Tony Romo or Dak Prescott? A New Take On The Quarterback Debate

When Tony Romo is 100 percent ready to play, there should be no doubt about the Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback job for several reasons.

Aug 19, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) and quarterback Tony Romo (9) talk during the pregame warmups against the Miami Dolphins at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys (5-1) have exceeded all expectations when it comes to how the team has performed without starting quarterback Tony Romo.

Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott deserves a lot of credit for working hard to be prepared for each opponent that the Cowboys have faced to this point. He says that the way he studies film and works to master the game plan each week is why he is so confident during games.

It also helps having an experienced quarterback like Romo on the sideline that is readily available to point out things that he is noticing in between offensive possessions. That is what a good teammate does.

Prescott’s play through six games has made him one of the hottest stories in all of sports, let alone the NFL, so far this season. He has completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 1,486 yards and seven touchdowns with only one interception. He has averaged an impressive 8.7 yards per pass attempt and has a passer rating of 103.9. Dak has also added three rushing touchdowns to his staggering statistics.

Dak has done everything you could ever hope a backup quarterback could do while Tony Romo has been out with a fractured vertebrae in his back. He has been playing winning football, converting third downs, and putting points on the board. Above that, he has done a great job when it comes to taking care of the football and minimizing mistakes.

The original expectation for Romo’s return to action was for him to be back following the Week 7 bye to take on the division rival Philadelphia Eagles. Well, Week 8 is here and it has been confirmed that Romo is not ready to go yet.

However, Romo has participated in two practices this week and is getting closer and closer to being game ready. Dak’s ability to win games has been a blessing for both the team and Romo’s recovery. Too often in Romo’s career, he has felt tremendous pressure to get back as soon as possible whenever he has suffered an injury due to the fact that the Cowboys simply couldn’t win without him leading the offense.

Now the pressure is a little bit different. The pressure now, is coming from national media outlets suggesting that there is a quarterback controversy brewing in Dallas.

The majority of football fans, and even Cowboys fans, across the globe feel that Prescott has earned the right to remain the starter. Most would say that it would be foolish to turn away from the stellar rookie while momentum is still going strong.

A lot of fans say that they should roll with Dak until he makes crucial mistakes to lose a game. Even former Cowboys players and analysts have claimed that they should ride this thing out with Prescott under center even when Romo returns.

I am here to tell you, that was never in the plans and likely will never be in the plans.

There are plenty of reasons why.

Aug 25, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) passes against the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Dak Prescott has done a tremendous job holding down the fort and managing the offense while Romo has been out.

Prescott has proven that he can be the franchise quarterback of the future, and that should make Cowboys fans feel relieved and excited for the years to come.

But as Dak has said time and time again, “This is Tony’s team”.

The 2014 Dallas Cowboys had extremely similar personnel and a similar offensive identity to what the 2016 Cowboys have.

They are running the football at an elite level, boasting the NFL’s leading rusher. They are converting first downs at the highest rate in the NFL. They are dominating time of possession which is keeping the defense fresh.

If you recall, Tony Romo finished second in the NFL MVP voting for the 2014 season. He threw 34 touchdowns and only 9 interceptions, the majority of those coming in the first three weeks of the year.

Romo had one of the five best passer ratings for one season in NFL history in 2014.

While Dak has taken the safe play more often than not and is being smart with the football, there have been many instances where if he would have gone through progressions a little bit faster, he would have seen a bigger play. He may have completed a pass for a first down, but there is a potential touchdown with a receiver being wide open further down the field on the other side and Dak doesn’t even notice.

That is not knocking what Dak has done, as he is a fourth round draft pick and a rookie that is absolutely going to improve over time. To put it simply, Tony Romo is finding those touchdown passes instead of settling for the first down.

It would tremendously benefit Prescott to see Tony operate in this offense and learn from both the good and bad decisions that Romo can make at times.

And more often than not, Romo is going to make the good play rather than the bad.

Tony is the better quarterback right now, if he is 100 percent healthy. And once he is ready, you should fully expect to see number 9 out there with Dak on the sideline.

Jul 29, 2016, Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones (left) and owner Jerry Jones at press conference at the River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Tony Romo is going to get his starting job back, no matter what your opinion or belief is.

One of the strongest reasons being that the Cowboys front office needs to know if Tony has anything left after countless injuries, for business decisions that will be coming next spring.

Romo’s salary cap hit this season is 20.5 million dollars, but next year his cap hit will be almost 25 million.

The year after that, his cap number is actually over 25 million.

With the injuries that Romo has suffered in 2015 and in the preseason of this year, there is no telling whether or not he will be worth those cap prices in the coming years.

If Tony is fully healthy and 100 percent, he is absolutely worth those cap numbers if his previous performance levels are an indication of what he will be when he is back playing.

And if he isn’t the same guy when he returns, it is better to find that out before he eats up 50 million dollars of cap space in the next two seasons.

The best way to know if Tony will be the elite quarterback that deserves that money, is for him to play in a balanced offense that has previously performed at a high level in his absence.

If Romo and the Cowboys struggle, they know that there will be a tough decision that they will have to make in spring of 2017.

If that is what happens, albeit that is not what I expect to happen, Romo will likely be released at that time.

It will cost the Cowboys 10 million dollars in 2017 and 8 million in 2018, meaning they will save 32 million dollars of cap space in the next two seasons if they release him.

Jerry Jones loves Tony Romo and believes in him unequivocally. He believes that Romo can lead this team to a championship and there is no way that Tony doesn’t get that opportunity.

But aside from believing he is the one to lead them to the title this year, the Cowboys need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Romo can no longer play before they move on from him.

Jan 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) throws a pass against the Green Bay Packers in the first quarter in the 2014 NFC Divisional playoff football game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Make no mistake about it, the Cowboys offense was built around Tony Romo’s strengths and was put together with the intent of giving Romo what he needs to win a championship.

The offensive line has been built up to be the premier blocking group in the NFL, and that was done entirely to protect Romo and promote offensive balance.

Jerry Jones decided to pay wide receiver Dez Bryant 70 million dollars in five years because he is a game changing playmaker, especially when Romo is throwing him the ball.

Ezekiel Elliott was the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, not only to run the football at an elite level but also to be a top notch pass protector that can keep the pocket clean for Romo.

Head coach Jason Garrett has been building this offense around Tony Romo for a decade. Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan has been here for a few years and he has built a playbook around things that Tony Romo does well.

While Dak Prescott has done a terrific job in executing the game plans that the team has instilled, he has certainly been limited to running a basic group of plays including play action passes and naked bootlegs.

Prescott also can do a few things that Romo can’t, such as running the read option and those naked bootlegs don’t normally make it into the game plan when Romo is in the game.

Romo’s understanding of the game is light years ahead of where Prescott is at this current time, and that is not up for debate. Romo’s grasp on the playbook that was built for him means that in theory, he should be able to execute at an even higher level than Dak has been able to through the first six games.

It makes plenty of sense that many people feel that Dak should remain the starter, but no matter what happens tomorrow night against the Eagles, this coaching staff and front office are going to play Tony Romo when he is ready.

If Romo gets in the game and ends up getting hurt or proves to be ineffective, those that are in belief that Dak should be playing will get their wish.

But if Romo comes in and takes the offense to another level, the Cowboys will be Super Bowl favorites in the NFC.

It is a win-win situation.