Cowboys QB Mailbag

OK- Long story short. I got 246 Cowboys emails in the last 24 hours. Let’s say I spend 90 seconds on each one, that would put me at well over 6 hours to return them. I can’t do it. But, I can make the mail the lion’s share of my blog today. Therefore, if you have an answer already from me, enjoy. Otherwise, I hope your email appears here, or someone else’s email is close enough to yours. I tried to read them all, but I still have some semblance of a life. Sort of. Here it goes with my answers in italics:

The Romo/Bledsoe/Parcells/MNF mailbag

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Tell me about the rabbits, Sports Sturm.

So I think it's about time to see what the Mavs are going to do this season. The Cowboys look like they've decided to finish 3rd this year in the division.

Sigh...

Jay

I wish I could argue with you, Jay. This looks really bad. I am happy the Ticket sends us to the Super Bowl regardless of the Cowboys.
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I think the season will turn out the same way with either Bledsoe or Romo. One is incompetent and the other is young. The only question is which one you want to fail with.

Kevin Hugghins

I think they both may be incompetent, Kevin. But, one is young. He’s got that going for him…which is nice.
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Romo or Bledsoe? Either one, same result - mediocrity.

At least Romo has a potential upside. Bledsoe seems like a good guy,
he seems like a stand up guy but he is what he is and he isn't going to get any better.

I am not saying that Romo is the next great Cowboy QB, but I am
saying that Blesdoe is definitely not, and this team is obviously still a work in progress.

Later,
Mike

Mike, this is what I hear from everyone. Bledsoe is not the guy, Romo could be the guy. Based on what? What have we honestly seen from Romo to indicate he may be the guy, other than the fact that he has remained employed for 4 years? Trust me, I think the kid has something, but that may mean he could be a fine backup and then work his way into being a QB coach down the road. To suggest he could be the next great QB is wishful thinking based on the idea that any player in pro football who has not reached the age of 30 could be the next superstar if given a chance. While that is mathematically possible, it is not bloody likely. How do we know Nate Jones is not the next Deion Sanders if we don’t play him? How do we know that Tyson Thompson isn’t Gale Sayers? Skylar Green? The point here is that youth is a great trait, but it doesn’t make someone good. There are young people everywhere. Matt Baker is the next QB on the Cowboys radar. And how do we know he isn’t Tom Brady?

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I'm not a Parcells hater at all....but yanking Bledsoe at halftime was a huge mistake. I think even Big Bill will acknowledge that. You're down 5. You get the ball to start the 2nd half...Bledsoe knows he made a horrible throw to Glenn...better chance that he nuts up and does something on that 1st drive than hand it to a guy who cant even be called a journeyman. I mean if Bledsoe has a bad 1st or 2nd series in the 2nd half...and the Giants score to take a commanding lead...THAN maybe, maybe, maybe you make a change. I think panic mode set in.

Ahhhhh, the Parcells hating Dallas media (Rhyner, Dale, Galloway)...this is Christmas in October

What the heck was Parcells thinking??

I wish the Parcells hating media was wrong. I am starting to wonder.

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It is not T.O. though...and it is not Bledsoe...it is the freaking offensive line. I swear, the lingerie bowl girls could have sacked Bledsoe last night. I had a Pop Warner football team that could own that O-line. I stopped watching when Bledsoe threw the interception at the end of the first half, they were done in the first quarter. I would rather watch the final week of the Rangers season on TIVO than to waste my time watching a bunch of over paid pussies get blown off the line time after time after time.

Kevin Conrad

OK, look: There is nothing that would make you watch the final week of the Rangers season on Tivo. Let’s not even joke like that, Kevin.
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Hi Bob,

Positioning statement: I am neither a Bledsoe lover or hater, that being said...

Even though pulling Bledsoe was a drastic move, couldn't it be looked at like a hockey coach pulling his goalie? When Turco gets yanked, there's no doubt (excluding injury) that he'll go back in the next game. I don't know why sitting Bledsoe, because of a shelling, means that he's
done for the year. Is it just a football thing that when the QB gets pulled, that's it, no more of this guy?

What about when a Ranger pitcher gets pulled when he sucks (wait a sec, that's every night)? Or when Avery benches a starter in the first couple minutes for not "geeting yawr hainds up"?

Just wanted to touch the football page with the hockey page...

bye,

Jason Bang

I do think pulling a QB is different. But, I have a real hard time believing this was a strict “performance-based” pulling from the Giants game alone. It looks like a bigger picture statement from Parcells to me that says he has seen enough of Drew Bledsoe, and does not wish to see more.

