Yes

by Benjamin Lomax

Created on: January 21, 2010

The question of Tony Romo’s impact on the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs is a combination of hype and real value. This is the case with generally all high profile players in any sport, but the fact remains that the quarterback in football has more impact as an individual player than any other player’s impact in any team sport. This is particularly the case with a team that relies on their quarterback to drive the offense, such as the Cowboys. Some run-driven teams like the 2010 New York Jets can get by with a marginal quarterback like Mark Sanchez, but their passing attack is barely average.

In the potentially high-powered Cowboys offense, the quarterback is hugely important. Tony Romo has shown himself able to direct this offense with skill, pulling of some great victories in the regular season. Two of the last three seasons, the Cowboys have been hailed as among the best, if not the best, team in the NFC. But before last week, it has been over thirteen years since the last Cowboy playoff victory. So how can it be that before 2010, a first round exit was the best they could do?

Is it really all about Jessica Simpson? Appearances on Entertainment tonight and on the red carpet for awards shows? Much has been made over whether the impressionable Cowboys star has had his head in the right place. It’s fair to say that he has been distracted, and more importantly distracting to the rest of the team. The tradition in Dallas has been hard-nose grinders working hard for every victory, not flashing a smile at paparazzi and waiting on your sitcom cameo.

But how much effect has this had on Romo and his actual play, and the play of the Cowboys as a team. It can certainly be argued that the team has rallied around their young star, even if you discount Terrell Owen’s bizarre crying defense a few years ago. And the man can play football! He has led his team, and there is no doubt he is their leader on the field. So if not Hollywood, then why the high-profile failures in the playoffs?

Quite simply, Romo and others on this team are very young. The Dallas tradition of veteran playoff performers is now almost fifteen years old, and the days when the Cowboys could be relied on to perform in the wintertime have grown cold. This cannot all be laid at Romo’s feet, probably more can be directed at Jerry Jones, but that is the topic for another article.

On January 10, 2010, Romo did indeed pull of his first playoff win in his very young career, showing confidence. So clearly the answer to this article is yes, Romo will and did win his first playoff game this year. This victory showed that Romo and his young offense are not chokers and have strong playoff football ahead of them, particularly if the intense and passionate defense remains stable in 2010.

But to step back to reality, tried and true Brett Favre led his Minnesota Vikings (still seems strange saying that) into a dominating victory over the young Cowboys a week later, showing poise under pressure, something the Romo still struggles with. So the Aikman salad days are still a little time off yet. Nonetheless this first playoff victory almost certainly will not be the last for Mr. Romo and his Dallas Cowboys.

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