Brookings & Ratliff. What great additions those players have been.

They beat the Eagles on their turf last night. Jay Ratliff has been with the team for 4 years, and had a great game last night. Miles Austin until last night was a surprise. Brookings really hasn't impressed me all that much. He's been serviceable. If Felix Jones wasn't injury prone, I'd be surprised they weren't using him or Tashard Choice much.

Are you kidding? Just about EVERYONE who has been in the Cowboy lockeroom has talked about the leadership and stability he has brought to the Cowboys.

On the field he leads the team in tackles and has 3 sacks

Not sure what else your looking for from him

jenkins and austin

Brookings has been one of our most productive players on defense! He's explosive and just drives his teammates to do better. He is all over the field.

Ratliff, Jenkins and Austin are all playing very well. Nice to see players step up. Jenkins is finally settling in and playing with confidence on defense.

I think the biggest surprise is that they've won a few games.

david buehler...not only leading the league in touchbacks, but is making tackles when he does get a touchback!

the amount of production austin is getting is a surprise, but the fact that austin is showing out isn't. not to me anyway.

and keith brooking is BALLIN!!! plugging him into the middle instead of zach "no neck" thomas is the BIGGEST single upgrade on the entire team.

Look up the definition of serviceable. Does his play surprise me ? No, he's a 5 time Pro-Bowler. How is that a surprise ?
Brooking has played well, but his play is standard for a person of his talent. That's not a http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6_1Pw1xm9U to me.

Totally agree. The biggest area of improvement IMO
Zach Thomas did absolutely nothing for this team.

Okay I see where your coming from. That fits! And Dallas very much needed his play and fire.


Dallas was picked to win all these games. Where's the surprise?

Why is Ratliff a surprise? He's been good for a few years now.



Best Surprises:

Igor Olshansky

Keith Brookings

Mike Jenkins

Bobby Carpenter

John Phillips

Mike Austin

Victor Butler

David Beuhler

Andre Gurode

The surprise is that Romo hasn't dropped the ball yet and given any of these games away........yet

You mean like JaMarcus Russell?

No, I mean like Romo usually does. Romo meltdowns are unique.

We can do a comparison of the two if you would like.

Go for it....if that's all you have to do today. That'd be great......

I could, but I really don't believe that it will be neccesary. There isn't a single positive stat out there where JaMarcus Russell leads Romo when it comes to the NFL. So I really won't waste my time.

That's what I figured. And by the way, what doe JaMarcus Russell have to do with Tony Romo? Who ever said I was a Russell fan? As a matter of fact, I haven't followed him since he was drafted. So if your little comment was meant to get a rise out of me because of my user name then you failed. So since you've derailed the topic....let me put it back on track. I am very surprised at Romo's performance this year. I never expected him to play even as well as he has.

Actually, there are some of us who aren't surprised by his performance. Since getting his first start, he's been in the top 5 of QB's in the league. Yes, he's had bad games but what QB hasn't. Statistically, he's right up there with Drew Brees this season and continuing to get better.

There, back on track.

He's right around his usual mid-90's passer rating and 7-8 yds YPA. Basically, he's doing what his last few years tells us he can do.

The best surprise this year has gotta be David Beuhler....Not only does he get alot of touchbacks, I think he is on the punt return team too, he does a litte of everything........

Out of 48 games Romo has started there is no trend to what you are alluding to.

Courtesy of Merriam-Webster dictionary:
Main Entry: melt·down
Pronunciation: \ˈmelt-ˌdau̇n\
Function: noun
Date: 1956

1 : the accidental melting of the core of a nuclear reactor
2 : a rapid or disastrous decline or collapse
3 : a breakdown of self-control (as from fatigue or overstimulation)

Of the three definitions I see NONE that relate to Romo.

NEXT!

Don't let me get started! I'll just let you look up his stats. The numbers are clear and you can try and spin any way you want. Reality won't change. He is and will be a very successful QB.

MELTDOWN

And yet, statistically he's always right up there with Drew Brees. Not bad for an undrafted free agent from a small college school. I also wonder how their won / loss records will compare? I wonder who will be having the meltdown then?

My biggest surprise is that some people still miss that one guy from last year. You know "The Cancer"

No doubt.

For whatever reason Romo was disrupted on distributing the ball last year. T.O.'s personality and ability no doubt (in my opinion) messed Romo's ability to see the defense properly and make the best decisions. I feel that Tony will most assuredly miss the skills, the drive and blocking that T.O. brought to each game and practice.

However, I do think that Dallas will be a better TEAM now that T.O. is gone.

It's called CONTEMPLATE.

1 : to view or consider with continued attention : meditate on

I believe this is a common practice when people reflect things good or bad. Sometimes you just need to think about what's going on around you. Putting your face in a towel gives privacy as well as a wall that tells everyone to leave you alone to think.

No meltdown going on here.

Romo has shown the ability to leave a play on the field and move on. That's how you learn from your mistakes.