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Bob –
The change needed to be made and I agree with the Tuna’s call. I imagine Bill felt if the team is going to play like crap anyway we might as well see what the kid has got? I feel Romo has a bigger upside potential than Bledsoe. We need to know if he is the one. With ten games left we should have a pretty good idea. If this season goes down the drain so be it. We were headed down there anyway with this offensive line. Aikman was punished game after game when he came in and turned out to be a hall of fame player. I’m not saying that Romo is Aikman, but he deserves a chance these last ten games to prove himself. It’s the risk / reward thing. He’s worth the risk if he turns out to be our starting QB next year.
P1 from Day 1

John Irving, Texas

He deserves it? By default maybe. There is no “deserve” in pro sports. You may never get your chance. If you do, it may last 1 game. It falls to him to seize the moment, and 3 interceptions in 30 minutes is not seizing it. But he certainly does not deserve 10 games to demonstrate his ability to play at this level.

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Dearest Sportsy Radio Humans,

As an unfortunate Foreskins fan, the only joy left in my NFL life is Cowboys failure and the next day's gloom and doom on The Ticket. I've enjoyed all day (even listened to Norm), but your show has been the cherry on top of my sundae of post-Cowboys-loss delight. Even I couldn't have anticipated the depth of the Cowboys despair you would send across the airwaves today. It has made my day, and I love you both.

Failure and frustation to the Cowboys,
Roger Smith

Glad we could help you, Roger.
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Bob,

Tony Romo was a disaster last night!!!!!

I am positive you are too intelligent to argue that he showed some promise last night as others around the country claim (due to inflated passing yards). The yards were heavily skewed by a few big gains in which Romo threw into multiple coverages but was bailed out by impressive catches by Glenn, Owens, and Witten.

Which brings me to the BRUTAL interceptions. What in the world was he looking at? On the screen, he was locked in on the RB and still threw it to him even though two Giants were embattled in a blocking battle with Jones.

Usually, on a tipped ball you give the QB some leniency, but Romo threw the ball at the guys chest!

I vaguely remember you saying in July that if the Cowboys had to go to Romo the season was over. Well, its over!

Please provide hope to a frustrated Cowboys fan that already was forced to move to Phily in July!

Jason M. Mallory, PhD

Let’s not forget the Offensive Lines role in all of this. There is no QB who was going to succeed behind those 5 matadors.
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The sky has fallen, the season is over, the Romo experiment has begun, oh no! Funny, couple of years ago the media was calling for Drew Henson, to see if that ex-pitcher could play, and everyone said Big Bill was an idiot for not finding out about the guy. Now, it’s reversed! Maybe you guys should give a HOF coach the benefit of the doubt. Let’s just suppose that Big Bill already new what Henson could do, seen any other takers on that gem? A cardinal rule of coaching is if your older player, (in this case a 34 year old immobile Drew Bledsoe who is a class act, but cannot operate behind our current line) is only as good as a younger player, a 26 year old inexperienced Romo, than you go younger and find out what you have like everyone wanted when Vinny was here. Oh, and don’t tell me the season is over now b/c we benched our experienced 50 year veteran who still makes decisions like a young Brett Favre. It isn’t gonna get any worse than it was…
Bob, I love your takes, I love your show, but if you watched the first 5 and a half games of this season and thought they were going to the playoffs with Bledsoe, to steal your line, “Your Freakin” Nuts!!!” I don’t know if Romo will suck as bad as you think, or be as great as some myopic fans think he will, but he’ll do as well as Bledsoe.
Sincerely,
Get on With the Future
So you know what to draft for ‘07

For the record, I never wanted to see Henson. I had a pretty good idea that Chutch, Henson, and even Quincy couldn’t play based on my “if they choose baseball over football, there was a reason – they were not as good at football” theory. And, I know this may cause people to cuss me, but yes, I do think with reasonable OL play, Drew Bledsoe could help this team get to 9 or 10 wins. It is not like he has never accomplished that.
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Hey BaD Radio:

I keep hearing the bashing of those of us who have been calling for Tony Romo. We are not saying that Tony Romo is better than Drew Bledsoe (we're not that delusional), we are saying is that if we already know (which we do) that Bledsoe is not taking this team any farther than we have been the last several years, why prolong the agony? Regardless of the offensive line (which I agree has major issues), we have stuck with Bledsoe for years and have not moved one iota from where we have been. Remember the saying, it's easier to fire a coach than it is is to fire the players, the same thing applies to quarterbacks...it's easier to fire the quarterback than the entire offensive line.

