ShareThisSome of my friends were questioning why Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips didn't bench quarterback Tony Romo and put in backup Brad Johnson against the Eagles last Sunday.It was plain to see, from start to finish, this was not a good day for Romo.I saw it.You saw it.Jessica Simpson saw it.Why didn't Phillips see it?Oh, he did. Believe me.But for some strange reason, in the world of professional football, head coaches rarely call for help from their bullpen.This isn't baseball where managers won't hesitate to jerk a starting pitcher, no matter how many wins he might have on his resume'.Last year's two Cy Young Award winners started a combined 68 games and finished only four.In the NFL, Brad Johnson is just a $3.5 million insurance policy.Although he has 2,620 pass completions, 164 touchdowns and one Super Bowl championship for his career, Johnson's biggest contribution to the Cowboys this year has been holding for extra points and field goals. Other than that, he has only made a few handoffs and taken a couple of knees at the end of some games.He has not thrown one pass this whole season.The Cowboys, Bengals and Saints are the only three teams who have had all of their passes thrown by just one quarterback this year.Some 44 different quarterbacks have thrown at least one pass in the NFL this year, so it sometimes can seem like every team has a different starting quarterback every week.But 21 NFL teams had the same starter last week that they had in Week 1.Eleven have had the same starting quarterback in every game. And six of those 11 have already clinched division titles, and two others would be in the playoffs if they started today.The Cowboys know the only way they are going to get to a Super Bowl is to ride with Romo.And even though Johnson started and won a Super Bowl just five years ago, this time he's just along for the ride.And Phillips and the Cowboys are keeping their fingers crossed that he stays in the passenger seat.(Contact Nick Gholson of the Wichita Falls Times Record News at www.trnonline.com.)
Benching Romo just not an option in today's NFL
Submitted by administrator on Thu, 12/20/2007 - 13:26
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