Machota: Romo, Kaepernick, Wilson or Schaub? For this year alone, I’d pick…
Murraywas asked about the pressure of playing for the Dallas Cowboys and if Tony Romo deserved all the criticism thrown his way? I dont think its Tony Romo himself. We have to have guys on the outside stepping up, guys in the front five stepping up and guys in the backfield stepping up. Its not all on his head. He gets a lot of criticism, a lot of the blame. As individuals, we have a lot of talent and we have to make plays for him. No one can look at those comments and not know that Tony Romo has the complete backing from his teammates. Dont underestimate just how important that trust in Romo is because it is a huge deal for the Cowboys and its vital to their success. Its quite simple, if your teamdoesnt believe in their quarterback,they have no chance to win in the NFL . Tony Romos teammates believe in him and thats all that matters. Which means no matter what anyone says about Romo, no matter how negative people are towards the current quarterback of the Cowboys, it doesnt make a difference to Romo or the team. Ron Jaworski, or anyone else,can rank Tony Romo wherever they want on the list of quarterbacks; the bottom line is the Dallas Cowboys believe in Romo.
How valuable is Romo? Well, the Dallas Cowboys just deemed that he’s worth $108 million, Harrison wrote. And it’s no wonder why: Considering how poorly the offensive line and defense played last season, the ‘Boys should’ve considered themselves lucky to reach four wins, let alone eight. Critics hold Romo accountable as an individual, which is funny, because none of them want to hear his individual statistics. They don’t want to hear that he owns the fifth-highest passer rating in NFL history at 95.6. Or that analytics haven Pro Football Focus rated him as the 11th-best quarterback in football last season, 10th in 2011 and eighth in 2010. But what about that season finale against the Washington Redskins, where Romo threw three interceptions including the one to linebacker Rob Jackson that basically cost the Cowboys the division title and a playoff spot? Obviously, that pick emboldened the haters. It should be noted, however, that Peyton Manning’s back-breaking interception in the divisional round two weeks later was a far worse decision, Harrison wrote. Romo threw his ill-fated ball with a split-second to consider it. Manning rolled out, thought about what he was doing and tossed the ball across his body into coverage.
Tony Romo: I’ll be more involved in game-planning
“I think here going forward, Ill just be more involved in game-planning,” Romo told the newspaper. “There are certain things I really believe can help us that were going to do some of that. Its a collective group effort and I think were all going to go in there and go to work.” This isn’t a surprise because team owner/general manager Jerry Jones said early in the offseason he wanted Romo to have more of a say in the offense. Jones said he wanted coach Jason Garrett and now play caller Bill Callahan to run more plays where they can utilize the quarterbacks legs and abilities to move around the pocket. Romo’s role has changed over the years from a young quarterback asked to take over for a benched Drew Bledsoe , to a veteran who commands the respect of the locker room. “As quarterback, through the experiences youve had, you just understand what defenses are trying to do and you gain a very high understanding of football concepts and what you want to do,” Romo said in the interview. Romo underwent minor surgery to remove a cyst from his back this summer. The surgery prevented Romo from participating in offseason workouts but all indications are he should be ready for training camp because he’s thrown passes during walkthrough practices.
National writer: Cowboys’ Tony Romo is one of the most underrated players in the NFL
Kaepernick, Wilson, Schaub or Romo. Jon Machota: I’d take Romo. The other three are all very good but I’ve always thought Romo was better than Schaub. Kaepernick and Wilson have only showed what they can do over one season. Well, Kaepernick didn’t even have a full season. They both could have outstanding careers but I’ll take the more experienced player. Why would the Cowboys get rid of the only real FB on their roster? Jon Machota: Because they’re going to use more two TE sets. Not as much need for a fullback.
Meryl Yourish 