Romo - My Life on the Edge: Living Dreams and Slaying Dragons

A page-turner in every sense of the word

Bill Romanowski grew to fame in the National Football League by delivering devastatingly big hits - and his autobiography hits just as hard.

Romo - My Life on the Edge: Living Dreams and Slaying Dragons is an autobiographic masterpiece. Romanowski leaves no stone unturned as he recaps his life.

Bill revisits his time playing football in high school as well as playing for Boston College. He opens himself up and attempts to explain his life-consuming desire and determination, which can be read on every page. As well as the constant insecurity that pushed Bill to the limits and summits.

His career in the National Football League is well documented, down to the every last minute detail - which is yet another indication of one of his quirks which would serve him in good stead throughout his career. Attention to detail.

Romo offers an in-depth look into the trails and tribulation that an American football has to endure - at least the trails and tribulations of one as determined and successful as Romanowski.

Bill goes in-depth about his time with San Francisco 49ers - which were considered to one of the best teams in football and coached by legendary Bill Walsh - Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders.

Explanations, and not excuses, are giving to all the “troubles” that plagued Romanowski’s NFL career.

Bill was labeled “dirty” and “a cheat” do to his on-field altercations with players - some of which were his own teammates - and his off field court issues regarding the use of illegal substances.

Romo is a fascinating look into the life of an American football player and is a must read for any NFL fan or sports fan alike.

However the book is not just a sportsman telling tales of his career. It is more than that. It is a man who has to deal with his desires, insecurity, paranoia and tribulation - the only difference is he had to do so in the public eye.

Romo - My Life on the Edge: Living Dreams and Slaying Dragons was a New York Times bestseller in 2005 showing once again that Bill Romanowski will not settle for mediocrity.

Customer Review of NFL.com

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Loss But Not Lost...Just Yet

Wade Phillips is feeling the heat after quite a rough start

The game did not pan out in accordance to the script. The Dallas Cowboys entered FedEx Field as the favourites to win, but they did not leave as winners.

The Dallas Cowboys had been tipped as Super Bowl candidates prior to the season. The fact that the Super Bowl will be held in Dallas’ stadium may have also placed further expectations onto the Cowboys.

Jerry Jones and the rest of the Dallas organization were not expecting a losing start to the season, but despite suffering a loss at the hands of their rebuilding rivals, the Washington Redskins, there were still signs of hope and potential future glory in the mist of despair which cast over the Cowboys following their opening game defeat.

The offensive line held strong for the majority of the game. They allowed just one sack for a loss of five yards. The line was missing injured tackle Marc Colombo and guard Kyle Kosier but still looked strong in both pass and run blocking.

New starting left tackle Doug Free also played extremely well and displayed his athleticism and nimble movement, which will be a major benefit to Dallas in the running game.

Dallas’ running game was questioned entering the season due to the lack of efficiency during the preseason. Despite the worries Dallas racked up over 100 yards on the ground. Dallas’ running game averaged 4.6 yards a carry, with both Marion Barber and Felix Jones averaged 4.7 yards a rush.

The shining star in a dreadful game was Dallas wideout Miles Austin. The Cowboys’ No. 1 receiver proved that last year’s break-out display was no fluke. Austin caught 10 passes for 146 yards, averaging 14.6 yards a catch.

Tony Romo’s connection with Austin was as strong as ever as Dallas’ triggerman threw towards Austin one in every three passes.

Romo had a passing completion of 65 percent. He averaged over nine yards per pass. Romo also threw for 282 yard, despite having his hands tied by offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who refused to trust his offensive lines ability.

Dallas’ defense is continuing to go from strength to strength. Dallas allowed Donavan McNabb to throw just 15 completions and held him to 171 yards. They also held both Chris Cooley and Santana Moss under 80 yards receiving each.

The Dallas secondary has major question marks, but a 24-yard Cooley reception was the longest pass play they gave up to Washington. The defense also shut down Clinton Portis, who was held to just 63 yard on the ground, with an average of 3.5 yards per rush.

The Dallas defense also allowed Washington to complete just three of their 15 attempted third downs. It must also be noted that the Dallas defense stopped Washington on fourth down, but a special teams blunder gave up the first down to Washington.

The Cowboys also stuffed the Redskins twice inside the red zone and in a “goal to go” situation.

Rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant did not explode onto the National Football League scene, but he showed solid hands catching eight balls. He also showed great strength and tenacity as he tried to swat tacklers off him during screen plays and other receptions. His longest reception may have come via a penalty, but the young receiver’s attitude was a great sight.

Despite Dallas enduring an ugly defeat, the positive is that the Cowboys done the majority of things well. They should have won the game in all honesty. Romo drove the Cowboys down the field and completed what should have been a game-winning pass to Roy Williams with time running out. A penalty negated the touchdown and cost Dallas the game.

Dallas’ offensive coordinator Jason Garrett called a horrible game. He failed to bring Jason Witten into the game and he ran a passing play with four seconds remaining in the first half, which led to a fumble by Tashard Choice and a costly Washington touchdown. The Cowboys did not start the season the way many expected, but there were signs of quality despite the loss, and there is no call for panic just yet.

The biggest worry for Dallas is not the failure to win the season opener, but how will a suspected neck strain suffered by outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware inflict his future performances.

T.O to N.E makes sense

Terrell Owens has been labelled an Egomaniac

Hall of Fame numbers, but no ring and no team ethic. That will be the legacy left by Terrell Owens if he cannot change it in the next season or two.

After 14 years in the National Football League, Owens has caught over 1,000 passes and is just shy of 15,000 yards.

Add in 144 touchdowns and a solid 14.9 yards per catch average and it is easy to see what this great athlete has brought to the game. There have been negative issues that have followed him from San Francisco to Philadelphia, but the bottom line is T.O. can still play.

