New York Giants defensive end Chris Canty spent his first four NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. For three of those, Tony Romo was the starting quarterback. Since signing as a free agent with the Giants, Canty has been paid to chase Romo around.
Those circumstances make Canty an ideal source to discuss the pressure that's on Romo to win a Super Bowl with the Cowboys. While some say the team's failure to make noise in the postseason is because of the players around Romo, Canty made a case for putting the blame squarely on the three-time Pro Bowl QB's shoulders.
"Romo's a tremendous quarterback, statistically he's a top-five quarterback, that's undeniable," Canty said Tuesday on ESPN's SportsNation. "At the end of the day, in the clutch situations, he hasn't performed as well as you would like him to. I think ultimately, that's been the difference between their franchise and the Giants ability to be successful."
The 29-year-old, who was proudly sporting his recent Super Bowl ring, was then asked if he feels as if he can force Romo into mistakes when the Giants face the Cowboys.
"Absolutely. Absolutely," Canty responded. "Obviously, when you put pressure on any quarterback you can cause mistakes. I think Romo has been prone to make mistakes in the clutch situations and his team has not been able to be successful because of it."
So was Michael Irvin accurate when he recently said Romo replaces LeBron James as the American athlete under the most pressure?
"Regardless of LeBron James, there's a tremendous amount of pressure on Tony Romo," Canty said. "As the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, it's one of the most visible franchises in sports in the world.
"Obviously, if you want to enjoy some of the benefits of being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, you got to perform like it on the field. Thus far, he hasn't had the success that the fans and his teammates have hoped for."
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