playoff games. We all think he's turned out fine.
Sure, there are plenty of others to pick from. John Elway and Brett Favre couldn't win the big game - until they did!
Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl, either.
You guys know all of those facts. So why ignore them? Why are we so impatient with Romo?
I understand that Cowboys fans are starving for a win. They're so ready to get this thing back to the glory days of the mid-90s. And with that, this year is even more disappointing because for a moment there it looked as if the Cowboys were headed there again.
And not only are we all waiting for another Super Bowl run, but for a while this year, it appeared as if the Cowboys had finally filled a void at quarterback that Troy Aikman left back in 2000.
I'm not sure Romo hasn't, or won't fill it.
But before we blame the guy for not being Aikman just yet, let's remember things are a bit different. Sure, he might have his Michael Irvin in Terrell Owens. And he's got an even better Jay Novacek in Jason Witten. But Romo does not have an Emmitt Smith, not even close. And so therefore, quit trying to compare Romo to what Aikman was able to do.
They had different beginnings to their careers. They had different personnel. And they played in different eras in the NFL.
Now, they both played for the Cowboys. That's the similarity. Oh, and they're both pretty good.
And if you don't think so about Romo, then you're just not paying attention.
This is the time of year when you'll see end-of-the-season report cards, grading out either players or positions.
One particular newspaper and respected colleague doled out his individual grades and for the most part, I didn't have many problems with them.
Except for Romo's grade, a B. Not even a B .
That one, I'm not seeing it. Not at all.
When you go out and have the best season of any Cowboys quarterback in franchise history, it's worth something, like an A, maybe. Something.
Romo completed more passes, threw for more yards and more touchdowns than any quarterback the Cowboys have ever had.
You want to say he threw more passes than anyone? That's fine, too. It only helps my point.
We're not talking about a 1-15 team. We're not talking about a 5-11 team that couldn't stop anyone and threw the ball all game because they never had a lead. This isn't Jake Plummer with the Cardinals or someone like a Drew Brees in New Orleans, who had 652 attempts.
Now Romo had 520 attempts, which ranked ninth in the league this year. But let's not forget the Cowboys went 13-3 in the regular season. This was a winning football team. One that was usually trying to secure leads in the fourth quarter. So for Romo to continue to throw the ball is impressive.
And not only that, but he finished second in the NFL with an 8.1 yard average per attempt. Only Tom Brady (8.31) was better. That may seem like a meaningless stat to you. But it tells me he's not just dinking it to backs and tight ends, but getting the ball down the field.
Another thing I like about Romo is how he continues to answer his critics.
He was questioned all off-season about recovering from the horrific ending in Seattle. His private life started to take off and he was seen judging beauty pageants and walking the red carpet at award shows.
Yet, he returned for his first full season as a starter and played out of his mind.
Then he gets the contract in mid-season. It was supposed to derail his focus again. He comes back and has two unbelievable games on the road in Philadelphia and New York.
Even after the setback against Philadelphia in mid-December when he suffered the thumb injury, Romo responded rather well, throwing 42 passes on with that bruised thumb at Carolina.
Of course, what will be remembered most is the loss to the Giants. The biggest game of all and the Cowboys didn't win. Romo couldn't lead them over the top.
It's unfortunate that his season will not be remembered for his personal records and leading the team to a franchise-best 13 wins.
But that's OK. Romo is judged to a higher standard now. And he
