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I think it is humorous. All of you peeps who have been calling for Romo all year are about to get a taste of reality. There was a reason he was undrafted and sat out of football for 4 years.
They are having to calm Peppers down already.
Cowboys Players To Rally Behind Romo
Rob Phillips - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
October 25, 2006 6:04 PM
Tony Romo has impressed teammates with his confident personality.
IRVING, Texas - The handful of players who drifted into the locker room Wednesday before their noon meeting had yet to learn Tony Romo indeed would be the starting quarterback this Sunday against Carolina.
But the players' view on the once-cloudy quarterback situation involving Romo and former starter Drew Bledsoe hadn't changed since Monday night's 36-22 loss to the New York Giants at Texas Stadium:
"We just want the best guy that's going to give us the best chance to win," wide receiver Patrick Crayton said. "Whoever's under center, whoever (Cowboys head coach Bill) Parcells decides is going to play, that's going to be the best guy he feels gives us a chance to win."
About an hour later, Parcells announced Romo's second-half start against the Giants would carry over to Sunday night in the first leg of a critical three-game road trip.
Asked if the decision to start Romo, a fourth-year veteran with 16 career pass attempts, indicated the Cowboys have compromised a potential playoff run this season, Parcells said, "That would be an erroneous view. Actually it couldn't be further from the truth."
Inside linebacker Bradie James agreed that Romo's promotion isn't simply a move for the future.
"I don't think so because I think both of them are capable," James said about Romo, who has never started an NFL game, and Bledsoe, who has started all but one of the 194 games he's played in the NFL. "A lot of it is you don't know what Romo is going to do. We hadn't really seen him play in the regular season."
Romo's regular-season body of work is restricted to the last two games, in which he completed 16 of 27 passes for 262 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions for an 89.4 passer rating. He played the entire second half Monday night after Bledsoe threw a costly interception from the Giants' 4-yard line near the end of the first half.
"He was put in an unfortunate situation," James said. "He could easily be the hero right now, but playing on Monday nights with all the lights on him in the middle of the game, that's kind of tough. But I'm sure the next chance he gets, he's going to take full advantage of it."
Romo's chance will come Sunday night against a stingy Panthers defense which features defensive end Julius Peppers, the NFL's current sack leader (8.0). Carolina sacked Bledsoe five times last year, but the Cowboys escaped Bank of America Stadium with a 24-20 Christmas Eve win. Parcells said the Cowboys' upcoming opponents did not factor into his decision to replace Bledsoe.
Before their season opener at Jacksonville, the players voted Bledsoe and outside linebacker Greg Ellis as team captains. But Romo also has impressed players with his at ude and confidence.
"Since I've been here he's had that kind of swagger," said Crayton, who was a rookie during Romo's second season in 2004. "If he walks in here all timid and everything, you'd be like 'Man, that's the backup quarterback?' No, it's not surprising (he's confident). He's got to have that swagger, I think."
Crayton said Romo's mobility and ability to improvise are reasons he's confident the 26-year-old quarterback can be successful.
"What we gather from Romo is the same things we've been getting from him since he's been here," Crayton said. "He's gradually improved each year. I think you saw that in the preseason, what he was able to do when he got on the field."
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Bledsoe Not On Board With Benching
Mickey Spagnola - Email
DallasCowboys.com Columnist
October 25, 2006 6:06 PM
Drew Bledsoe said he will remain supportive of the Cowboys and Tony Romo, despite his demotion.
IRVING, Texas - Extremely disappointed and defiant, saying he still believes he gives the Dallas Cowboys their best chance to win, Drew Bledsoe though will be a team guy to the end, one he still hopes will not be a bitter one after learning Wednesday morning he no longer will be the starting quarterback.
Before Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells made that announcement at 12:30 p.m. (CDT) Wednesday, he called in his 1993 first-round draft choice in New England to deliver his decision to replace him as the starting quarterback with Tony Romo, one Bledsoe openly disagrees with but says he will live with through the remainder of this season.
In fact, Bledsoe, the team's offensive captain, was such a stand-up guy on Wednesday after vacating the locker room Monday night before the media was allowed in following his halftime benching in the Cowboys' 36-22 loss to the Giants on national cable TV, he agreed to address the media in the area Parcells holds his daily media briefings.
Bledsoe kind of stammered around a little at the beginning, working hard to keep his emotions in check during this awkward situation, but when he loosened up, let his real feelings be known.
"Yeah, there's no doubt this is an extremely disappointing situation for me," Bledsoe said. "This is not how I would've ever imagined things going. The game the other night, I made a horrible play at the end of the first half. If you throw the ball as many times as I have over a long career, there are going to be throws that you want back and that was certainly one of them. But yeah, it's a very, very disappointing situation for me."
When asked what his thoughts were when he came out for the third quarter after learning Parcells decided to yank him following the interception he threw late in the second quarter with the ball on the Giants 4 and the Cowboys only trailing 12-7, Bledsoe said, "I was surprised. I was surprised. At halftime, it was a little bit surreal to be in a tight ball game like that and go back on the field and not be able to go back out there and try to win the game."
