NFL: Its Time for Tony Romo to Move On

I think, at long last, that it is time for Tony Romo to move on from the Dallas Cowboys. This comes off the heels of the 34-7 spanking that the Cowboys suffered last night at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, the blame for that game is not on Romo; it was one of the worst performances from a defense that I had ever seen. The Cowboys defense made Mike Vick look like the Vick of old, not the one who had seen consistent pressure and arid passes this season. But the focus, as always, will be on Romo. The Dallas media has been more brutal to Romo then the New York media has been on Eli Manning and Mark Sanchez in the past. Ever since becoming the Cowboys starter, Romo has seen showers upon showers of criticism for his play. Not all of it is unwarranted, like the playoff gaffe against the Seahawks in 2006, but Romo has been unfairly blamed for the failures of the Cowboys in the last five years. 

When I look at Romo, I see a quarterback that can and has succeed in the NFL. He’s an accurate passer whose mobility allows him to make plays outside of the pocket. Thus far, Jerry Jones has shown loyalty to Romo, but I see an end on the horizon. A parting of the ways between Romo and the Cowboys will be beneficial to both parties. For Romo, the most important thing for him is a fresh start. The constant bashing and roller coaster ride relationship Romo has been on with the fans of the Cowboys cannot have been a positive factor in his mental ability to perform on the football field. Romo has the skills and the young age to move on to a different team and help them compete. In a less vocal market, Romo could relax and play quarterback at the level that we all know his potential can take him. Imagine Romo on teams like the Seahawks or Dolphins, I truly believe he can thrive and become an even better quarterback than he is right now. 

For the Cowboys, the move would help them as well. Romo is currently under contract until 2014, so he would have to be traded. With the right trading partner, the Cowboys could yield a 1st or 2nd round pick in exchange for the quarterback. With this, the Cowboys could draft a new franchise quarterback, or use the picks to trade for another QB in the league. New England’s backup Brian Hoyer is considered to be among the best unknown talents in the league, for instance. With the “distraction” that Romo’s on the field and off the field actions off the Cowboys, they could focus on the youth and talent that they have on both sides of the ball. Dez Bryant is an athletic freak, while Demarcus Ware is just hitting his prime years as a pass rusher. They have the pieces to succeed, and it could just be that a change at quarterback is just what the team needs to take it to the next level. Looking at the other pieces of the team, coach Jason Garrett is Jones’ golden boy with a high job security. Bryant and Miles Austin aren’t going anywhere. Jason Witten is the teams unquestioned leader, while running back Demarco Murray is starting to emerge as a premier back. 

Romo is without question the best quarterback to play for the Cowboys since Troy Aikman retired. But, the long, conflicting relationship that he’s had with the Cowboys hasn’t helped either side. As we saw with the Carson Palmer-Bengals fiasco, NFL break up’s can be messy. With this situation, it doesn’t have to be. This is the rare case in which both parties will benefit from a change, and all that is left is for the Cowboys and Romo to both see the light.