It's Time to Anoint Tony Romo the Next Great Dallas Cowboys Quarterback

When Tony Romo got off to a hot start last season, Bill Parcells, the Cowboys head coach at the time, warned that it was too early to anoint Romo the next great quarterback in Dallas. In his brief tenure with the Cowboys, Parcells had taken great pains to develop Romo slowly, a lost art in today's NFL, and he was not about to rush the masterpiece he was creating. Romo, who came to Dallas as a free agent from Eastern Illinois in 2003, thus had the luxury to learn his trade away from the glaring spotlight which often accompanies America's team. After putting in an impressive first season as a starter, one in which he finished with a 95.1 passing efficiency rating and a playoff appearance, Romo was ready to blossom into a star this year.

And blossom he has, leading the Cowboys to an 8-1 record thus far this season, a season that began with a wild 45-35 shootout victory over the Giants. In that game Romo showed he had shaken off the negative effects of the infamous fumbled snap that cost Dallas a playoff game last season. The gun-slinging quarterback threw for four touchdowns in the opener, and had the first of his multiple 300-yard passing games this season. Eight weeks later Romo once again victimized the Giant's defense for four more touchdowns, bringing his season totals to 23. Add to that more than 2,500 yards passing in only nine games, and you have numbers that would be worthy of the MVP, if not for the record breaking season that Tom Brady is having.