Player Spotlight: Tony Romo (1 Viewer)

[Jason Wood]

2008 Player Spotlight Series

One of Footballguys best assets is our message board community. The Shark Pool is, in our view, the best place on the internet to discuss, debate and analyze all things fantasy football. In what's become an annual tradition, the Player Spotlight series is a key part of the preseason efforts. As many of you know, we consider the Player Spotlight threads the permanent record for analyzing the fantasy prospects of the player in question. Last year, we published more than 140 offensive spotlights covering the vast majority of expected skill position starters. This year will be no different.

Each week we will post a list of players to be discussed. Those threads will remain open for the entire preseason, and should be a central point to discussion expectations for the player in question. Importantly, analysis done in the first week of posting will be part of the permanent record in two ways. 1) At the end of the week, we will tally the projections into a consensus. 2) We will select a number of pull quotes from forum contributors who make a compelling statement or observation. Both the projections and pull quotes will be part of a published article on the main website.

Thread Topic: Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Player Page Link: Tony Romo Player Page

Each article will include:

Detailed viewpoint from a Footballguys staff member
Highlighted member commentary from the message board threads
FBG Projections
Consensus Member ProjectionsThe Rules

In order for this thread to provide maximum value, we ask that you follow a few simple guidelines:

Focus commentary on the player in question, and your expectations for said player
Back up your expectations in whatever manner you deem appropriate; avoid posts that simply say "I hate him" or "He's the best"
To be included in the final synopsis and consensus outlook, you MUST provide projections for the playerProjections should include (at a minimum):

For QBs: Passing Yards, Passing TDs, Ints, Rush Yards, Rush TDs
For RBs: Rushes, Rushing Yards, Rush TDs, Receptions, Receiving Yards, Receiving TDs
For WRs & TEs: Receptions, Receiving Yards, Receiving TDsNow let's get on with the conversation! We look forward to your contributions and let me offer a personal thanks in anticipation of the great debate and analysis.

 

[a_troll00]

I got him in the seventh round last year and he was an absolute steal. This season he is a consensus top 5 QB. Will he finish in the top 5 this season? TO will be 35 this year and this is where we typically see WRs really slow down. If TO misses any games there really is nobody else ready to step up and be a #1 WR.

I'm predicting this years numbers to come down.

3700 yds, 28 TDs/19 ints

I'll let somebody else grab him in rounds 3-5.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

He avg over 250+ yds and 2+ TD a game...that is money folks.

The offense is great, shows no sign of slowing down. he is one of the QBs that will benefit from TO in and around the goal line so he adds to his TD that way.

4,000 yds and 32 TD

 

[Andy Herron]

I saw this guy coming from miles away. Simply put-he gets it.

I couldn't wait for Parcells to lament to what was staring him right in the face-a star QB in the making. But no, he wanted to wait another year, wait another year. Meanwhile, trying to drudge up past performances from the likes of Testaverde and Bledsoe. Felt too much pressure in Dallas to win now as opposed to throwing in an unknown, unproven Romo. While I know Romo learned plenty first-hand from the two old-timers as far as preparation goes, he simply has the magic, or the "it" as some prefer.

T.O. or no T.O., it doesn't matter. Romo is a gamer and a winner. He genuinely loves the game, and would play just the same if Texas Stadium were empty.

It amazes me that to this day there are still non-believers (a_troll00?). While the comparisons to Brett Favre rage on, it's nearly true, he's another Favre but smarter with the ball and decision making (thank you, Bill).

O.K., so in Romo's second season and first full season, he not only breaks but SHATTERS all Cowboy passing records (Meredith, Staubach, D. White, Aikman). It's not like the others didn't have star receivers and prolific offenses.

The kid's the real deal, get used to it...and he's only going to get better. Hey, this is year "3"!

I'll bet you Parcells wishes he had him in Miami right now...