Last year Terrell Owens had 55 receptions for 829 yards playing in Buffalo. He averaged 15.1 yards a catch and scored five touchdowns.

These numbers are not astronomical, but take into account Trent Edwards was throwing the passes T.O.’s way behind a dreadful offensive line and these stats look a lot more appealing.

Buffalo was ranked 30th overall in total offense and without Terrell Owens playing on the outside, things would have been much worse for them. Owens accounted for one-third of Buffalo’s entire passing yardage, and he was their leading receiver in his first year at the club.

Just imagine what Terrell Owens and the New England Patriots could achieve if a deal were to be done.

The immediate benefit of bringing Owens into the Patriots' recovering core is they would have two major threats on the outside. Not only would Owens and Moss be huge targets wide for Tom Brady, it would allow Wes Welker to play solely from the slot, where he is at his most potent, when he returns from injury.

Both Randy Moss and Wes Welker went well over 1,000 yards last season. If you add Terrell Owens to that mix, the Pats would have three very legitimate 1,000-plus yard receivers for Tom Brady to choose from.

The Patriots would also have Torry Holt and Julian Edelman adding depth to the wide receiver position.

New England brought in Torry Holt from free agency. Holt also has Hall of Fame caliber numbers, but his last two years have been somewhat unproductive.

Holt has failed to eclipse 800 yards in either of his two previous seasons, and he has averaged less than 50 yards a game in both 2008 and 2009.He failed to score a single TD last year, and he managed just three the year before.

The Patriots also re-signed David Patten who not only failed to play a single down last season, but also only managed to start eight games in the last four years.

If you look at Terrell Owens’ track record in Dallas—where he had a decent quarterback throwing him the ball—he went over 1,000 yards receiving three years in a row and scored 38 touchdowns, fumbling just once.

Over the last two years, T.O. has kept a consistent 15-yards-per-catch average. He can still stretch the field as he caught five 40-plus yard catches, and six 40-plus yard catches the two years prior.

There is a strong possibility this year will be Randy Moss’ final year as a Patriot. If that is the case, New England should do everything it can to try and exploit that.

Tom Brady will be the Brady of old after getting through his first season after recovering from a serious knee injury. If Brady has Moss, Owens, Welker, and Holt all to aim for, the record-breaking 2007 New England Patriots could be revisited.

The only objection that can be made for the Patriots not to sign Terrell Owens is his attitude, but where was that attitude when he had to endure a terrible season in Buffalo. And where was that attitude after countless playoff letdowns in Dallas.

New England has done a good deed by taking in Randy Moss, and the Patriots reaped the benefits, so who is to say lightning can’t strike again.

T.O. has already announced he would take a reduced salary to call Gillette Stadium home, and adding Owens to their roster would give the Patriots the best receiving core in the AFC East, and one of the most potent offensive attacks in the league.

Dallas Cowboys need Felix Jones as their featured back

Felix Jones can offer Dallas explosive plays out of the backfield

Last season, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that Dallas needed to get their second year running back, Felix Jones, in the game more.

The Cowboys owner’s reasoning behind this was based on Felix Jones’ “special qualities.”

Going into the new season Jerry Jones’ idea still holds strong. Felix Jones needs to be the starting running back for the Dallas Cowboys.

Felix Jones is an explosive running back. He forces the opposition to focus on the entire width of the field in relation to the running game, instead of being allowed focus solely inside the numbers.

Felix “the cat” has blistering pace and the ability to turn the corner and make defensemen miss tackles.

Power running is a great assist to a team, but the current trend in running back success in the NFL is speed and elusiveness. And Jones has a whole bag of that.

Marion Barber is a solid running back and deserves credit for the manner in which he runs the ball. He is a power back who is not afraid to go up the gut for the sake of a yard or two.

Barber can and will be an important part of the Dallas offensive, but he can have a much greater impact if he is put to use behind Jones.

If you look at last year alone, Jones averaged 1.5 yards extra per carry compared to Barber. With 98 less touches, Jones managed to equal Barber with five rushes of 20 plus yards. He also rushed forty plus yards four times more than Barber’s zero.

Felix Jones only managed to play six games in his rookie year before picking up a serious injury, but he averaged just under nine yards a carry during that time. Marion Barber is a hard-nosed, in your face running back. He tends to run between the numbers, and therefore is prone to more hits from linemen and linebackers.

This has taken a toll on Barber. Since the departure of Julius Jones in 2008, Barber has failed to complete a 16 game season. For the majority of last year, Barber played hurt.

Comparing the two seasons where Barber played backup to his two most recent seasons, it is clear to see which role harvests the best results.

With over 100 carries less playing behind Jones he scored 24 touchdowns, to his 14 as a starter. That is 10 touchdowns more playing as a backup.

He averaged 4.8 yards a carry as a backup in 2006 and 2007. Last year Barber averaged 4.4 a carry as starter, and 3.7 the year before. Barber’s average yards per carry as a starting back is just over four yards.

Compare that to his consistent 4.8 and you have nearly a whole yard in the difference. It might not sound like much but the NFL is a game of yards and inches.

Barber’s career high in single season total yards is 975 yards, which he rushed for in 2007 as a backup.

His longest career rush is 54 yards, which again occurred in the 2007 season.

When Barber was used as the Cowboys’ closing running back in 2006 and 2007, he didn’t miss a single regular season game.

Dallas has an exciting new weapon to aim for on offense in the shape Dez Bryant. Add him to the other offensive playmakers that Tony Romo can target and that makes for a lethal passing game.

Mix in an explosive backfield and Dallas’ offense looks locked, cocked and ready to fire.

The best role Marion Barber’s can play is “crime scene investigator.” When a team’s defense has been murdered, it is his time to shine.