- Dec 23, 2003
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For the first time in a long time we have legitimate play makers on both sides of the ball.
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Go! Orton? Lol.I would be happy if he was mentoring a young athletic back up Qb instead of a WR.....
Can someone explain to me how you all KNOW a WR has ran the wrong route. I hear an announcer say it, and a few minutes later its on NT (not a personal shot at all, very serious i wanna know)
Dez gets S!!!d on by the announcer for a bad route, yet Romo went on to throw like 3 more interceptions if im not mistaken. its just weird to me so id like to know.
and like always, i PRAY Ed werder stays away from us this season. Seen him reporting on Cruz missin giants camp and was feeling bittersweet, he's goonna ruin Cruz's career with his reporting....
maaan that would be amazing..
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap10...-underrated?campaign=Twitter_writers_harrisonTony Romo haters take heed: Dallas Cowboys QB is underrated
Last week, I innocently penned an article on the most overrated/underrated Dallas Cowboys of all time. Somehow, I overlooked safety Roy Williams in the overrated section. Somehow, I overlooked that placing a certain quarterback in the underrated section would blow up my Twitter account.
Man, do people hate Tony Romo.
So, where does the negativity come from? How do people not see that Romo is, in fact, one of the most underrated players in our game?
Merriam-Webster -- the entity, the book, the all-knowing word channel that hovered over our fifth-grade year like Us Weekly over all things Lohan -- has this to say about "underrated": to rate too low: undervalue.
Undervalue. That's the key here.
How valuable is Romo? Well, the Dallas Cowboys just deemed that he's worth $108 million. 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.
Romo also is highly valued in sports television, where any big-time mistake he makes often becomes the lead highlight on "SportsCenter." You see, it's just not cool to show Romo tearing it up, like he did several times last year en route to a 4,900-yard campaign.
How did we get to this point with Romo? There are many factors to be considered, but dropping that fateful field-goal snap in Seattle has to be the opener. No doubt about it: That was a terrible botch by the Cowboys' starting quarterback. But don't overlook the operative word in that sentence: starting. How many first-string quarterbacks are asked to hold kicks (in the playoffs, no less)? Bingo. This reeks of the Tuna.
Dallas lost that day -- now over six years ago -- and, of course, critics love to cite Romo's 1-3 career mark in the postseason as evidence of his overall inferiority. Incidentally, Matt Ryan, 1-4 in the playoffs, isn't held to the same standard. Truth is, NO quarterback should be held to that standard. Here's a cliché you can wrap your arms around: Football is a team game.
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.
Rather, Romo is singled out for faltering in big moments, late in games. But what if a fair-minded person understandably points to the fact that Romo has the highest fourth-quarter passer rating of any active quarterback in the NFL?
Nah, that's not valid, either. Romo just sucks.
Of course, those who watch the Cowboys closely know that not to be true. They know Miles Austin runs hot and cold, DeMarco Murray spends much of his time in the cold tub (oh, those injuries) and the defense just changed coordinators for the third time in four years (because that side of the ball is failing, having averaged a 23rd-place finish in points allowed over the past three campaigns).
In fact, it's Romo not sucking that generates much of the venom. What's the simplest explanation for rampant anti-Romoism in the world today? People love to hate the Cowboys. And thus, being a Dallas quarterback is The Clapper for the light bulb of animosity. But if that's the case, why don't people hate Chad Hutchinson? Or Drew Henson? Or the immortal Quincy Carter? Because you couldn't even make those guys good in Madden.
The bottom line is this: All those people who bag on Romo, or think his complete omission from the "Top 100 Players of 2013" was justified, don't want to hear any comparisons. Well, unless they go something like Eli has two Super Bowls and Romo has none. Makes sense on some levels, as they are division rivals and about the same age.
Then again, it makes no sense. Such proclamations are constantly yelled from the mountaintops to support the notion that Romo folds under pressure. Never mind that you can count on one hand the number of quarterbacks who were under as much pressure as Romo last season. Even league analysts who don't like Romo much acknowledge that no one has better pocket mobility, or is tougher to sack (save maybe Ben Roethlisberger).