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I saw this guy coming from miles away. Simply put-he gets it.I couldn't wait for Parcells to lament to what was staring him right in the face-a star QB in the making. But no, he wanted to wait another year, wait another year. Meanwhile, trying to drudge up past performances from the likes of Testaverde and Bledsoe. Felt too much pressure in Dallas to win now as opposed to throwing in an unknown, unproven Romo. While I know Romo learned plenty first-hand from the two old-timers as far as preparation goes, he simply has the magic, or the "it" as some prefer.T.O. or no T.O., it doesn't matter. Romo is a gamer and a winner. He genuinely loves the game, and would play just the same if Texas Stadium were empty.It amazes me that to this day there are still non-believers (a_troll00?). While the comparisons to Brett Favre rage on, it's nearly true, he's another Favre but smarter with the ball and decision making (thank you, Bill). O.K., so in Romo's second season and first full season, he not only breaks but SHATTERS all Cowboy passing records (Meredith, Staubach, D. White, Aikman). It's not like the others didn't have star receivers and prolific offenses. The kid's the real deal, get used to it...and he's only going to get better. Hey, this is year "3"!I'll bet you Parcells wishes he had him in Miami right now...

Andy, while I also have him projected as a top5 QB, make no mistake that if TO were not on the field, Romo would be nowhere close to what he is. Ownes had 15 of his 36 TD...Witten another 11. We can all see your a Dallas Boy, just be easy on the annointing oils there. It's possible he will not break the career records in Dallas even if he owns all the single season records.

 

[Andy Herron]

I saw this guy coming from miles away. Simply put-he gets it.I couldn't wait for Parcells to lament to what was staring him right in the face-a star QB in the making. But no, he wanted to wait another year, wait another year. Meanwhile, trying to drudge up past performances from the likes of Testaverde and Bledsoe. Felt too much pressure in Dallas to win now as opposed to throwing in an unknown, unproven Romo. While I know Romo learned plenty first-hand from the two old-timers as far as preparation goes, he simply has the magic, or the "it" as some prefer.T.O. or no T.O., it doesn't matter. Romo is a gamer and a winner. He genuinely loves the game, and would play just the same if Texas Stadium were empty.It amazes me that to this day there are still non-believers (a_troll00?). While the comparisons to Brett Favre rage on, it's nearly true, he's another Favre but smarter with the ball and decision making (thank you, Bill). O.K., so in Romo's second season and first full season, he not only breaks but SHATTERS all Cowboy passing records (Meredith, Staubach, D. White, Aikman). It's not like the others didn't have star receivers and prolific offenses. The kid's the real deal, get used to it...and he's only going to get better. Hey, this is year "3"!I'll bet you Parcells wishes he had him in Miami right now...

Andy, while I also have him projected as a top5 QB, make no mistake that if TO were not on the field, Romo would be nowhere close to what he is. Ownes had 15 of his 36 TD...Witten another 11. We can all see your a Dallas Boy, just be easy on the annointing oils there. It's possible he will not break the career records in Dallas even if he owns all the single season records.

O.K. Bill.

 

[The Man with the Plan]

4000 passing yards 30 TD 100 rushing yards 1 TD

A great quarterback playing with a great wide receiver in Terrell Owens and a great tight end in Jason Witten.

 

[Ripleys]

he won't play a full season after Landry plants him like Arrington did Aikman a few years back

 

[benbadman]

he won't play a full season after Landry plants him like Arrington did Aikman a few years back

9 teams in your signature.. really 9 teams?Anyways for Romo, the guy was a beast last year and in 6 point TD leagues he probably won fantasy games outright. That said, in redraft leagues Romo being QB3 and a mid-2nd rounder according to VBD, he has to throw 30 TDs and 4000 yards to be worth the draft pick. In a sense it comes down to your philosophy on how to build a fantasy team: do you take BPA? do you draft by VBD out of the gates? do you go RB then RB or WR in rounds 2 & 3? I prefer to build RB/WR depth and then take a few QB10-15 type guys who have the potential to break-out (Eli, Bulger, Rivers) in the mid-rounds.The nice thing about Romo is that if you draft him, you can start him confidently against any defense--notice to people who benched him against the Bears in 2007. If having a hands-off fantasy QB makes you sleep easy at night, maybe Romo is the early pick for you.Romo 20083800 yards passing 28 TD 15 INT 1 rush TD. Chokes down the fantasy playoff stretch and the NFL playoff stretch again probably

 

[Ripleys]

I actually agree, Romo is the real deal, as much as that pains me as a Skins fan. And I'll have 10 dynasty teams this year.

 

[DaTruth]

Romo is the real deal, but you have to ask yourself is his draft slot worth it. I got him last year in round 7 and was an absolute steal. This year I think i'm gonna pass on him. Every year we find an undervalued QB.

