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Gosselin: Without $108 million Tony Romo, Cowboys have no swagger, won't win Sunday
Rick Gosselin
rgosselin@dallasnews.com
Published: 23 December 2013 07:41 PM
Updated: 23 December 2013 09:53 PM
Finally -- a definitive explanation why Jerry Jones awarded Tony Romo, at 33 years of age, a $108 million contract last March.
The Cowboys glimpsed a snapshot of life without Romo Monday and it frightens everyone at Valley Ranch. As well it should.
ESPN reported that a back injury suffered by Romo Sunday in the Redskins game would end his season, thus preventing him from playing in this weekend’s NFC East winner-take-all finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Coach Jason Garrett said nothing has been decided yet on Romo, that he will undergo rehabilitation on his back and that a determination on his playing status would be made at week’s end.
The Cowboys without Romo? The betting line for the Eagles game jumped on the underdog Cowboys from 2 1/2 points to 7 1/2 points shortly after the ESPN report. There isn’t much confidence outside Valley Ranch that the Cowboys can accomplish anything without Romo taking the snaps.
With Romo, the Cowboys can compete with anyone. He went toe-to-toe, pass-for-pass and point-for-point with Drew Brees in 2012 and with Peyton Manning in 2013. He belongs in any discussion of the NFL’s best quarterbacks.
Without Romo, the NFL’s 32 ranked defense and 24-ranked rushing offense isn’t going to extend the Cowboys’ season into February. It’s as clear as the star on the side of the helmet _ the “secret sauce” of which Stephen Jones speaks is Tony Romo.
And that’s why Jerry Jones showered those riches on his aging quarterback this offseason. The Cowboys gave Romo a $25 million signing bonus and guaranteed $55 million of his deal. And that contract doesn’t even kick in until the 2014 season.
Jones wants to keep Romo around as long as he possibly can because as long as he’s wearing that number 9, the Cowboys will be viewed as a contender and max out their national television appearances every season. Romo has been and will continue to be the major asset of the Cowboys brand.
That’s why Jones generously gave Romo a six-year contract that locks him up through the 2019 season at the age of 39. Without Romo, Valley Ranch is a house of cards.
If you don’t have a franchise quarterback in the NFL, you don’t stand a chance. Troy Aikman taught Jones that. Not necessarily with the three championship rings Aikman put on the owner’s hand -- but with the five seasons post-Aikman.
From 2001-2005, The Cowboys trotted out Quincy Carter, Anthony Wright, Ryan Leaf, Clint Stoerner, Chad Hutchinson, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Henson and Drew Bledsoe at quarterback and managed to win only 35 of 80 games. The Cowboys were no longer consequential.
When Romo hit the field for the first time with the Cowboys midway through the 2006 season, he was like a gift from the football gods. He made the Cowboys consequential again with his gunslinger mentality and knack for converting extended plays into big plays. There wasn’t a more entertaining quarterback in the NFL.
In his first full season as the starter in 2007, Romo steered the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and the top seed in the NFC playoff bracket. Jones believed he had finally connected the franchise dots of Staubach and Aikman with Romo. Great quarterbacking in Dallas always translated into Super Bowls.
But some poor drafting and personnel moves made the burden heavier and the task greater for Romo over the years. He was asked to do more with less than a Brees, Manning or Aaron Rodgers.
The fact that Romo has steered the Cowboys to a winner-take-all finale for three consecutive seasons is testament to his arm and value to this franchise. The Cowboys may not have been good enough to win those finales _ but Romo has always been good enough to get them there. As Romo goes, so go the Cowboys.
Romo may not be there Sunday. Maybe Kyle Orton can step in and be for Romo what Clint Longley was for Roger Staubach and Garrett was for Troy Aikman.
But Staubach and Aikman both returned to the lineup. And so must Romo. And he must remain there for a long time. Jones knows there’s no telling when the next Romo will come along for the Cowboys -- so he plans to hold onto this franchise quarterback as long as he possibly can.
Thus, the $108 million investment in the aura and ability of Tony Romo. The Cowboys need his aura -- which is why they are holding out hope he can play this weekend against the Eagles.
