Will Tony Romo even be active Sunday?

Cowboysrock55

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
52,453
Will Tony Romo even be active Sunday?
9:12 AM CT
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer

FRISCO, Texas -- You can wonder all you want about how Jason Garrett will work the Dallas Cowboys' season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles in terms of who plays and how much, but don’t expect him to reveal the plan.

He won’t give anything away during the week.

But there are plenty of things to wonder about. Here’s the award-winning Five Wonders column for the final time in the regular season.

Away we go:


The Cowboys could choose to keep Tony Romo on the bench Sunday. Tom Pennington/Getty Images
** I wonder if Tony Romo will be active at Philadelphia or if the Cowboys will have all three quarterbacks on the 46-man roster. Jerry Jones said after the Lions game that he doesn’t believe getting Romo a handful of snaps or more will be worth the risk, especially if the Cowboys change out parts of their offensive line during the game. If that’s the case, then why dress Romo at all, especially if they can use a roster spot at other needy positions, like on the defensive line or secondary? Jones has said Romo’s practice work has been exemplary and he doesn’t believe rust will be a factor. To some people, a half of work with backups might be better than none, but if Romo is needed in the playoffs, will handing the ball off to Lance Dunbar or throwing passes to Vince Mayle and Lucky Whitehead matter?

** I wonder if there is a case to be made that Barry Church's return to the defense is the reason why the big plays have started to show up in favor of the Cowboys. In the last three games since Church’s return from a fractured forearm, the Cowboys have 11 sacks, five interceptions and four fumble recoveries. Church will be a free agent when the season ends. He is one of the defensive leaders. He is dependable. He has a nose for the ball and is a sound tackler. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but there is a security-blanket sense to the secondary when Church is on the field.

** For all of those people saying the Cowboys need to rest their players against Philadelphia, I wonder how that’s even possible. The Cowboys have only seven offensive linemen on the 53-man roster. If you don’t want Tyron Smith to play, he might have to dress for an emergency purpose. The Cowboys have only two tight ends on the roster, so Jason Witten has to play. It is possible to limit Ezekiel Elliott's carries with Darren McFadden or even Alfred Morris. It is possible to monitor Dez Bryant's work with six receivers on the roster. If the Cowboys want to rest Sean Lee, they have to hope Justin Durant (elbow) can play. Anthony Brown's concussion could force all of the corners to play a normal role. It’s easy to say rest players, but it’s easier said than done.


** I wonder if the Cowboys take another one-year flier on Morris Claiborne. Injuries have once again limited Claiborne’s effectiveness, but he was having his best season before suffering a groin injury Oct. 23 against the Eagles. He hasn’t played since. I don’t know what kind of market Claiborne will have with his injury history. His price won’t be high, but will it be worth it for the Cowboys to stick with him for another year knowing the potential for him to miss a good amount of games in his career? The Cowboys have been loyal to Claiborne and Claiborne has been loyal to the Cowboys. Do they dance with each other one more time? Brandon Carr is also set to be a free agent, and his durability (he’s never missed a game in his career) is a plus.

** The Cowboys believe Chaz Green can be a starting right tackle for them in the future. He did not play a snap as a rookie because of hip surgery. He had back surgery earlier in the month and had not played since October when a foot injury knocked him out for a few weeks. I wonder how the Cowboys can count on Green to be a potential 2017 replacement for Doug Free, and I wonder if drafting an offensive tackle early next spring should be a priority. Free will be a free agent after the 2017 season and takes far too much abuse from fans. If the measuring stick at tackle is Tyron Smith, it’s impossible to measure up. Free is serviceable and can serve as a bridge player to either Green or the next tackle of the future.
 

Cowboysrock55

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
52,453
Jerry has a serious love problem with Romo. He is seriously more concerned about our backup QB getting hurt then our starting QB. Romo absolutely should be playing the second half against the Eagles. Hell he should have been playing in the fourth quarter against the Lions. I'm not sure I have ever seen a backup get such special treatment. Plus personally I'd like to feature Romo a little bit for a potential trade. It's not like other NFL teams get to see these "super special practices."
 

Rev

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
19,327
They definitely should draft a OT in the draft. Green wasn't healthy at Florida and hasn't been since. Can't count on him but the Cowboys probably will try.
 

Cowboysrock55

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
52,453
They definitely should draft a OT in the draft. Green wasn't healthy at Florida and hasn't been since. Can't count on him but the Cowboys probably will try.
It's unfortunate because it appears that his talent is all there. It's possible he could shake the injury bug but not likely. Probably better to rely on him as the swing tackle and look for a different replacement for Free.
 

Rev

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
19,327
I'm not sure I would play Romo without Tyron out there, either. I mean if they didn't play him against Detroit might as well just stay the course.
 

Rev

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
19,327
It's unfortunate because it appears that his talent is all there. It's possible he could shake the injury bug but not likely. Probably better to rely on him as the swing tackle and look for a different replacement for Free.
I still wouldn't even keep him there. Never know when he will get hurt. Same situation with Claiborne. They both have shown something that warrants consideration for roles on the team but just can't stay healthy. If they had Lee type production then maybe you make an exception. Time to find replacements.
 

Genghis Khan

The worst version of myself
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
37,470
I'm not sure I would play Romo without Tyron out there, either. I mean if they didn't play him against Detroit might as well just stay the course.

Exactly. Play Sanchez for a half. Not sure what the big deal is.
 