That might have irritated Bledsoe the most, and he was noticeably irritated standing on the sideline the entire second half, tugging on the front of his shoulder pad collar with both hands and basically not talking to a soul, and no one seemingly willing to try to break the thickening ice. Then after the game Bledsoe quickly showered and left the locker room, only tracked down by a couple of media members who trailed him out to his awaiting car.
Not only was Bledsoe stewing over the embarrassment of being pulled at halftime and likely then thinking he just might have been pulled for the remaining 10 games, but also because he couldn't have a final say in a game the Cowboys were trailing by only five points at halftime and getting the ball back to start the second half.
"Well I have to believe we would've' won," Bledsoe said if given the chance to finish the game. "That's my make-up. I feel like I've always responded well to adversity and we certainly had adversity in the first half. I didn't respond the way I wanted to. But I really felt like, given the chance, we'd come back out and play well in the second half."
The Cowboys didn't. While Romo had some good moments the second half taking his first snaps of consequence in the NFL in this his fourth season, completing 14 of 25 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns, he also had some bad moments, getting intercepted three times, including on his first snap of the game. That interception broke open the tight game, the Giants setting up on the Cowboys 14-yard line and easily driving for the touchdown to give them a 19-7 lead.
This now becomes the third time in Bledsoe's career a team has turned its back on him for a younger guy. In 2001, when New England won its first of three Super Bowls this decade, an injured Bledsoe never got his job back from second-year quarterback Tom Brady, even after he was healthy. Bledsoe then was dealt that following off-season to Buffalo for a first-round draft choice.
Then after playing in Buffalo three seasons, the Bills decided they would be better served going with their 2004 first-round draft choice J.P. Losman and released the 12-year veteran in February of 2005.
The Cowboys immediately signed him, and after starting the next 22 games in Dallas, now this.
"Obviously I would like to be the guy still, I really in my heart of hearts believe that I give us the best chance to win," Bledsoe said. "But that's not the case now and I don't get to have that role and it's not my decision to make."
After six games, with the Cowboys 3-3 and just one game behind the NFC East-leading Giants, Bledsoe, paying the price for the Cowboys' lack of pocket protection, has completed 90 of 169 passes for 1,164 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions, all leading to a 69.3 quarterback rating. Most troubling, though, are the 16 sacks he's already taken, along with a completion percentage of only 53.3 percent and an average gain per attempt of just 6.9 yards.
Most troubling for Parcells were the seven sacks Philadelphia registered and the four sacks the Giants had by halftime, along with the eight interceptions - three each in the losses to Jacksonville and Philadelphia and then the killer one at the end of the first half Monday night with the Cowboys poised to take a 14-12 halftime lead on the Giants.
There was some thought Bledsoe just might walk away in the middle of the season, since he's said on numerous occasions since arriving in Dallas that he has no intention of staying in the league as a backup. But he assured Parcells he would ride out this season, and frankly not even Parcells would assure anyone the decision to start Romo would last 10 games.
When asked on Wednesday if he contemplated retiring, Bledsoe quickly said, "No, that's not a road that I'm willing to travel at this point. Like I say, I'm part of this team. I'm a captain of this team. I'm going to continue to be a leader of this team. It's just a new and very different role for me. But right now, that's the role I'm given."
But if this backup role continues for the rest of the season, would this be your last season?
"It's not a conversation I'm willing to have right now," Bledsoe said.
So Bledsoe, unlike his actions the second half Monday night when he didn't even speak with Romo on the sideline, has pledged to help Romo in any manner he can and vows to work hard to stay ready just in case the inexperienced quarterback is injured or has a melt down somewhere along the line.
"This is a long season now," Bledsoe said, too stubborn to ever give up the ship. "Ten regular season game left and hopefully more after that. I'm preparing this week as if I could be back on the filed right away. Whether I see the field again, I don't know. I hope so. Like I said earlier, if called upon, I'm going to come in and play very well."
Determined to the very end.
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New Leader
Parcells Hopeful Romo Gives Team Better Chance
Nick Eatman - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
October 25, 2006 6:31 PM
Tony Romo will make his first NFL start Sunday in Carolina.
IRVING, Texas - The speculation began at training camp. That's when head coach Bill Parcells dropped his first hint that a quarterback change might take place at some point this year.
The speculation built as Tony Romo played well in the preseason and once Drew Bledsoe struggled in the regular season. The situation officially entered the "controversy" stage Monday night when Romo replaced Bledsoe at halftime of the Cowboys' 36-22 loss to the Giants.
So when Parcells officially announced Wednesday that Romo will start at quarterback this week at Carolina, it wasn't a major surprise. Even the coach said he has been weighing the decision heavily the last couple of days.
"Anytime you do something like this, it's something you think about for a long time," Parcells said. "I just need to make an attempt to do something to alter what we've done so far. We're 3-3. We've got 10 games to go. It's a long way from being over. But time is urgent for us."
Parcells benched Bledsoe at halftime of Monday night's loss, with the Cowboys trailing 12-7. Bledsoe was sacked four times and threw a costly interception from the Giants' 4-yard line just before halftime.
