Here's why a healthy Tony Romo is better for the Cowboys than Dak Prescott
Tony Romo got his start in the NFL when he supplanted a struggling Drew Bledsoe as the starting quarterback in 2006. His youthful play and immediate winning ways made fans forget about an aging Bledsoe as Romo went 6-4 with 19 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions in his first 10 starts.
Since that point, Romo has become arguably the greatest statistical quarterback in Dallas Cowboys history. He has the most passing yards, touchdowns, the highest completion percentage and passer rating and averages more passing yards per game than any Cowboys quarterback.
All after suddenly taking the place of an unexciting, past-his-prime Bledsoe.
Now, fans are calling for the same to happen to Romo. Why? Because of a rookie named Dak Prescott.
You might’ve heard that the Cowboys have the second-coming of Warren Moon and Steve Young put together in Mr. Prescott. Hyperbole aside, Dak has been superb in Dallas through four games. He’s completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 1,012 yards, three touchdowns (plus two rushing) and has a passer rating of 98.5.
He’s led the Cowboys to a stellar 3-1 record and has put aside any concerns fans might have about a post-Romo era. This is all well and good, but talk of his replacing Romo when the veteran comes back is ludicrous.
For as good as Prescott has been, this is Romo’s team and he gives them the best chance to win a Super Bowl.
It’s amazing how quickly we forget that Romo threw for 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2014, leading Dallas to a 13-3 record and one Dez Bryant catch away from an NFC Championship game. Or how in 2013, he tossed 31 touchdown passes and just 10 interceptions. Or how in 2011, he put up the exact same touchdown and interception numbers with a passer rating of 102.5.
Romo is statistically one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the game today – when healthy. Prescott is not. Down the road, he very well could be. But right now, that isn’t close to being the case. Sure, he protects the ball better than Romo does as evidenced by his zero turnovers, but he also doesn’t make the throws Romo routinely does.
Prescott has relied mostly on underneath throws to Cole Beasley and Jason Witten. Romo thrives on taking shots downfield to Bryant and Terrance Williams. Those big plays are the reason teams can’t load the box against the Cowboys. It had a lot to do with DeMarco Murray’s remarkable 2014 campaign.
Romo’s presence elevates the Cowboys’ offense in ways that aren’t always seen in the stat sheet, either. He has the ability to throw receivers open by knowing where the defender won’t be, rather than waiting for a receiver to come open the way Prescott does. Romo also doesn’t miss open throws as frequently as Prescott does. It’s something every quarterback suffers from because their eyes can’t be on all four or five receivers at the same time, but it’s an aspect of Prescott’s game that hasn’t fully developed.
Take a look at this play on the Cowboys' final drive against the Giants, where Prescott missed a wide-open Beasley streaking down the seam. Romo doesn't miss that read and the Cowboys win the game.
His play thus far has been nothing short of extraordinary for a fourth-round rookie. No one in their right mind could have expected him to perform as well as he has – not even Jerry Jones or Jason Garrett. But he’s four games into his career. Romo has started 127 games and won 78 of them, posting a passer rating of at least 100.0 in 66 of those games.
There’s a reason the Cowboys went 1-11 without Romo last season, and it’s not because Prescott wasn’t there. It’s because this team wins when he plays more than it does when he’s sidelined.
The next few weeks will be telling of Prescott’s actual chances of retaining the job after Romo returns. If he’s able to beat the Bengals and Packers – possibly without the help of Bryant – his case will be bolstered. Does that mean he should unequivocally keep the job with Romo healthy? No, but only at that point should the Cowboys seriously entertain the debate, given the fact that he’d be riding a five-game winning streak and presumably playing at a very high level. It’d be hard to make a change at that point, though it’s unlikely he wins both of those games.
Passing statistics and wins aside, there’s an underlying reason Romo should be handed the keys to the so-called car when he returns: Ezekiel Elliott. Romo’s impact on the offense isn’t just felt in the passing game – he greatly affects the running game, as well. His ability to push the ball downfield and catch defenders on their heels will force teams to account for the pass more than they are right now.
Prescott has gotten better in this department, and it’s reflected in Elliott’s increasingly productive numbers each week. With Romo, Zeke’s running lanes would only grow larger and the number of defenders he’d see in the box would drop from eight or nine to six or seven. You’re telling me Elliott wouldn’t love to see that? Of course he would, as would Alfred Morris.
This entire situation can be summed up with one simple factoid: Romo is a top-10 quarterback when healthy, and Prescott is not. Turnover differences aside, Romo is the better quarterback of the two and gives Dallas the better chance to win.
