For some quarterbacks in the NFL, winning a championship is a process...one that can't be rushed. Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, John Elway...it didn't come quickly for any of these guys.

One is a Hall of Famer and the other two soon will be.

There's no question that Tony Romo has the physical talent and ability to be a championship quarterback in the NFL, but does he have the mental makeup for such a task?

The doubters are gathering steam.

You can't make Romo fully responsible for the Cowboys' latest December collapse, but his demeanor and postgame comments reflect a carelessness and cavalier attitude that is disturbing.

"If we win, ok. If we lose, ok", Romo said after the 44-6 loss to the Eagles.

Not exactly the hard-nosed words we wanted to hear from a quarterback who just got his head handed to him and his season left in shambles.

Romo's greatest off-field strengths, his carefree attitude, trademark grin and "aw shucks" demeanor, is now also proving to be his greatest flaw. When you're winning, that attitude makes you a matinee idol and the center of fame on silly shows like "Extra."

When you're losing, that attitude makes you look unfocused, undisciplined, and uninterested in winning.

I do admire Tony's statement in that same postgame press conference that there are worse things in life than losing a football game. Tony's father Ramiro had been fighting cancer and Tony's priorities are well in order. He knows the value of family.

But surely he can summon up more fire and demand more, both from himself and his teammates. Surely he can be more than he already is.

We've all seen quarterbacks evolve and continue to grow. We must see that from Romo in 2009, or the doubters will continue to grow in numbers.

1 Comments

Joe said:

Advise to Tony:

Demeanor of a Champion does not mean you go over to the bench after throwing an interception or fumbling the ball away. When everyone see's this the perception is that he is easily rattled, and so far this has been the Cowboys season. How many times did you see Troy, Roger or any other Champion mope on the sidelines?

Advise to David Marcus:

Don't waste your time using up BLOG space on issues like this. Give me a break!

December 30, 2008 5:56 PM

Leave a comment

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.