Can Dallas Cowboys’ QB Tony Romo Win a Super Bowl?

It seemed like it was “Tony Romo Week” here at SportDFW. It started with an article about why Romo would excel in 2012, then there was the article about Romo and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and another article about the unjustified criticism of Romo.

Not surprisingly, our fan question of the week asks about Tony Romo.  

As many of you know, we started responding to reader questions at The Landry Hat.  SportDFW is happy to announce that some of the writers from TLH, both past and present, have agreed to continue sharing theirs thoughts with our readers.

If you have questions for the Cowboys staff, please send them to cjlandryhat@hotmail.com.

"Michael Hopkins, Fort Worth:  Your recent article argued that Romo would probably make the HOF if he won a Super Bowl.  How many years do you think Romo has left?  Do you think he is capable of leading a team to the championship? If so, do you think Jerry Jones will ever “fix” the rest of the team enough to make a Super Bowl run while Romo is still playing at an elite level?"

 CowgirlCas: That’s an excellent question Michael! I think the length of Romo’s career depends on what JJ does to protect him. The recent signings of Bernadeu and Livings are not going to work! Romo is hands down the best QB in Dallas since Staubach. I wrote an article that clearly showed he is way superior to Aikman. The one thing all the former championship teams had in common was a solid offensive line and a running game. As much as I love the Cowboys, I have a bad feeling that Romo will be the next Marino. All the necessary skills to get it done and no supporting cast. The fact that JJ’s last 42 draft picks only produced 6 starters, 3 of which were 1st round picks and 1 a 2nd round pick being Sean Lee says it all. Unfortunately Romo will continue to be the fall guy for JJ’s short comings as a GM. Click here to see CowgirlCas’ recent work at TLH.

Johnathan Barger: Tony Romo is getting older, yes.  It is something that unfortunately is happening to all of our beloved Cowboys.  The thing that Romo has going for him is Jason Garrett’s commitment to him.  Garrett knows that he has an elite QB and is committed to protecting him (drafting Tyron Smith last year, signing Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings this year).  Romo will turn 32 next week, but hasn’t had as much wear and tear as the normal QB, because he didn’t become the full time starter until 2007.  Romo will be able to continue to play at this high level for about five more seasons.  With Garrett’s new commitment to the run game, this will help keep the pressure off Romo as much as possible, and keep him off his back. Click here to see Johnathan’s work at TLH.

Todd Toombs: At 31, Romo’s career clock is definitely winding down, but he should be and is coming into his prime.  He’s a young 31 remember in that he spent a number of seasons just practicing and holding a clip board before taking over as the starter.  Your question is basically, “Is he Danny White?  Or, is he Troy Aikman?”.  Danny White was without question a very talented quarterback, but he never led the Cowboys to much postseason success.  His chances of making the HOF are essentially zero.  I believe Romo falls into that same category until he proves otherwise.  

What concerns me is that his play seems to have hit a plateau – albeit a fairly high plateau, but you don’t see huge improvement from year to year.  But, he doesn’t have to win a Super Bowl all by himself.  Plenty of “good, not great” quarterbacks have won Super Bowls as long as they had a talented team around them.  So, whether Romo wins a Super Bowl (or two – he would need multiple championships in my opinion to have any chance) depends largely on the team Jerry Jones builds around him.  That would be my bigger concern if I were Tony.  But, I honestly don’t think Romo has the HOF on his mind at this stage.   Let’s win the first Super Bowl and then start thinking about the HOF. Click here to see Todd’s recent’s articles at The Landry Hat. 

Erasmus:  Yes.  I had a vision, or dream, or hallucination, I don’t know what it was, but I do know that the entire Cowboy Nation was rejoicing in the Promised Land, and it was Tony Romo that led us there.

Mark Contreras: This is the question that keeps every Cowboys fan up at night. I do believe Romo is capable. I also believe he has a real opportunity of about 4-5 years to get it done. Sadly, this is a team game. And the team we love is ruled by a stubborn man who refuses to ask for assistance, guidance or direction from those clearly more qualified. So us fans will continue to fret about losing undrafted free agents to FA activity and not even bat an eye when the ol’ Double J blows another 1st round draft pick because we’re conditioned to it. 

