Smallwood: Eagles fans will miss rooting against Tony Romo
I DON'T KNOW what the born-and-raised Eagles fan thinks about the Dallas Cowboys' cutting ties with longtime quarterback Tony Romo, but if I were one, I would not applaud it.
I DON'T KNOW what the born-and-raised Eagles fan thinks about the Dallas Cowboys' cutting ties with longtime quarterback Tony Romo, but if I were one, I would not applaud it.
Through osmosis from more than two decades of covering sports in Philadelphia, I have learned that right after the Eagles winning, the thing Birds fans love the most is Dallas losing.
Think about the Cowboys whom you will eternally despise - Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and, of course, Michael Irvin.
Why do you hate them so? Well, because they all are associated with eras of Dallas greatness.
No matter what you say about one of those guys or so many other Cowboys, they can always trump you by flashing a Super Bowl ring or two or three.
I'm not sure whether jealousy is the correct term, because sports fanaticism cannot be so easily defined, but Philadelphia hate for the Cowboys is fueled in part by their five Super Bowls, 10 conference championships, 22 division championships and 32 playoff appearances.
Now think about how much Romo contributed to that legacy. In nine seasons as the Cowboys' starting quarterback - the last two aren't included because he was injured - Romo's teams went to the playoffs only four times.
Romo's 'Boys went 2-4 in six postseason games and never reached an NFC Championship Game.
Compare that with Aikman, who went 3-0 in Super Bowls, and Staubach, who went 2-2. Heck, Craig Morton quarterbacked Dallas to a Super Bowl and went 5-5 in playoff games.
If you enjoy seeing the Cowboys suffer, who has given you more pleasure than Romo?
Despite making the Pro Bowl four times and winning 60.2 percent of his starts (78-49), Romo - well, right after owner Jerry Jones - has become the poster boy for one of the most maddening eras in Cowboys history.
Keep in mind that this is not about comparing the Eagles with the Cowboys during the era of Romo, who actually went 9-6 against the Birds.
This is solely about joy derived from Dallas' misery that Romo's failures provided for Eagle fans.
Yes, it's a sad way to look at things, but when every team in the NFC East has at least three Super Bowl wins while the Eagles have none, you take what you can get.
Anyway, Eagles fans still smile when they think of the Jan. 6, 2007, wild-card game, when Dallas trailed Seattle, 21-20, with just over a minute to play and was lined up to kick a take-the-lead field goal from 19 yards out. Romo, however, let the snap go through his hands, then fumbled as he desperately tried to run for a first down. Seattle ran the clock out to win.
Or how about in January 2008, when Romo and the Cowboys lost in the Divisional Round to the New York Giants?
Romo played poorly and then was ripped because many connected his bad play to spending a Playoff Bye week in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with then-girlfriend Jessica Simpson.
The coup de grace of Eagles fans' love for Dallas misery under Romo actually involved the Birds. On Dec. 28, 2008, the Cowboys came to Lincoln Financial Field needing a win in the final game to earn a playoff bid.
Both teams faced a situation where it was win and make the playoffs or lose and stay home.
The Eagles forced five turnovers in a 44-6. The game's highlight came in the third quarter when Eagles safety Brian Dawkins sacked Romo forcing a fumble. Defensive lineman Chris Clemons scooped up the loose ball and returned it 73 yards for a touchdown. Romo was sacked three times, fumbled twice and threw an interception. The 38-point margin is the biggest Eagles victory over Dallas in the 116 meetings between the teams.
Another reason to celebrate Romo is that he walks away with more than $133 million of Jones' money. That's almost 21/2 times more than Aikman, with his three Super Bowls, earned.
Despite missing the last two years with back issues, Romo is not yet done.
He's out in Dallas because NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Dak Prescott replaced Romo and led the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and the NFC East championship.
If Prescott and second-year running back Ezekiel Elliott are as good as their rookie seasons indicate, the Cowboys could be in another good run while the Eagle are retooling.
Don't weep for Romo. He'll likely land in a good situation with a team that could challenge for a Super Bowl with a solid veteran quarterback - the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans come to mind.
The Broncos, who went to two Super Bowls and won Super Bowl 50 with an aged Peyton Manning, reportedly are looking into acquiring Romo.
Denver, which missed the playoff last season, could be looking to repeat history with Romo. Manning and Denver general manager John Elway were both in their late 30s when they quarterbacked the Broncos to Super Bowl wins.
In any case, Romo is done with the Cowboys, and Philadelphia fans should thank him for some good memories.
@SmallTerp