Dallas Cowboys: Tony Romo About to Prove Critics Wrong

Often considered a choke-artist, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is set up to silence his critics once and for all with a strong 2016 season.

By all indications, 2015 should have been a special year for the Dallas Cowboys. Coming off a 12-4 season, the team was ready to take the next step in their quest for post season glory, and started out with an improbable come from behind win against their rivals, the New York Giants.

Often maligned quarterback Tony Romo was off to a rough start, but a great fourth quarter featured two scores by Dallas, including Romo’s game-winning pass to tight end Jason Witten with just seven seconds remaining.

The drive was beautiful as Romo methodically moved his team down the field, reading the defense like a book and picking them apart like it was a seven-on-seven drill. Not even a low snap could stop Romo from sending the Giants home disappointed.

The following week the Cowboys were well on their way to taking out another divisional rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, but then disaster struck as a broken collarbone sidelined Romo for the next several weeks. He was able to return, only to re-injure the same clavicle and the team was 1-11 with him out of the game.

Now the Romo-bashing is in full effect as his detractors believe he is injury prone and since this was his second collarbone flareup since 2010, he must be headed for the same injury.

The talk has led to many people simply writing Romo off as done and in need of replacing. Some may have even been shocked the Cowboys didn’t sacrifice all they had to move up for a new franchise quarterback to put the old man out to pasture.

For Cowboys fans, this couldn’t be better. Just two seasons ago all the talk was about how the Cowboys couldn’t win and that Romo’s health was failing him because of his bad back. Tim Hasselbeck of ESPN even ranked Romo as the worst quarterback in the NFC East behind Nick Foles (formerly of the Eagles) and Robert Griffin III (formerly of the Washington Redskins) who may never be regular starters again in the NFL.

On top of the anti-Romo sentiment, the Cowboys were supposed to have one of the worst defenses in the NFL after a rough 2013 season. In short, nothing was supposed to go their way.

After all the negative press, the Cowboys went out and had a 12-4 season, which was actually 12-3 with Romo under center. After winning three-of-four games he started in 2015, Romo is now 15-4 in his starts the past two seasons and although he is now 36-years old, he hasn’t shown any signs of aging when he is on the field.

All this sets Romo up to silence his critics once and for all as he proves all his doubters wrong in 2016.

Helping him this year will be an explosive offense which features two running backs who have recent 1,000-plus rushing yardage seasons in Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden. Of course, those two may not even see the field much because the ‘Boys also spent their fourth overall selection on Ohio State halfback Ezekiel Elliot, who figures to be the team’s work horse.

Also back to full strength will be receiver Dez Bryant, who missed seven games due to a broken foot last season and looked unhealthy in most of the contests he did suit up for.

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So now the Cowboys are back where they were just a couple seasons ago. They have their quarterback’s health being doubted and their defense is supposed to stink. That’s great for Romo and company, because last time the noise was this loud, he proved everyone wrong. In 2016, he can do it again.

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