Mr B wrote:Micah Prescott wrote:Mr B wrote:People always try to give Romo excuses like “he didn’t have a great OL”, or “he didn’t have a great defense”, or he didn’t have elite weapons around him”. All are BS. Romo had several of his OL make the pro bowl during his tenure and at one point (I believe 2014) had all 5 of his OL make the pro bowl. He also had an elite level defense with guys like Demarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, Brady James, just to name a few. Not to mention played under two of the greatest defensive minds in NFL history in Parcels and Phillips. And as far as weapons he had a HOF TE (in his prime) in Witten, TO was putting up consistent 1,500 yard 10 TD seasons, a great 1-2 punch at RB (Jones/Barber) before they got Murray.
Romo had plenty of chances. Was he more “skilled” sure that doesn’t make him better. Romo had more skill than Tom Brady but no way in hell would I ever take Romo over Brady. If my team was going into the playoffs and I had a choice between Romo or Troy Aikman, it’s not even close. You have the guy that will get you stats for 1 playoff game. I’ll take the guy that sacrifices his stats to make the team better and actually win a title.
Sorry Romo had some good rosters but he did not have what Aikman had. Aikman had arguably the greatest oline ever made. He had one of the greatest RBs ever, a HOF WR, and a superior defense on top of that. There are a lot of QBs that could have won rings on that roster.
Troy Aikman
165 TDs, 141 INTs, 61.5comp%, 81.6 rating
Tony Romo
248 TDs, 117 INTs, 65.3comp%, 97.1 rating
So this is where you tell me they were in different eras so numbers don't matter, the problem is they were only separated by 4 years and Troy's numbers were not even that great in his own era anyway. Troy was a "good" QB that won because he was on an elite roster. Romo was a better and more skilled QB that did have some talented rosters they just were not "God level" rosters like Troy had.
This is something that Troy himself agrees with. If you asked him who is better between him and Romo he will tell you Romo, and it isn't because he is being humble, it is because Romo was better and he knows it.
TO and Jason Witten will both be HOF’s. No doubt that the OL of the 90’s was great but don’t forget they only had 1 HOF on that line (Larry Allen), although Nate Newton should be in too in my opinion. Romo also played with two HOF OL (Tyron Smith/Martin) and one that was on a HOF trajectory before he got sick (Fredrick).
Not sure how young you are so you might now remember Troy when he was coming out of UCLA but he was billed as the next John Elway. He was big and athletic and had a cannon for an arm. If he had ended up on a team like the Raiders he would have put up huge numbers. The Dallas offense didn’t need him to do that though. The coaches (and Troy) knew that the best way to win was to consistently run the ball. Troy had every right and had the authority to check out of run plays because he liked a WR matchup. He stuck with the run though because again, he knew that was the best chance for them to win. That’s where Romo wasn’t as good. He was a gunslinger and loved to pass and put up great numbers. I think he liked being a superstar QB for the Cowboys more than he desired winning. Even though running the ball was more conducive to winning he preferred to throw the ball.
Now there is one HUGE advantage that Troy and Roger had that Romo didn’t have in his prime was elite coaching. Parcells left after Romo’s first few games as a starter. Phillips was a great defensive mind but was limited on the offensive end and then was replaced by Garrett. Garrett encouraged the gunslinger mentality. When Romo would check out of run plays in order to pass Garrett was ok with that.
Passing attempts -
Troy Aikman 4,715
Tony Romo 4,335
Passing Yardage
Troy Aikman 32,942
Tony Romo 34,183
Troy threw the ball more than Romo. Yet still had less yardage, less TDs, and way more INTs.
I think most would assume the opposite, that Romo would have more INTs than Troy, because that is what rings do to fans, they blind people from reality. And the reality is that Troy played on much better rosters than Romo did, and also played during less competition in the NFL. The 49ers were no joke but that was the Cowboy's only real obstacle.