Ok, maybe eight is not the most significant number out there. It's definitely no 7 or 4, but for Cowboys' fans, the number eight should carry extensive significance. Since Dallas lost to Philadelphia, knocking them out of the playoffs, a grass-root movement has begun within the fan-base. The message: Tony Romo sucks!
When I see some random blog suggesting that Dallas will "never win with Romo" or hear a radio personality proclaim that "Romo will never win the big game," I usually just ignore it. But over the last few weeks, it appears that the movement is picking up steam.
Nick Eatman, of the Dallas Cowboys official website, had this recent snippet:
"The Cowboys are not in the playoffs because their quarterback isn't the savior we thought he was."Cedric Golden of the Austin-American Statesman wrote this:
"Romo's actions the last two seasons suggest he isn't the type capable of putting a team on his back and carrying it to a Super Bowl...Romo's not Aikman. Not even close. "The mention of Aikman brings us back to the eight. We aren't talking about Aikman's uniform number. Do you know the "eight" that we are referencing? Don't worry, it does not appear that many others do either.
Since Aikman retired ten years ago, and before Romo, the Cowboys started eight different quarterbacks. Eight. And of those eight, how many made the pro-bowl? Zero? How many led the team to the playoffs? One (Quincy Carter...during one flukish year). Here are the eight guys that started in between Aikman and Romo:
Randall Cunningham
Quincy Carter
Clint Stoerner
Ryan Leaf
Chad Hutchinson
Vinny Testaverde
Drew Henson
Drew Bledsoe
Look at that list again. Look at it hard. After seeing that pathetic group of guys no longer in the league, are we still on-board with bashing Romo? Have we all forgotten just how bad it feels to enter a game knowing that the quarterback has absolutely no chance of winning a game?
Seriously, we used to play the "Q-Car" drinking game: every time he missed a wide-open receiver, we had to take a shot. If you ever watched Quincy Carter play, you know that we rarely made it to the second-half before passing out!
With Vinny, the game was a little different: we had to guess which defensive lineman would sack him before each play. If I got it right, my buddies had to drink. Again, with Sloth Testaverde out there, just about any defensive lineman was a safe call.
Romo is the best quarterback that the Cowboys have had in a decade, but many are ready to move on to the next guy? What the hell is wrong with you people? Did you forget about this?
Cowboys' Record before Romo (since Aikman): 40-55 (.421 win%)
Cowboys' Record with Romo as the starter: 27-14 (.658 win%)
Has Romo won the "big playoff game" during his first 2.5 years as a starter? No, he hasn't. But guess what? Peyton Manning played in 112 games before winning his first playoff game. 112! But you are ready to write Romo off after 41?
Manning lost his first three playoff games. During those games, he averaged a QB-Rating of 58. Romo, in his first two playoff games, averaged QB-Rating was 77.
Manning compiled a 26-24 record (.520 win%) during his first three years (including playoffs).
Romo has compiled a 27-14 record (.658 win%) during his first three years (including playoffs).
But let's turn the page on Romo...or better yet, let's just close the book. Obviously, if you don't have immediate success in the playoffs, you will never succeed in the playoffs.
In two-and-a-half years as the Cowboys' starting quarterback, Romo has been selected for two Pro-Bowls. The eight guys before him? Zero.
Romo has led the Cowboys to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in more than a decade.
Romo has produced a Top-7 QB Rating in each of his three seasons. The previous eight quarterbacks? They ranked 26th in the NFL.
If you want to write off a guy that has been, unequivocally, the best Cowboys' quarterback since Aikman, knock yourself out. If you want to run a guy off after he has taken a losing franchise to three winning seasons in a row, go for it. But I actually enjoy watching a quarterback who can complete passes to open receivers. I like entering a game knowing that our quarterback is easily one of the best ten QBs in the league. I enjoy actually seeing the team in big games, something that was rarely the case before he arrived.
Just remember, without Romo, eight might have been nine.
