Every once in a while, I get the feeling that Tony Romo is being treated unfairly. I mean, 2009 will be just his third full year as Dallas' starter. In both seasons in which Romo has been the opening day starter, Dallas has been anointed NFC champions in the preseason, only to fall short of these staggering expectations.
Aside from that, he has been better than good, for the most part. His numbers (excluding interceptions, perhaps) make a compelling case for his being in the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the NFL.
But his 0-2 playoff record and personal life are often bandied about as some sort of proof that he is (a) not a hard worker, (b) a categorically flawed quarterback and/or (c) that he is a card-carrying communist. Okay, that last one is a bit less prominent than the others.
In any case, being the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys is a daunting if glorified task, one which few people will ever understand. That's why, when Troy Aikman offered his criticism last December, even the most staunch Romo supporter was forced to listen; it was a legitimate analysis from a man who legitimately knew the degree of spotlight under which Romo had been thrust over the last few years, after all.
"I think maybe things happened so quickly for Tony in terms of obscurity to all of a sudden national spotlight that he hasn’t fully grasped what being the Cowboys quarterback is all about,” Aikman said on the Michael Irvin Show. “And you don’t go to Cabo the week before a playoff game. You just don’t do it."
Romo has always insisted that he doesn't care about perception, which is fine during the sunny days; but when the rain comes, such nonchalance breeds bitter criticism and widespread doubt, both of which have assailed Romo since the Philly Flop, and to some degree before that. Aikman's message was clear; quarterbacking isn't enough. You must also be a bit of a politician.
And in the context of politics, Romo's Cabo trip, in retrospect, equates roughly to being caught in a seedy motel room with a hooker on the eve of an election.
Blue Star
The center of the Dallas Cowboys universe.
The trip may not have affected Romo's performance in the least, but that's not the point. When he ran for the border, he set himself up for what has since become an ultra-intensive, city-wide apprehension as to his ability to steer this ship.
As it stands now, Romo is under the watchful eye of Cowboys nation, and his politics will be scrutinized as much now as ever.
Romo himself seems to know that; he has to, by now, right?
Well, if the first two days of camp are any indicator, not really. This is admittedly something of a ridiculous statement: in the first two days of training camp... But as far as Romo is concerned, he is campaigning; campaigning for the trust of Cowboys Nation, which he has lost, to a significant degree over the last two years.
All this contributed to my palpable shock when Romo was late to the first practice of the year. This could've been explained in any number of ways (treatment, maybe, or a harassing phone call from an ex-girlfriend) and it may never affect anything; in honesty, it almost certainly won't. But again, that's not the point. If things go bad in 2009, don't be surprised if this one tiny, benign political gaffe is cited as an early indicator of something larger.