DaTruth

 

[fightingillini]

Romo is an unquestioned top 5 QB, as long as Owens is happy and healthy. His numbers will go down a little from last year. But I agree with the others, you will need to spend a premium pick on Romo this year, and the question is.....is he worth it? IMO he is. He's consistent, but with potential to put up monster games. He threw at least 2 TD passes in 12 of 16 games, and threw for 250+ yards in 10 of 16 games......that's consistency. Besides Owens potential problems, the only other negative is that he throws a lot of picks and his play has tailed off in the fantasy playoffs.......Romo killed many owners with his Week 15 clunker last year.

3950 yds passing, 31 TD, 18 Int

150 yds rushing, 1 rush TD

 

[T Bell]

Romo's essentially a combination of Brett Favre and Rich Gannon. I'm another 'Skins fan who can't deny his talent and moxie, especially at the way he fizzled at the end of 2006 and with the infamous fumbled FG hold, only to bounce back last year. He's the real deal.

I think his numbers creep back a little from last year - that division has gotten a bit tougher IMHO, especially with Philly retooling for one last run with McNabb.

4000/30/18

130/1 rushing

 

[Coeur de Lion]

Romo is a very good fantasy and NFL QB. He is surrounded by elite offensive talent and plays for a team that will be a legitimate Super Bowl contender. I see absolutely nothing not to like here, except for the fact that he might be drafted higher than I usually draft a QB.

325 completions on 500 attempts, 4150 yards, 32 TDs and 18 INTs

He'll also add about 100 yards and a TD on the ground. Great fantasy QB1.

 

[DawnBTVS]

343/544 (63.05%) for 4,461 yards (8.20) and 32 TD vs. 16 INT.

31 carries for 105 yards (3.39 YPC) and 1 TD.

I think the attempts may be a bit high but I'm still struggling with how Marion Barber III/Felix Jones/Tashard Choice are all going to be handle in that offense. I could see it turning into a RBBC and, depending on Terry Glenn staying healthy all year, I could see Jason Garrett giving Romo the reigns a bit more and giving him more of a chance to throw the ball per game.

Everybody also has a year under their belt in this offense, which shouldn't go understated even with improved defenses in the division.

 

[Tanner9919]

4000 passing yards 30 TD 100 rushing yards 1 TDA great quarterback playing with a great wide receiver in Terrell Owens and a great tight end in Jason Witten.

not to mention a solid running game and a terrific O-line!

 

[Longrifle]

T. Romo

The man is great, not only with the ladies but also on the field. His completion % and TD ratio make him one of the elite QB’s in the draft. I would rank him in the top 3 QB’s with Manning and Brady (I do not see a lot of difference between the three this season).

Passing Yards 4,505

Passing TDs 32

Ints 18

Rush Yards 130

Rush TDs 2

 

[Chase Stuart]

I'm not going to come in here with projections, but I'll just say:

Tier 1: Brady

Tier 2: Romo, Manning

Tier 3: Brees/Roethlisberger/Hasselbeck/McNabb

I think Romo's definitely closer to Manning than anyone in tier 3. And I might project him at QB2 in a re-draft, pending the Marvin Harrison situation. (I say project, and not draft; because I think Manning's reliability is more than strong enough to overcome any small edge in FP projection I might, if I do, give Romo).

Point being, Romo's awesome.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

He has all the weapons he needs to be successful in fantasy football. He has a quality offensive line, a decent running game behind him, he's got an elite wide receiver and a clutch tight end to bail him out of 3rd downs. Keep in mind he's also young enough to make things happen with his legs. Whether you think he'd lead Dallas to a playoff win or not, all should agree Romo is in for another solid year.

4100 yards passing, 36 Td's and 18 Int's 120 yards rushing and 2 Td's

 

[by_the_sea_wannabe]

4000 passing yards 30 TD 100 rushing yards 1 TDA great quarterback playing with a great wide receiver in Terrell Owens and a great tight end in Jason Witten.

3983 yds30 TD16 picks112 yards rushing with 1 TD

 

[Andy Herron]

4000 passing yards 30 TD 100 rushing yards 1 TDA great quarterback playing with a great wide receiver in Terrell Owens and a great tight end in Jason Witten.

