters and 182 passes.

If Jerry Jones hopes Tony Romo can be more Peyton Manning-esque in his preparation and performance, Sunday should be another learning moment.

Romo threw an atrocious interception of his own against the Broncos. With the score tied 48-48, deep in his own end and the two-minute warning approaching, he tried to squeeze a throw to rookie tight end Gavin Escobar in a triangle of converging defenders.

Linebacker Danny Trevathan arrived first for a diving interception, giving the Broncos possession at the Dallas 24 and setting up the winning field goal.

“The kid made a good play,” Romo said. “I just didn’t get as much on it … I wanted to put it another 2 feet in front, and I didn’t put it exactly where I needed to. It’s frustrating.”

Down the hall in the bowels of the stadium, Manning was explaining his first interception of the 2013 season — a deep ball intended for Eric Decker in the closing seconds of the third quarter that Morris Claiborne swiped.

Decker drifted too far outside on his route, allowing Claiborne uncontested access to the ball, but Manning again took full ownership of the mistake.

“It was a bad decision,” Manning said. “You’re always trying to protect the ball. Certainly, that was not a good time. Their offense was hot. We needed to answer. We ended up allowing them to catch up and get the lead. It was a bad decision and a bad throw.”

There was no woulda, coulda or shoulda with Manning. Just ownership of a mistake — bad decision, bad throw. Manning didn’t consider his pass frustrating. He considered it a stupid mistake.

As was the Romo interception. Bad decision, bad throw. Once again, Romo was channeling his inner Brett Favre trying to create something where there was nothing.

But those moments have become fewer and further between for Romo as he has grown older. His interception was only his second in five games this season. At 33, Romo seems to have a better grasp of his own skill set and that of his team.

These aren’t the 1992 Cowboys. They don’t win games on form. Romo knows he needs to make plays for his team to have a chance on Sundays. But Romo also must realize his bad plays — bad decisions, bad throws — have dire consequences.

The Cowboys are 8-17 since 2009 when Romo commits at least one turnover in a game. Romo paved the way for that 17th loss with his lone turnover Sunday. His one mistake proved fatal. The Cowboys are an average team that leaves its quarterback little margin for error.

That said, the NFC East continues to wait on the Cowboys. At 2-3, the Cowboys still own a share of first place. A 9-7 season should capture the division, maybe even an 8-8.

If Sunday was indeed another learning moment for Romo — if he can go five games, 284 minutes, almost 19 quarters and 182 passes before his next interception — the Cowboys can still become the playoff team Jones is expecting them to be in 2013.

It all rides on the shoulders of the $108 million quarterback. He can keep them in games with his arm as he did Sunday with his 506 passing yards and five touchdowns. But he can also take them out of games with his arm, as he did Sunday with his one interception.



Elite company

With 506 passing yards Sunday, Tony Romo became the 15th quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 500 yards in a game, but he’s only the fifth to throw for 500 yards and at least five touchdowns. A look at those five:


QB

Date

Opp

Result

Yards

TDs


Norm Van Brocklin, LA Rams

9/28/1951

NY Yanks

W, 48-21

554

5


Matt Schaub, Houston

11/18/2012

Jacksonville

W, 43-37 (OT)

527

5


Matthew Stafford, Detroit

1/1/2012

Green Bay

L, 45-41

520

5


Tony Romo, Cowboys

10/06/2013

Denver

L, 51-48

506

5


Y.A. Tittle, NY Giants

10/28/1962

Washington

W, 49-34

505

7


Source: Pro Football Hall of Fame



Manning on top

Peyton Manning's four scoring strikes Sunday against the Cowboys moved him into first place for the most TD passes through five games in NFL history. The list:


QB

TDs

Sea.


1. Peyton Manning, Den.

20

2013


2. Daunte Culpepper, Min.

18

2004


3T. Tom Brady, NE

16

2007


3T. Brett Favre, GB

16

1996


5. Dan Marino, Mia.

15

1984

 

[boozeman]

Even without the interception there was a possibility that Dallas would not have scored and the game goes to overtime then what? Dallas may still have lost then where do you place the blame?. To me clearly the defense lost the game by not stopping their opponent the entire game Hell's Bells. had they stopped even one drive Dallas wins.

If Romo avoids that INT, it would be unanimous that the D lost the game. In fact, I think everyone...even the most pissed of, me included...knows the defense is a bigger issue than Romo.

Yes, we will only go as far as Romo takes us...blah blah blah.

It is just that his inability to avoid these mistakes at vital points of football games is beyond frustrating. You can't even enjoy him pimping out anymore because you know he's going to eventually break your heart.

