Overcoming 'Bull**** Play-Calls!' Dak vs. Romo? Cowboys Ex Picks
Coke or Pepsi? Cats or Dogs? "Barbie'' or "Oppenheimer''?
Those this-or-that questions and more will stand the test of time, but for new-century Dallas Cowboys fans, one question tops them all: Prescott or Romo?
Fans of America's Team have enjoyed relative consistency in the franchise quarterback slot: since 2006, either Dak Prescott or Tony Romo has started at least 10 games in every season and the Cowboys have the sixth-best win total in the NFL in that span. Each, alas, is perhaps best known for his postseason shortcomings ... as Dallas' quarter-century wait for a Super Bowl parade trudges on.
Debate continues to reign in DFW and beyond and one of the most appropriate, if not impartial, judges has weighed in. Appearing on the Cowboys-centered YouTube channel Law Nation Sports, former Dallas receiver Terrance Williams declared his "personal preference."
"I'm sorry, bro, but ... it just hit me, bro, Tony's going to do it," Williams said after a long pause.
In six seasons with Dallas (2013-18), Williams caught some of the most crucial passes in recent Cowboys memory, many coming from the arm of Prescott or Romo. When it came to the latter, Williams was most impressed with Romo's sense of pre-snap decision-making and audibles, claiming that Romo knew how to counter "bulls***" play calls, much to the amusement of the Law Nation hosts.
Williams credited Romo revisions for one of the more notable touchdowns of his career, a 38-yard scoring hook-up during the 2014-15 NFC Divisional playoffs in Green Bay. In that play, Williams did most of the work after a short catch on a hitch route but said that the adjustment was Romo's idea.
"If you go back and watch that play, Tony's telling me to run that. That wasn't called," Williams recalled. "Tony's the type of dude to say just line up on the ball ... and he'll call it himself ... Tony and (center) Travis Frederick, they were so smart, they could do a fake snap count to where Tony could know the defense just by how they lined up. He could call plays based off the stuff he sees."
"In the Green Bay Packers game, if you go back to the very beginning, he tells me to do the hitch route," Williams continues. "It's not called ... Most of my touchdowns just came from Tony giving me signals."
Romo's hold on Dallas' franchise quarterback spot ended during the 2016 preseason, when he sustained a back injury that gave way to the then-rookie Prescott. When Dallas got off to a hot start with Prescott in tow, Romo ceded the job to the freshman and retired after the year.
Williams credits several other of his famous scores to Romo's pre-snap prowess, including both of his tallies in the preceding 2014-15 Wild Card victory over Detroit and a 43-yard go-ahead fade in an October win over Houston during that regular season, one that saw Romo spin out of a would-be blindside sack from JJ Watt.
All that, Williams says, made it "fun to play receiver." He further claims that Romo's "great football mind," while prominently on display in CBS' broadcast booth, would've been beneficial to last year's Dallas team that won 12 games but fell short of both the NFC East division title and a conference championship game appearance (even if Romo never made the latter trip himself).
"That was the best time to play receiver," Williams said, revealing that "Tony was the type of dude where, if coach gave you a type of play during the week, you better know it, because he'd bring it up on third-and-1 instead of third-and-10."
Of note, Williams (a 2013 arrival through the draft) had 16 touchdown grabs in his first two seasons working primarily with Romo, including three postseason tallies. He had only seven the rest of the way, including none from Prescott in 78 targets during his final full season in 2017. Williams also caught Romo's final NFL throw, a three-yard touchdown when the passer was granted a drive in a consequence-free Week 17 game in Philadelphia.
Even with his Romo endorsement, Williams extended love to Prescott in another segment of the program, labeling him "the best of both worlds" and favorably comparing him to current division rival Jalen Hurts.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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