Romo making case for new contract

by John Stewart, staff writer

Sitting on the bench behind immobile quarterback Drew Bledsoe, Tony Romo knew he was ready to start in the NFL.

Bill Parcells, then coach of the Dallas Cowboys, didn't quite think the same way. He was saying such things as, "Tony is not ready" and "he needs more time". Yet Romo's first indications of greatness were his first two passes in the NFL, a 33-yarder to Sam Hurd and a two-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens two plays later.

Parcells stuck with Bledsoe as the starting quarterback until the second half of the New York Giants game in Week 7 last season. Romo then started the rest of the season, sharing a glimpse of his first playoff experience and earning a Pro-Bowl roster spot for the NFC.

His contract expires at the end of this season, and Cowboy fans are waiting on Jerry Jones to come through with an extension for Romo.  Romo is doing his part in the negotiation, proving week in and week out to be a top performer. The Cowboys' offense has improved greatly, ranking first in total yards (429.6), second in scoring (35.2) and second in passing yards (292.2) through the first five games of the season. Romo also ranks first in plays of 20 yards or more (22), first in average yards per pass (8.8), second in passing touchdowns (13) and second in passing yards (1,508).

He seems to really gel with fellow teammates and receiver Terrell Owens. Up to now, Owens hasn't had a relationship with his quarterback like this. Owens continues to help Romo as much as he can, coming over to the sideline after Romo threw his third interception against the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 8 and telling him to keep his head up and keep throwing.

So far, the Cowboys and Romo are 5-0, already making some people forget about the botched field goal attempt from the fumbled the snap in the Wild-card playoff game last season. As long as Romo keeps playing like he has, his price will only go higher. Hopefully Jones will reward him with a very lucrative contract, because it is evident from his flashes of greatness that he deserves it.

Time after time, he shows that he is NFL ready, and there shouldn’t be any question as to whether he can play or not. On one spectacular play, a third-and-a-short-three yards against the St. Louis Rams, he chased the ball down 33 yards behind the line of scrimmage caused by a bad snap to their own 17-yard line. Instead of just falling on it like any other player would, he had the awareness to pick the ball up and run 37 yards while faking-out a few Ram defenders and the clock almost winding down to halftime. Romo got the first down, and then he scrambled up the middle two plays later for a 15-yard touchdown. This is the kind of quarterback you know can be special. You want him to be a part of your team.

When he starts making plays and settles down, so does the team. After that unbelievable play, Dallas scored on three of the five ensuing possessions. Despite throwing a career-high five interceptions against the Bills on Oct. 8 in a nationally- televised game on Monday Night Football, he still kept his head up and continued to battle down the field, leading Dallas to nine points in the final 20 seconds to win the game.

The Cowboys have been waiting for a franchise quarterback to fall in their lap since the retirement of Troy Aikman after the 2000 season. Romo should be that guy, no question about it.

He has shown his ability and intangibles to the sports world. He makes defenses pay for their mistakes or miscalculations with his delicate moves, and he has a way of escaping the pursuit of defenses. Combine him with the numerous weapons on this team, and you have the ingredients for a Super Bowl contender. He even draws comparisons to the great Brett Favre, who just broke Dan Marino's all-time passing touchdown record of 420 touchdowns on Sept. 30 against the Vikings.

So why waste time watching him perform? That's all that is happening. Yes, there will always be mistakes made by Romo, but even top quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady make some mistakes. Good teams overcome these mistakes, and that’s how Super Bowl teams are formed.

Regardless if Dallas doesn't reach the Super Bowl this year, although perceived by some to be the front-runners for the NFC so far, Romo needs to be locked up long-term. He can be the face of the Dallas Cowboy organization for years to come.