Well as we turn the calendar to December, we note that a few things usually (Over the last 5 years) happen around this time. For instance, NFL teams making their run to a championship, the New York Giants collapsing, and a team that's either trying to go 16-0 or 0-16. But for the purposes of this blog entry, I'll be talking about one person in particular that everyone knows who has a December collapse.
That one guy being: Tony Romo.
If the month of December has never done a man in, this man right here would say otherwise. Tony Romo is a career 19-2 as a starter in the month of November, but December he's 8-10 for his career. For the last five Thanksgiving games, Romo goes into those games hotter than the turkey stuffing you had last week. After those games is when the wheels come off of the Romo express and the Cowboys go south.
This season is no different, with the Cowboys leading the NFC East by one game to the Giants (whom they play twice in the next 5 weeks). Could 2011 be different then any of the other years (2009 being the last time they won the division and withstood the collapse). The schedule-makers this season gave the Cowboys a HUGE break. Lets take a look at the last couple of Cowboys December's with Romo at the helm.
2006: Romo first year, as he took over for Drew Bledsoe and won 4 of his first 5 starts heading into December of 2006. The Cowboys were in a division dead-heat with the Eagles, and played them on Christmas at, then Texas Stadium. The Eagles won this game and the division, and this was the big Jessica Simpson game (Romo's Ex-girlfriend). Cowboys finished losing 3 of 5 and having to travel to Seattle for a playoff game with the Seahawks.
End Result: This is the infamous "Botched Field Goal game" with Romo mishandling the snap from center with him trying to run it in and was stopped short of the goal-line, to preserve the Seahawks 21-20 victory.
2007: Cowboys were rolling this season, winning 11-1 in their first 12 games and another winning November from the Cowboys. After dismantling the Jets and Packers, people started looking at this as Super Bowl contenders. As December rolled around, a new year, they can't hit the brick road soon right? Yes they could and did. Cowboys lost again to the Eagles and the Cowboys lost the last two games to lose home-field to the Packers. This would hurt the Cowboys as they fell to the #2 seed, and had to play the Giants coming off their 1st Round win against the Bucs. Romo was unable to lead his team to a come-from-behind victory. On 4th
down with less than half a minute and no timeouts left, Romo threw the
ball into the end-zone, but it was intercepted, ending the Cowboys hopes for another championship.
End Result: Cowboys lost at home to the Giants 21-17, as the Giants would become the eventual Super Bowl champs.
2008: This marked the final season at Texas Stadium for the Cowboys and how fitting that in December, they lost their final game to the Baltimore Ravens. This was a huge lost because it set up a key match up in Philly against the Eagles with the winner going to the playoffs. This game was the game that the Cowboys just flat out laid down and got the doors blown off them 44-6. Romo committed three turnovers in the game and went 21-39 for 183 yards and no touchdowns.
End Result: Cowboys at 9-7 missed the playoffs after being 8-4 and in control of the wild card at the beginning of December 2008.
2009: This season was one in which the Cowboys bucked the trend. After losing it's first two games in December 09, the Cowboys we're 8-5 and the critics were once again coming out on the Cowboys and their December collapses. However, the Cowboys woke up. Winning it's next three games and winning the NFC East, they hosted another playoff game against the Eagle (whom they played a week earlier). Cowboys won that game behind a great game from Romo. Romo had a 104.9 passer rating in a 34-14 win of the Philadelphia Eagles
in the first round of the playoffs, earning the first play-off win in
13 years for the Cowboys, and his own first career post-season
win.
End Result: However the following week in the NFC divisional round against Minnesota Vikings, Romo had three fumbles (losing two),
an interception and was sacked six times in the 34-3 loss at the Metrodome.
2010: This was not a good season for the Cowboys or Tony Romo. Romo suffered a broken left clavicle in a game against the Giants. With a few months of rehab, the Cowboys placed Romo on Injured Reserve on December 21, 2010.
End Result: Cowboys finished with Jon Kitna at QB and had a record 6-10.
2011: Which leads us today (As of December 2nd, 2011) what will the Cowboys and Romo do this year? Having the Cardinals, Giants, Bucs, Eagles, and Giants in that order, can the Romo lead the Cowboys to a perfect December this year?
End Result: Check back with me in a few week.....only time will tell!!!
