How one play defined a stellar career

[data]

This is a critical difference that people in the fantasy football era didn't get about Aikman in particular and the playoffs in general.

It's all about the QB in the postseason.

Of course it damned well helps having the #1 defense, #1 rusher, elite WR and TE, and one of the all-time great OL's.

Despite the surrounding talent, though, you'd think the postseason stats would be worse because of the level of playoff competition.

Aikman, though, ratcheted up in January...thus HOF despite pedestrian regular season numbers.

Whether you blame worse surrounding cast or not, the difference between Romo's regular season average game vs playoff average game may be the difference between winning and losing in the 2006 SEA and 2007 NYG. Hell, the single play of Dez Bryant Catch is essentially the difference between reg season/playoff per-game stat (40 yards and 1 TD) and it might've given us the W. Goddammit.

 

[data]

I’m not sure I follow this at all. It seems there are created stats from created games and some are substituted for playoff games. Why would there be a need to do this other than to refute the actual stats. Aikman didn’t have huge stats because there was no need to pass the ball as much due to Emmitt Smith’s production on the ground game. This was the circumstance in the Cowboys hey day games.

I haven’t quite figured out why there is a need to create game conditions to show that Romo was something other than his actual production which earned him the records.

I appreciate the efforts expended but I have to admit I am a little lost on the reason to structure things that aren’t actual. Maybe I am missing something here.

A lot of exceptions and nuances because Aikman and Romo played different number of games and I didn't want Romo's pro-debut with 3 INTs to negatively skew Romo's stats.

Secondly, I initially just considered Romo's six actual playoff games because I knew including the three do-or-die Week 17 games would only serve to worsen Romo's stats. Afterwards, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to add the Week 17 games as a footnote.

Overall, the bottom line is that Aikman elevated his statistical performance in 92-95 playoff games so they essentially matched Romo's best regular season stats and surpassed Romo's lesser playoff game stats.

As much as many people are underwhelmed by Aikman's career stats, playoff performance is the aspect to showcase his deserving HOF induction. Unfortunately, what helps Aikman doesn't help Romo.

For me, I didn't have a bias going into this as I love Aikman and Romo. I was very surprised that Aikman's 92-95 playoff stats came out to essentially equal Romo's Pro Bowl regular season stats.

I guess if Romo had just continued his splendid performance into the playoffs, his legacy would have been much different, whether that's attributed to his own or surrounding cast's performance...but, those are the stats.

 

[L.T. Fan]

A lot of exceptions and nuances because Aikman and Romo played different number of games and I didn't want Romo's pro-debut with 3 INTs to negatively skew Romo's stats.

Secondly, I initially just considered Romo's six actual playoff games because I knew including the three do-or-die Week 17 games would only serve to worsen Romo's stats. Afterwards, curiosity got the best of me and I decided to add the Week 17 games as a footnote.

Overall, the bottom line is that Aikman elevated his statistical performance in 92-95 playoff games so they essentially matched Romo's best regular season stats and surpassed Romo's lesser playoff game stats.

As much as many people are underwhelmed by Aikman's career stats, playoff performance is the aspect to showcase his deserving HOF induction. Unfortunately, what helps Aikman doesn't help Romo.

For me, I didn't have a bias going into this as I love Aikman and Romo. I was very surprised that Aikman's 92-95 playoff stats came out to essentially equal Romo's Pro Bowl regular season stats.

I guess if Romo had just continued his splendid performance into the playoffs, his legacy would have been much different, whether that's attributed to his own or surrounding cast's performance...but, those are the stats.

It’s an interesting study but Romo’s claim as the record holder to the Cowboys club is based on actual performances based of his career with Dallas. That total performance is what is compared to all other Quarterbacks for the Cowboys. It not contingent to post season performances or any other comparatives. It’s just the most of something and the best percentage of something.

 

[data]

It’s an interesting study but Romo’s claim as the record holder to the Cowboys club is based on actual performances based of his career with Dallas. That total performance is what is compared to all other Quarterbacks for the Cowboys. It not contingent to post season performances or any other comparatives. It’s just the most of something and the best percentage of something.

Well, duh. Nobody’s disputing Romo’s place as franchise leader for this and that. However, those stats are only comprised of regular season games. Romo, IIRC, doesn’t hold those franchise records for playoff stats.

I was curious about what the Cowboys team records don’t show, which happen to be an important set of games called the playoffs where many of the greatest all-timers define their legacy.

Before this study, In my recollection, Romo never had a bad game. He never had a walk-off INT to lose a game, either. And I know he holds the playoff record for highest QB rating in a loss. So I thought Romo’s playoff stats would be higher. I was actually dismayed to see Romo’s decrease.

Conversely, stats show Aikman was more Romo-like than Romo in the playoffs. Thus, the 3 SB rings. Could’ve been a similar narrative had Romo been more Romo-like in the playoffs.

