Do You Believe?

When it comes to football, in my mind there is no such thing as a comfortable lead.

I grew up watching Roger Staubach play. After seeing him score an unbelievable amount of points in the final two minutes of a game for an incredible come from behind victory--time and time again--well, let's just say the game ain't over until ...well, until it's over. Charlie Waters once said, "It didn't matter how many points you were down. With Roger at the helm, you knew you could win."

Charlie Waters believed.

And I believed as well. Believed in Roger. I believed that he could do anything.

Tony Romo hadn't even been born back when Roger Staubach was making a legend of himself. Yet, Tony had hardly begun playing when the comparisons started. Comparisons to Roger. Comparisons to Troy Aikman. That's a comparison Troy Aikman isn't so sure about. "I think if you put two of my best years together it wouldn't come up with the numbers he's going to have at the end of the season," he said earlier this month. High praise, that, especially coming from a Hall of Fame, three time Superbowl Champion quarterback.

But Troy didn't stop there. "You always feel like he's going to make a play," he said of Tony. "You always feel like regardless of what the situation is, he's going to make a play that's going to get it done for the team."

Troy Aikman believes.

More importantly, Tony Romo believes. Consider the following scenario: Dallas is playing the Lions in Detroit, a place historically in which it has been difficult for them to win. There are less than 6 minutes left to play, and Jason Witten has just fumbled away the go ahead touchdown. Throughout it all, Tony Romo stays cool. In fact, the only time he seemed even the tiniest bit flustered was during the post game interview when the reporter made mention that "the girls are all swooning."

Back to the fumble. Witten feels sick about what he has done. Just sick. But Romo encourages him. "It's all right," he says. "Don't worry about it. We'll get the ball back. You'll get another chance." And with those words of encouragement, followed shortly by Dallas actually getting the ball back

Jason Witten believed.

But the Cowboys were left in a seemingly impossible position. Just over two minutes left in the game and 83 yards to go. No timeouts. Needing a touchdown to win. A field goal won't do it. It has to be a touchdown. If it had been Roger Staubach out there on the field, there would have been no doubt in my mind. Some how, someway, they would find a way to win. Tony Romo is good, but he's no Roger Staubach.

Or is he? As the Cowboys began to methodically march down the field, hopping out of bounds after each play to stop the clock, I began to wonder...

Maybe this kid has something after all. When Kyle Kosier recovered a fumble to keep the drive alive, I began to think maybe...

Maybe they could pull it out after all. When Tony Romo connected with Marion Barber to convert on a 4th and 6, I began to have hope...

Maybe they could win this thing. And when Tony found Jason Witten all alone in the end zone for the game winning touchdown (with Nick Folk's extra point) with 18 seconds on the clock, I knew...

I knew that somehow, somewhere a bit of the Dodger had rubbed off on the boy. And when asked about that final drive, Tony just smiled that heart-stopping smile of his and said, "It was fun!"

I believed.