First off, let me tell you that I personally believe that Tony Romo will have an amazing year in 2016 and that despite his recent struggles with injuries, he will once again get the Dallas Cowboys back on track and in contention of making a deep playoff run.
If you paid any attention to the 2015 season, you noticed first hand just how important Tony Romo is to this team. He is the heart and soul of the Dallas Cowboys and without him in the lineup the entire team takes a giant step back.
Below I decided to share with you three reasons why I personally believe Tony Romo will thrive in 2016 and have the Cowboys once again sitting atop the NFC East division.
Now, you may be a little skeptical about Romo’s chances due to circumstances out of his control, but I believe I have a pretty good argument as to why that skepticism might be a little unjustified.
Reason #1 – A year of rest does the body good
To say that quarterback Tony Romo’s 2015 season was a letdown would be an understatement, but could it actually be a blessing in disguise?
Let me take you back a few years and remind you what happened the last time Romo missed the majority of the season due to an injury and how he responded the following year.
In 2010, Romo suffered a sprained shoulder that ultimately resulted in him missing the final ten games of the season, but the following year in 2011 he came back and played with a vengeance. He threw 31 touchdown passes to just 10 interceptions in 2011 and had a passer rating of 102.5. I’m expecting more of the same for the upcoming 2016 season.
Romo missed nearly the entire 2015 season, but this shouldn’t be looked at as a negative. It allowed his body to fully heal and the fact that he didn’t take much of a pounding last season should have everyone looking forward to his return.
I personally was much more concerned about the longevity of his career due to the back surgery he had a few years ago, than the broken clavicle he sustained last year. A clavicle will fully heal in time, but you never know the lingering effects a back injury may have.
Romo decided to have a Mumford Procedure performed on his shoulder during the off-season to help combat against the likelihood of a clavicle injury occurring again, and all signs point to Romo being 100% healthy and chomping at the bit to get started for the upcoming season.
Still need more evidence that Romo will thrive in 2016?
Reason #2 – The return of the running game
Tony Romo had the best season of his career in 2014 when the offensive identity was to stay committed to the running game and take the pressure off of Romo having to carry the team on his back.
In the 2014 season, Romo had both his best completion percentage of his career (69.9) and passer rating (113.2). He also threw for the second most touchdowns of his career (34) and he threw just nine interceptions.
The drafting of Ezekiel Elliott fourth overall in the first round suggests just one thing, that the Cowboys will return to the blueprint that worked so well for them in 2014 and commit to the running game.
A strong running game will only help Romo thrive in 2016. Not only will the running game take the pressure off of Romo, but it will open up the passing game as well. It will also force defenses to respect the running game more and not pin their ears back and rush the passer.
You can put me down as saying that Ezekiel Elliott will end up being Tony Romo’s and the wide receivers best friend.
Still not convinced Romo will thrive in 2016?
Reason #3 – A never say die attitude
There is one thing that you can say for sure about Tony Romo, and that is he is going to give you everything he has to try to win the game. He has that never say die attitude that you love to see in athletes, and especially in the leaders of your team.
In fact, according to pro-football-reference.com, Romo has 25 fourth-quarter comebacks in his career. He is also currently ranked seventh with 30 game-winning drives. Only Tom Brady (48), Drew Brees (38), Ben Roethlisberger (37), Eli Manning (33), and Carson Palmer and Matt Ryan who are tied with 31 game-winning drives are ahead of him.
Romo has a knack for being able to drive the field when the clock is winding down and the game is on the line. We recently witnessed this in week one of the 2015 season when he took the offense down the field and found his best friend, tight end Jason Witten, in the end zone for a touchdown against the New York Giants.
Romo never gives up on a play and a lot of times it results in a positive gain, but not always. That is something that you learn to live with when you have Romo as the quarterback of your team, but it’s something that will help him succeed in 2016.
