Tony Romo is Average

Tony Romo is an average NFL quarterback. I have decided that this fact is unequivocally true. This is a bit of a weird moment for me to realize this, as I watch him lead his Cowboys to a victory over the New York Football Giants on Sunday night. But watching Romo play and considering the talent that he has around him, I have decided that he is what is commonly referred to as a “system quarterback”. He is an average quarterback who is made better by having a terrific offensive line in front of him and all-pro talent flanking him at every skill position. I would argue that Tony Romo currently huddles up with more offensive talent that any other quarterback has in the last 10 years. Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton, Jason Witten, and Marion Barber are collectively better than any 3-WR, TE, RB combination in the recent past. Let’s compare Romo to a couple of quarterbacks who have recently had great sets of skill players around them.

In 2004, Peyton Manning came close to matching Romo’s supporting cast. He had Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, Brandon Stokley, and Dallas Clark, but a rookie running back in Joseph Addai. All Manning did that year was toss a record-setting 49 touchdowns and win 13 games before falling in the playoffs to the eventual Superbowl champions. Tom Brady also came close last season, with Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth, but Laurence Maroney and Benjamin Watson were far from the consistent threats that Barber and Witten are. All Brady did that that bunch was break Manning’s record with 50 scores and lead his team to a 16-0 season and the Superbowl. Where’s Romo’s 50-touchdown season? If two elite quarterbacks can put together record setting seasons with less talent around them, why isn’t Romo doing the same?

The answer is simple: Romo is not an elite quarterback; he is an average quarterback. Just because he makes John Madden soil his pants every time the Cowboys play on Sunday night, it does not mean that he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath with Brady, Manning, or any other elite NFL QB. Sure, he can freelance and make Top 10-worthy plays, but so can Tyler Thigpen. Other than having sex with Jessica Simpson on a regular basis, what does Tony Romo do that the average NFL quarterback isn’t capable of? One-to-one, would you really switch him out with many other quarterbacks in the league? For example, here are five quarterbacks that are generally considered to be at or below the level of Tony Romo that I would rather have running my team this season: Drew Brees, Jay Cutler, Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Kurt Warner. If you put Romo on the Saints, Broncos, Giants, Steelers, or Cardinals, do those teams win any more games than they already have? I’m not saying that Romo is terrible; I’m just saying he’s average. In order to be considered above average, I believe that a quarterback needs directly influence more wins than he does losses. So answer this question for me, on just his own merits, has Romo caused the Cowboys to win more often than he has caused them to lose? No. What is holding Mr. Romo back? He is middle of the pack at best in the most important (yet unmeasured) statistic for NFL quarterbacks. More on this tomorrow…