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2016-2017 Regular Season: Head-On Collision With A
Career Decision
- November 24, 2016 At 11:53 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
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- Tony Romo may or may not have a
serious decision to make at the end of this year or prior to the
next . . . but let us walk through a buildup (to a potential choice)
that could relieve so many within Cowboys Nation from feeling so
vexed. While the majority of fans seem clearly behind a surging Dak
Prescott, ALL fans still share a well-advertised belief of Romo
still having unfinished business. “The Tortured Cowboys Fan” has no
doubt that if (before season’s end) Romo receives another starting
shot, his fragile tank still contains quite a lot.
Romo – as many fans know – was a sports star for his hometown
Burlington High School Demons (in Wisconsin) . . . where he was the
king of fling in football (adding the Division 1AA Walter Payton
Award in 2003 to his performance haul), where he masterfully manned the point in
basketball, where he was crafty with a golf club, and where he was tenacious with a tennis
racket, as well. Though when it was time to answer the college bell,
he pursued football at Eastern Illinois University (where from
2000-2003, Romo led the Panthers on a playoff run) – which presented
his best chance to get the job done.
As a brief aside, Sean Payton and Mike Shanahan both also graduated
from EIU . . . and both would compete for his potential-filled
services in the NFL before he ultimately signed with the Cowboys.
Yes, it’s true!
While Tony Romo somewhat modeled himself after Brett Favre – the far
more successful of the two gunslingers who would also (typically)
either hit the target or starve – Romo’s “escapability” is unique to
him and second to none . . . save for maybe Fran Tarkenton. Cowboys
Nation can do nothing more than chalk up Houdini Romo’s string of
late-career injuries as extremely bad luck . . . which certainly
made the end of 2013 (with Kyle “Neckbeard” Orton flagging and
gagging) and most of 2015 (from Weeden to Cassel and not worth the
hassle) just plain suck.
In any event and beyond style of play, the journey of an undrafted
NFL player must initially navigate a small handful of basic numbers
that rule the day.
Consider there are approximately 2,125 “student-athletes” who suit
up every year for just the “AP Top 25” NCAA (National Collegiate
Athletic Association) Division 1A football programs . . . with each
team having a maximum roster of 85 players.
Further consider there is an approximate total of 124 Division 1A
football programs . . . the remaining 99 of which receive
little-to-no national television attention for their collective
8,415 student-athletes.
Still further consider each of the 32 current NFL teams each have a
53-man game day roster (consistent of 46 suited-up players and seven
“inactives”), as a well as a 10-player practice squad . . . for an
approximate total of 2,016 paid players at any one point in time
during the NFL fiscal year.
NFL teams “churn” their rosters and practice squads at a near 24 / 7
pace . . . with team scouts searching high and low, under rocks and
over boulders for new (and not-so-new) players who could improve
their team’s depth, health, and overall talent. The process is
hardly simple as truly desirable, game-ready players – versus
inexperienced raw talents – are rarely available as free agents . .
. where the only potential obstacles are physicals and financials.
Nonetheless, the ability to play a professional sport for a living
is a rare gift.
The ability to regularly, repeatedly, and successfully play a
professional sport for a living certainly provides an added lift.
Playing pro football – as the approximate numbers demonstrate –
represents an even more exclusive opportunity . . . in “a
specialized industry with too few jobs for too many applicants (and
where the average NFL player career is three years).”
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- Any NFL player – from average to awesome – will remind you that NFL
stands for “Not For Long.”
Any NFL player – from rookie to veteran (especially those with
little to no guaranteed money) – will remind you that once a roster
spot has been secured . . . the sense of relief and feeling of
stress only temporarily lessen and become blurred. Players must use
the same motivation that landed them their roster role . . . to
continue doing “all the little things” in practice and on every
Sunday, Monday, and Thursday or risk being viewed as unworthy or on
the dole.
