SPORTSDAY

Posted by Richard @ 1:52 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

To me it's pretty simple. Taking a quarterback high in the draft is a huge gamble. People have short memories. If people would stop looking at last year's unusually high success rate and realize how completely unpredictable college quarterbacks are they would realize that this deal was a no brain-er. Tony Romo has shown he can be successful in the NFL. He has shown he can lead a team in final minutes of a game. Will he be able to be consistent and maintain a high level of play? We don't know yet but at least we know he has the ability to do it. Brady Quin couldn't help his teams in big games at the college level, much less the NFL. (His team's defense may have been crap but so were his numbers in big games). I'll take Romo and two first rounders, the Browns can have Quin.

Posted by Chuck @ 2:41 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

Quinn is the product of the Notre Dame Over-Hype Promo Machine -- the beauty of the deal is if Romo falls on his face this year (which I don't think he will), Dallas now has the ammo to go after Brian Brohm, the best QB prospect since Carson Palmer.

Posted by Rob @ 2:42 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

Did Joe Montana, Brett Favre or Tom Brady have huge games in college? Did they get drafted at the top of their repsective drafts? Why not? Between the three of them, how many SB's have they won? Brady Quinn has yet to throw an NFL pass but folks seem to think he will be a bust. Give me a break, base your facts of Brady Quinn being a bust on the stats from his NFL experience. Coaching at the next level is far superior to college so just sit back and watch Brady Quinn develop into the next Tom Brady!!!

Posted by Coyote @ 2:44 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

Cant agree with you more Richard. I have never seen this Quinn lad play football, but one thing is a fact; that nobody has seen him take a snap in the NFL. There is no such thing as "drafting a franchaise quarterback". You draft a gamble, and hope that in the not too distant future, the promise he showed back in college will translate to the pros. So yes, the decision is a nobrainer. You MUST go with Romo. He has proven a hell of a lot in 10 games starting, not least, that the other players respect and trust him. No bridges are burned. If worse should come to worse (which I doubt) and Romo fizzles, we got one good back up and another with promise to work on, so the season looks good in any event. AND, next years draft would fix the problem. But COME ON GUYS !!!!! ROMO is the future !!!

Posted by Clark @ 2:48 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

I believe it's difficult to judge Romo on the last 5 games of the season because of the defensive collapse. He was playing with a different mindset, thinking he had to make something happen on every drive once the wheels came off the defense. With that kind of urgency, your bound to make a few errors in judgment that you wouldn't make if you had faith in your defense. I'm eager to see how he does after having spent the entire off-season practicing as the Cowboys 07 opening day starter.

Posted by Scott @ 2:53 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

The thing that everyone needs to think about is that a Brady Quinn comes out every year. Last year it was Matt Leinhart and Jay Cutler. The year before it was Aaron Rodgers. The first round will always have one or a few QB's who put up gaudy numbers at a brand name school. Jerry Jones has been avoiding using that expensive and risky avenue since Aikman retired, so now that we have a possible solution (a qualified one at that) why would he break form this year? I think trading down, picking up a possibly very high pick next year, and seeing what this kid you groomed has really got was the right choice. If Romo tanks this year, then you have two picks in the first to settle that issue. Also, if Romo is what he was this year, then maybe we can get a Darren McFadden, Antoine Cason, or DeSean Jackson from California. Perhaps we can have our cake and eat it, too.

Posted by John Nice Guy @ 2:54 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

Anyone who thinks the Cowboys erred by passing on Quinn is seriously misguided. His slippage pretty much confirmed that NOBODY thought he was a franchise QB. Romo is at least as good, if not better, than Quinn right now. Picking up Cleveland's pick will allow us to get Darren McFadden, a franchise HB who will be the Calvin "Can't Miss" Johnson of next year's draft. And if Romo bombs this year, we can take Brian Brohm, who most considered better than Quinn this year. It was a brilliant move.

Posted by Timothy @ 2:59 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

Richard, I agree with your opinion on Tony Romo. He has demonstrated enough to come into 2007 as the undisputed starter at quarterback.

