Photo courtesy of Keith Allison, Wikipedia
One of the biggest NFL headlines of the offseason has been the discussion surrounding where Tony Romo will land. As of Tuesday, Romo has found himself a new job other than being the Dallas Cowboys quarterback. Although, you won’t be seeing him on the field or even on the sideline, but rather in the broadcast booth as he will replace Phil Simms as the lead football analyst for CBS Sports. Romo, who was signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free-agent in 2003, will go down in history as having one of the most debatable legacies of all time.
Romo has experienced both highs and lows of being an NFL quarterback, with many often questioning his ability to win in the big games. Although, some things that will never be questioned are his love for the game and his love for competing. In an official statement released by the Dallas Cowboys, Head Coach Jason Garrett said, “That relentless spirit that Tony plays with is contagious. He makes his teammates better. He makes his coaches better. He makes his team better. He has grown so much as a player and as a person over the course of his career and has made a significant impact on the lives of so many. I consider myself fortunate to be at the top of that list. It has been one of the great privileges of my life to work with Tony Romo, one of the greatest players in Dallas Cowboys history.”
Romo touched upon his love of competing in November when he gave a statement regarding his injury and regarding Dak Prescott earning the starting job. Romo said, “If you think for a second that I don’t want to be out there, then you’ve probably never felt the pure ecstasy of competing and winning. That hasn’t left me. In fact it may burn more now than ever.” Unfortunately for Romo, that competitive spirit led him to only two playoff wins in his entire career, which will always be his biggest criticism.
Despite a lack of success in the playoffs and a few infamous “Romo moments,” the numbers don’t lie for Romo. Romo retired with the fourth highest career passer rating at 97.1, a higher mark than that of NFL legends such as Steve Young, Peyton Manning and Joe Montana. Along with that, Romo is also the Cowboys all-time leading passer with more passing yards and touchdowns than any player in Dallas Cowboys history.
Unfortunately for Romo, his career will always be remembered by “what could’ve been.” When a player of Romo’s stature retires, much discussion immediately shifts to whether or not the player will be worthy of making the hall of fame. Romo may not have ever succeeded in the big moments, but there’s something to be said for someone who started out as low as Romo, as an undrafted free agent, and made the climb to become the Cowboy’s all-time leading passer. Whether or not Romo gets the gold jacket will be up to the voters, although no matter what, Romo will go down in history as one of the greatest Cowboys of all time, serving as the face of the franchise in “America’s team” during the entirety of his starting career.
wbologna@ramapo.edu
