Would You Give Tony Romo A Multi-Year Extension?
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by user Brendan.Canney
Being a Philadelphia Eagles fan it pains me with each keystroke to write this article. However, I am intrigued with what the 'Boys will do with him considering it would have a major impact on the NFC East. As of right now I don't see the Redskins or the Giants challenging the Eagles or the Cowboys for the NFC East title. I don't think a Dan Snyder run team will ever win the NFC East and with Tiki Barber leaving and Tom Coughlin staying in New York I don't see the Giants making a run. So that leaves the Eagles and the Cowboys battling it out for the NFC East. Now if Tony Romo decided to leave the Cowboys and not sign an extension it would certainly shift the balance of power. So lets get to some stats and possible scenarios for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys.
In his first season as starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, Tony Romo threw for 2,903 yards and 19 touchdowns compared to 13 interceptions. Those stats garnered him a 95.1 passer rating and a controversial trip to the Pro Bowl. In his first 5 weeks at the helm of "America's Team" Romo went 4 and 1. He completed 71.2 percent of his passes, recorded a 115.6 quarterback rating, and threw 10 touchdown passes and only 2 interceptions. The second half of his 10 games at quarterback weren't as great however. Romo's quarterback rating was a Trent Dilfer like 77.4 and only threw 6 touchdowns compared to 8 interceptions. The 'Boys ended up winning only 2 out of their last 5 games and narrowly skated into the playoffs. His first post season performance was somewhat impressive minus the field goal debacle. Romo completed 17 passes out of 29 attempts for 1 touchdown and no interceptions. What was clearly the most interesting stat was that in that playoff game versus the Seahawks he never completed 2 consecutive passes on any drive.
So with all that said, what kind of deal does a soon to be 28 year old quarterback get when he has only made 10 starts and thrown only 337 passes for his career? It's not as if they have an option after Romo. Second on their depth chart is the much traveled 15 year veteran Brad Johnson and behind him 2 rookies. Also lets not forget that in next year's NFL Draft the Cowboys have both their 1st round pick and Cleveland's 1st round pick. The 2008 quarterback draft class will include names like Colt Brennan (Hawaii), Brian Brohm (Louisville), and Andre Woodson (Kentucky). So do you take a chance on letting Romo become an unrestricted free agent and go after a quarterback next year in the draft or do you sign him to a deal similar to what Matt Schaub got with the Texans( 6 year, $48 million)? Schaub only started 2 games compared to Romo's 10 so it would make sense that Romo would expect even more money and justifiably so. Quite a dilemma Jerry Jones is in, do you sign a 10 game "veteran" or do you go sign an unproven college quarterback next year? Or perhaps they take a chance on Daunte Culpepper.........just kidding.