As Dallas was fading down the stretch last season, Romo kept them in games and gave them a chance. He can only get better with experience.

However, you are completely wrong about Brady Quinn. The only reason Notre Dame was in any big games was because of Quinn. And this is coming from a Notre Damer.

Think about this, Quinn's top two receivers and lead running back went undrafted.

Posted by Torrence @ 3:03 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

I need to see more out of Romo. Last season I was not impressed after the thanksgiving day game.He looked like an undrafted free agent destined to be a career back up. His play in the Seahawks game was dismal. Although he did have the Cowboys in position to go ahead in the game, it look as if the game was too big for him throughout most of it. Way too many underthrown and bounced into the ground passes that should have been completions.

Posted by jay @ 3:04 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

I think it was a great deal, too. I see Quinn more like an Eli Manning/Philip River type where they are not the guys that can simply take over games and put the team on their back. In that case, I'm not sure Romo won't turn out to be better than Quinn. It's not like we passed up the next Peyton Manning or Dan Elway. Romo + a top 5 pick is a definite plus over Quinn.

Posted by Larry @ 3:35 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

T0 ME, THE TRADE WAS A NO BRAINER.
The boys keep ALL OPTIONS OPEN for 2008 with two #1's.

Franchise QB if needed - Brian Brohm
Franchise running back McFadden
Franchise receiver like Calvin Johnson.

If you draft Quinn, thats it. All other options closed out as far as drafting at the top in 2008.

Posted by JTJ @ 3:44 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

Tony Romo gives the Cowboys the best shot to win next season, and that is what this is really about. Paying Quinn 1st round money to sit on the bench when you have a more than decent (in my opinion, much more than decent) QB manning the helm is idiotic. If Romo is as bad as some people seem to think, the Cowboys will still have 2 high first round picks next year to make it right. If Romo is as good as I think he is and will be, the Cowboys will be set for the next few years with the extra draft picks and the flexibility (like New England has now) to stay on top for a while. One last thing, nobody can accurately predict today whether Brady Quinn will be the next Joe Montana or the next Steve Walsh.

Posted by Larry @ 3:51 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

You know its kinda strange how folks get stuck on negative things like T.O.'s drops, and Romo's "performance" in the last 5-games and overlook all the good. By all normal standards T.O. had a great year and Romo went to the probowl for a reason. By the way, did anyone notice Romo had the highest "playoff games QB rating" of all QB's. He must have done something right in the Seattle game.

Posted by ernest t bass @ 4:02 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

First, I'm a huge Romo fan. When you have chance to land a consensus top three pick, and a QB at that, at pick 22 you do it. The garbage about upsetting Tony's delicate psyche is ridiculous. The competition would have benefited both Quinn and Romo. But, even if Quinn ended up in the fetal position on the sideline, at least you know you did the right thing trying to solidify the most difficult position in pro football. I keep thinking about the scene in Animal House where the kid is looking at the girlie magazine in his upstairs bedroom and the parade queen comes flying through his open window. "Thank you, Lord," he said. Not that he knew what he was gonna do with her ... but he dang sure didn't throw her out.

Posted by rhdj @ 4:05 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

Bottom line, Cowboys passed on a pro ready quaterback. Romo is not the answer for the Cowboys. Seems to me peoples hate for Notre Dame have blinded them. They really do not care about the talent level of Brady Quinn, but really hate the Irish. The real reason he fell was because most teams had their young QB in place and did not need him. 3/4 of a season with Romo, did not convince me. How can you point to his draft postion as an talent gauge , then say Romo is better? You can not.

Posted by Dilan @ 4:28 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

To Chuck... Or he could be the next Tim Couch, David Carr, Ryan Leaf, Heath Shuler, Rick Mirer, Akili Smith, Aaron Rodgers, David Klingler, Andre Ware.... Romo's got something non of these guys have/had.... A Pro Bowl.

Posted by DougO @ 5:25 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

I would have to consider Romo a franchise QB, especially when you take a look around the league and see how hard it is to find franchise QBs.

