Denver Broncos: Tony Romo Hoping To Follow Elway and Manning?

The Denver Broncos have one of the most unique histories in the NFL. One that involves ushering in some of the greatest curtain calls in sports.

That’s to say they’ve mastered the art of taking aging quarterbacks who were once great and getting them that elusive championship they just couldn’t reach in their primes. It started with John Elway. Three times in the 1980s, during the peak of his powers he reached the Super Bowl. Only to be crushed all three times by superior opponents. Hope seemed lost through most of the 1990, until 1997. That was the year Denver made a magical run that culminated in the greatest monkey-off-the-back win in pro football history.

Then there was Peyton Manning. Though he’d already won a Super Bowl, he still couldn’t garner the respect due to him. Why? He didn’t have two rings. Kind of idiotic but the truth was until he got another title, he’d never be held in the same light as Tom Brady. So he joined the Broncos in hopes of getting one last chance. All hope seemed lost after Denver was crushed by Seattle in Super Bowl XLVIII. Thankfully one of the great defenses in league history got him over the hump two years later.

Now is it the end of the trilogy. Is Tony Romo next?

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After a decade of superlative quarterback play that included four Pro Bowls and every notable franchise passing record, Romo will be departing the Dallas Cowboys. It’s a sad end to what was a tremendous career. In the end he won’t be remembered along the greats like Staubach and Aikman. He’ll be another Danny White. Excellent at pulling the team out of jams, but forever remembered for not winning a championship.

That last part is something Romo is desperate to avoid. No competitive player ever wants to be remember as a “yeah, but” guy. Somebody who was terrific year after year but always found a way to come up short when it mattered. Whether it was their fault or not. That is the situation with Romo. He’s desperately seeking a new home that will give him the best possible chance to get a ring before his body finally fails him.

The Denver Broncos, with their illustrious history at such ventures, seem like the perfect solution. They still have an elite defense, something Romo has rarely if ever enjoyed in Dallas. He’ll have two terrific receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders as well. The trick for Denver will be whether they can improve their offensive line and better establish the running game. If they can, this really does feel like fate.

Whether Romo can succeed where he failed in Dallas? That is something fans are eager to find out.

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