I guess sadly enough....one's perceptions becomes their reality.

NO....

It's called being a wuss!

You cry and mope privately behind closed doors.....somewhere where your team can't see you breaking down. When things go bad, LEADERS don't do this!!! They try to regroup, fire up their teammates, tighten up their freakin' jockstrap, and get ready for the next series.

The only thing that ticks me off more than wussified-quitters, are those who condone or excuse it.

That wuss is the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. I wish I was a wuss!

And yet, he's still the starting quarterback to the NFC East leading Dallas Cowboys. So no, no wussified quitter in Tony Romo.

No postseason wins in the last 10 seasons.

Five straight playoff losses.

And we're looking for this guy to lead us out of the drought????

Well, at least he is getting paid very well...

I guess time will tell. Maybe he can redeem himself this season and "un-wussify".

Hmm, how many winning seasons did Dallas have after Aikman retired and before Romo became the starting QB?

How many post season appearances had Dallas been in after Aikman's retirement and before Romo took over? Then, how many post season appearances has Dallas had since Romo took over?

Of those five straight playoff losses, how many are attributed to Romo?

Yes, I am looking to Romo to lead us out of the drought because he IS the QB to lead us out of it.

I'm just curious. How many seasons did it take for Peyton Manning to become the QB that he is today? you know, just wondering.

Time will tell? Sorry, but he IS the QB of the NFC East leading Dallas Cowboys. Matter of fact, in only his first full season as QB, he matched Troy Aikman's record of 13-3 as the QB of the Cowboys when Aikman took them to the super bowl.

Let's see, what was the knock on Aikman again? not tough enough, not mentally stable enough to lead the Cowboys anywhere.

Yes, you gotta love those DIE-HARD Cowboy fans.

I'm a little more worried about the mental stability of some of these Cowboy fans. It's going to break ya'lls heart in a few short weeks, but ya'll can survive another year of drought.

Won't be breaking my heart, I live in Louisiana and I've seen every Saints game. Trust me, if New Orleans starts out against Dallas like they did against Miami, Atlanta, or Carolina...

It won't be us Cowboy fans on suicide watch.

Yes, fall behind Dallas 24-3 and see how that works for you.

You're not reading my posts close enough. I never did attribute all of those playoff losses to Romo. I'm just saying that Romo gets in this, "aww shucks..", lackadaisical mood on the sideline when things get tough for the Cowboys on the field, when he should be trying to re-ignite himself and the offense.

The difference between P. Manning and Romo is that Manning has always been an exceptional quarterback. Romo isn't. I see "the fire" in Manning's eyes during crunch-time. I don't see that "fire" in Romo's. Doesn't matter anyway to me. I could care less about Peyton Manning or the Colts. I'm not a Colts fan. Oh, for the record, I'm not a Saints fan either.

Wait a minute, you mean that picture of him being a wuss is actually an aww shucks picture? Or wait, Romo screaming at Cory Proctor during the Eagles game sunday night was him saying aww shucks? Or that moment of Romo running for a touchdown against the Rams and slamming the ball down was an aww shucks moment?

Wait, now I'm totally confused. What is it that you don't like about Romo again? oh wait, re-igniting himself and the offense. Okay, now I get it. I don't see how I could have missed that.

And speaking of Peyton Manning. He's always been an exceptional quarterback? are you sure about that?

I'm not sure what living in Louisiana has to do with anything? I'm from Louisiana, graduated high school and got a college degree from there........I'm thinking.......ummmmm.......nope...I can't see how living there relates.

I mean the Tony Romo when confronted with a do or die playoff situation, has buckled and choked under pressure.

2006
In the Wild Card game against Seattle, they had the game pretty-much in the bag. With 1:19 left, all they had to do was to kick a 19-yard field goal, then move on to the next round. We all know what happened.

2007
The Cowboys end up with an impressive 13-3 regular season record. Many were counting on them to take down the Patriots in the Superbowl that year. But, before getting to the promised land, all they had to do was to knock-off the wildcard Giants. Hell, most didn't give the Giants a chance.......but Romo did. Dallas had the opportunity on the final drive to seal a victory, but Romo threw a potential game winning touchdown pass right into the arms of R.W. McQuarters. So much for 13-3.

2008
Dallas travels to Philly in a "win and you're in" situation. Romo committed three turnovers and went 21/39 for 183 yards and no touchdowns. Cowboys leave Philly with nothing to do but to plan their January fishing trips and ponder the 44-6 butt whippin'.

2009
Can't wait to see the season-ending trick Romo has up his sleeve!

Yes....................THAT Romo!!


I'm sorry this is all confusing to you. Numbers and stats don't lie. It is what it is.

Everyone on here can show you Romo stats that should make him an instant Hall of Fame candidate....but they never post them.

Oh, absolutely!

