Amateur Analysis: Tony Romo's Contract Extension

Well, it looks like we got some NFL news in a slow point of their offseason. Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo became the highest paid Dallas Cowboy ever by signing a 6 year, $108 million dollar contract. This comes a few weeks after Joe Flacco broke the bank and signed a huge deal for the Ravens.

As someone who was raised in a pro-Cowboys home and is now a diehard fan of the team as well, I have mixed feelings about this deal. So, continue reading if you want to read what a Cowboys fan has to say about this event. If not, go ahead and find something else.

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Let me first some positives down. I'm a big Romo fan. In all honesty, which QB (that's available) could the Cowboys get at this instant that would make them better? I don't know of any. Alex Smith got traded, and everyone else that's considered expendable isn't better than Tony. In all truthfulness  the Cowboys had no other options, and went with a guy who's been their "guy" for the past 6 years. And it's not like he's been a scrub or anything. He's set numerous Cowboys QB records and has made his fair share of pro-bowls with a very average teams. Also, don't give me that whole "he's not clutch" nonsense. Click on this link, and then let's talk about his "clutchness". And to add to that, this move saves the Cowboys some cap space, which they desperately needed.So, Dallas basically locked up a dude who's the best out there that isn't trade/free agent worthy, has been their QB for a good length of time, and doesn't "choke" as much as people say he does.

With that said, I do have a few negative thoughts about HUGE deal. First off, this is a lot of freakin' money. $100+ million doesn't happen very often, so obviously this made headlines of all football related outlets. That's gonna add a ton of pressure to the guy. Secondly, he plays for the Dallas Cowboys, aka America's Team. They are already under the spotlight when it comes to American football, and throwing a huge deal to a high-profile QB is going to add more pressure and scrutiny to them. And finally: can you imagine how the media will react if Tony gets off to a bad start next season? Oh boy, that won't be good at all. He'll get criticized way more than he does right now. Which adds even more pressure. I just have a bad feeling that all of this pressure will add up overtime, which could lead to some sort of catastrophic meltdown.

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That's my 2 cents on how I feel about this contract extension, both good and bad. As a Cowboys & Romo supporter, I really hope he wins a Super Bowl soon so we can forget about this deal. Because if he doesn't win a SB, I'll never hear the end of it from opposing fans. And even with that fear, I can't wait for September to roll around.

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Do you feel this deal is good or bad? Let us know in the comments!

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Shell Houston Open POTW: Charles Howell III vs. Steve Stricker

Welcome to our Picks of the Week game! Rules are simple: Each week Bernardo and I will select one golfer entered in the current tournament. Whichever golfer finishes highest earns one of us a point. Exceptions: 3 points if our golfer wins the whole thing, Major Championships are doubled (so that's a possibility of 6 points), and tied finishes result in 0 points. Oh, and once we use a golfer, we can't use him for the rest of year. We're doing this until the TOUR Championship. Bernardo has won this 2 times in a row, so let's see if he can go for the three peat! 

JJ: As we close in on The Masters (2 weeks to go!), I'm going to pick someone this week that has a lot of motivation to guarantee his invite to Augusta: Charles Howell III. Charles is a native of Augusta, Georgia, and hasn't qualified for The Masters yet. He sits 57th in the world rankings, and needs a solid finish this week to finish in the top 50 and secure his place. With 5 top 25 finishes in 9 starts this year, he's already surpassed his earnings from all of 2012. And I expect this bounce-back season of his to continue this week at the SHO. He's long overdue for a win, and he might just get it on a course that is somewhat similar to Augusta National.

Bernardo: Steve Stricker

Last week recap: Bernardo’s pick of Ian Poulter easily out shined Jason Day, earning him another point.

JJ's used: Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Billy Horschel, Retief Goosen, Jason Day

Bernardo's used: Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson, Aaron Baddeley, Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter

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Arnold Palmer Invitational: Tiger's Triumph

TW with the King

If the WGC Cadillac Championship didn't show it, let the records show that Tiger Woods is officially best player in the world right now.

And even if you didn't need the statistics, you could tell that it's not even close right now.

Bar none, Tiger is being Tiger again. With 3 wins this early in the season, the days of him struggling (2010-2011) seem long gone now. He's putting like he did 5 years ago, and his short game is as rock solid as ever. Everything seems to be clicking.

His "intimidation" factor also seems to be in full effect again. Fowler faded on 16 (triple bogey), Rose struggled late in the 3rd round, and G-Mac couldn't make any putts at the Cadillac Champ. Pros are once again starting to realize what it's like to play in the black hole known as Tiger Woods.

Tiger's 2 shot victory today at the API gives him the number 1 ranking and some serious momentum heading into Augusta. He's obviously the big favorite for The Masters, and rightfully so. And even though the "purists" out there will say he isn't back until he snatches up a major championship, I think they know it's a matter of "when" rather than "if" now.

That's a great thing to have for us golf fans, and a terrible thing out there for the other professionals. Because unless someone steps up to TW, we could be in for a "2000 season" all over again.

Congrats, Tiger.

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Arnold Palmer Invitational POTW: Jason Day vs. Ian Poulter

Welcome to our Picks of the Week game! Rules are simple: Each week Bernardo and I will select one golfer entered in the current tournament. Whichever golfer finishes highest earns one of us a point. Exceptions: 3 points if our golfer wins the whole thing, Major Championships are doubled (so that's a possibility of 6 points), and tied finishes result in 0 points. Oh, and once we use a golfer, we can't use him for the rest of year. We're doing this until the TOUR Championship. Bernardo has won this 2 times in a row, so let's see if he can go for the three peat! 

JJ: Since we're only 3 weeks away from The Masters (Hooray!), it's time for most guys to get their golf games' in peak form. One of the guys who I expect to play well from here on out is Jason Day. The 25 year-old has had a solid season so far (no missed cuts), and as the season really begins to pick up, I think he'll step his game up another level. We expected a lot from him and 2012, but he didn't really deliver like he did in 2011. Now that he's had some time to get the pressure off of him, I think he'll show us that he belongs in the "elite" conversation this week.

Bernardo: The Arnold Palmer Invitational is a favorite stop for many and usually is dominated by El Tigre. This week I’m going with Ian Poulter. He hasn’t played much in the states this year but that shouldn’t stop the Englishmen from playing well this week. Good luck old chap!

Last week recap: Bernardo’s pick of Sergio Garcia continued his excellent season with another top-10, and earned him the point over JJ’s pick of Retief Goosen.

JJ's used: Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Billy Horschel, Retief Goosen

Bernardo's used: Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson, Aaron Baddeley, Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia

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Tampa Bay Championship: Kevin Streelman

Kevin Streelman’s victory is a great example of perseverance. After shooting an average first round (73) he fired back with three solid rounds. The task of winning would not come easy with players like Boo Weekley who shot 63 on Sunday. He also had a few veteran winners closely chasing his lead (Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Pat Perez), but failed to get the job done during the final round. 

What’s next: This is Streelman’s first victory on tour since turning pro back in 2001 another great example of perseverance.  We’ve seen sparks of greatness from Streelman but he’s lacked the necessary tools to get the job done. That possibly being confidence but now after defeating a fairly stacked field this should definitely be a confidence booster. Hopefully we’ll see a bit more of Streelman this year, most importantly in the winner’s circle. 

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