When Deion Sanders watched Tony Romo throw two pick-sixes while Detroit came back to win in their Week 4 game, he had some disparaging words about the Dallas Cowboys quarterback. Sanders said Romo is a great statistical quarterback but is not the kind of quarterback who will take his team to the Super Bowl.
Romo took exception to those charges, and while talking to reporters, shook off the criticism. Romo said that is just who Deion is and he doesn't worry about it. He then proclaimed that he believes the Dallas Cowboys will win a Super Bowl under his watch. However, even if Romo never takes Dallas to a Super Bowl, he has some very talented company he will be keeping.
Dan Marino
Dan Marino came to the Miami Dolphins and the team started him in the sixth game of his rookie season. Marino never looked back. In his first season, Marino earned Rookie of the Year honors and led the Dolphins to the AFC East title and a 12-4 record. In his second season, he led Miami to a 14-2 record and the AFC Championship. He became the first player to throw for 5,000 yards in a season and set the NFL record with 48 touchdown passes. Miami ended up losing in the Super Bowl to the San Francisco 49ers in Marino's sophomore season and never returned to the big game. Marino retired as the NFL career passing leader in attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns but never won a Super Bowl.
Dan Fouts
If any quarterback in the history of the NFL matches Deion Sanders description of a statistically great quarterback who will never get to the big game, it is Dan Fouts. The San Diego quarterback played for 15 seasons with the Chargers, playing in six Pro Bowls while becoming the first NFL quarterback to ever throw for 4,000 yards in three straight seasons, leading the league in passing for four straight years. Fouts never played in a Super Bowl though, leading San Diego to two straight AFC Championship games, losing to Pittsburgh in 1980 and Cincinnati in 1981.
Warren Moon
At one time, Warren Moon held the record for most passing yards and touchdowns in professional football, combining his efforts in the CFL and NFL. In the CFL, Moon was spectacular, winning five consecutive Grey Cups. However, he could never transform that success into the NFL. Much like Marino and Fouts, he was one of the only quarterbacks to surpass 4,000 yards passing in two consecutive years. Moon ended up third all-time in passing yards and fourth in touchdown passes when he retired but never played in a championship game over his 17-year NFL career.
Whether Tony Romo ever leads Dallas to the Super Bowl is still to be determined. Getting to the top of that prestigious mountain is a difficult task and laying it on the feet of one player is unfair. Only 18 different teams have won the Super Bowl and when you consider Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Ben Roethlisberger, Roger Staubach, John Elway and Tom Brady have won multiple titles, the number of NFL quarterbacks who have led their team to a title is about the same. If you ask Marino, Fouts and Moon, they may have never won the big game that Deion is talking about, but they can't feel embarrassed for their careers.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has followed the Dallas Cowboys since he was a child, his favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s. Through the great years of the '90s and the hard times of the '80s, Shawn never turned his back on America's Team.
Source: ESPN
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