Here is the tip of the iceberg;

-34-5 record during three seasons as starter in high school
-Univ. of Tennessee's all-time leading passer with 11,201 yds
-Won 39 of 45 games as a starting quarterback at Tennessee
-Holds the SEC record for career wins
-Runner up to Charles Woodson for the Heisman
-First team All-American
-Maxwell Award winner
-Davey O'Brien winner
-Johnny Unitas Award winner
-In his NFL rookie season, Manning passed for 3,739 yds with 26 TD's, set five different NFL rookie records
-NFL MVP
-Selected to the Pro Bowl nine times
-AFC Offensive Player of the Year
-2005 Pro Bowl MVP
-2007 Super Bowl MVP

There is much more.

Yes, exceptional quarterback!



*exceptional=Well above average
from Webster's II New College Dictionary

Definition provided to those who might be confused.

What's that saying BB?

"If you keep doing what you're doing, you'll keep getting what you're getting."

Romo, Garrett, Phillips.....

NOT the answer!

WHOA... you might be right.

Stats may not lie, but the context you've set is incorrect. Allow me to jog your memory...

In the 2006 Wildcard game, Romo got the blame because of a botched snap...one he had the good sense to pick up and try to score on if the kicker even attempts to block.

However, far worse during this game were 3 pass interference penalties on our defense, an awful playcall where we threw a hitch pass from our own endzone, and a Witten first down that was moved back, giving us a chance at a field goal instead of a touchdown. Even with all that, Seattle could still march down and kick their own field goal had Romo not bobbled it, and they had the best kicker in the league that year, at home.

In 2007 Romo's interception was a last ditch heave into the endzone when Dallas had little choice. It is so far his only turnover in 2 playoff attempts. There were many, many things that went wrong in this game, and Romo's play wasn't one of them (Andre Gurode's snapping problems, just to name one.)

Yes, last year's regular season finale was a dud, and Romo was a big part of it. He also played hurt, along with most of the team. Corey Proctor and a one-armed Flo on the left side. No healthy safeties and only half our corners. No Felix or Barber. No Deon Anderson. No McBriar to help pin the Eagles deep. Austin, Hurd were gone and Roy played with a plantar injury. Last year's team limped into that game.

No revisionist history here. Romo's playoff appearances haven't been the stuff of legend, but they haven't been the reason for the team's defeat, and this is something that a Peyton or Eli can't say has they marched into turnovers galore in their first forays into the playoff picture. There's a great many other quarterbacks that didn't have instant success in the playoffs either.

Rhino, Bayou... calm down on Tony Romo, yes he has had his moments but 2 playoff appearances in 3 years is alot better than 7-9 6-10 we were used to before his time. Statistically he is one of the top 5 QB's in the league, can't dwell on the past forever. I have no idea how you can say the play of Tony Romo is surprising considering he has put up good numbers in each of his 3 years as a starter. Do you think that Russell, Delhomme, Freeman, Campbell or any of the other sub-par QB's that make up half of the NFL would do a better job as the Cowboys QB? I think every football fan who knows anything about the game of football knows the answer to that is a resounding NO. Obviously you have some kind of grudge on Romo, did he not sign an autograph for you or something? I do think not having the distractions of TO will greatly benefit Romo and you will see a playoff win this year. As far as playing with a "fire" it doesn't take a player yelling at his teammates or being vocal to be a leader. Just because you do not see it as a fan does not mean that everybody in the locker room who practice and play with him do not see it. What the team thinks is what matters, not the opinion of some fan looking in from the outside.

No one every said Romo is an instant hall of famer but stats from his 3 years as being the full time starter is hard to upset about.

10,000 yards passing
76 td's
250+ yards a game
QB rating of 95

Not too shabby if you ask me.

The only way to have a fully successful season is to win the Super Bowl. Every year 20 teams don't even make the playoffs. Of the 12 who do make it, 11 of them will end their season with a loss. History DOES matter. How many championships your team has won is the only measure of their historical success. All things being equal, you would expect any given team to win a championship once every 32 years on the average. Since the modern (read Super Bowl) era of the NFL began, there have been 43 Super Bowls played and the Cowboys have won 5 of them - 160 years worth of world championships.

Most teams suffer far worse droughts than Cowboys fans have survived. The Saints, for instance, have had 42 consecutive years of drought. Cowboys fans may very well suffer their 14th consecutive year of World Championship drought later this year and chances are Saint fans will suffer their 43rd consecutive year of drought. May not turn out that way, but odds are that it will. Either way we will all survive.

YOU have no idea what is going on under the towel!

So you can change the rules..... You can't "un-wussify" by simply winning. Your either a wuss or not. You can't determine a wuss by the month he wins more games or not.

Even if a player does cry ....SO WHAT!? Crying has nothing to do with it. It shows passion for something. Desire to succeed at all costs. You don't see him crying with broke finger or ribs. He showed toughness there when he had to.

You can go ahead and jump off the wagon. Romo is Romo, like it or not and he is the QB of the Dallas Cowboys!