Romo's Gettin' Paid
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by Nejoshi
With his Dallas Cowboys off to an NFC-best 6-1 start and coming off their bye week, owner Jerry Jones figured there was no better time to luck up the man responsible for the turnaround in Big D. After struggling through four quarterbacks, including studs Chad Hutchinson and Quincy Carter, since Troy Aikman retired in 2000, the Cowboys appear to finally have their next superstar under center in Tony Romo. Instead of postponing contract negotiations to the off-season, Jones acted swiftly and rewarded his quarterback nicely.
Romo, who has only 17 career starts, signed a six-year, $67.5 million deal that will keep one of the league’s brightest stars in Texas for years to come. Romo’s terrific start to the 2007 season undoubtedly served as the catalyst towards Jones’ swift contract proposal, but no one in Cowboy Country can argue with their owner’s move. For someone without much body of work, including 0 postseason victories, this may seem crazy, but there is little doubt that Romo can and will succeed for the Cowboys.
Since being promoted to starter in Week 7 of the 2006 season, the likeable 27-year old has earned the unconditional support of his teammates, including the mercurial Terrell Owens, who has feuded with everyone from Jeff Garcia to Donovan McNabb. Over the course of his 17 starts, he has put together an impressive 12-5 record, and has turned the fortunes of a franchise that has been stuck in neutral for the past decade. Once news broke out that the Cowboys had closed the deal on Romo, there was a wave of excitement that hit Irving and all the Cowboy players.
For all the great things Romo has done in his short time with the Cowboys, it was the way he responded to adversity that made him such an enviable athlete. When Dallas’ season came to a bitter end in the playoffs last year because of an egregious mistake he made, Romo took full blame like a man. He vowed to return next year with no ill effects from the simple field goal he misplayed that cost Dallas its season in Seattle last January. He certainly has lived up to that promise so far.
2007 has been a dream season for Romo as he has slowly developed into one of the game’s greats at the quarterback position. Showing no lingering effects from that muffed field goal, Romo has done everything. In the Triple Crown categories for quarterbacks of the NFC (QB rating, TD passes, yards), the fifth year man from Eastern Illinois is in the top two of each, leading the conference with 16 touchdown passes and 95.6 rating. His 1,984 passing yards trail Bret Favre by only 62 yards. But, once again it was during one of his worst moments that Romo defined himself.
Making his first start under the bright lights of Monday Night Football in Week 5, Romo had his worst game as a professional against the winless Buffalo Bills. Romo committed six turnovers as Dallas struggled to overwhelm an inferior opponent for more than three quarters of the game. However, during the last five minutes, Romo shook off his rough performance and rallied his team by making all the passes that were needed to clinch an improbable win.
More than the stats, it’s been Romo’s unrelenting enthusiasm, resolve and effort that have made him a fan favorite in Dallas, and a major reason why his fat deal seems like a bargain to the Cowboys faithful.
