The Tao of Victory
A few weeks ago I watched a gut wrenching video of Tony Romo officially step down as the starting QB for the Dallas Cowboys. You see I’ve been a cowboy fan since 1975 (Insert “I feel sorry for you” jokes here) which means I’ve witnessed a few QB controversies.
The first was between Craig Morton and Heisman trophy and hall of fame hero Roger Staubach. There was also another controversy between Staubach and Clint Longley which was short lived after Staubach kicked his ass in a locker room scuffle.
Tony Romo speaks to the media about the decision to step aside for Dak Prescott...
I actually met Staubach about 15 years ago and played in a flag football game against him in Newport Beach, CA. He was 63 at the time, and outclassed and outplayed all of the weekend warrior ex-college players involved. Pro football is some serious shit.
The only other QB controversy I know of in Dallas since was between Danny White and Gary Hogeboom. Yep, that’s right. I’ll bet no one’s ever heard of Hogeboom. Heck. I’m not even sure that’s how you spell it, but the White-Hogeboom controversy was legit.
And now it’s Romo v. Prescott. Romo has had a great career plagued with mishaps and playoff blunders, losses and recently frequent injury. People have said things like, “He can’t win the big one.” They are totally right and totally wrong at the same time. Only Peyton Manning has passed for more yards than him in the past decade.
You see a football team is 45 active players and 8 inactive players plus a practice squad and a legion of coaches. Each person on that team is accountable to winning championships. He can’t win the big one. Right? No ONE can. It’s a team game.
Tony played much of his career behind a shitty offensive line. Every year I can think of they had crappy defense as well. And Patrick Crayton dropped an easy TD in the division game against the Giants who went on to beat the undefeated Patriots in the Super bowl. That’s his fault too? or the Dez non-catch against Green Bay a few years ago? Shit! Don’t get me started.
I have to admit that as a fan, I have drifted into the Romo can’t win the big one fallacy, but for the most part I’ve seen his heroism, passion for the game and will to win under any circumstance as a great gift to the Cowboy Nation.
He’s played a career packed full of comeback victories, elusive scrambles in the pocket to create plays on his own and shear toughness. He’s been knocked down, knocked around and has always found ways to come back and win games. He is 15-4 in his last 19 games, and this year, lost his job to a rookie.
Dak Prescott started this year as the 4th string QB as a rookie 4th round pick who might not have made the team if it weren’t for the Romo injury and the season ending injury of Drew Henson the 2nd string QB. Prescott has won 10 of his first 11 starts behind a solid line excellent running attack and opportunistic defense.
In an age of sports where a lot of players are creating distractions for silly reasons and hurting their teams and offending fans, Romo impressed me more than he ever has with his approach to this situation. When it was sure that he was healthy enough to start a game, and coach Jason Garrett informed him that Prescott would continue in his role as starter, Romo spoke at a press conference.
Pressing a Story
Press conferences are full of reporters trying “create” a story, and there is no better way than a legit QB controversy in Dallas. Romo knows that, and he came to the conference prepared. He had a speech prewritten and he read most of it except for a few important lines that you could tell came from his heart.
It was obvious that he read it versus winging it because he opened himself up and honestly shared the heartbreak of this season. His message was clear that while he was personally shattered, the team’s goal of winning a championship comes before all individual needs.
Instead of reacting in anger or trying to blame the coaching staff or circumstances creating a distraction which is often the case in professional sports especially among elite players. Romo made himself vulnerable in an extremely valuable way to his team and fan community.
At the end of his speech he referred to two battles. In life you have one with the man across from you, and one with the man inside of you. If you control the one inside of you the one across from you doesn’t matter. That hit me the hardest. It’s so true, and at the same time hard to admit.
We all have that battle going on. The internal critic, self-doubt and that little, (sometimes overwhelming) voice in your head that says, “You suck! How can you do that if…” The internal battle is real for everyone. As humans, it seems that we are almost always our own biggest obstacle.
...AND that is tough to admit and that is why I so moved by Romo’s speech. The honesty, humility and sincerity help me admit and confront that internal battle and take responsibility for focusing on my own internal personal journey of growth and self-understanding.
The Struggle is Real
In the past year I’ve experienced growth in many areas of my life. Part of that has been a writing practice, and I’ve struggled with what the fuck am I trying to say? And this is it. The battle is always within. Find and develop the resources, support and systems to win.
Men, especially athletes are expected to be tough. If you are making millions of dollars and represent a national brand it’s even more intense. Why should we feel sorry for this guy, he’s making millions to sit the bench? I don’t feel sorry for him, and I don’t feel sorry for myself.
What I do understand and appreciate is a man’s guts and the balls to say, “I’ve put everything on the line to try and accomplish my goal. Hell, I’ve had my bones broken multiple times, and worked hard to recover from those injuries to return to battle for myself, teammates and (often fickle) fans again and again.
And, now I have to humbly step aside and watch someone else do it instead. It hurts, my heart is broken, but I am still proud, happy for my successor and teammates, and I am at peace with myself because I know that I laid it ALL on the line”
I am going to share 5 take aways from Romo’s speech and the process of writing about it. I would love to hear any feedback from you as well. Use the form below to get Tao of Pizza delivered to your inbox or get in touch!
Cheers.
Thanks for the photo above https://www.theodysseyonline.com/tony-romo-is-an-elite-qb
