As an NFL quarterback Tony Romo is required to learn an insanely large playbook (this includes numbers, words, AND combinations of both) simply so he can call the plays that head coach offensive coordinator Jason Garrett dials up.
Romo is also required to know how to count to four, which seems reasonable enough. So you can imagine that there will be significant outrage (in fact, there already is) when people realize that this country's educational system has failed him.
This should go over well: former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon ranks the NFC East quarterbacks and he thinks Tony Romo is the best of the bunch. It's hard to get worked up about such lists since they have absolutely no bearing on how the season will unfold. But that's not the point, at least for fans of the Eagles, Giants and Redskins.
CARROLLTON, Texas -- There was a moment during Monday's minicamp practice where Cowboys wide receiver Roy Williams was wide open and didn't get the ball.
Quarterback Tony Romo missed his new lead receiver over the middle, and as a result, Williams shot Romo a look, then talked to him when the play was over.
If this had been Terrell Owens, who is now in Buffalo, there would have been a federal investigation into why and how Romo missed him.
But the facts are Williams wants the ball just as much as Owens, and isn't afraid to complain about it. The difference is that Williams will not do his complaining through the media, he will do it in private.
Wade Phillips isn't much to look at, but neither is Bill Belichick. The difference: one comes off as a grandfatherly Gomer Pyle, the other dresses like a hobo -- but has three Super Bowl rings. The point: people don't care how you clean up when you're winning.
So while the "Aw, shucks" persona is perfectly acceptable if you're running a roadside vegetable stand, it's less so as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, an outfit that last won a playoff game in 1996. Fans used to winning are fickle that way.
But according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Mac Engel, don't let Wade's cuddly exterior fool you. Despite appearances, he really does know what he's doing.
Terrell Owens, y'all, is on Twitter. Of course he is. And equally as unsurprising as Owens' presence on the social media scene is his willingness to openly discuss his time in Dallas with his fans.
For instance, as Tim MacMahon pointed out, Owens responded to a fan's statement that he (the fan) wasn't happy about the Cowboys cutting T.O. by agreeing with him. And then proceeding to point out that it was Jason Garrett and Tony Romo's fault he got the boot from Big D.
The Falcons' Matt Ryan was the Associated Press' NFL offensive rookie of the year last season. It was well deserved after completing 61.1 percent of his passes and throwing 16 touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 87.7.
But for the first three weeks of the season, Cowboys running back Felix Jones was the leader. In fact, he won all the primaries. Jones scored a touchdowns in the first three weeks of the season, including the first carry of his career at Cleveland. Jones scored on an 11-yard run, a 60-yard run, 33-yard scamper and how could we forget his 98-yard kickoff return for a score?
The Jerry Jones Cowboys are in the midst of an offseason makeover. Assistant coaches have been fired, big-named players have been released, and others have been signed to replace them, all in an effort to put the 2008 debaclement quickly in the rearview.
You might've heard that Dallas hasn't won a playoff game since 1996, and if that doesn't change next season, SI.com's Ross Tucker thinks quarterback Tony Romoshould take the fall. Not Wade Phillips or Jason Garrett or Jones -- Jessica Simpson's boyfriend.
Depending on who you ask, Terrell Owens is as good as gone from the Cowboys, or Jerry Jones could keep him around, presumably because a life without drama ain't a life worth living. Or some similarly lame sentiment.
SI.com's Don Banks writes that "From all indications, the faction that has decided the Cowboys would be better off without Owens includes Stephen Jones, the owner's son and the team's COO and director of player personnel, and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett."
Of course, Garrett is the same guy Jerry paid $3 million to keep in Dallas last season -- much to the delight of Terrell Suggs and Steve Bisciotti -- so who knows if such feelings from a once-promising coordinator carries much weight with the owner.
Last Friday, Dan Reeves decided that maybe working for the Cowboys wasn't such a great idea and, after one day on the job, walked away. But what if Reeves had stayed? What would that have meant for Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett?
As the Dallas Morning News' Tim MacMahon pointed out last week, "The Cowboys tried to help Garrett by hiring Reeves, but that isn't exactly a vote of confidence for the highest-paid assistant coach in NFL history."
Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley is this year's Jason Garrett. After playing a key role in the Cowboys' 13-win season in 2007, Garrett was a popular head-coaching candidate last offseason. Ultimately, he decided to return to Dallas, which, as it turns out, was possibly the worst decision he could've made. Jerry Jones doesn't disagree.
I'm pretty sure Haley won't be making that mistake. Two weeks ago, NBC's Cris Collinsworth predicted that the Chiefs would hire Haley, and Tuesday, the team got permission to interview him.