Romo Watch: Golfing Again?

There has been much criticism the last few years directed at Tony Romo due to his love for the game of golf. I personally do not have any qualms with Romo playing as much golf as he wants. It is in fact a great way to clear one’s mind and rejuvenate yourself. The golf course is a great place for a man to think and figure things out. Even if Romo did make the PGA and had an opportunity to play in a tournament during the NFL off season...why does that have to mean that he "isn't focused" or that he's "never going to win"? 

Tony Romo is a competitor and competitors compete! "I'm a football player. I love football. It's fun to play football," Romo said. "Once in a while, I get out, and I love competition whether it's golf, basketball or ping pong. Whatever it is, it's enjoyable to compete. On a daily basis, I'm always competing with myself, but it's nice to be able to beat someone else once in a while. That's what we get when we get out here in practice in football today.”  I fancy myself a "competitor" of sorts, although I do not possess the natural physical ability to compete at a high level of the sports I dearly love...I will pretty much get into a fistfight over a staring contest. But in all seriousness, I hate losing! And I love a challenge, and I'd do almost anything to win at just about anything. I know a lot of people that are like this...why is Romo different? Because he's the quarterback of the most recognizable football team in the world? (American football...no offense to World Cup people...hurray, score more than a goal a game and I might be interested!) 

Look, Romo is as competitive as anyone and golf is very challenging and apparently he's quite good. Good enough to almost make the cut a few times. O and by the way, you don't get to be the starting QB for the Dallas Cowboys by being a chump so we know he...wait, I'm sorry...let me rephrase that: you don't get to be the starting QB for the Dallas Cowboys unless your as good as names like: Meredith, Staubach, White, Aikman, and (I believe) Romo. There are the Quincy Carters, and Clint Stoerners, and the Glenn Caranos, and Ryan Leafs, and Bernie Kosars...but no one really remembers them right? 

Anyway, the point is that Romo is no chump. He know how to play football and a little offseason golf isn't going to make him forget how to throw a football or read a defense. Just like throwing a football or reading a defense doesn't make him forget how to swing a golf club. He's got just as much right to be on the golf course as anyone, and its hipocritical of anyone to criticize him for it just because he's never won a Super Bowl. Peyton Manning was in the league for almost a decade as a starting QB before he won the first of his two. O wait..I forgot, he blew it in the second won and LOST THE SUPER BOWL!! Romo has only been a starter for 4 seasons...only 4, but he didn't win the Super Bowl yet because his mind was on golf!?!

Romo is criticized for playing golf in the off season and for losing big games during the season. The fact is that he actually plays pretty well in "big" games. Actually, he plays pretty well in most games. He's had a few slip ups, and he's had a few dumb mistakes, but is that really because he played a few rounds of golf in his free time? NO! Just wait till I go off on the people that think he doesn't win because he wears his hat backwards...that'll be epic. But listen, the point I'm making is...cut the guy some slack, maybe show some support to guys like Romo and Dirk Nowitzki so that they will want to come back and play in YOUR HOME TOWN! They are some of the best in their respective businesses, it'd be a shame if they ever opted out of a contract or said "to heck with these unappreciative honks" and went and played somewhere else! 

The fact is, Romo decided to skip the qualifying rounds for the Byron Nelson PGA Tournament. Instead he chose to attend the not mandatory OTA's. That means that instead of playing golf, Tony Romo went to his Organized Team Activities! His tee time was scheduled for 9:57 Monday morning, but his teams OTA's were from 11 to 12:30. Patrick Crayton skipped, Miles Austin skipped, probably quite a few other recognized names skipped what was probably nothing more than a glorified meeting. But Tony Romo didn't skip. "It's enjoyable to play and compete [in golf], but football is the funnest thing I do by far," Romo said. "On a day like today, there's nothing else I'd rather do than be here at football competing, and that's what we get to do when we're out at practice. It's not like I missed out on something today.... There was really no decision there. For me, it was just this is what I love to do. Why would you not choose that?"  Romo honored the Dallas Cowboys and every fan that has ever criticized him for golfing...by showing up as the leader of his football team, instead of playing in a very important round of golf.