Tony Romo is Hall of Fame bound if leadership doesn’t count
With the news that Dallas Cowboys QB, Tony Romo is now retiring and will join the CBS team, the question has been asked all day Tuesday– is he Hall of Fame bound? I’ve been trying to come up with a simple way to answer this and all I can muster up is– hell no.
If the Hall was giving out jackets based on longevity with a single team, then yes, he’s a shoe-in. However, Romo has not done enough to garner enough votes to make it in. He’s a great passer but he’s a terrible leader. A leader is one that can be counted on to win the big game. When was the last time Jerry Jones was on the field congratulating a Romo-led Cowboys team in the playoffs?
[Mark]It’s sad that a player can throw for 50,000 yards and 300 touchdowns and still not make it in because he hasn’t won a Super Bowl. In Romo’s case, he hasn’t done that either or felt the grass of an NFC Championship game. So why all the hoopla about his ranking amongst the greats? It’s not deserved.
A year ago the same argument was being made for Donovan McNabb. Looking over their careers, the stats are similar but the winning was not. No, McNabb never led the Eagles to a SB victory but he does have 4 NFC Championship games and one SB appearance under his belt. McNabb has a 9-7 record in the playoffs compared to Romo’s 2-4. But the talk is still if Romo is HOF bound.
Not in this lifetime.
For his career, he’s thrown for 34,183 yards, 248 touchdowns, 117 interceptions with a completion percentage of 65 percent. Those are great numbers but when it has counted most the Cowboys continually fell short under his leadership. There will be no off-the-field issues that keep Romo from the Hall like his former teammate Terrelle Owens. It will be his on-the-field performance and lack of winning that will keep him from getting a jacket.
If stats were all that counted than Romo would be a sure thing. However, he plays the most important position in the NFL where wins mean more than anything when it comes to the Hall. Yes, Dan Marino is the exception but he was from another planet with his contributions, plus he at least made a SB appearance during his stellar career. Look at former Cowboy, Troy Aikman. His starts are borderline terrible but he has SB rings, so he was an easy selection.
I could be one of those guys who believes the HOF should go to deserving players, not popular ones. Truth be told, Romo may get in eventually as there are players that have no right having a bust in Canton but they still made it in. My issue is– how can fans, media, and voters argue over McNabb, Eli Manning, and Philip Rivers but become church-mouse quiet when Romo’s legacy is discussed?
Romo was a great ‘regular season’ player and that’s where his legacy should stay. Outside the Hall.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
