Sports. About Tony Romo.

By Sal Torres

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Can we possibly believe that the Cowboys will turn it around given that Mr. Romo is “washed up”.  Some would like to have in the media circles that he’s an overpaid mediocre quarterback, yet looking at statistics, he is anything but.  After weeks six in Baltimore, he arguably had one of his best performances, becoming the first quarterback to throw multiple touchdowns against the Ravens.  In week seven the Cowboys looked to be much stronger given a weak Panther offense even with Cam Newton at the helm.  Oddly it became a defensive performance by both teams setting up drives created by mistakes.  Romo completed 24 of 34 passes totaling 227 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions which by the way was one of the few times he has not been intercepted or sacked in a game.  Compared to the loss in Baltimore and the incredible run/pass game displayed, the victory against Carolina showed a considerable amount of conservatism. (Granted, each opponent is different).  Of course, in football when a team is doing bad you always blame the coach first and the quarterback second, not always in that order.  Imagine being a quarterback and being sacked seven times.  It is hard to play quarterback when you are lying on your back. 

Throughout Tony Romo’s time in Dallas, he has had to adapt to weekly changes, different coaching strategies and multiple personnel changes, (particularly front line).  This is a trend that Tony Romo has dealt with in his career with Dallas.  Looking back to his history, (undrafted free agent, three years on the bench, and to some extent the guy that nobody wanted), Romo has proved that he is the real deal.  A 95.1 quarterback rating third behind Roger Staubach, (104.8) and Troy Aikman, (99.0) he is now in the category of elite, with only playoffs eluding him.  Few teams in the NFL would pass up the opportunity to put him on their roster.

At 32 years of age, he brings a true grit attitude to the football field and continues to put adversity aside.  His recent glory is a bit surprising considering he was overlooked coming out of college.  Clearly the talent was there but the scouting at that level, 1-AA, is less than desirable.  Now Dallas has a decision to make renew his contract or let him be a free agent.  It is hard to imagine a Dallas team without Tony Romo.

In a recent interview with Derek Castillo, a reporter with Dallas NBC 5, Romo’s grandfather Ramiro said that a solid foundation has helped Tony.  “When you plant a seed, you watch it grow, you take care of it”.  As far as addressing his role model toward the Hispanic Community, Romo expressed that he did not look at it that way.  “I’m the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and I should be a good role model no matter what my background is.”  Imagine, “he used to be the guy nobody wanted.”

Beside his scrambling tactics and field management, he has also created time for his second passion, golf.  Starting at a young age, he was able to work on his skills early on because his mother worked on a golf course.  Romo attempted to qualify for the 2004 and 2007 Byron Nelson.  He has also attempted to qualify for the 2004, 2005 and 2007 U.S. Opens not making the cut on any of the attempts and vowing not to let them be distractions on future qualifications.  “It was an exciting experience for me,” said Romo after his last attempt at the Open.  “I love to compete, and any time I have the opportunity to compete for something, it’s fun.  No matter what it is, I like the competition.”