Genghis Khan

The worst version of myself
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
37,470
I still wouldn't even keep him there. Never know when he will get hurt. Same situation with Claiborne. They both have shown something that warrants consideration for roles on the team but just can't stay healthy. If they had Lee type production then maybe you make an exception. Time to find replacements.
I'd keep him just because the contract is as cheap as any Emmitt Cleary type you might bring in. I wouldn't count on him but no reason not to throw him in the mix.

The real question is, do we resign Leary and try Collins at RT?
 

Rev

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
19,327
I'd keep him just because the contract is as cheap as any Emmitt Cleary type you might bring in. I wouldn't count on him but no reason not to throw him in the mix.

The real question is, do we resign Leary and try Collins at RT?
Well we have him for two more seasons in his rookie contract (i think). Maybe he will prove me wrong but I sure hope we draft another.

I really like Leary so I hope they do resign him. I think some other team will offer more money for him, though.
 

p1_

DCC 4Life
Joined
Apr 10, 2013
Messages
26,454
Jerry has a serious love problem with Romo. He is seriously more concerned about our backup QB getting hurt then our starting QB.
And for good reason. Dak is far more durable at this point.


I'm not sure I have ever seen a backup get such special treatment.
He lost his starting job to a rookie, and now the team is streaking toward the Super Bowl.


Plus personally I'd like to feature Romo a little bit for a potential trade. It's not like other NFL teams get to see these "super special practices."
And its not like these teams don't have 10 years worth of film on Tony either. Im sure he doesn't want to get his trade bait broken again before the fleecing begins. Hello, Oakland and/or Tennessee. Need a quality number 2?
 

boozeman

28 Years And Counting...
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
121,732
I'm not sure I would play Romo without Tyron out there, either. I mean if they didn't play him against Detroit might as well just stay the course.
But we are playing Prescott. Makes no sense unless Jerry is playing a coy game. Either he thinks Romo can't play and doesn't want that that damage his trade value, or he knows Romo is brittle and does not want to risk him with injury.

The whole thing is fuckin asinine.
 

Cowboysrock55

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
52,453
And its not like these teams don't have 10 years worth of film on Tony either. Im sure he doesn't want to get his trade bait broken again before the fleecing begins. Hello, Oakland and/or Tennessee. Need a quality number 2?
Most teams aren't as naive as our fan base. Romo hasn't played meaningful snaps in over a year and when he did in 2015 he didn't look very good. Relying on game tape from 2 years ago reduces his trade value significantly.

And yes Dak is more durable then Romo. But if Romo can't withstand a half of garbage football what is the point? Why would a team trade for a guy who can't last for a half of football? Why even have a backup who isn't capable of staying healthy for that long. You only have 2 active QBs. If Dak gets hurt and Romo comes in and gets hurt you are really screwed. Are you going to run Dunbar at QB?

I love how Tyron Smith being out is reason to not play Romo. But our starter in Dak is ok to take the hits.
 

fortsbest

DCC 4Life
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
3,733
I heard them talking on the radio about how they don't need to play him because of all his experience. If something happened to Dak he could step right in. My thought was, When has he ever stepped right in after a long absence and had an acceptable performance. If he is truly your back up, get him in the game to knock some rust off dangit.
 

p1_

DCC 4Life
Joined
Apr 10, 2013
Messages
26,454
it has become irrelevant. There seems to be a media obsession with the Romo story, almost as if the idea is to stir the controversy pot for the sake of it. It's a joke at this point.
 

Cowboysrock55

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
52,453
I heard them talking on the radio about how they don't need to play him because of all his experience. If something happened to Dak he could step right in. My thought was, When has he ever stepped right in after a long absence and had an acceptable performance. If he is truly your back up, get him in the game to knock some rust off dangit.
The guy hasn't taken a hit or seen a real pass rush coming at him in a very long time. To me there is some value in getting out there and doing those things. If you can't trust your backup for a half of game to stay healthy then you shouldn't have that guy as your backup.
 

Cotton

One-armed Knife Sharpener
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
119,698
Exactly. Play Sanchez for a half. Not sure what the big deal is.
No way do I play Romo now. You are on the cusp of being able to get a decent haul for him in a trade. If he gets hurt, that goes out the window. Now, I can understand the argument that he would fetch more if he played and played well.
 

Jiggyfly

Banned
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
9,220
 

Cowboysrock55

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
52,453
No way do I play Romo now. You are on the cusp of being able to get a decent haul for him in a trade. If he gets hurt, that goes out the window. Now, I can understand the argument that he would fetch more if he played and played well.
If we cut him so that he can "pick" his team I'm going to be really pissed. Even if I can get a second or third round pick for the guy I'm thrilled. Those are starting WRs/OTs/DL and such.
 

Cowboysrock55

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
52,453
I still wouldn't even keep him there. Never know when he will get hurt. Same situation with Claiborne. They both have shown something that warrants consideration for roles on the team but just can't stay healthy. If they had Lee type production then maybe you make an exception. Time to find replacements.
You would think a guy who barely plays wouldn't get hurt so much. I mean hell, only one practice a week is really contact at all. But I'd have no problem rolling the dice with an injury prone talented tackle as my backup swing guy. Obviously as a starter is different. Luckily those are decisions for the offseason and we don't have to worry about that stuff just yet.
 

Rev

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
19,327
I just don't want to worry about gambling with a guy that has a history of being injured. It seems like his injuries are ones that last months. Talent isn't going to help if it cant play.
 
Top Bottom