Any NFL player – skilled enough (with a pinch of luck) to become a
star – will remind you he wishes to leave the game on his own terms
. . . (1) in good health, (2) with barely diminished skills, and (3)
having won at least one Super Bowl Championship through some serious
character-defining therms.
Tony Romo – the former undrafted free agent signee out of Eastern
Illinois University – has done more than anyone could have ever
imagined for him . . . if those doing the imagining are most of
Cowboys Nation and a myriad of prognosticators.
Tony Romo – the competitor and Dallas Cowboys star quarterback –
would beg to differ and has the biggest imagination to offer. He
would insist that leaving the game on his own terms needs to be
better than doing so . . . (1) in questionable health, (2) with the
razor-sharp skills of a QB still in his prime, and (3) without so
much as an NFC Championship banner, let alone a Super Bowl
appearance.
Tony Romo – the tough guy who has played through a partially
collapsed lung and fractured ribs (yes, at the same time) –
desperately wants to be remembered for more than just his impressive
stats and potent pain threshold . . . developed through so many
game-saving opportunities and increasing injuries that – for
everyone who cares – have gotten really old.
Tony Romo – the second “overlooked player” in the NFL (besides “some
guy” named Brady) to replace Drew Bledsoe – remembers full well how
that went . . . leaving Drew pretty bent, and it is a place he
clearly does not want to see his career go.
Whether after the season, or in the future on another team for some
trade-worthy reason, Romo faces a head-on collision with a career
decision.
Loose And Free To Matured Accuracy
The Tony of today was not always what he appears to be. While the
Dallas Cowboys have escaped a staggering number of losses due to
Romo’s magic, he began his career loose and free, personally
producing a number of results so tragic.
Romo finally came to believe he no longer had to win games alone . .
. with steady personnel improvements – over the past 3-5 years –
across the entire offense to help him atone and sooth fan fears. He
ultimately delivered – albeit a little late and pretty much to-date
– on solid decision-making and matured accuracy.
The oftentimes perfectionist and sometimes unreasonable Tortured
Cowboys Fan has “enjoyed” a love-hate relationship with Romo. See
below – the collective imagery from several editions ago – to get a sense of
exactly how far Romo had to go.
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Where He Fits If He Quits
Tony Romo is 1-3 in the playoffs and was potentially but one "drop"
away from receiving at least a 2-2 payoff. Romo carries an overall
win-loss record of 80-53 . . . and – save for a current Dak nose
dive or a future opportunity with another team that helps keep his
career alive – Romo may ultimately choose to let it be.
If Romo – following this year – conquers his (expected and
understandable) fear of his career end being near or even comes to
realize his game day demise, he may have no problem (even being
considered for) joining a list of (currently) more accomplished QBs
who have never secured the big one . . . but – just like all
(affected by the human condition) on that list – it will, indeed, be
crushing to have (potentially) retired without having maximized a
fighting chance,
started in the big dance, and won.
The “Woulda’, Coulda’, Shoulda’” alumni group is
littered with productive-to-prolific regular season star QBs whose best opportunities to both reach and
succeed on “Championship Hill” . . . suffered some sort of system failure with only
water on tap to swallow a most bitter postseason
pill. That group is split into two distinct sets based upon achievements each had met.
SET 1: Been THERE But Never Achieved
THAT
Dan Marino reached one and expected many more, but the
prolific passer – with 18 playoff appearances – never returned the
Miami Dolphins to the big game to settle the score.
- Jim Kelly and his
Buffalo Bills went to the Super Bowl an impossible four straight and
– each time – suffered the same unimaginable fate.
- Fran Tarkenton
(through three Super Bowl opportunities for the Minnesota Vikings)
was seemingly always on the run and – even with help from a
defensive unit featuring Alan Page and Carl Eller of the “Purple
People Eaters” – he was unable to get it done.
- Boomer Esiason was
helpless when the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense suffered the ultimate
failure against a wide open John Taylor.
