I'm writing an article on the Cowboys for a college class- what do you think?

[Big C]

In my media class, I am writing an article on media blame and image repair.

I chose Tony Romo as my subject.

I want you guys to see this (ClintEastwoodFan, you're a Cowboys fan).

Assigning Blame in Sports

One of the trademarks of media in our society is to finger-point when something goes terribly wrong. One area where it seems this happens a lot is in the world of sports, when athletes underachieve below their high expectations or make a boneheaded mistake during the actual game. There are many factors that goes into this- what happened, why the player or team is blamed, factors leading up, and how they can repair their image or reputation for the future. These are the type of moments where a player can be transformed into either a hero or goat in a short time span

When it comes to players going from a hero to a goat in the blink of an eye, look no further than Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. In January 2007, his team was looking to kick a game-winning field goal in an NFC playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. Though he had made his name and reputation as a signal-caller, he was about to become forever immortalized for what he did as a kick-holder. Romo bobbled the snap, but then tried to pick up the ball and go for a potential first-down or winning touchdown, only to get stopped short, After all of that, the Cowboys lost 21-20. In light of all this, the devastated rookie quarterback was now facing a personal and professional career crossroads, with questions creeping into his mind. Would his career ever recover from such a catastrophic blunder in a big-time situation? Was he possibly a one-year wonder who looked good for a while that turned out to be a fraud?

Following Romo’s colossal blunder and the Cowboys’ stunning loss, the media had a field day, particularly Sports Illustrated’s writers. Tim Layden described the final sequence as “a colossal, historic mistake on a huge stage” and that this final plunge in Romo’s roller-coaster season was the equivalent of “when a star rises so swiftly and falls so tragically.” Don Banks was a lot harsher by describing the quarterback as having gone “from the Next Big Thing to Bill Buckner,” and that the moment would be something we would be asking about “twenty years from now -- no, make it 30 or maybe 40.” Michael Silver called it “a Tuna nightmare,” in reference to the nickname of then-Cowboys coach Bill Parcells. In light of failing to live up to the high expectations of the Cowboys and the lack of a playoff win for the team since 1996, it seemed as if the sky was falling on Romo.

In light of the media pointing fingers Romo for Dallas’ playoff loss, it seemed as if they were ignoring other factors that played into the team’s defeat, such as wide receiver Terry Glenn’s fumble (the team had 4 total) that turned into a safety. Given Romo’s positions as a quarterback on a glamorous big-name football franchise, the team’s lack of recent playoff success, and that the bobbled snap occurred late in a very meaningful game, it seemed understandable why most of the media singled out Romo for the team’s loss and not other members of the team. It was not the first time a young and talented quarterback bore the brunt of his team’s playoff frustrations- well-known signal-callers like Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, and Steve Young also were known for their inability to deliver in the playoffs at points in their careers (though Young and Manning did eventually win a Super Bowl, whereas Marino never did). It could be justified that the finger that was pointed at Romo is merely the latest in a long line of quarterbacks that have taken the brunt of their team’s criticism for failing in big games.

If Romo was going to try to pick up the pieces and move on with his playing career, the first step he had to do was not deflect any blame towards his teammates or make up any excuses. He did the best possible thing, and that was to take the bullet of blame himself- “I take responsibility for messing up at the end there. That’s my fault. I cost the Dallas Cowboys a playoff win, and it’s going to sit with me a long time.” This was the first step in the restoration of Romo’s image, which had been wildly up-and-down for the previous couple of months in the start of his young career.