Without Romo, the franchise swagger is gone.
Rick Gosselin
rgosselin@dallasnews.com
Published: 23 December 2013 07:41 PM
Updated: 23 December 2013 09:53 PM
Finally -- a definitive explanation why Jerry Jones awarded Tony Romo, at 33 years of age, a $108 million contract last March.
The Cowboys glimpsed a snapshot of life without Romo Monday and it frightens everyone at Valley Ranch. As well it should.
ESPN reported that a back injury suffered by Romo Sunday in the Redskins game would end his season, thus preventing him from playing in this weekend’s NFC East winner-take-all finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Coach Jason Garrett said nothing has been decided yet on Romo, that he will undergo rehabilitation on his back and that a determination on his playing status would be made at week’s end.
The Cowboys without Romo? The betting line for the Eagles game jumped on the underdog Cowboys from 2 1/2 points to 7 1/2 points shortly after the ESPN report. There isn’t much confidence outside Valley Ranch that the Cowboys can accomplish anything without Romo taking the snaps.
With Romo, the Cowboys can compete with anyone. He went toe-to-toe, pass-for-pass and point-for-point with Drew Brees in 2012 and with Peyton Manning in 2013. He belongs in any discussion of the NFL’s best quarterbacks.
Without Romo, the NFL’s 32 ranked defense and 24-ranked rushing offense isn’t going to extend the Cowboys’ season into February. It’s as clear as the star on the side of the helmet _ the “secret sauce” of which Stephen Jones speaks is Tony Romo.
And that’s why Jerry Jones showered those riches on his aging quarterback this offseason. The Cowboys gave Romo a $25 million signing bonus and guaranteed $55 million of his deal. And that contract doesn’t even kick in until the 2014 season.
Jones wants to keep Romo around as long as he possibly can because as long as he’s wearing that number 9, the Cowboys will be viewed as a contender and max out their national television appearances every season. Romo has been and will continue to be the major asset of the Cowboys brand.
That’s why Jones generously gave Romo a six-year contract that locks him up through the 2019 season at the age of 39. Without Romo, Valley Ranch is a house of cards.
If you don’t have a franchise quarterback in the NFL, you don’t stand a chance. Troy Aikman taught Jones that. Not necessarily with the three championship rings Aikman put on the owner’s hand -- but with the five seasons post-Aikman.
From 2001-2005, The Cowboys trotted out Quincy Carter, Anthony Wright, Ryan Leaf, Clint Stoerner, Chad Hutchinson, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Henson and Drew Bledsoe at quarterback and managed to win only 35 of 80 games. The Cowboys were no longer consequential.
When Romo hit the field for the first time with the Cowboys midway through the 2006 season, he was like a gift from the football gods. He made the Cowboys consequential again with his gunslinger mentality and knack for converting extended plays into big plays. There wasn’t a more entertaining quarterback in the NFL.
In his first full season as the starter in 2007, Romo steered the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and the top seed in the NFC playoff bracket. Jones believed he had finally connected the franchise dots of Staubach and Aikman with Romo. Great quarterbacking in Dallas always translated into Super Bowls.
But some poor drafting and personnel moves made the burden heavier and the task greater for Romo over the years. He was asked to do more with less than a Brees, Manning or Aaron Rodgers.
The fact that Romo has steered the Cowboys to a winner-take-all finale for three consecutive seasons is testament to his arm and value to this franchise. The Cowboys may not have been good enough to win those finales _ but Romo has always been good enough to get them there. As Romo goes, so go the Cowboys.
Romo may not be there Sunday. Maybe Kyle Orton can step in and be for Romo what Clint Longley was for Roger Staubach and Garrett was for Troy Aikman.
But Staubach and Aikman both returned to the lineup. And so must Romo. And he must remain there for a long time. Jones knows there’s no telling when the next Romo will come along for the Cowboys -- so he plans to hold onto this franchise quarterback as long as he possibly can.
Thus, the $108 million investment in the aura and ability of Tony Romo. The Cowboys need his aura -- which is why they are holding out hope he can play this weekend against the Eagles.
Without Romo, the franchise swagger is gone.