But Romo didn't exactly turn the tide. In fact, his first pass of the game was intercepted, resulting in a quick New York touchdown. Overall, Romo threw three interceptions, one of which returned 96 yards for a touchdown, and was sacked twice. He also passed for 227 yards and two touchdowns.
"I'm hopeful, the way our team is comprised right now, he might be able to do a couple of things for us," Parcells said of Romo. "But he's got to be more careful with the ball."
Of course, Parcells would say that about any quarterback, inexperienced or not. But despite Romo's limited playing time, Parcells made it clear he expects his new quarterback to play well and give his team a chance to win - this year.
And remember, since the start of training camp, Parcells has dropped a few hints that Romo's time might come sooner than later. Parcells has said all along he would like to get Romo ready to play at some point this season.
Apparently, Romo is ready. And that's what Parcells is counting on.
"This is his fourth year here now," Parcells said of Romo, who made the team as an undrafted rookie in 2003. "I think he has some ability and I know he has the brainpower. This is a different time for him now. It's not conjecture, it's not what we think, it's time to go and do it. Now, I don't expect perfection, but hopefully he'll give us a little something.''
The Cowboys definitely need "something" heading into a three-game road trip that begins Sunday at Carolina (7:15 p.m. CST), where the Panthers not only have one of the NFL's most aggressive defenses, but the league leader in sacks. Julius Peppers has dropped opposing quarterbacks eight times this season.
Protecting Bledsoe wasn't exactly the Cowboys' strength. In fact, it was a glaring weakness, especially in the last three games. The Cowboys have allowed 18 sacks this season, including 15 in the last three games alone.
However, Parcells refused to place all of the blame on the offensive line.
"When a quarterback gets sacked, everybody immediately puts that on the offensive line, (and) that's not really the case," Parcells said. "Sometimes you have things that are built in to allow the quarterback to use that vehicle to get away from that (pressure). And they don't always do that. Sometimes they don't see what they should see, even though you practice that quite a bit. They don't see that."
Parcells said he's hopeful the more-mobile Romo can make plays with his feet, along with his arm.
"Tony has a little quicker release . . . he gets the ball out a little better," Parcells said. "I'm hopeful that things can take a little turn here. I just don't think we can go too much longer being the way we were. I don't know that it will work 100 percent. I'm hopeful that it gives us a little better chance."
And a better chance right now.
Parcells quickly dismissed the question that playing Romo suggests the Cowboys are merely looking to the future.
"That would be an erroneous view," Parcells said. "Actually it couldn't be further from the truth."
So it would appear Parcells thinks Romo gives the Cowboys the best chance to win now. Obviously, Bledsoe does not agree.
"I would like to be the guy still," said Bledsoe, who met with reporters just before the start of Wednesday's practice. "I really, in my heart of hearts, believe that I give us the best chance to win. But that's not the case now and I don't get to have that role and it's not my decision to make."
Bledsoe did say he will continue to support Romo and the rest of the team, regardless where he stands on the depth chart.
"When you're faced with a difficult situation, you always have a decision how you're going to approach things," Bledsoe said. "But with me, regardless of the situation, I'm going to do the right thing. I'm going to be a leader on this team, continue to support the team, support Tony in his job and do what I can do in this new and unfamiliar role to try and help us get back on the right track."
But for that to happen, the Cowboys undoubtedly are counting on Romo, who will become the fifth quarterback to start a game for the Cowboys since Parcells took over in 2003, the year Quincy Carter started all 16 games and led the Cowboys to their last playoff appearance. Vinny Testaverde started 15 games in 2004, with Drew Henson starting one before getting pulled at halftime of the Thanksgiving game against Chicago.
Romo was not available for comment in the open locker room period Wednesday afternoon. But it's unlikely the fourth-year quarterback would take a different stance than Monday night, when he told reporters after the loss to the Giants he will be ready for whatever decision is made.
"I'm a compe or and I want to go out there and try to help us win games," Romo said. "So whatever they want me to do, I'll be ready for it. As a quarterback, you're always preparing yourself to play. I've always said that when it's my time, I'll be ready."
Only time will tell if Romo is ready. But if anything, we now know his "time" is now.
I think it is humorous. All of you peeps who have been calling for Romo all year are about to get a taste of reality. There was a reason he was undrafted and sat out of football for 4 years.
They are having to calm Peppers down already.
He can't do much worse than Bledsoe, so I don't really see the point of your post. Sometimes making a change is better. We couldn't go on the way we were.
There is no point to his post. Capt Mike is just a Cowboys hater, I wouldn't take anything he says about the Cowboys seriously, its all just blind hatred.
I understood the post. I don't necessarily agree with it, but that's why they play the games now isn't it?
Haay-tah!
statue boy is gabbage.... he should retire
QB is not the Cowboy's problem......give them a decent offensive line and then decide. Get him some protection.
That safety last week is a prime example. Bledsoe barely recived the snap before he has a defender in his jersey.
I am not saying his the best QB ever......but he did make it to the Super Bowl for the Patriots in 1996......that team seemed to have a much better offensive line the todays Cowboy's.
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