The Straw That Broke Romo’s Back

On Tuesday, the news broke that former Dallas Cowboy Quarterback Tony Romo would be released from the team. As the rumors have pointed to for quite a few days now Romo has secured a cushy job in the broadcast booth, taking over for Phil Simms as the ‘No. 1’ color commentator for CBS Football. Looking back on Romo’s football career, what does it all mean? Should he have come back another year? Was this just the right time? Is he a Hall of Famer? Some of these questions can only be answered by the man himself, but others are up for debate.

Quincy Carter, Drew Bledsoe, Vinny Testaverde, Ryan Leaf and a host of others (10 total) are a group of quarterbacks who all served as the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys between 2001–2005. This was between the time that Troy Aikman left and Tony Romo arrived. If you are keeping a tally, that is again a total of ten different quarterbacks across a span of five seasons — and none were particularly stellar. A more than once broken left clavicle (collarbone), bruised and broken hands and fingers, broken ribs, collapsed lungs, herniated disks, broken backs, and of course to go along with the many times his brain has bounced around his head are all injuries on a laundry list that the former Cowboys’ quarterback has endured over the past decade or so.

So what does the above all mean? Nothing, unless you know a thing or two about football. What it means is for 5 years after losing one of the organization’s all-time greats, “America’s Team” was lost in the wilderness without a star to guide them. They say if you look to the North Star you can always find your way home, but the Cowboys looked east — Eastern Illinois to be exact. Tony Romo was an undrafted free agent quarterback from an unknown school (Jimmy Garoppolo should thank Romo) who became not only one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, but was also the savior for a Cowboys franchise that hadn’t been to the playoffs since 1996.

What does it all mean, you ask? It means this was a guy who was so tough that he would go out there maimed to finish a game, coming deadly close to doing so several times. What does it all mean that even through it all — the injury, the ridicule, the tough losses, the media attention, the criticism, the laughter, the mockery, the “choke” gestures, the bad losses and mistakes that Romo was still a class act? This was a man that tutored, instilled confidence in, and publicly submitted to his replacement. Although towards the end it is more than true that he was more beat and broken than he was upright. But I ask of anyone, wouldn’t your back keep breaking if you had been carrying “America’s Team” for an entire decade? I’ll wait.

There is one matter yet to be touched on here — a possible Hall of Fame bid. Should Romo make the cut? I don’t believe so. Had Romo come back for another season or more, there would have been a strong case. This is the case because being with the Texans and Broncos, the teams rumored to have the most interest, would have at least set Romo up for a few more exciting runs to pad the numbers and perhaps even compete for a Super Bowl. Who is to say he wouldn’t have won one, multiple, or at least reached multiple, which would have all solidified his case for the Hall of Fame. Although there is a strong conversation for Tony Romo to be a Hall of Famer as his talent, performances, and numbers have dictated over the years, I just don’t believe there is enough with his lack of big time playoff success.

There was a quote floating around from an “unnamed AFC GM” stating confidently that Tony Romo would play in the NFL again. But for now, he will be sitting in the booth on Sundays. He will be missed, but surely won’t be forgotten. Like most great things we have the privilege to experience, the world will probably appreciate everything Tony Romo was able to accomplish now that he is gone. Tomorrow may look as bright as ever for Tony Romo, but for some Cowboys fans and Tony Romo fans alike and in the words of the immortal Boyz 2 Men, “It’s so hard… to say goodbye…to yesterday-ee-E.” Stay Classy, Tony.