NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

Was it foolish for Tony Romo to guarantee a Super Bowl victory in 2015?

By Daniel

facebooktwitterreddit

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off an impressive 12-4 season in 2014. The ‘Boys won the NFC East and came up just short in the divisional round of the playoffs against the Green Bay Packers (I know, I know, Dez caught the ball). It appears that this team is incredibly confident that their run to the playoffs was no fluke, despite the fact that they’ve made the playoffs just once since 2009.

How confident is this team? Well, Tony Romo, the team’s 35 year old starting quarterback, said “We’re going to win a Super Bowl next year” when receiving the Nancy Lieberman Lifetime Achievement Award at the Dream Ball Gala. But was it necessary for Romo to put such a target on his back? On his team’s back? Did he have to apply such pressure to himself and his teammates in 2015?

More from Dallas Cowboys

Romo is coming off, arguably, the best season of his career. In 2014, he threw for 34 touchdowns and just nine interceptions and led the NFL in completion percentage (69.9) and rating (113.2). I can see why he’d be confident, but is his team really in position to make a run at the Super Bowl?

Some would say that Romo’s success was directly influenced by running back DeMarco Murray‘s incredible season. Murray ran for a league-high 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2014, but the Cowboys failed to resign him. Instead, he signed a five-year contract with division rival Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason.

In 2014, opposing defenses had to focus on stopping Murray and often times cheated up or stacked the box. That gave Romo ample opportunities to throw the ball downfield into single coverage or favorable match-ups. This fall, Romo won’t that amazing running game behind him and the Cowboys’ offense would seem to take a hit in production. Dallas finished seventh in total yards (383.6), fifth in points (29.2), and second in rushing yards (147.1) in 2014. Can this offense continue to flourish without Murray?

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to imagine that this offense would be better in 2015 and last year the team only made it to the NFC divisional round of the playoffs. Sure, the Cowboys could draft a stud running back in the first round. Perhaps Todd Gurley or Melvin Gordon will be available, but it is unlikely that either would have as much success as Murray had a year ago if they’re even available for selection.

Not only will Dallas’ offense most likely suffer some sort of decline this fall, but its toughest competition in the NFC didn’t get worse. The Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals, and Philadelphia Eagles all retained their talent, thus the road to the Super Bowl won’t be any easier in 2015 for the ‘Boys.

So was it foolish of Romo to guarantee a Super Bowl championship this year? Yeah, I think so. I say this because anything short of a title will be viewed as a failure by the media.

However, his prediction doesn’t mean that the Cowboys won’t win the Super Bowl in 2015 — they certainly could. It just simply means that there is now an added amount of pressure on this team this fall. Not only does Romo and the entire Cowboys roster constantly feel the pressure of being “America’s Team” now it has to live up to its leader’s lofty prediction, too.

Rarely do championship season predictions come true, but maybe Tony Romo’s confidence in his team will help this franchise turn the corner. In the end, it’s not a big deal either way, but being quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys means that everything you say will be scrutinized — especially if you claim that come February you’ll be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait eight or nine months to find out if Romo’s gutsy prediction was right or wrong. Although if I was a betting man, I’m pretty sure I’d take the field.

Next: The Cowboys Are Smart To Avoid Adrian Peterson

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Dallas Cowboys