Why does Tony Romo drive an automatic? Because he just can’t figure out the clutch.
Alright, stupid jokes aside, let’s stop with the over-analyzing of Tony Romo. How’d he play on Sunday? In a word, “amazing”. Over 500 yards, 5 TDs, and just one pick. The problem is, that pick came at the absolute worst time. That one interception is just another reminder of the kind of quarterback Tony Romo is and probably will always be.
My opinion of Romo has been the same since he muffed that snap back in 2007 – come on, you remember it too. He’s as physically talented as any quarterback in the NFL, but he’s just not mentally strong. He has some sort of block that hinders him when it comes down to “the moment.” In elimination games Romo is 1-6 for his career. Sunday’s late interception was just another manifestation of Romo’s mental demons. Instead of rising to the occasion, when the game is on the line, Romo cracks. He panics and makes bad decisions. He threw into triple coverage and got picked off. There were plenty of people who said he didn’t have any other choice on that play; those people could not be more wrong. He had DeMarco Murray open on a check-down, or he could’ve simply thrown it away. By the way, WHY DOES HE NEVER THROW THE BALL AWAY?!? He takes bad sacks or tries to force a pass instead of just getting rid of the ball. It kills me, but I digress. Anyway, Murray was damn open, but for whatever reason, Romo didn’t see him. His brain just doesn’t work like that.
Now to those of you who think the blame should fall on the defense: I’m not saying you’re wrong, but you’re not right either. The defense gave the offense a chance. They picked off Peyton and held the Broncos to field goals on two separate occasions. Is giving up 51 points ok? Never. Monte Kiffin should be fired immediately. And no, I’m not joking about that. But it’s not like they were playing the Jaguars. Denver has carved up every single opponent they’ve faced this season, and for the first time, they were in danger of losing. Romo was all set up, thanks in part to his defense, to lead a game-winning drive and take a massive step towards shedding his reputation as a choker . He didn’t, he failed.
Rodney Harrison explained Romo perfectly during halftime of the Sunday Night Football game. I’m paraphrasing here as I was watching baseball by then and only heard it in the background. Harrison said that Romo is the guy you see on film and are amazed at what he can do. He has big-play potential and does things that don’t seem possible. But when it’s crunch time, and the cream rises to the top, he’s going to make a mistake. He’s not thinking about what he can do to make the play, he’s thinking about what kind of mistake he might make.
That is Romo’s downfall. He doesn’t have confidence in himself. It’s said that sports are 90% mental. Tony Romo is proof.
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