Heading into the ill-fated playoff game, Romo had been riding the media roller coaster for the previous two months. It was one thing to be the quarterback on one of pro football’s most glamorous team, but it was quite another to have not only played as well as he did at times during his first year. It seemed too good to be true- a rags-to-riches story for the quarterback from tiny Eastern Illinois who revived a struggling Cowboys team and took them to the playoffs for the first time in three years. In addition to his performance on the field, he had been written about as a “player” off the field, for he was in a relationship with well-known singing star Carrie Underwood. However, the Cowboys headed into the playoffs on a down note, losing three of their final four games. This may have been the first sign of looming trouble, with how the media seemed to blame the Cowboys’ late-season collapse on Romo more than his teammates. A 2007 NBC Sports online article prior to the playoffs had a theory- “maybe the more Romo played, the more teams figured him out.” An ESPN.com article from that same time thought that because the Cowboys were facing defenses that were tailored to stop the then-rookie QB, he seemed to be playing too recklessly

Following the playoff debacle and admitting being responsible for the team’s latest playoff failure, Romo now had to move on and repair his reputation as a football player. One of the first things he did was try and prove that despite “dropping the ball,” he could still hold for kicks. When Romo was voted to the 2007 Pro Bowl as a quarterback, he volunteered to be the NFC’s holder on kicks. However, according to a 2008 USA Today article, he has not done it since then, for the position of kick holder on the team was soon filled by newly signed backup veteran quarterback Brad Johnson. The Cowboys felt that after what happened in the playoff game, they should let Romo stick mainly to playing quarterback and not holding field-goals.

Romo also wanted to prove that not only could he survive such a horrible blunder, but that his impressive rookie year was no fluke, and he would do just that in 2007. He led Dallas to wins in their first 5 games and 12 of their first 13 games en route to a 13-3 record and division title. Although they lost in the playoffs for the second straight year to extend the team’s drought, Romo drastically cut down on some of the rookie mistakes that had led to some self-doubt that might have played into what happened in the playoffs the previous year.

In back-to-back weeks, Romo would show just how he had improved by leaps and bounds to improve his reputation and playing career. The first moment came in late September game against St. Louis. On a play where Dallas needed three yards for a first down, Cowboys center Andre Gurode snapped the ball too high over Romo’s head. Although the QB recovered it 33 yards from the line of scrimmage, he was able to pick the ball up and not only run all the way back to where the play originally started, but get the first down to boot. This sparked Dallas to a 35-7 rout. What happened the next week against Buffalo, however, might have been more remarkable. Although he had a fumble and five interceptions (two of which led to 14 points for the opposing Bills), he refused to give up and led Dallas to a stunning comeback win with 9 points in the last 20 seconds. Overcoming such calamities played a big role in Romo’s resurgence in his image. Since then, he has done commercials for Pepsi and ESPN, which is proof that he had not only repaired his image, but boosted it to higher levels of sports superstardom.

In conclusion, it can be said that Tony Romo is a classic example of how one player can not only shoulder much of the blame for a team’s loss, but overcome it. His image as a hotshot quarterback on the rise had come under fire in light of erratic play prior to the aforementioned playoff screwup, but he was capable of overcoming all that adversity and repairing his reputation as a football player. When looking at the wacky play against the Rams, overcoming all those turnovers against the Bills, leading Dallas to their first division title in a decade, and setting numerous single-season Cowboys passing records it was clear that he had gotten over the playoff bobble. Tony Romo was not just a one-year wonder, but a truly legit NFL quarterback.

[Wreckless]

Nice article, and in depth writing- I thumbed through it here and their and it was good.

[Mr. Television]

That's a real good article. I agreed with alot of what you said. I never blamed Romo for that Seattle loss. If it wasn't for Romo the Cowboys never would have been in position to win the game anyway. And if he would have scored a TD after that botched hold, that would have went down as one of the greatest plays in Dallas Cowboys history. I wish Romo wasn't as big of a celebrity as he is....I don't think he handles the media that well and I wish he would go back to running around with the ball more. When he stays in the pocket he tends to fumble more when he gets hit. He says he changed after watching how Tom Brady does it. Well Romo is not Brady...he has to be himself. One thing is certain. I don't know how great of a QB Romo will be, but the Cowboys need him bad...and they need the Romo of the past 2 years. The Cowboys won't make the playoffs if Romo doesn't carry the team on his shoulder.