The fact is...when Tony Romo throws 3 interceptions in a game, of course we're still mad but in the back of our minds, we know that he is new, he's learning and he'll get better. When Bledsoe throws 3 interceptions in a game, we all know that this is as good as it gets. He has been in the league over 13 years and he is who he is and he's not getting any better. A few years ago when the Giants started Eli Manning, we felt so superior because we were the better team and we were winning more games; but we failed to understand that they were planning for the future while we were walking in quicksand. Now, here we are years later and they are steadily moving forward and we are still walking in quicksand.

Our message is not that Romo is better, it's that if Romo is indeed the future of this organization, then let's quit managing mediocrity and start planning for the future of this team!
Best,
P-1 Dvorah

That is the rub. We don’t know that he is the future of the organization. What team has ever declared an un-drafted QB as their future before he has started one game? This is a total shot in the dark based on default. He is the other QB on the roster. He did not win the job. I like the kid, and wish him well, but I think many have this thing confused. Eli Manning was the #1 pick in the draft. 90% of NFL Personnel experts thought he was the best player in the draft. There is a very, very short list of undrafted QBs who have been successful in the NFL. Kurt Warner and Jeff Garcia beat the system for a few years before they fizzled, and Jake Delhomme is another. But the odds are very similar to your odds of winning the powerball.

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Bob...it sounds like to me you made the dumb "National Media" type statement. "Romo had multiple interception games during the preseason". Of course, in additional to the whole game he played, I assume the rest of his playing time came against 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc....cut players. But, look at his stats below:

http://www.nfl.com/stats/leaders/NFL/PYDS/2006/pre


Furthermore, wasn't on the play Tony Romo bandwagon BUT, I was on the wagon saying that a "seasoned" veteran QB such as Bledsoe shouldn't be making the idiot goal line interceptions and taking the dumb sacks.........I do agree that the O-LINE, Fasano and J.Jones need to block better.....Marion Barber should have been in the game earlier....he is a better back than J.J. right now. I also agree that some of the interceptions are the WR's fault.

Bottom line is that if Bledsoe is going to make those mistakes then I'd rather have a young QB (with potential upside) making them with a hope towards the future...if you know what I mean. I've been listening to a Denver station (for Fantasy purposes) and all they talk about is Cutler and Plummer and if Shanahan is dumbing down the offense because he doesn't trust Plummer or if Plummer just can't make the plays. Furthermore, it sounds like the report is true that if Plummer plays bad and/or can't beat Indy or Pitt. that Cutler will get some playing time because if Plummer can't beat those teams now he's not going to beat them in the playoffs or enough of those type of teams to make it to the Bowl.

The season is not down the drain....yet....give Romo a couple of weeks....maybe they'll give him some playoff experience.....SEE Big Ben.....I'm not saying that is going to happen but it is a possibility.

You can't blame it all on Bledsoe but the Coach at least wants a bus driver he can trust.

P.S. I called the 1st Romo interception before it happened....ask my wife......

Go Cowboys....

Anthony

I was fired up so I may have mis-spoke, but my point was that he threw multiple interceptions in the preseason, not that he threw multiple interceptions in multiple games this preseason. I believe his TD/INT was a very average 3/3-

And the only thing Big Ben and Tony Romo have in common is that they are both humans. Otherwise, one was a top 11 pick and the other was undrafted after 250 picks.

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I found out this afternoon Parcells lives in an apartment in Las Colinas. Tell me he is going to be here another year or two WHEN THE GUY RENTS AN APARTMENT.

Gone.
Robb

I now forecast an 80% chance of retirement at the end of 2006
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That fat piece of crap Parcells is the reason for this. Quit bagging on the defense. If anyone played out there as much as they did, they would be worn out also. The problem is with the offense and the dumbass playcalling. Thank you, Bill Parcells. Yeah he needs to shop for groceries and thats it. The game has passed him by as a playcaller. It sucks. He is not a progressive guy. He is a happy in misery guy.

Lest we forget Philadaelphia, driving for a tie and Bledsoe screws up.Lose by 14, but it was not that big (14 pts) of a diff.

New York, 1 st Half driving for a score to take the lead Bledsoe screwed up.
New York. 2nd half driving for a TD Romo screws up.
We only lost by 14 points with that dumbass interception.

If we win out in the Division, we have the tiebreaker over anyone if Philly loses one more.