3983 yds30 TD16 picks112 yards rushing with 1 TD

Finally somebody projecting less than 18 picks. The direction it needs to go.Keep in mind, 5 of last year's picks came in that screwy game in Buffalo last year.I don't see anything like that happening again. That was an anomily.He was also playing with a bad right thumb near the end of the season, which I'm sure had to attribute to last year's Int. number as well.All in all, he's more accurate than that. I'd be willing to say 12-15 picks for a projection this year.Going into his third year, I think it's fair to say some of those "dumb" throws will go away. He had a few of those.

 

[Ridgelake]

Just thinking about it. One thing to keep in mind is that Dallas may not need to get into (m)any shoot-outs this year. They may possibly have the best pass defense in the NFL next year. They have 4 CBs who can lock people up (Newman, Pacman, Henry, Jenkins) and have some top passrushers (Ware, Ellis, Spencer). Teams are likely to have a lot of trouble playing catch up against Dallas.

To this end, Romo may not have to pass as much next year. And will likely have fewer game-winning drives where he has historically been off-the-charts effective.

The bottom line is that it would not surprise me to see Romo's numbers go down next year. His picks as well. Barber/Felix/Choice will likely be the beneficiaries of the much improved pass defense.

 

[Bankerguy]

Just thinking about it. One thing to keep in mind is that Dallas may not need to get into (m)any shoot-outs this year. They may possibly have the best pass defense in the NFL next year. They have 4 CBs who can lock people up (Newman, Pacman, Henry, Jenkins) and have some top passrushers (Ware, Ellis, Spencer). Teams are likely to have a lot of trouble playing catch up against Dallas.To this end, Romo may not have to pass as much next year. And will likely have fewer game-winning drives where he has historically been off-the-charts effective. The bottom line is that it would not surprise me to see Romo's numbers go down next year. His picks as well. Barber/Felix/Choice will likely be the beneficiaries of the much improved pass defense.

Solid point.I like to improve as an NFL QB and take a slight step backward from last year's Fantasy #'s.38003114 picks

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

Just thinking about it. One thing to keep in mind is that Dallas may not need to get into (m)any shoot-outs this year. They may possibly have the best pass defense in the NFL next year.

This is way to premature to say and IMO a big mistake in calculating your projections for offensive players.

 

[Bankerguy]

Just thinking about it. One thing to keep in mind is that Dallas may not need to get into (m)any shoot-outs this year. They may possibly have the best pass defense in the NFL next year.

This is way to premature to say and IMO a big mistake in calculating your projections for offensive players.

I respectfully disagree. I think it's prudent especially in this case.I would bump Romo down a tiny notch in redrafts.

 

[Andy Herron]

Just thinking about it. One thing to keep in mind is that Dallas may not need to get into (m)any shoot-outs this year. They may possibly have the best pass defense in the NFL next year. They have 4 CBs who can lock people up (Newman, Pacman, Henry, Jenkins) and have some top passrushers (Ware, Ellis, Spencer). Teams are likely to have a lot of trouble playing catch up against Dallas.To this end, Romo may not have to pass as much next year. And will likely have fewer game-winning drives where he has historically been off-the-charts effective. The bottom line is that it would not surprise me to see Romo's numbers go down next year. His picks as well. Barber/Felix/Choice will likely be the beneficiaries of the much improved pass defense.

This is a good and fair point as well. If they can run just "a little" better, the passing will probably decline to a degree.

 

[ShaqAttaq]

I actually agree, Romo is the real deal, as much as that pains me as a Skins fan. And I'll have 10 dynasty teams this year.

nerd

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

Just thinking about it. One thing to keep in mind is that Dallas may not need to get into (m)any shoot-outs this year. They may possibly have the best pass defense in the NFL next year.

This is way to premature to say and IMO a big mistake in calculating your projections for offensive players.

I respectfully disagree. I think it's prudent especially in this case.I would bump Romo down a tiny notch in redrafts.

Just so I understand why, because of Pacman Jones and Jenkins...you'd bump down Romo's numbers. Because it's certainly possible that Romo won't do as well as last year, I just want to make sure I'm clear that it's because of these two players you feel Romo's numbers are going to decline.

 

[Ridgelake]

Just thinking about it. One thing to keep in mind is that Dallas may not need to get into (m)any shoot-outs this year. They may possibly have the best pass defense in the NFL next year.