- Ken Anderson and the
Bengals were in too deep of a hole to achieve the goal of a comeback
victory in his lone Super Bowl.
- Donavan McNabb – even
against a Patriots team still potentially cheating – saw his
Philadelphia Eagles do plenty of self-defeating (from turnovers to
poor play-calls to vomit on the grass) and simply ran out of gas.
- Steve McNair – to be
fair – could not quite lead Kevin Dyson and the Tennessee Titans far
enough towards the end zone on a last minute scoring dare.
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- Matt Hasselbeck –
after spending a few years behind fellow gunslinger Brett – followed
Mike Holmgren (via trade) to Seattle on a single Super Bowl bet, but
the Pittsburgh Steelers won, leaving Matt's highest of professional
goals unmet.
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- Rich Gannon came on
late in his career and – when he finally got his chance – he and his
Oakland Raiders got bounced by the Buccaneers.
SET 2: Won Few To None On The Postseason Run
Dan Fouts – for all his offensive weapons – had an
unreliable defense that left him and the San Diego Chargers on the
outs.
- Warren Moon had two
leagues worth of staggering numbers but – against Frank Reich for
one crucial half – the Houston Oilers' stout defensive teammates
turned into unreliable bumblers.
- Randall Cunningham and
the Vikings were just one missed field goal away from being able to
compete on his first and their fifth Super Bowl day.
- Doug Flutie spent his
CFL career regularly aerating opponents and consistently "going
Grey" – while being unrelentingly "shortchanged" (in opportunity and
stature) during many an NFL year . . . and though NFL playoff
success was surprisingly never too near, he received plenty of regular
season cheer.
- Vinny Testaverde was
quite the journeyman, but he and his New York Jets came up just a
bit lame in the AFC Championship Game . . . preventing a Super Bowl
appearance from being part of the plan.
NFL fans – with their varying team allegiances – might have
different names in a different order . . . but the included QBs just
go to show you could do far worse than failing to come close to – or
lose – at the Super Bowl-winning border.
You could be Ryan Leaf. “Don’t talk to me alright?!” . . . and be
THIS close to potentially embarrassing yourself (further) with the
ever-recording press in a locker room fight.
While Tony has played through pain – unlike any other quarterback in
modern NFL history . . . relevance on the all-time NFL QB ladder
does not necessarily allow “no pain, no gain” to matter. A regular
season statistical stud Romo may be, but by postseason success –
like any pro QB – judged be he.
Romo’s remaining playing days – whether he actually starts or
suddenly reaches the field due to one or more broken Dak parts –
shall remain a mystery until it is not. Dak holds the hand that is
hot – with little thought his predecessor will receive another shot
– and Romo can only be ready as a Johnny on the spot.
It will be interesting – no, intriguing – to see where Romo is
deemed to fit if-and-when he decides to quit.
And If A Trade Were Made?
As soon as it appeared there would no turning back from Dak (unless
he suffered a sudden heart attack), everyone – from prognosticators
to Cowboys Nation to Vegas odds makers – were guessing as to when
Romo would be told to pack and to where next his career would track.
The myopic and fantasy-focused among us typically and cryptically
continue to ignore past lessons and wish to see Jerry and Stephen
Jones engage in new organizational transgressions.
This season’s salary cap structure realistically prohibits Romo from
being traded here, there, or anywhere. If, IF he had been relocated
prior to the since-expired 2016 NFL trade deadline, his current cap
hit of approximately $21M would have ballooned to approximately
$32M, resulting in approximately $11M in everyone’s favorite
financial noose . . . “dead money,” honey.
Tony's remaining contract runs through 2019. Tony's 2017 salary is
scheduled to be approximately $25M (inclusive of $14M in base salary
and $11M in prorated signing bonus . . . for which Dallas, of
course, carries the dead money onus). If Tony is traded in 2017, the
Cowboys save the base salary, but Romo's TOTAL remaining prorated
signing bonus of approximately $20M would be immediately accelerated
into their 2017 salary cap. Talk about high calorie.
