Our theory, to date, regarding Tony Romo is that he already has achieved far more than any undrafted slappy ever could have dreamed possible, and so he became complacent regarding his career as the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys -- and smitten with the Hollywood lifestyle that goes along with it. (As Taco Bill’s latest item points out, that Hollywood lifestyle might get him smitten in different ways.)
In our view, Romo settled for a big-money contract that didn’t fully reflect his market value because, even though the deal resided at the low end of the top-tier quarterback market, it represented far more money than Romo ever expected to pocket when he was trying to stay afloat on the bottom of the Dallas roster.
We also think that his “just happy to be here” mindset has kept him from becoming the kind of leader that his teammates need. And it’s obvious that he hasn’t been a good leader; if he were, the Cowboys wouldn’t have needed to cut receiver Terrell Owens in order to give Romo a chance to blossom.
A good leader would have found a way to manage Owens and any other narcissistic, passive-aggressive, malcontented asshole on the roster. Though they don’t get much worse than T.O., he’s not the first narcissistic, passive-aggressive, malcontented asshole who has donned a football helmet. (After all, I once wore one.)
But Romo apparently is changing. Or, at a minimum, he’s trying to change.
“Obviously the way I was before wasn’t getting the job done to the extent to the goal you want to accomplish,” Romo says, per the Associated Press. “So you just keep going and keep going and hopefully you are able to accomplish that one day. I can see improvement.”
Romo also seems to admit that, indeed, he had grown too satisfied with his accomplishments in the NFL, and he wasn’t pushing for more.
“Either you are trying to get better or you are content as a player,” Romo said. “I am not content. I don’t think this team is. We are striving to be a team that we hope can make everybody excited or have an exciting time watching us play this season.”
It all sounds good on paper. It remains to be seen whether Romo can pull it off.
The challenge will come from convincing the guys who have been part of the team that there’s a new sheriff in town. To truly make his case, Romo needs to be ready to get in the face and/or up the rear end of anyone who isn’t fully on board with what the Cowboys are trying to accomplish.