CBS SportsLine.com pro football writers Pete Prisco and Clark Judge face off weekly throughout the season.
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Is Tony Romo-mania premature or is this guy going to be the next great QB? |
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| Pete Prisco | Clark Judge |
It's not premature. He's a player. Romo has that "it" feeling to
his game. It seems he knows what to do and when to do it. He sees
the field, he feels pressure and he has that ability to move
around in the pocket to get away from that pressure. When he
throws, he has an almost Brett Favre-like motion, although his arm
isn't that good. Romo's teammates, including Terrell Owens, have
taken to him as well. That's a big thing for a young quarterback.
I don't know if he's on his way to being a superstar. It's way too
early for that. But from what I've seen -- and I've watched all of
his starts and saw the Colts game live -- I think he has a chance
to be a Pro Bowl passer. That's pretty damn good for a guy who was
not drafted. Once again, it backs up one of my big beliefs about
playing this position: If a guy can see the field and gets the
ball out on time, he can succeed. Romo is doing that, but let's
see it over the course of an entire season before we anoint him
the next great quarterback.
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It's premature. There's no question he's an improvement -- and a
large one -- for the Cowboys at this position. He can move. He can
throw on the run. And he keeps Terrell Owens happy. But to anoint
him as "the next great quarterback" is unfair. It's unfair to him
and it's unfair to the handful of QBs you would characterize as
great. Romo started five games, for crying out loud. Sure, the
signs are encouraging. He fought back from a halftime deficit
against Carolina and won there, and beating then-undefeated
Indianapolis was huge. But a scout I trust told me that what's
going on with the Cowboys is more about who surrounds Romo than it
is the QB -- and he compared the situation to what Ben
Roethlisberger fell into at Pittsburgh. That's not a knock on
Romo. He's a perfect fit for this offense, much as Big Ben is in
Pittsburgh. "But," said the scout, "if he played for Arizona we
wouldn't be talking about what a great quarterback he is."
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Will Jay Cutler have the same impact for Denver as the Romo move did for Dallas? |
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| Pete Prisco | Clark Judge |
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No, it won't. There's a big difference. This is Romo's fourth year
in the league. So even though he didn't play, he learned a lot
from watching. Cutler has been watching for all of 11 games.
That's not enough. He played well in the preseason. But reading
coverage in the preseason is like studying second-grade math. In
the regular season it's like trigonometry. That's a big step up in
terms of the mental game. Cutler has the tools to be a good
quarterback. He has the arm. He has the swagger, but when it comes
to making the right reads -- well, this isn't Vanderbilt. He will
struggle with that early. The Broncos will try to protect him with
the running game and simple reads, but at some point they have to
let him loose. That may not come until next season. I'm not really
sure about this move for Denver right now. Mike Shanahan lost
confidence in Jake Plummer, but how much does he have in a rookie
quarterback? This could be a move that backfires on the genius
coach, especially if they don't make the playoffs.
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Doubtful, and here's why: Jay Cutler doesn't have as much talent
around him as Tony Romo does. Denver's offensive line is in flux.
The Broncos can't run the ball; they can't stop the run. In a
nutshell: It's not the Denver club we saw the first half of the
season. This is a descending team, which is why Mike Shanahan made
the move. He didn't want to consider a change at QB until next
summer, but I think he believed he had nothing to lose. Let's face
it: Denver's not going to win the division. So the Broncos are
looking at a wild card, at best. I think Shanahan figures he makes
the move now because deep down he knows he doesn't have the team
to make a Super Bowl run, and because he knows it helps the
Broncos and Cutler to get him experience now. Romo has terrific
receivers and two solid running backs. He also has a reliable
defense. Cutler has one wide receiver, an injured Tatum Bell and a
defense that is backpedaling. No, I wouldn't expect similar
results; there's nothing similar about the situations.
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Name two assistants fans might not know who could get head-coaching interviews after the season. |
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| Pete Prisco | Clark Judge |
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Even though I'm an offensive guy at heart, I'll go with two
defensive coaches. One is Jaguars coordinator Mike Smith.
The other is Ravens coordinator Rex Ryan. Smith has done an
amazing job with the Jags defense. They are ranked third in the
league in total defense, which is incredible since they lost
Reggie Hayward, their best pass rusher, in the first week with a
torn Achilles, and middle linebacker Mike Peterson has been out
the past six weeks with a torn pectoral muscle that has him on IR.
In addition, Marcus Stroud has missed a lot of time and Donovin
Darius is now out for the season. Smith has kept this thing
together and he doesn't get the due he deserves. Ryan is another
guy whose defense is playing at a high level, ranked second
overall. His attacking, get-after-it schemes are perfect for his
fast unit. He attacks from all angles, which causes confusion for
offensive lines and quarterbacks. The son of former NFL head coach
and defensive guru Buddy Ryan, Rex believes in a lot of the same
principles as his father -- which includes attacking the QB. I
love that type of defense. Smart teams will take a look at both of
these guys when it comes time to hire head coaches in January.
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One is New Orleans defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs. For
all the attention paid the Saints offense -- and justifiably so --
look at what's going on with a defense that was supposed to be
abominable. It's in the middle of the pack, ranked 17th overall,
with the sixth-rated pass defense. Gibbs has the background. He
played at Oklahoma and later coached there, including as the head
coach. He was so good as a linebackers coach with Dallas, he was
retained by Bill Parcells after the Cowboys fired Dave Campo.
Gibbs works hard. He's detailed. And he's poised under pressure.
Plus, as a former player, he understands the locker room. Another
guy I'd consider is Philadelphia quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmur.
The nephew of Fritz Shurmur, Pat has a background similar to coach
Andy Reid. He has experience coaching offensive linemen and tight
ends and now schools the Eagles quarterbacks. I will never forget
what he and the club accomplished in 2002 when they lost Donovan
McNabb for six games. They won five of six with Koy Detmer and
A.J. Feeley, and, yeah, I think that's a reflection of the coach.
All I know is Shurmur looks like another Reid waiting to happen,
and that's good enough for me.
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