But I still wish Dallas had held on to that early second round pick and taken Kevin Kolb.

Posted by DissentingVoice @ 5:53 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

"Bottom line, Cowboys passed on a pro ready quaterback. Romo is not the answer for the Cowboys"

That has got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever read on this site. Romo guided his team to the playoffs. Quinn guided his team to a butt-kicking. Romo went to the effin Pro Bowl. Quinn was passed over by every team that needed a QB in the draft.

Pro ready? So, you're saying Quinn is going to be reading defenses at a pro level and will outplay Troy Aikmann did in his rookie year as he struggled with the speed of the game and the reading of defenses? That's a mightly big leap of faith you have there, Tex.

And to the guy who said that none of Quinn's weapons was drafted: maybe you heard that his biggest weapon decided to play baseball? Otherwise, he was a first day pick.

Posted by Evilinc @ 8:01 PM Wed, May 02, 2007

"Struggling down the stretch"? Well, here's one fan hoping he struggles like he did against Seattle (last game--Rating:89.6), Detroit (next-to-last game--Rating 111.6), and Atlanta (3rd from last game--Rating 113.9). Struggles like that we can use all we can get. Sheesh. And you guys get paid to write this stuff?

Drafting Quinn would have been idiotic. They did the smart thing and traded him when his value was highest. Or do you figure that sitting on the bench behind Romo (yeah, a rookie QB was really going to beat him out) was going to inrease his value?

Posted by Jon Cook @ 7:33 AM Thu, May 03, 2007

Romo has never had a full preseason to prepare as the starter. Give the guy a full off season and season and see what he can do before drafting an obvious replacement. And they took some great steps this offseason towards shoring up the offensive line, which will make everybody better.

Posted by Jody @ 9:25 AM Thu, May 03, 2007

The problem with drafting Brady Quinn is that it would be three years before you know if he can play. One year on the bench, one year competing for the starting job, one year to see what he can do. No college qb is ready to play in the bigs and no one had Quinn rated as an Aikman, Elway guy. Romo is at least a very competent pro qb and I think [as I said before training camp last year] has the potential to be very, very good. A first round pick for a project is a bad move.

Posted by JRS2300 @ 11:39 AM Thu, May 03, 2007

There’s a lot of fans Dallas Fans that are saying how can Dallas had passed on Brady Quinn… That Brady Quinn was taught the New England Playbook by Charlie Weis and all that stuff….

The morons seem to forget that Tony Romo spent 4 years learning from Bill Parcells… ah… who taught Charlie Weis everything he knows…. !!!! Romo is more mobile than Quinn.. and more accurate.. and the Fear Factor is completely over for Romo… he’s seen every blitz and all that..

Posted by Chuck @ 3:05 PM Thu, May 03, 2007

To Dilan - You need to re-read my original comment. First, I said I do not think Romo will fall on his face (look inside the parenthesis). Second, I said "if he does", the trade with Cleveland would provide Dallas the additional pick ("ammo") to move up in the draft and pick Brian Brohm, if they so desire. Third, I referred to Brohm as a "prospect" and was comparing his "potential" to that of Carson Palmer COMING OUT OF COLLEGE, not what he has done with the Bengals.

Brohm has impressed me more than Quinn in the games I have watched (and thanks to NBC, I have seen plenty of Quinn) - that was the comparison I was making, not to Tony Romo. I wish Tony continued success, as I have a bid in for the rib concession at Texas Stadium next year!

Posted by Don Hansen @ 9:36 AM Fri, May 04, 2007

Brady Quinn has "potential". We all know what that means--he has not done it yet--at the pro level. Tony Romo has demonstrated that he can "do it" at the pro level.

The best pass defense is still a strong rush on the opposing qb. The Tony Spencer addition at #26 will provide that in 2007. And the 'boys got an additional 1st rounder in 2008. Talk about a no brainer. Quinn may "develop" into a good or excellent NFL quarterback but based upon the success ratio of past hopefuls, the future is extremely cloudy on that prospect.