This is way to premature to say and IMO a big mistake in calculating your projections for offensive players.

I respectfully disagree. I think it's prudent especially in this case.I would bump Romo down a tiny notch in redrafts.

Just so I understand why, because of Pacman Jones and Jenkins...you'd bump down Romo's numbers. Because it's certainly possible that Romo won't do as well as last year, I just want to make sure I'm clear that it's because of these two players you feel Romo's numbers are going to decline.

I make the point that Romo's numbers may be down because the overall pass defense is likely to be much improved. Yes, I think thats a reasonable consideration. Pac and Jenkins are part of the improved pass defense. They are ENOURMOUS upgrades over Reeves and Nate Jones. But thats not the entirety of it. I think they will have a better rush. Spencer is going to be a beast. And I'm hoping for better health from Newman and Henry. Dallas has the players now to employ much more aggressive schemes that they could not use last year. The bottom line is that what was a significant weakness in years past now seems to be a relative strength. Romo and the offense was asked to cover this past weakness by being aggressive. Good passing yardage and TD numbers resulted. Big INT numbers as well. It would not surprise me to see both areas come down this year as the offense won't likely have to be as aggressive.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

Just thinking about it. One thing to keep in mind is that Dallas may not need to get into (m)any shoot-outs this year. They may possibly have the best pass defense in the NFL next year.

This is way to premature to say and IMO a big mistake in calculating your projections for offensive players.

I respectfully disagree. I think it's prudent especially in this case.I would bump Romo down a tiny notch in redrafts.

Just so I understand why, because of Pacman Jones and Jenkins...you'd bump down Romo's numbers. Because it's certainly possible that Romo won't do as well as last year, I just want to make sure I'm clear that it's because of these two players you feel Romo's numbers are going to decline.

I make the point that Romo's numbers may be down because the overall pass defense is likely to be much improved. Yes, I think thats a reasonable consideration. Pac and Jenkins are part of the improved pass defense. They are ENOURMOUS upgrades over Reeves and Nate Jones. But thats not the entirety of it. I think they will have a better rush. Spencer is going to be a beast. And I'm hoping for better health from Newman and Henry. Dallas has the players now to employ much more aggressive schemes that they could not use last year. The bottom line is that what was a significant weakness in years past now seems to be a relative strength. Romo and the offense was asked to cover this past weakness by being aggressive. Good passing yardage and TD numbers resulted. Big INT numbers as well. It would not surprise me to see both areas come down this year as the offense won't likely have to be as aggressive.

Well, I respect your opinion and will take a mental note of it. Personally, I am not going to let the Dallas secondary effect how I'm going to rank Tony Romo's numbers.Sometimes we can overthink things and thinking about how the supposed new secondary of the Dallas Cowboys will effect how aggressive Dallas will be when trying to evaluate the entire season smells of overthinking it.I thought New England had a tremendous secondary coming into last season and I didn't downgrade Brady due to it nor in the season did they stop being aggressive on offense because they felt they had a good defense.I do hope the Dallas D is improved and it will have to be to win the Super Bowl, but their offense will need to be just as good as last year's also.

 

[The Man with the Plan]

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning played for teams that had great defenses last season and were still able to put up 30+ TD, 4000+ yard seasons. I don't think that's a big deal. If Romo, TO, Wittten, and the rest of the Cowboys offense plays up to their capablities Romo should have another monster season.

 

[rzrback77]

There are a few factors that concern me regarding Tony Romo in 08. They are:

1) Dallas has what should be one of the best defenses in the NFL, including playmakers that can score from the defensive side.

2) I think that through Dallas drafting two solid rookie RBs, the running game will be improved.

3) Quietly Dallas lost some role players in the passing attack.

4) With Fasano gone, will the rookie TE take his spot in the two TE sets allowing Witten to remain the key to opening up the middle of the field?

5) Can the younger Dallas WR provide enough so that TO can still make big plays?

6) Will Dallas pour it on and run up scores like the Pats in 08 if they dominate as I expect?

I am not a Dallas fan at all, but I think that the potential is there for them to be able to go into cruise mode in a lot of games and with the three young running backs and the desire to keep Barber fresh, they will all three see quite a lot of carries, especially in the second half of blow-out games.