In other words, no…… Don’t look at me with those puppy dog eyes.  Follow Mark on Twitter.

Seth Jones: Romo could play until he is 40 if he pleases. I could see that being the case, but only he isn’t fired as a scapegoat for poor general managing. Romo is capable of leading a team to the Super Bowl, but a quarterback can only be as good as his team allows him to be. The defense has to be reliable. The running game has to be there. But there is one thing that I’ve always saw as a problem with Romo. How many times has he thrown an interception because the receiver ran the wrong route? It happens A LOT. You may say “Well that is the receiver’s fault”. Well, yeah, sure. It is. But a quarterback who is a leader would fix that problem instead of complaining to the receivers all year. If you run the wrong route with Peyton Manning, you may get one more strike. After that, your ass is grass. 

Romo is really good, and can stay really good for many more years. But he needs to tear into his receivers. He needs to lead. Follow Seth on Twitter.

Steven Phillips: I honestly believe Tony Romo can play for a good six or seven more years. Now will all of those years be as productive as others? Probably not. The next four or five will be Romo’s best of his career, I’m sure of it. I also truly believe the Cowboys are not that far off from a Super Bowl. The way Jerry Jones has been building this offseason it seems to me he is finally seeing that you need role players to go along with the superstars. If Dallas has a productive draft, and doesn’t reach in the early rounds, I see the Cowboys being a Super Bowl contender this up coming season. Click here to see Steven’s recent posts at The Landry Hat. 

Matt Barbour: Romo sat so much early in his career that his body has less mileage on it than most other QBs his age.  I say he has 7 years left.  Six with the Cowboys and one forgettable year playing for the Los Angeles Jaguars where his most notable “accomplishment” is hooking up with Tara Reid and not catching anything.

I think Romo is definitely capable of leading a team to a championship, as long as that team has a defense and a slot WR that can make clutch catches late in playoff games.  Yes, I’m looking at you, Patrick Crayton.

If by “fix” the team you mean hire an actual GM instead of playing Madden franchise mode with the Cowboys…I doubt it.  But I believe they’ll make a Super Bowl run while Romo is still in his prime.

Thrill Hill: Michael, at the age of 31 and with the emphasis Jerry Jones and, in my estimation, Jason Garrett is putting on the offensive line, I think Romo can play another 5 years.  As a matter of fact, I predict over the next 4-5 years, we will see the highest level of QB play in Cowboys’ history.  I absolutely think he’s capable of leading the Cowboys to a NFL title and I see many indications that the Cowboys’ management are doing the right things.  If the defense plays better this year, it will go a long way to determining our title chances.  Romo and company will be fun to watch.

C. Joseph Wright: Romo is a young 32, based on the number of years he has started, but age will take a toll on your physical abilities regardless of how much  punishment it takes, or doesn’t take. Given the importance of mobility and escapability to Romo’s style of play, it is hard to imagine him being the same QB once he hits 36 or 37.  I think he can continue to play at an elite level for at least  3, probably 4, more years.

I have absolutely no doubt that Tony Romo can lead the Dallas Cowboys to a Super Bowl victory if the team around him is good enough.

When it comes to looking objectively at the Dallas Cowboys and predicting their future performace, Mark is far more realistic than I can be (hence he is much more accurate than I am), so I suggest using his opinion on the subject as a counter-balance to my opinion.

I do believe that Jerry Jones is capable of assembling a championship team.  My faith is based primarily on what I have been calling the “Jason Garrett Effect”. Jerry Jones is committed to Jason Garrett for the long term.  There will be no clash of egos or personalities like there was with Jimmy Johnson or Bill Parcells.

If the current veteran stars – Tony Romo, Miles Austin, DeMarcus Ware, Jason Witten, and Jay Ratliff – can all stay healthy for another 3 years, Jason Garrett will have enough time to build a team around them and the nucleus of young talent (DeMarco Murray, Tyron Smith, Sean Lee, Bruce Carter), that will be strong enough to compete for a Championship.  Jason Garrett is turning this team around, and if Jerry Jones continues to follow Garrett’s direction, the Cowboys will have a shot at returning to greatness.  The Dallas Cowboys will make a serious playoff run in the next 3 years.

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