Romo's Rise to Glory

Dallas Cowboys' quarterback, Tony Romo, exploded onto the NFL scene in 2006. He took a Dallas team that was just 3-3 and brought them to the playoffs. Romo capped the year by being elected to the Pro Bowl.

The following season Romo set just about every Dallas Cowboys passing record on his way to leading the Dallas Cowboys to a 13-3 record. Romo was then the starter in the Pro Bowl.

Of course the knock on Tony Romo is that he can't win in the playoffs. Recently, his ability to perform in big games has also come under question.

But anyone who questions Romo's ability to fight through adversity doesn't know what Romo had to to go through to get to where he is today.

In high school Tony Romo went to Burlington High, a school that wasn't known for producing football players. Then his team switched to a more difficult conference which led to his team struggling his senior season. These two reasons led to him not being highly recruited.

He did get a partial scholarship from Eastern Illinois. However, in his freshmen year Romo performed very poorly. His coach actually doubted whether he should continue to be a quarterback for the team. Romo fought through that adversity and became the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year in his sophomore season. Tony Romo would win the award three more times.

Then Romo wasn't selected in the NFL Draft. He signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent. His first year he was the third string quarterback for the Cowboys. Then in his second season he was almost cut by the Cowboys.

Eventually Romo would rise all the way to starter for the Cowboys. Though that was a great accomplishment, Tony Romo still needs to prove a lot more. Only time will tell if he can go from being a very good quarterback to being one of the best quarterbacks of his time.

Tony Romo and TO: Are You Okay?

Anyone who has ever been forced to sit next to their girlfriend or wife during a soap opera has probably heard one of the characters ask another character: "Are you okay?"

A freak accident happens. A realationship begins to go wrong. A parent suspects her child of doing drugs. A main character becomes possessed and her husband is concerned.

"Are you okay?"

Well, don't blame Cowboys fans this week if they want to ask Romo or TO or Witten that exact same question.

And ESPN has just about turned from "The Leader in Sports" to "The Leader in Drama."

Because with ESPN and Ed Werder's reports this week that the Dallas Cowboys' locker room is in shambles, that is the question that's being asked, and the drama that's being created by ESPN is sickening.

It's been reported that TO is actually jealous of how often Tony Romo throws Jason Witten the ball. The report points out that Romo and Witten are very good friends and road roomies. It also claims that an "unnamed player" said that TO thinks Witten and Romo draw-up plays to keep the ball away from TO.

Of course, this is ridiculous. And all the ESPN "experts" went crazy saying how delusional TO is to think this.

Did it occur to these "experts" that maybe the entire story is false? Maybe Werder is making it up (it wouldn't be the first time for this hack writer) or maybe the "source" is making it up?

This is horrible journalism at best and a carefully constructed pack of lies at worst. Either way, ESPN and Werder should be ashamed.

It doesn't matter if the story is true or not. They can't prove it's true and therefore shouldn't run with it as if it is true.

One of my first jobs was writing for a local newspaper. The first article I wrote was about a local quarterback. I had only quotes from the QB in the article. When I handed it in, my editor threw it back at me and said it was crap. He said I need at least two other sources.

Point well taken.

Perhaps Werder and ESPN should follow that advice.

I could go on forever with this and I could use dozens of quotes from named Cowboys players that would refute this story. But what's the point?

Here is a link to NFL.com and a video with Jamie Dukes explaining it all better than I ever could.

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80d465ad

So are Tony Romo and TO okay?

Who really knows?

But we'll get a pretty good idea when Dallas takes the field against the Giants on Sunday night.


For more information on Tony Romo visit: www.tonyromoreport.com

Do or Die for Tony Romo

If fans of Tony Romo (and Romo too) think the criticism has been bad the last 2 off seasons then all I have to say is: They ain't seen nothing yet.

Because if Tony Romo plays poorly this Sunday or the next Sunday or the Sunday after that, and if his poor play results in the Dallas Cowboys not making the playoffs, then people will be calling for his head.

Believe it.

Romo will go from golden boy to yesterday's trash in a hurry. It will be a fall from grace that only few have experienced.

Yes, now is the time for Romo to show what he is made of. Now is the time for Romo to put three very good games together. We're talking not turning the ball over, making good decisions, and leading his team to victory.

Notice I said nothing about throwing for 300 yards and numerous touchdowns. Oh, those things would be great and would help make him look great. But he has to do more than look great. He has to be great. And that means leading the Dallas Cowboys to a 3-0 record for the rest of December.

Can he do it?

Well, I would say these next two weeks are good weeks to get started.

I know... I know... he's playing good defenses. But he's played well against good defenses plenty of times. And he's at home. And again, he doesn't have to light it up. He simply has to get the wins and not make any foolish mistakes.

The last game of the season will be the most tricky. In Philly... possible at night (if the game is switched to NBC, which I think is very possible).

That will be the final exam for Romo. Well, at least it will be until the next week when Romo will have to win his first playoff game or face the same criticism.

But let's take one game at a time here. Okay?

But let's not forget either: This is do or die time for Tony Romo.

Tony Romo Fails

On Saturday, abotu 24 hours before Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys were to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, I said there were three things Tony Romo had to do to beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

The three things were:

1. Protect the Ball
2. Get Rid of the Ball Quickly
3. Be Tony Romo

Romo only managed 1 out of 3. That wasn't good enough.

Romo fumbled the ball away once and threw three picks to seal Dallas' fate at 20-13.

Yet, Dallas still should've won this game. (And I won't mention the fantom offsides call on Dallas or the horrible spot the "Big" Ben got when it was 3rd and 10 - the officials marker the ball a good yard upfield.) Yet, it was Dallas' collapse in the last 7 minutes that sealed their fate. Before that they were dominating Pittsburgh 13-3.