While the Cowboys could attempt to restructure (several key big
ticket) contracts of other star players, it would be quite a feat if
it did not involve even more deadly dollars and answered all pro-trade prayers.
If Romo is traded this offseason, the cap hit is more manageable . .
. leaving the Cowboys looking less like Hannibal the financial
cannibal.
One of many assumptions is that Dallas will trade Romo this
offseason . . . unless Dak – between now and then – suddenly eats a
(completely out of character) conceited cookie that reduces him back into
a "regular" rookie and forces the
Cowboys to succumb to reason.
And if cap complications were cured and a trade were really made? It
has been widely speculated (and even spoken to by Jerry himself)
that Romo would get plenty of say as to where he would play. Even
those considered dumber than a box of rocks . . . would still be viewed among the wisest minds on Earth if they said – in unison – “It
all depends on who blocks!” And if that is truly the case, Romo
would be hard-pressed to insist he still wanted to play with a
straight face.
Romo the Denver Bronco? The Arizona Cardinal? The New York Jet? The Houston Texan? The
Chicago Bear? The San Francisco 49er? The Cleveland Brown?! Yuck!
Blasphemy! Get out of town!
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- Each of those teams have medium to
MAJOR issues at offensive line . . . leaving the still
reasonably-mobile Romo feeling anything but safe or fine. And lest
the trade-thirsty pundits and (some) fans forget, the Broncos – in
particular – have their own offseason fiscal challenges with key
players to re-sign, making it that much harder to craft a
mutually-beneficial trade arrangement on which they could comfortably
align.
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- There is, of course, no proof of a
trade request (from a playoff-ready team seeking the final piece to
it's ultimate dream) that would return a value equal to the very best. A
logical guess to confess would be a conditional 2017 2nd round pick
(that could improve to a 1st rounder if Romo were to turn a
conference championship victory trick) . . . and a
conditional 2018 4th round pick (that could improve to another 2nd
if Romo were to make a Super Bowl victory stick). Such a
package of selections with potential for growth – from another
organization eagerly reciting the "Romo Oath" . . . are more than
fair for a player still at the top of his mental and skill game but
who's body could still (unimaginably) pull up lame with yet one more
"bone to pick."
And if the right trade partner team triggers the "wait them out"
theme, forcing Dallas to potentially make Romo a June 1st cut
. . . the Cowboys would still be stuck in a dead
money rut, and a team like the Broncos would (undoubtedly) get
another aging, injury-prone-yet-still-hungry-and-talented veteran QB
to say HUT!
And what does The Tortured Cowboys FAN think? Loosing Romo – his
experience, knowledge, and skill – from the roster and overall
organization would clearly stink. Romo should see the key reality of
poor offensive line protection (with offseason alternatives lacking
in blindside superlatives) as an immovable obstacle to his
starting QB resurrection.
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- Romo – instead – should choose to remain with the Cowboys in one of
two (or both) ways . . . to ensure continued and worthy
participation on all his remaining game days:
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- 1) Renegotiate the remaining
contract years to help ease – for all involved – salary cap fears.
2) Work with Jerry and Stephen on that contract being a hybrid . . .
allowing a smooth transition from player helmet to a future coaching
lid.
3) Following his final playing days, Romo can work with Wade Wilson,
Scott Linehan, and Jason Garrett (yes, in that order) to become more
intimate with the offensive coaching arrays.
4) And if Romo – surprisingly and instead – has a fancy front office
goal . . . Jerry – who practically considers Tony family – would
seemingly be more than happy to set him up with an appropriate
executive role.
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- 5) If Romo has a primetime hankerin'
to talk the talk after so many years of walking the walk . . . at
least for no other team than the Dallas Cowboys would he ever again
be throwing the rock.
One way or another, Cowboys Nation must wait until this offseason to
discover what lies under Romo’s contract cover.
We shall see. We always do.
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