Appreciate Tony Romo For What He Is: Great

Tony Romo’s career has been defined by a few very crucial mistakes.  We all remember the interception in the 2012 playoffs and the infamous botched snap against the Seahawks.  Due to the media scrutiny that comes along with having the star on your helmet, these errors have been amplified.  As a Dallas Cowboy fan, Tony Romo can be infuriating at times but that is only because he has the ability to make plays that other quarterbacks cannot.  He’s a risk taker and an old fashioned gun slinger.  We, as football fans, all have to put things in perspective and appreciate Romo’s career for what it really is.  A great one.

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback has had a reputation for failing down the stretch of games.  In the last seven years, Tony Romo ranks first in total passer rating in the fourth quarter ahead of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers.  Romo ranks second since 2011 in fourth quarter comebacks, trailing only Eli Manning.

Tony Romo, from a statistical standpoint, is an elite quarterback in the National Football League.  Since 2009, Romo has accounted for 114 touchdowns to pair with 50 interceptions.  To give you a comparison, Matt Ryan has put up 125 touchdowns and 56 interceptions in that same time frame.  Matt Ryan is a perfect comparative tool for Romo, because the average fan and media consider Matt Ryan an elite quarterback in the NFL.  Why are we led to believe that Matt Ryan is a better quarterback than Tony Romo?  Romo haters say that his playoff performance is the main reason they cannot rank him as an elite quarterback. Matt Ryan has won one playoff game, which is equal to Romo’s win total in the postseason.  The two share almost equivalent playoff quarterback ratings, as well.

Through his first 100 career starts, Tony Romo holds the NFL record for most yards, 27,168, more than Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Phillip Rivers.  Romo haters also like to use the total wins statistic as their point of emphasis.  Tony Romo wins football games.  In fact, he has more wins in his first 100 games, 58, than Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.

It took Peyton Manning, 9 full seasons to win his first Super Bowl in 2006.  It took Drew Brees 8 full seasons to win his first super bowl in 2009.  Romo is in his seventh full season.

Romo, in his limited tenure as a starter, has put up all-time great numbers.  He ranks in the top 50 all time in passing yards, over 28,000, ahead of greats such as Terry Bradshaw and Joe Namath.  He also ranks in the top 50 all time in touchdown passes.  Romo has nearly 200 touchdown passes, almost 50 more than Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman did in their illustrious careers.  The Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback ranks in the top 5 all time in total passer rating, 96.1, trailing only Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Steve Young.

Tony Romo will go on to break almost every Dallas Cowboy passing record before his career is through.  He will surpass the greats, such as Troy Aikman, Danny White, and Roger Staubach.  I hope and believe that Tony Romo will win a Super Bowl before his career is through and will silence all of his haters in the process, cementing his legacy and his spot in Canton, Ohio.

Photo credit: M Glasgow