An unfair perception has long surrounded Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
He's a choke artist.
He's failed in close, late-game situations.
He just hasn't come through for the Cowboys when it's mattered most.
But if you believe the numbers -- they don't lie, after all -- the opposite is true. In fact, it's fair to say that Tony Romo is one of the most clutch quarterbacks of all-time.
Yes, it's true. Despite the label, Romo's 102.1 career passer rating in the fourth quarter and overtime is the best among any quarterback who has played since 2004. Also, from 2011 to 2013, Romo engineered an NFL-best 11 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime.
But as it appears rookie sensation Dak Prescott is the QB of the future in Dallas, Romo could conceivably be sent elsewhere -- and ESPN's Adam Schefter believes Arizona could be a viable destination if the 36-year-old Carson Palmer decides to all it quits after this season.
That all makes sense -- right?
Well, no. Not really. Here are three reasons why.
1. He's the same age as Palmer.
At some point, and perhaps soon, the Cardinals will need to plan for the future at the quarterback position. They failed to do so before Kurt Warner retired following the 2009 season, and as a result, they wandered in the desert for four painful years until Palmer came along.
Arizona would be better served by taking a gamble on a promising quarterback in the NFL Draft (more on that below) or trading for a young up-and-comer instead of dealing for Romo, who's only 115 days younger than Palmer. At best, Romo only a couple of decent seasons left in him -- and that's only if he's able to stay healthy.
Speaking of which...
2. Romo can't stay healthy.
Romo has been injury-prone throughout his career, and it's gotten worse as he's gotten older. He missed all but four games of the 2015 season due to a broken collarbone and injured shoulder and he hasn't taken a single regular-season snap this year after suffering a serious back injury during preseason play.
It might not be fair to blame these injuries on Romo's age. But do the Cardinals really want to trade a draft pick or a valuable member of their 53-man roster for a man who has played in just four games since the start of last season and has played a full 16 regular-season games just twice in the last six years?
3. The Cards will have options in the 2017 draft.
In recent years, the Cardinals have held off on drafting a quarterback who could potentially develop into Palmer's replacement. The 2017 NFL Draft could be a good time to finally pull the trigger.
Plenty of enticing prospects are expected to be a part of next year's draft class, including North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky, Clemson's Deshaun Watson and Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer. Drafting a young, potential star seems like a better long-term strategy than replacing one 36-year-old QB with another, especially one who can't seem to stay healthy for a full 60 minutes.