Romo 305 comp 480 att (63.5%) for 3900 yards 8.1 ypa 29 TDs 12 ints and 120 rushing for 1 TD

A really solid year, but below most projections for the top three or four drafted QB.

 

[Tyrion]

There are a few factors that concern me regarding Tony Romo in 08. They are:

1) Dallas has what should be one of the best defenses in the NFL, including playmakers that can score from the defensive side.

2) I think that through Dallas drafting two solid rookie RBs, the running game will be improved.

3) Quietly Dallas lost some role players in the passing attack.

4) With Fasano gone, will the rookie TE take his spot in the two TE sets allowing Witten to remain the key to opening up the middle of the field?

5) Can the younger Dallas WR provide enough so that TO can still make big plays?

6) Will Dallas pour it on and run up scores like the Pats in 08 if they dominate as I expect?

I am not a Dallas fan at all, but I think that the potential is there for them to be able to go into cruise mode in a lot of games and with the three young running backs and the desire to keep Barber fresh, they will all three see quite a lot of carries, especially in the second half of blow-out games.

Romo 305 comp 480 att (63.5%) for 3900 yards 8.1 ypa 29 TDs 12 ints and 120 rushing for 1 TD

A really solid year, but below most projections for the top three or four drafted QB.

3) Quietly Dallas lost some role players in the passing attack.So quietly that I don't even know who you are talking about. lol

4) With Fasano gone, will the rookie TE take his spot in the two TE sets allowing Witten to remain the key to opening up the middle of the field?

I never understood all the love for Fasano. Curtis, Hannah, and Bennett should be just as good or even much better.

5) Can the younger Dallas WR provide enough so that TO can still make big plays?

They have the same WRs they had last year but with a coupld of young guys added.

I agree with your other points though.

Romo should be a better QB this season and the Oline should be better with the Houk as the coach and another year working together without changes. That being said, I agree that the defense will be alot better and I don't see them leaving Owens and Romo in late in games that are blow outs since those are really the two guys they can't afford to get hurt. Pretty good idea on the stats.

 

[Andy Herron]

There are a few factors that concern me regarding Tony Romo in 08. They are:

1) Dallas has what should be one of the best defenses in the NFL, including playmakers that can score from the defensive side.

2) I think that through Dallas drafting two solid rookie RBs, the running game will be improved.

3) Quietly Dallas lost some role players in the passing attack.

4) With Fasano gone, will the rookie TE take his spot in the two TE sets allowing Witten to remain the key to opening up the middle of the field?

5) Can the younger Dallas WR provide enough so that TO can still make big plays?

6) Will Dallas pour it on and run up scores like the Pats in 08 if they dominate as I expect?

I am not a Dallas fan at all, but I think that the potential is there for them to be able to go into cruise mode in a lot of games and with the three young running backs and the desire to keep Barber fresh, they will all three see quite a lot of carries, especially in the second half of blow-out games.

Romo 305 comp 480 att (63.5%) for 3900 yards 8.1 ypa 29 TDs 12 ints and 120 rushing for 1 TD

A really solid year, but below most projections for the top three or four drafted QB.

3) Quietly Dallas lost some role players in the passing attack.So quietly that I don't even know who you are talking about. lol

4) With Fasano gone, will the rookie TE take his spot in the two TE sets allowing Witten to remain the key to opening up the middle of the field?

I never understood all the love for Fasano. Curtis, Hannah, and Bennett should be just as good or even much better.

5) Can the younger Dallas WR provide enough so that TO can still make big plays?

They have the same WRs they had last year but with a coupld of young guys added.

You covered that quite well, Tyrion. I was going to essentially say the same thing.

 

[Steady Mooobin]

I'm not sure why an improved defense should hurt a powerful offense. If anything, I think it only helps it. Getting turnovers and stops allow the offense to get back on the field.

I would also like to know what role players in the passing game they lost?

IMHO, the only weakness Dallas has will be at WR depth.

 

[rzrback77]

I'm not sure why an improved defense should hurt a powerful offense. If anything, I think it only helps it. Getting turnovers and stops allow the offense to get back on the field.I would also like to know what role players in the passing game they lost? IMHO, the only weakness Dallas has will be at WR depth.

