Dallas Cowboys

Will the Cowboys' Dak Prescott pull a Tony Romo on Tony Romo?

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:07 p.m. ET

Chris Chase

Let's get it out of the way at the top: The Dallas Cowboys are still Tony Romo's team, no matter how effective Dak Prescott has been, or will be, in Romo's continued absence. Even if the rookie goes 5-1 before the bye week (beating San Francisco, Cincinnati and Green Bay), it'll be Romo who rightfully starts the Week 8 Sunday Night Football matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles and Carson Wentz, their rookie quarterback who, depending on who you speak to, is either the next Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Rocky, Benjamin Franklin, Dr. J, Bobby Clarke and/or member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It was 10 years ago, of course, that an unknown Romo entered a Monday night game when Drew Bledsoe was pulled after throwing a critical goal-line interception in the final minutes of the first half that would have given Dallas a lead in an NFC East matchup against the Giants. Though Romo was hardly scintillating in his debut (he threw three interceptions of his own in the second half), Bill Parcells quickly made the announcement that Bledsoe was out and Romo was in and thus a new era for the Dallas Cowboys began.

The situation is only slightly similar this time around, but a few of the same actors are involved. There's Romo, now playing the wily, old veteran and Prescott, playing the Romo role of upstart youngster (albeit with more college football pedigree). Drew Bledsoe is somehow involved, too, publicly wondering whether Prescott will just pull a Romo and take over. But, as has been the case for more than 25 years in Dallas, there's the most important character in the never-ending farce that is the Cowboys: Jerry Jones.

It's Jones that'll prevent the bloodless coup in Big D, even if indirectly. (Jason Garrett kept his job through three-straight 8-8 seasons. Don't think he doesn't know how to keep the big man happy.) Jones is too enamored of Romo, too invested. Romo is in his 11th season as the Cowboys starting quarterback and is as much a Dallas staple as J.R. Ewing. He's two years removed from his greatest season -- one that might have reached the NFC championship game if not for some illogically written reception rules. That year, with the division title on the line, Romo led Dallas to 41, 38, 42 and 44 points in its final four regular-season games to clinch a 12-4 record. This year, despite Romo's age (36) the Cowboys were thought to be a shoo-in to win the NFC East and were considered legit Super Bowl contenders. Jones loves him like a son he already has.

Bledsoe lost his job for performance reasons, and Romo led the team to the 2006 playoffs (whereupon he botched a snap on what would have been a game-winning chip shot field goal, forever branding him with the choker label he's long since grown out of). Romo wasn't pulled -- he got hurt. The only reason there's remotely a discussion to be had is that Prescott has been better than expected. But this isn't a presidential debate. You don't win points because you were better than people thought you'd be. The question is: Who's the better quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in 2016, and the answer is Romo.

The offense was designed around him. A strong offensive line with a fast but bruising running back and a quarterback who knows the system inside and out is better than a rookie thrust into that game plan who, every time he plays, gives opponents more and more game film that'll serve as a roadmap for how to stop him.

There's far less in common with the 2006 Cowboys quarterback situation and the 2016 one than it would seem at first glance. Bledsoe and Romo are similar only in that they played games with the Cowboys star on their helmets. When Romo replaced an injured Bledsoe in 2006, he was doing it in Bledsoe's second season and 22nd start in Dallas. Bledsoe's Cowboys career wasn't even two years old yet. Jerry Jones won't so much as look at a bottle of scotch that young. Romo is a Dallas institution even if he's not Roger Staubach or Troy Aikman.

And now Dallas is going to kick aside a decade of good-to-pretty good football from a civic hero for a rookie who's been impressive, on target, mostly unflappable and careful with the football but would be 1-2 right now if Kirk Cousins didn't throw the worst interception of the season in Week 2? Come on. You don't leave an injured quarterback on the active roster if you don't plan on bringing him back (possibly way too) soon.

"When you see Dak perform at the level that he is performing and you project what his future might be, then you feel good about the future," Jones said. "The other thing we feel good about is Romo is coming along, I would say, outstandingly."

Say this about Jerry: He doesn't speak in code.

It's Tony Romo's team until it's not, and "not" isn't happening any time in the near future.