And Dallas was doing it with their 3rd string tail back and their 3rd string left guard too.

But in the end, Romo didn't make the plays he had to make. He didn't get rid of the ball quickly and he didn't take care of the ball.

The only thing he did was scramble around and make some plays like Tony Romo.

But again, 1 out of 3 isn't good enough.

Now the media has Dallas written off. They also have Romo written off. But if the playoffs started today the Cowboys would be in.

And if Dallas and Tony Romo can win next week (against the Giants) then I would think they woudl be on a roll.

Dallas' toughness was questioned all week. Yet they showed they were tough. But they made too many mistakes downt he stretch.

And now Dallas must win every game from here on out - and they're going to need Tony Romo play much better than he did yesterday.

3 Things Tony Romo Must Do To Beat the Steelers

As the big game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers draws closer, the pressure mounts more and more on Dallas. They need this game. They need this game BAD!

Perhaps no one needs it more than Tony Romo. He needs to play well for his team (most importantly) and for his ow reputation (Did the media really compare him to Jason Campbell this week?).

Here are 3 things Tony Romo much do to beat the Steelers:

1. Protect the ball.

Romo can't throw picks but, more importantly, Romo can't fumble away the ball either. The Steelers love to come around the corner on the pass rush and swat the ball.

Romo has a bad habit of hanging the ball out away from his body.

Against the Steelers, Romo better be aware of the rush and he better hold onto the ball.

2. Get Rid of the Ball Quickly

A major way to beat the rush is to get rid of the ball quickly. This includes throwing the ball away if need be. Romo can't sit in the pocket and wait for his receivers to uncover. He has to make a quick decision and quick reads and then get rid of the ball.

3. Be Tony Romo

This seems like an easy one but Romo wasn't completely being Tony Romo earlier in the season.

He needs to scramble around and elude the rush. He needs to make plays with his legs and run for 3 or 4 yards when it's there. Any play that's not a negative play will be a great play in the scope of the game.


For the ultimate report on Tony Romo go to: www.tonyromoreport.com

Tony Romo Gets No Respect

I don't get it.

Look at any quarterback's stats from the last two years and Tony Romo is equal to or better than just about every quarterback.

Take any statistic you want to take and Tony Romo is at or near the top in just about all of them.

Touchdowns? Yup, Tony is near the top.

Yards? Yup. Completions? Yes. Yards per completion? Yes again. Quarterback rating? You betcha.

And what about wins? Yup, Romo is right near the top there too. Even after missing three games this season.

So why is it that so many so-called experts still think Romo is just an average quarterback. So many media jerks think it's a given that Romo will fail against the Steelers' defense. Their reason? Well, because Matt Cassell and Philip Rivers failed against them.

Hmmmm, Cassell has played like 3 good games in his career and Rivers has yet to be half the quarterback that most people think he is.

It's ridiculous.

But what really got me mad is the guys on PTI today. I like Wilbon and Kornheiser, I really do. But in their daily segment, over-under, they threw out the number 50 and asked if Romo would be over or under 50.

50? Are you kidding me? If Romo is under 50 then that would be HUGE news? Why? Well, because in 37 starts, Romo has only had a rating below 50 four times. And one of those times was against the Redskins when Dallas rested some of their players and Romo only saw limited time in the game.

So that actually makes just 3 times in 36 games in which Romo started and played most of the game.

Plus, this year Romo's QB rating is over 103. Doesn't Romo get bonus points for that?

At least both Wilbon and Kornheiser picked above 50. But Wilbon said Romo would be at 60 and Kornheiser said 80.

Well, that's a perfect example of disrespect. Especially since they used Cassell And Rivers as examples for why Romo would fail.

Luckily, this will be decided on the field in less than 48 hours.

I think we'll see Tony Romo show a lot of people that he is the best quarterback in the NFL right now.

Tony Romo: Worried about the Weather?

It's kinda funny. So many people want to talk about the weather in Pittsburgh this Sunday when the Dallas Cowboys and Tony Romo roll into Heinz field to take on the Steelers.

It's like the Cowboys and Romo have never played in cold weather before.

Are people forgetting that Dallas does play in the NFC East? Is everyone forgetting that Dallas has to play in New York, Philly, and Washington every year? How about Dallas also going to Green Bay each of the last two years. Doesn't that count for anything?

I know, I know, it's the field that everyone is worried about. And this is an argument I can agree with.

The field is horrible and the Rooney's should be ashamed.

How the entire Steelers organization can let the nation watch the slop-fest between the Dolphins and Steelers last year and not improve the field is beyond me.

But speaking of the field last year, the Steelers didn't exactly excel on that field. In fact, they barely beat the soon to be 1-15 Dolphins 3-0. Excel is about the last word I'd use to describe the Steelers play.

So why would anyone bring-up the weather or the field?

Let's face it: This game will be won on the field not because of the field or because of the weather. It's just that simple.

It would be a shame for the field to be a mess because there are so many awesome match-ups in this game - the biggest one being Tony Romo versus the Pittsburgh defense. A bad field may make all the match-ups boring. That would be a shame.

Let's not forget too that Tony Romo played in Wisconsin in high school and at Eastern Illinois in college. I'm pretty sure both of those places saw their share of bad weather. Yet, Romo still managed to be the Player of the Year for his conference three straight years and he also won the ultimate award for Sub-Division players - the Walter Payton Award.

So, trust me when I say, Romo and the Cowboys don't need to be too worried about the weather or the field this Sunday.

However, they do need to worry about the Steelers. But we'll get to that next time.