Just look at the stats .
NY 328
Dal 379

The sky is not falling, Bledsoe will start next week. But the playcalling has to get better

UT
Scott

How tired was the defense on the first drive of the game? And did you just claim to me that since the Cowboys outgained the Giants that things weren’t so bad Monday night? Wow. Enjoy your bong

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THESE ARE MY OPINIONS AND I'M STICKING TO THEM (AT LEAST UNTIL I'M PROVEN WRONG, AT WHICH TIME I'LL DENY THEM).

WHAT A MESS? I'VE ABOUT HAD IT WITH THESE COWBOYS. FOR THE LAST 46 YEARS, I HAVE BEEN THE MOST LOYAL COWBOY FAN POSSIBLE. I HAVE ENDURED ALL THE HIGHS AND LOWS AND STAYED TRUE. AFTER LAST NIGHT, I'M ABOUT READY TO START PULLING AGAINST AMERICA'S TEAM. GOD MUST HAVE HELD HIS HEAD IN SHAME AFTER THE SPECTACLE LAST NIGHT.

WE NOW HAVE AN OVER-THE-HILL COACH, AN OVER-EXPOSED QUARTERBACK (PROBABLY ON THE BENCH), AN OVER-THE-TOP RECEIVER WHO CAN'T SPELL TEAM, AN IN-OVER-THEIR-HEADS OFFENSIVE LINE AND AN OVER-RATED NEW QUARTERBACK, WHICH THE FANS OF DALLAS DESERVE. I WAS GETTING SICK AND TIRED OF ROMO SUCKING UP TO T.O. EVERY TIME THEY WERE ON THE SIDELINE TOGETHER ANYWAY. LET'S SEE HOW MUCH THEY LOVE EACH OTHER NOW THAT THEY ARE ON THE FIELD TOGETHER ALL THE TIME.

I THINK THAT, LIKE JIMMY JOHNSON, IN MIAMI THAT PARCELLS IS STILL LIVING OFF HIS LAURELS FROM THE PAST. HE HASN'T KEPT UP WITH THE MODERN NFL. DREW BLEDSOE IS WHAT HE IS AND JERRY JONES AND PARCELLS KNEW THAT WHEN HE WAS BROUGHT HERE AND INSTEAD OF DRAFTING AND SIGNING GOOD OFFENSIVE LINEMEN, THEY CONCENTRATED ON BRINGING IN HAS-BEENS LIKE MARCO RIVERA AND NEVER-WERES LIKE KYLE KOSIER. THEY DRAFTED NON-FACTORS LIKE CARPENTER AND FASANO INSTEAD OF BIG OFFENSIVE LINEMEN. I DON'T SEE HOW ANYONE CAN FAULT BLEDSOE TOO MUCH. HE'S DOING WHAT HE'S ALWAYS DONE. THIS LINE COULDN'T BLOCK FOR ENNIS HIGH SCHOOL.

THE FANS IN DALLAS DESERVE WHATEVER THEY GET. THEY ARE MOSTLY A GROUP OF WHINY, UNINFORMED SPORTS FANS WHO WOULD BACK THE DEVIL AND HITLER IF THEY COULD BRING WINS TO DALLAS.

I DON'T DISAGREE WITH BENCHING BLEDSOE, BUT I BELIEVE THAT THE ENTIRE OFFENSIVE LINE SHOULD ALSO BE BENCHED. I DON'T THINK ROMO IS THE ANSWER EITHER. ALL THOSE YEARS OF STRIVING TO WIN 5 GAMES FOR THE SEASON COST THE COWBOYS SOME GOOD DRAFT CHOICES, ALTHOUGH I'M NOT SURE PARCELLS AND JONES COULD DETERMINE GOOD TALENT IF IT WERE IN FRONT OF THEM.

I WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH, BUT NOW I AM HOPING THAT THE COWBOYS LOSE THE REST OF THEIR GAMES AND THAT OWENS WON'T CATCH ANOTHER PASS, BLEDSOE WILL RETIRE, ROMO WILL FALL ON HIS FACE, PARCELLS WILL BE FIRED AND JONES WILL SELL THE TEAM.

THANKS FOR LETTING ME VENT.

ALL CAPS MAKE ME FEEL LIKE YOU ARE YELLING AT ME. Congrats on the first Hitler reference on the blog in a long time.
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Your rant to begin the show is spot on for me. I felt the exact same way last night. I was thinking the Cowboys had a chance to be 4-2, in first place and real in charge of their destiny. I was not buying the nonsense from the announcers for getting rid of Bledsoe for getting sacked because the right side of the offensive line and Jason Witten and Fasano had a complete inability to block anyone.