Oh, and then there's this: Romo finished last season tied for third in the NFL with four game-winning drives, and the Cowboys finished second in the league with eight come-from-behind victories. Say whaaaat?
Of course, all anyone remembers is the interception Romo threw to Washington ******** LB Rob Jackson with the division title on the line in Week 17. No question: This was a critical error. The ******** had blitzed from that side all night, so defensive coordinator Jim Haslett shrewdly had Jackson feign blitzing before dropping back into coverage. Romo was fooled, and the rest is history.
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. 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.
Hey, even the best quarterbacks are human. There's a reason it's the toughest position to play in sports. It's just that some guys are held more accountable than others.
That's why it was nice to see Kurt Warner rank Romo among his top 10 quarterbacks -- a list that purposefully excluded the young stars at the position. Warner certainly knows what it takes to sustain a high level of play in the NFL, year after year. And he's not unfamiliar with harsh criticism, either (or benching, for that matter).
Robert Griffin III is one of those young stars left off Warner's list. Although RGIII hasn't experienced much (if any) criticism in his fledgling career, he understands that the Cowboys quarterback is unfairly judged. That's why he approached Romo after the aforementioned Week 17 tilt, embraced him and said: "Hey, Tony. I just wanted to say to you don't listen to what anybody else is saying about you. You're a great quarterback, man."
If he's not great, he's certainly very good. And while, yes, he gets talked about a lot, that doesn't make the Cowboys quarterback "overrated" -- or even properly rated. When you're famous for people belittling you, nitpicking your every mistake and calling you a "choker," that makes you something else entirely.
Underestimated.
1 more week until camp fellas.
Expectations have been lowered, so ain't no way to go but up.
I could use some help defending our Boys in the NFL thread
sorry bro, can't do it. It's hard for me to talk cowboys with non-cowboy fans.
Nope.........can't do it...........won't do it
It not worth the beefing with a stranger about who's team is better especially arguing with someone that doesn't know the true game/fundamentals of football. You'll never win.I could use some help defending our Boys in the NFL thread
But we all know once the season starts, it's second round of the playoff's/better or bust for this franchise.
An I'm cool with that, I think we're going to the super bowl this year, don't believe me just watch.
loving the playoff aspirations...i agree with you guys but the health of defense is gonna play a big part into how far we go...particularly lee/carter...those dude gotta play 16 for us to succeed...It not worth the beefing with a stranger about who's team is better especially arguing with someone that doesn't know the true game/fundamentals of football. You'll never win.
Kudos to you for repping though.
When it comes to threads + trash talking. I'll let the cowboys do the talking this upcoming season. & let my avy do the rest.
10-6 entering the playoffs. Yeah Playoffs, I said it.
Dallas Cowboys fullback Lawrence Vickers (47) gives an impassioned speech to his teammates before facing the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Sunday, December 9, 2012. The Cowboys lost practice player Jerry Brown Jr. to a car accident early Saturday morning.
JON MACHOTA
Special to DMN
Published: 12 July 2013 03:23 PM
Updated: 12 July 2013 08:07 PM
The Dallas Cowboys are putting a greater emphasis on two tight end sets this off-season and they took another step in that direction on Friday, releasing Lawrence Vickers, who had been the lone fullback on their roster.
The transition began when the Cowboys drafted Gavin Escobar in the second round of April’s NFL Draft and it continued when they signed veteran free agent Dante Rosario in June, giving the team six tight ends.
It’s possible if the Cowboys need a fullback, the role could be filled by Rosario, linebacker Caleb McSurdy or offensive lineman Kevin Kowalski. All three took snaps at the position during organized team activities.
Vickers, 30, played in all 16 games for the Cowboys last year. The Beaumont native started six games, rushing three times for 11 yards and catching 13 passes for 104 yards.
The Cowboys signed Vickers to a two-year contract in March 2012 after he had paved the way for 1,000-yard rushers during four of the previous five seasons.”
But Dallas finished with its worst rushing offense in team history last year. Releasing Vickers, who did not participate in OTAs or mini-camp after undergoing back surgery in April, will save the Cowboys $1.2 million in salary cap space
.