That part of his play is what infuriates people. It is also amazing to me that people still, to this day, with the mountains of evidence suggesting he has some sort of serious and continual mental block like this, continue to defend him tooth and nail as the People's Champion of Fantasy Football statistical prowess. It means nothing at the end of the day.

 

[Smitty]

The problem is he has done it even when the defense plays well. Him doing it again yesterday is evidence that he will just continue to do it no matter what the circumstances.

 

[Texas Ace]

When did i say you can't blame Romo for anything?

Right here:

Even if Romo deserves some of the blame for the loss (he doesn't),

Forgive me if my understanding of the English language isn't so great, but based on my grammatical interpretation, this sure as hell sounds exactly like you're literally saying that he doesn't warrant any blame.

 

[Texas Ace]

The problem is he has done it even when the defense plays well. Him doing it again yesterday is evidence that he will just continue to do it no matter what the circumstances.

Yup.

During the offseason, I put together a list of all his blunders in the exact scenario like the one from Sunday and they happened in all types of games.

Even though you clearly the evidence of a trend, some will just refuse to accept that Romo just fails in these situations time and time again, nor will they acknowledge that his boneheaded mistakes are in any way his fault.

It's a lost cause.

 

[L.T. Fan]

If Romo avoids that INT, it would be unanimous that the D lost the game. In fact, I think everyone...even the most pissed of, me included...knows the defense is a bigger issue than Romo.

Yes, we will only go as far as Romo takes us...blah blah blah.

It is just that his inability to avoid these mistakes at vital points of football games is beyond frustrating. You can't even enjoy him pimping out anymore because you know he's going to eventually break your heart.

That part of his play is what infuriates people. It is also amazing to me that people still, to this day, with the mountains of evidence suggesting he has some sort of serious and continual mental block like this, continue to defend him tooth and nail as the People's Champion of Fantasy Football statistical prowess. It means nothing at the end of the day.

I am not defending Romo or the pick. I am simply trying to point out that the "loss" was more on the ineptness of the defense rather than one boneheaded play.

 

[Texas Ace]

I am not defending Romo or the pick. I am simply trying to point out that the "loss" was more on the ineptness of the defense rather than one boneheaded play.

I agree with you, but I can also see why some think Romo is mostly to blame.

For as awful as that defense was, he still had his chance to win the game. We weren't losing, he wasn't in a position to perform a miracle, he had everything he needed to win that game.

2-plus minutes on the clock in a tie game, and he screwed it up. For as awful as that defense was, it was his mistake that was the costliest of the entire game.

 

[L.T. Fan]

I agree with you, but I can also see why some think Romo is mostly to blame.

For as awful as that defense was, he still had his chance to win the game. We weren't losing, he wasn't in a position to perform a miracle, he had everything he needed to win that game.

2-plus minutes on the clock in a tie game, and he screwed it up. For as awful as that defense was, it was his mistake that was the costliest of the entire game.

Yes and no. Romo's miscue closed the door for an opportunity to win but the defensive struggles put the game in this precarious circumstance. Their cumulative performance made the game a tightrope for the entire day.

 

[dallen]

I think we can all agree that Romo should have never been in a position to need to score more than 48 points to win. But when it got to crunch time he folded under pressure just like he has over and over again. When you lose a game 51-48 there is plenty of blame to go around. Romo is a very good QB, but there are only about 3 in the game that can consistantly put their teams on their back and will them to win big games and he's not one of them.

 

[dallen]

I think what pissed me off the most is that the game was tied. All we had to do was not give them the ball back and we were guaranteed to at least go into overtime. There was no reason to take unreasonable gambles

 

[Texas Ace]

Yes and no. Romo's miscue closed the door for an opportunity to win but the defensive struggles put the game in this precarious circumstance. Their cumulative performance made the game a tightrope for the entire day.

I get it, L.T.....believe me, I do.

When your offense scores 48 and your QB throws for 500 yards and 5 TD's, you are supposed to win that game 10 times out of 10. That game should not have even hung in the balance after a performance like that.

But you know what? These things happen. Games don't always go as planned nor do they turn out the same each and every time. When it's all said and done, the most that you can ask for is a chance to win. If you put a contract in front of a coach that said he'd have the ball in a tie game with 2 min to play in every single game, he'd sign that deal and not think twice about it.

The point is, for as up and down as the game was and for how bad the defense played, Romo still had his chance. The chance that most NFL QB's love to be in. And as has been the case so many times before, he blew it.

It was his blunder that set the Broncos up for the game winning FG. Therefore, it was his mistake that was the costliest.