When Bledsoe threw the interception in the endzone, I made a note to myself, that Romo would start the second half, and I was not really in a position to fight it. It was a brain-dead mistake by Bledsoe, but I accepted the Romo fans were going to win out. I also noted that it was a make-or-break moment. If he succeeded, the team would roll. If it failed, the season was over. No turning back, no looking to next week, no holding your chin up.

As you said, it got ugly fast and was just a huge mess. This team has so many issues that go beyond the QB that it doesn't matter who was back there, and in hindsight putting Romo in was probably a very bad move because it is something you can't ever take back. The offensive line
still sucks. The tight ends still can't block. Bill Parcells still cut the only fullback on the team. I don't understand an offense where we have 5 tightends who can't block and no fullback. It is dumb. Especially since none of the tightends have been catching the ball this year.

Finally... The B&D curse is real. You guys killed Drew Bledsoe. You
Bastards.

Trust me. That curse is now recognized and in my head. On the other hand, how great was Bledsoe last year? Bo and Jim are to blame for 2005.
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Sturm,

Is it just me or are some people just dumb? Why is it that fans are screaming for Romo? He had a great pre-season, but so what. Defenses in the pre-season aren't breaking out all of their complex schemes and blitz pacakages. They are saving those for the regular season. Romo is going to get annialated if he starts the rest of the season. Bledsoe hasn't been that good, but the offensive line is HORRIBLE! I think the coaching is horrible too. I don't think the coaching staff has done a real good job of putting this team in a position to win some of these games. Romo may be the long term answer for the Cowboys, but not this season. And waiting in the wings is Terrell Owens. He is just a time bomb. If Romo starts the rest of the season and the Cowboys go in the crapper, T.O. is going to explode and it will be even uglier than it already is. Later.

Trey

Owens is clearly the interesting factor in this whole mess. Do you think he will afford Tony Romo the proper respect in the huddle and on the sideline? What about in the media? This could get out of hand on Sunday with another nationally televised Terrell Show.

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Bob,

You know, before he got here, Bledsoe was so much more mobile and a good decision-maker in the pocket. And Kyle Kosier and Marco Colombo were really solid blockers. And Roy Williams heretofore has been a dependable cover guy.

Oh, wait. Bledsoe has ALWAYS been an immobile statue who holds the ball way too long and makes the knuckleheaded play at critical times. And Kosier and Colombo were low quality journeymen who couldn't hang on in a league starving for quality offensive linemen. And Roy Williams has never been able to cover anyone. Ever. Anywhere.

But the Teflon Tuna (a) brought Bledsoe here just a year ago and now acts surprised that the guy is doing what he has always done, (b) ignored the OL position in the last two drafts and instead chosen to go with a patchwork collection of castoffs, but acts surprised when journeymen play like journeymen, and (c) stubbornly keeps Williams in a position he is incapable of playing and doesn't bother trying to find a safety who can cover. In light of these facts, why are we even remotely surprised about what's on the field?

As Parcells so frequently says, you are what you are. And, at the end of the day, Dallas is exactly what Parcells created: a patchwork collection of washed-up "Parcells" guys, other teams' castoffs, ill-fitting parts playing out of position and "wing and a prayer" gambles like Romo. That's a recipe for mediocrity and, well, that's what we've got.

Dave in Tulsa

A-freaking-men to that last paragraph. It is a sad state of affairs around here right now
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How many 6’2”quarterbacks that don’t have the talent of Joe Montana have reasonable success in this league? There has to be a reason for that… and I don’t know how Romo would be any different than the unsuccessful ones.

We are about to find out, but I fear the outcome of this one.
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You can’t win with a rookie quarterback? I guess the Chargers have no chance this season? I guess my Rams didn’t get beat by Brady? Romo has been groomed, and Peter King needs to be credited for calling this in the preseason. This team with that line was going nowhere with Bledsoe so why not take a chance?

Joseph LaCroix

Before we canonize Peter King, could someone remind me who he had in the Super Bowl? Oh yeah, Dallas. What a genius. I love the guy, too, but c’mon. As for Phillip Rivers, once again, he was the #4 pick in the 2004 draft. Highly thought of. And Tom Brady is the Terrell Davis of QB’s. Somehow he snuck through 200 teams on draft day. Lightning struck. It can happen again. Maybe.

So there you have it. Now, I am throwing my computer away.