Fasano is the guy that I was focused on. I think that he was a key role player as the second TE in a set that Dallas used frequently since Terry Glenn was out in 07. He might not have been targeted a lot, but he still palyed a key role in the passing game. I also suspect that Terry Glenn will not play in 08 and though he didn't play in 07 either, they still haven't replaced his skills in the line-up.

 

[Steady Mooobin]

I'm not sure why an improved defense should hurt a powerful offense. If anything, I think it only helps it. Getting turnovers and stops allow the offense to get back on the field.I would also like to know what role players in the passing game they lost? IMHO, the only weakness Dallas has will be at WR depth.

Fasano is the guy that I was focused on. I think that he was a key role player as the second TE in a set that Dallas used frequently since Terry Glenn was out in 07. He might not have been targeted a lot, but he still palyed a key role in the passing game. I also suspect that Terry Glenn will not play in 08 and though he didn't play in 07 either, they still haven't replaced his skills in the line-up.

Fasano had 14 catches last year. I liked him a lot coming out of ND, but he's too slow and isn't that great of a blocker imo. The rookie TE they drafted excites me much more then Fasano did. While the WR corp is its weakest link if there is an injury, it's actually improved over last year. Terry Glenn will at least be on the field, Stanbach, Hurd, and Austin will all have had another off season to mature.

 

[Bankerguy]

I'm not sure why an improved defense should hurt a powerful offense. If anything, I think it only helps it. Getting turnovers and stops allow the offense to get back on the field.I would also like to know what role players in the passing game they lost? IMHO, the only weakness Dallas has will be at WR depth.

It also means bigger leads in the 3rd and 4th Quarters for the Cowboys. Meaning more running and high percentage short passing stuff. This is why Felix Jones should also hold some nice value. They will try to keep Barber fresh coming down the stretch. I would not expect a huge dropoff, but some is certainly palatable based on what is going on with this club.

 

[Coach Pantusso]

A little less skewed to the pass with playcalling this season, but more plays overall should keep Romo's numbers close to the same with a mild reduction in TDs.

347/547-4330-30/20 airing it out

and

20-121-1 on the ground

 

[Big Daddy Kane]

I saw this guy coming from miles away. Simply put-he gets it.

I couldn't wait for Parcells to lament to what was staring him right in the face-a star QB in the making. But no, he wanted to wait another year, wait another year. Meanwhile, trying to drudge up past performances from the likes of Testaverde and Bledsoe. Felt too much pressure in Dallas to win now as opposed to throwing in an unknown, unproven Romo. While I know Romo learned plenty first-hand from the two old-timers as far as preparation goes, he simply has the magic, or the "it" as some prefer.

T.O. or no T.O., it doesn't matter. Romo is a gamer and a winner. He genuinely loves the game, and would play just the same if Texas Stadium were empty.

It amazes me that to this day there are still non-believers (a_troll00?). While the comparisons to Brett Favre rage on, it's nearly true, he's another Favre but smarter with the ball and decision making (thank you, Bill).

O.K., so in Romo's second season and first full season, he not only breaks but SHATTERS all Cowboy passing records (Meredith, Staubach, D. White, Aikman). It's not like the others didn't have star receivers and prolific offenses.

The kid's the real deal, get used to it...and he's only going to get better. Hey, this is year "3"!

I'll bet you Parcells wishes he had him in Miami right now...

Andy, while I also have him projected as a top5 QB, make no mistake that if TO were not on the field, Romo would be nowhere close to what he is. Ownes had 15 of his 36 TD...Witten another 11. We can all see your a Dallas Boy, just be easy on the annointing oils there. It's possible he will not break the career records in Dallas even if he owns all the single season records.

Haha, Andy Herron gets put in his place. By the way, its easy to say you saw Romo coming from a mile away when you're wearing your "Hindsight is 20/20" sunglasses.

 

[T Bell]

Finally somebody projecting less than 18 picks. The direction it needs to go.

Keep in mind, 5 of last year's picks came in that screwy game in Buffalo last year.

I don't see anything like that happening again. That was an anomily.

He was also playing with a bad right thumb near the end of the season, which I'm sure had to attribute to last year's Int. number as well.

All in all, he's more accurate than that. I'd be willing to say 12-15 picks for a projection this year.

Going into his third year, I think it's fair to say some of those "dumb" throws will go away. He had a few of those.

So you're saying that if I remove that long run, that Barry Sanders is just an average RB?