Denver Native (Carol)
10-02-2009, 02:12 PM
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/cowboys/stories/100209dnsposherrington.3147d52.html
IRVING – NFL quarterbacks generally despise the term "game manager" – a euphemism for "bus driver" – in much the same way that the original Mercury astronauts objected to being called "Spam in a can." Both sets hold themselves to be captains of their ships, with all the swashbuckling that implies.
Considering the union's mindset, you figure it revoked Kyle Orton's card this week when he said his first priority as quarterback of the Denver Broncos is "to manage the football game."
The reason this comes up is because Orton has "managed" the Broncos to a surprising 3-0 record.
Meanwhile, Tony Romo, the Captain Jack Sparrow of quarterbacks, is 2-1 and only temporarily out from under siege of critics.
Romo's wild vacillations in performance – a Hall of Fame 140.6 rating in the opener, an awful 29.6 against the Giants, a competent 89.8 vs. Carolina – makes most critics wish for something a little more consistent, if not downright pedestrian.
Something, say, like the play of Orton, who has plugged along at 100.7, 83.5 and 92.1. Orton has thrown one touchdown pass in each game and been sacked just three times. The best thing you could say about him, other than the fact that he's done it while wearing a glove to protect an exposed knuckle on his right index finger, is that he hasn't thrown a single interception.
That, and he's 3-0.
Of course, it helps Orton's cause that he has a pair of inside-outside runners like rookie Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter as well as what is, statistically, anyway, the NFL's best defense. Scheduling Cincinnati, Cleveland and Oakland doesn't hurt either.
For that matter, Orton had a great defense in Chicago, too. He was 21-12 as a starter there, and still the Bears didn't want him anymore.
Chicago's GM simply didn't think he could make enough plays to win a Super Bowl. And that brings us to the great conundrum of Tony Romo.
Like Orton, Romo has a great running game. At least when healthy. He also has what's thought to be a terrific defense, although it's largely been a rumor so far.
But, unlike Orton, Romo possesses a unique skill set that, under the right circumstances, could enable him to lead a less-than-perfect team to the Super Bowl. And he likes to show it off.
In the heat of the moment, when linebackers are blitzing and corners are crashing and boulders are bearing down, you get the feeling he suddenly hears the triumphant theme from "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Next thing you know, he's trying to take out a tank with a bullwhip and a smirk.
Sometimes the impromptu bravado pays off. And sometimes he gets tread marks on his chest.
"He makes a ton of big plays even when you make him move, and that's the scary part," Denver coach Josh McDaniels said of Romo. "You want to try to get to the pocket, and you want to try to get him to force something.
"When you make him move around, he's a good enough athlete that he makes a bunch of plays that way, too."
Or he makes mistakes that get his team beaten.
Last week against Carolina, he made none of the errors that plagued him in his JerryWorld debut. He looked like the kind of quarterback that could have driven Bill Parcells' bus any day.
"I think Tony did a great job of managing the game," Jason Witten said. "Taking what the defense gives him.
"When he does that, good things happen to us."
Deep down, Romo doesn't want to hear it. He knows he's capable of much, much more. In fact, his idea of a game manager is more along the lines of a Tom Brady.
"I'm pretty sure Brady managed the game for a couple of Super Bowls," Romo said, smiling.
A little more Brady, then, and a little less Indiana Jones.
IRVING – NFL quarterbacks generally despise the term "game manager" – a euphemism for "bus driver" – in much the same way that the original Mercury astronauts objected to being called "Spam in a can." Both sets hold themselves to be captains of their ships, with all the swashbuckling that implies.
Considering the union's mindset, you figure it revoked Kyle Orton's card this week when he said his first priority as quarterback of the Denver Broncos is "to manage the football game."
The reason this comes up is because Orton has "managed" the Broncos to a surprising 3-0 record.
Meanwhile, Tony Romo, the Captain Jack Sparrow of quarterbacks, is 2-1 and only temporarily out from under siege of critics.
Romo's wild vacillations in performance – a Hall of Fame 140.6 rating in the opener, an awful 29.6 against the Giants, a competent 89.8 vs. Carolina – makes most critics wish for something a little more consistent, if not downright pedestrian.
Something, say, like the play of Orton, who has plugged along at 100.7, 83.5 and 92.1. Orton has thrown one touchdown pass in each game and been sacked just three times. The best thing you could say about him, other than the fact that he's done it while wearing a glove to protect an exposed knuckle on his right index finger, is that he hasn't thrown a single interception.
That, and he's 3-0.
Of course, it helps Orton's cause that he has a pair of inside-outside runners like rookie Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter as well as what is, statistically, anyway, the NFL's best defense. Scheduling Cincinnati, Cleveland and Oakland doesn't hurt either.
For that matter, Orton had a great defense in Chicago, too. He was 21-12 as a starter there, and still the Bears didn't want him anymore.
Chicago's GM simply didn't think he could make enough plays to win a Super Bowl. And that brings us to the great conundrum of Tony Romo.
Like Orton, Romo has a great running game. At least when healthy. He also has what's thought to be a terrific defense, although it's largely been a rumor so far.
But, unlike Orton, Romo possesses a unique skill set that, under the right circumstances, could enable him to lead a less-than-perfect team to the Super Bowl. And he likes to show it off.
In the heat of the moment, when linebackers are blitzing and corners are crashing and boulders are bearing down, you get the feeling he suddenly hears the triumphant theme from "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Next thing you know, he's trying to take out a tank with a bullwhip and a smirk.
Sometimes the impromptu bravado pays off. And sometimes he gets tread marks on his chest.
"He makes a ton of big plays even when you make him move, and that's the scary part," Denver coach Josh McDaniels said of Romo. "You want to try to get to the pocket, and you want to try to get him to force something.
"When you make him move around, he's a good enough athlete that he makes a bunch of plays that way, too."
Or he makes mistakes that get his team beaten.
Last week against Carolina, he made none of the errors that plagued him in his JerryWorld debut. He looked like the kind of quarterback that could have driven Bill Parcells' bus any day.
"I think Tony did a great job of managing the game," Jason Witten said. "Taking what the defense gives him.
"When he does that, good things happen to us."
Deep down, Romo doesn't want to hear it. He knows he's capable of much, much more. In fact, his idea of a game manager is more along the lines of a Tom Brady.
"I'm pretty sure Brady managed the game for a couple of Super Bowls," Romo said, smiling.
A little more Brady, then, and a little less Indiana Jones.