Great News, Cowboys Fans: Tony Romo Plans to Be a Better Leader

When we last left the zany world of the Dallas Cowboys, Hall of Famer and FOX analyst Troy Aikman was breaking down what it means to be the quarterback of America's Team (!) for incumbent Tony Romo. A brief recap: "[H]e hasn't fully grasped what being the Cowboys quarterback is all about ... And you don't go to Cabo the week before a playoff game. You just don't do it."

Aikman admitted that going to Mexico the week before a playoff game didn't affect Romo's preparation, but that's not the point: it's the perception. And as Ciskie pointed out Wednesday, fair or not, as the Cowboys quarterback, part of your job is to avoid Cabo-tastic situations, not pretend they don't exist.

After the fact, Romo seems to understand as much, telling the Dallas Morning News' Todd Archer:

"I think leadership sometimes comes with your ability to perform and your personality ... And some of it comes with experience. In a lot of ways, I think I've gotten to the point where I've gained experience.

"I'm definitely going to take a more active approach with that as we move forward from last year to this season. I'll be very excited to get back out there and be with the guys and figure out a way to improve and get better and do the things we need to do to win. Period."

Sounds good, but some fans are still smarting from Romo's comments following the Week 17 beatdown by the Eagles that guaranteed the Cowboys would be on the couch in January: "If this is the worst thing that ever happens to me ... then I'll have lived a pretty good life."

And then there's the news that Romo's practice habits were so bad "that they affected the way he played in games and could have factored into the offense's problems." And yet, most of the stories out of Valley Ranch are about Terrell Owens and his various states of disgruntlement. Weird.

Finger-pointing aside, this is a potentially huge issue, and one neither Wade Phillips nor Jason Garrett seem capable of fixing. That Jerry Jones acknowledges the problem is a start, although I have no idea how he'll fix it. There is always the nuclear option, I suppose.

Latest Cowboys Photos

** FILE ** In this Jan. 18, 1976, file photo, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll, center, leaves the field with Jim Allen (45) who holds up his finger indicating the Steelers are No. 1 after defeating the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 in Super Bowl X at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Now that Pittsburgh is headed to its seventh Super Bowl, each of the Steelers' three coaches in the last 40 years has taken them there. Noll first got there in his sixth season in 1974, Bill Cowher in his fourth. Mike Tomlin needed only two years after unexpectedly being hired for one of the best-known coaching jobs in American pro sports. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin, File)

** FILE ** This is an Aug. 4, 2007 file photo showing Michael Irvin at the Pro Football Hall of Fame during induction ceremonies, in Canton, Ohio. Irvin says he calmly chatted with a gunman in another vehicle after the armed passenger turned out to be a Dallas Cowboys fan, Monday night Jan. 12, 2009 in Dallas. Irvin, who was not harmed, says he was "very afraid." (AP Photo/Phil Long, File)

** FILE ** This is an Oct. 5, 2008 file photo showing Dallas Cowboys linebacker Anthony Spencer before an NFL football game in Irving, Texas. Dallas Cowboys linebacker Anthony Spencer was arrested over the weekend after a disturbance outside a downtown Indianapolis nightclub. Spencer was arrested on preliminary charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct about 3 a.m. Sunday Jan. 11, 2009 outside the Have a Nice Day Cafe, city police Sgt. Matthew Mount said. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

** FILE ** In this Oct. 9, 2008 file photo, Dallas Cowboys' Adam Jones is seen at the Cowboys training facility in Irving, Texas. Troubled cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones was released by the Dallas Cowboys Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009 following a season in which he had no interceptions and was suspended six games for an off-field fight. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

** FILE ** In this Aug. 28, 2008 file photo, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones gestures to the crowd before an NFL preseason football game against the Minnesota Vikings in Irving, Texas. Troubled cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones was released by the Dallas Cowboys Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009 following a season in which he had no interceptions and was suspended six games for an off-field fight. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

** FILE ** In this Dec. 28, 2008 file photo, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb looks for a receiver in the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Philadelphia. Much has happened to Donovan McNabb since he took his last playoff snap in the 2005 Super Bowl, and most of it is negative. He got benched, booed and written off only to play his best football down the stretch in crucial games. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek, File)

** FILE ** In this Dec. 21, 2008, file photo, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb (5) is brought down by Washington Redskins' Demetric Evans (92) and Jason Taylor (55) during the first quarter of an NFL football game in Landover, Md. The Eagles, who lost to the Redskins but beat the Dallas Cowboys the following week, face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Jan. 4, in the first round of the NFC playoffs. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

** FILE ** In this Sept. 7, 2008, file photo, Cleveland Browns coach Romeo Crennel talks to his team on the sidelines during an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Cleveland. Following a 4-12 season that began with Cleveland pegged as one of the NFL's rising teams, the Browns fired Crennel on Monday, Dec. 29, 2008. The ouster came one day after general manager Phil Savage was dismissed by team owner Randy Lerner. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)