 

[ravidubey]

A QB can carry a team with a lucky break or two through the regular season.

But in the playoffs it always takes a full team playing well. That playoff game in Minnesota, for example, the OL had the worst game I’ve seen them have and injuries to boot. The pressure on Romo and no running game to speak of was crazy.

Aikman would have folded like a tent in that circumstance. No doubt in my mind.

 

[VA Cowboy]

So when criticize Dak— and rightly so I don’t care how old he is he still bears a starters responsibility— this group feels like they have to slam Romo.

Romo’s worst game was the 2012 game in Washington.

For or the rest you can blame “pass happiness” on him if you feel you must, but consider how many times that same curse has plagued us THIS YEAR, and looking back I think you’ll have to agree the coaches carry most of the blame.

We we’re lucky to have had Romo. Flat out. He did more to hold Dallas pride together than anyone. Our window of opportunity was 2016, and we blew it.

Romo was an enigma. He was good and often made something out of nothing and helped us win quite a few games we otherwise would've lost. Much of the time saddled with no OL help, not to mention playing for coaches like Wade and Garrett. At the same time, he was pass happy, just like Garrett. It's what contributed to many big plays but also to many crucial mistakes and turnovers.

It's no coincidence that his best years were when we had a solid OL and running game. Both in '07 with Barber and Jones and '14 after we rebuilt the OL and with Murray. But even then, the pass happiness of Garrett and Romo ended up biting us. Still remember the playoff game at GB. Up 14-10, 3rd and 1 inside Packers 30 late first half and we throw deep and incomplete. Settle for FG and it's blocked.

Would've loved to have seen what we could've done if he had the OL we've had the last few years with a RB like Murray or Zeke and a legit HC the majority of his career.

 

[ravidubey]

But even then, the pass happiness of Garrett and Romo ended up biting us. Still remember the playoff game at GB. Up 14-10, 3rd and 1 inside Packers 30 late first half and we throw deep and incomplete. Settle for FG and it's blocked.

This was sheer stubborn idiocy, but Romo didn't choose that empty backfield and shotgun formation. Even worse the shotgun snap aggravated a finger injury he sustained from the previous week.

Neither did Romo choose to pass 17 times in a row in the 2013 Denver game even when he had 500+ yards. He's not free of blame of course-- in 2013 he audibled a pass to Austin that was intercepted to give Green Bay a chance to win when we needed to run the ball and burn clock. But even in that game he was not responsible for completely abandoning a running game averaging 7+ YPC.

That's all on Garrett. You can blame Romo, but we pulled the same shat this season.

You can't show me a QB worth his salt who doesn't want the ball in his hands to decide the game, but Romo was always willing to run the football (2007, 2009, 2013, 2014 for example), especially when the option worked well. No one was more affected when Demarco Murray left in 2015 than Tony Romo, heck one of his first twitter tweets was a lament for Murray's leaving in FA.

 

[VA Cowboy]

I mentioned Garrett and Romo. I put most of it on Garrett but Romo isn't blameless either.

 

[data]

While the pass-happy ratio deservedly gets blame, I attribute more of our Romo-era failures to our unclutch defense.

One of these days, I’ll take a statistical look at this.

 

[ravidubey]

I mentioned Garrett and Romo. I put most of it on Garrett but Romo isn't blameless either.

As I said, he's not free from blame. But that's in much the same way Dan Marino or Peyton Manning wasn't free from blame.

No QB worth his job is going to complain when asked to pass the football. Hell, if Johnny U. or Bradshaw or any of the older greats played by today's rules you can sure as Hell bet they'd want to throw more too.

I remember once Joe Montana calling time out in the NFC Championship game to tell Walsh they should run the football because the Cowboys were in nickel and backing off the LOS.

But that's rare.

80% of the time it should be up to the coaches to direct how to mix it up with the rest up to the QB to audible into or out of runs.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

While the pass-happy ratio deservedly gets blame, I attribute more of our Romo-era failures to our unclutch defense.

One of these days, I’ll take a statistical look at this.

They also use to give Romo a run pass option on almost every play.

 

[ravidubey]

They also use to give Romo a run pass option on almost every play.

Just about every pro offense has this.

Except when it’s empty backfield.

 

[kidd]

While the pass-happy ratio deservedly gets blame, I attribute more of our Romo-era failures to our unclutch defense.

One of these days, I’ll take a statistical look at this.

I hope you do.

Because if my memory serves me well, we still had a chance to win that game despite the bobbled snap!

Even after the turnover, we had them pinned on the 1 or 2 yard line with over a minute left. We hold them and force a punt out of their own end zone, and we have a shot at winning the game. But instead, our defense allows Shawn Alexander to rumble for a 20+ yard run.