Romo's words ring hollow
Posted: Friday, January 23, 2009 9:00 PM
Just when Cowboys fans thought things couldn’t get any worse, they learn that Tony Romo has decided to be a better leader next year.
“I'm definitely going to take a more active approach with that as we move forward from last year to this season,” he told the Dallas Morning News. “I'll be very excited to get back out there and be with the guys and figure out a way to improve and get better and do the things we need to do to win. Period."
In sports, unlike in gift-giving, it’s not the thought that counts; it’s the performance. Offseason declarations, whether pious or impious, don’t mean squat.
That’s why I would be worried if I were a fan. You don’t become a leader by saying you’re going to lead. People don’t follow you because you said you’re going to be worth following. You become a leader by the way you behave and the way you perform. And leadership isn’t a quality you can simply choose to have. You’ve either got it or you don’t.
Romo’s pronouncement came after former quarterback Troy Aikman went on Michael Irvin’s radio show and chided Romo for his attitude and actions. Aikman was particularly annoyed at Romo’s decision a year ago to go to a resort in Mexico with girlfriend Jessica Simpson the week before he and the Cowboys lost to the Giants in the playoffs.
Piled on top of that was a Dallas Morning News report that cited five team sources saying Romo was inconsistent in practice and that factored into the way he played. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett also came in for criticism.
None of the criticism is surprising or out of bounds. Romo has not played well in December and in the playoffs. He’s inconsistent, and has seemed to get worse after signing a huge new contract rather than better. Great football teams start with great quarterbacks. The Cowboys are not a great football team.
"I promise you, this football team is going to be a good football team next year,” Romo told the newspaper.
This is like a politician promising that next year taxes are going to go down and the government is going to run like a well-oiled machine. It sounds good, but you’ll believe it when you see it.
It’s the same with the leadership talk. Don’t bother telling us you’re a leader. We’ll watch you and let you know when you can lay claim to that designation.
If Romo wants to lead, he needs to stop talking and start working harder than anyone else on the team. He needs to be with the team lifting weights – and I’d suggest he take a page from Phil Simms’ book and lift them with the offensive line. Those are the guys he really needs on his side.
He needs to be the first one to the practice complex and the last one out. He needs to call in his receivers during the offseason and work on patterns and timing. He needs to know the play book and the offensive philosophy better than the coaches.
And then he needs to perform. Don’t make the dumb mistakes. Don’t let yourself get into a situation where your star wide-out is feuding with your go-to tight end. Don’t act like a glamour boy.
Most of all, go out and win football games. Win them in September and win them in December. Be that guy who makes his teammates feel they can’t lose when the game’s on the line and the clock is winding down.
Like Al Davis says: Just win, baby.
But for pete’s sake, don’t talk about it. Don’t tell us you’re going to be a leader. Just go out and do it. That’s been one of the biggest problems with this franchise from the owner down: too much talk, too little action.
