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Coaching error by Bill Parcells having Romo handle snaps

stevekstevek Posts: 29,030 ✭✭✭✭✭
The Romo fumbled snap was in my opinion definitely a coaching error by Bill Parcells. You just don't see starting quarterbacks handle snaps anymore. Romo of course was handling snaps at the beginning of the season and midway, but he was not the starter, and once he became the starter Parcells should have assigned that job to someone else.

I haven't given this a ton of thought before, but I can imagine one reason to assign snaps to another player other than a starter would be fatigue. Handling snaps is a difficult job to do perfectly every time. And much tougher to do when tired. During the course of a game, I would imagine that a quarterbacks hands take a beating, especially with always trying to help stop a fall when they get sacked or knocked down. Despite a pounding, their hands still being useful to take short snaps from the center and throw passes, but for an ball handling maneuver like taking long snaps, I think you would want a fresh "pair of hands" in there. Sounds sorta funny I know, but I think it makes sense considering other starting QB's don't handle snaps and the fact that Romo fumbled this snap after a hard fought game.

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  • 1420sports1420sports Posts: 3,473 ✭✭✭
    Gramatica was thinking "thank God it wasn't me"
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  • Don't know who was handling snaps before him, but it's a safe bet to say that Romo is the most experienced teamed up with the snapper. Sometimes you just have to go with your best guy and take the chance.

    We really can't talk too much Eagles fans. Reid just brought back Koy "Neck Beard" Detmer, and he hasn't handled a snap since pre season. Also the snapper is not the guy he worked with for years. Bartrum went down with an injury weeks ago.
  • stevekstevek Posts: 29,030 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Don't know who was handling snaps before him, but it's a safe bet to say that Romo is the most experienced teamed up with the snapper. Sometimes you just have to go with your best guy and take the chance.

    We really can't talk too much Eagles fans. Reid just brought back Koy "Neck Beard" Detmer, and he hasn't handled a snap since pre season. Also the snapper is not the guy he worked with for years. Bartrum went down with an injury weeks ago. >>



    Admittedly, Reid's decision to bring back Detmer for the sole purpose of handling snaps, influenced my post here on just how important a job is handling long snaps.

    Romo was involved in a hard fought game and even though he certainly has to be the best person on the team for handling snaps when he is fresh...consideration must be made for the facts I pointed out of fatigue both physically and mentally. I still think that the 3rd string quarterback or somebody else should have been coached up to handle snaps after Romo became the starter.


    -
  • Well you want a guy who can run it well if the snap is bad or fumbled, and Romo did just that. Bledsoe certainly could not although I think he held snaps with the Patriots. Their other QB has absolutely no playing experience this year.

    Hell, he almost got a first down.

    Guess this situation is like having Detmer and McMahon as your back ups for a QB that runs and takes the risk of getting injured. Luckily Reid solved that problem this year.
  • IrishMikeIrishMike Posts: 7,737 ✭✭✭
    Of course Parcells should have known he would drop the football. image
  • Parcells stated in the press conference that they didn't have 1 botched snap or botched hold all year . . Romo handled the snaps all year
  • "Tony is an awesome holder," Gramatica said. "I'd rather have him than anybody I've ever had holding the ball. I feel bad for him."

    Unfortunate, but this pic is pretty good.

    image


  • << <i>The Romo fumbled snap was in my opinion definitely a coaching error by Bill Parcells. You just don't see starting quarterbacks handle snaps anymore. Romo of course was handling snaps at the beginning of the season and midway, but he was not the starter, and once he became the starter Parcells should have assigned that job to someone else.

    I haven't given this a ton of thought before, but I can imagine one reason to assign snaps to another player other than a starter would be fatigue. Handling snaps is a difficult job to do perfectly every time. And much tougher to do when tired. During the course of a game, I would imagine that a quarterbacks hands take a beating, especially with always trying to help stop a fall when they get sacked or knocked down. Despite a pounding, their hands still being useful to take short snaps from the center and throw passes, but for an ball handling maneuver like taking long snaps, I think you would want a fresh "pair of hands" in there. Sounds sorta funny I know, but I think it makes sense considering other starting QB's don't handle snaps and the fact that Romo fumbled this snap after a hard fought game. >>



    Romo was a backup for 4 seasons, holder was his gig. Other starting QBs in the league aren't used as holders because they aren't experienced with it like Romo is. He choked. Plain and simple. It's seems weird, blame a Super Bowl winning head coach; or a guy who's started 11 games in 4 seasons. Oh that's right, the Igglets have never won a Super Bowl. I hope the G-men mop up the declawed remains of the Eagles today.
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  • ziggy29ziggy29 Posts: 18,668 ✭✭✭
    Normally teams don't use their starting QB as the holder. But this is not the normal situation. Romo has held for a long time. Are you going to suddenly go with an inexperienced holder in the middle of the season just because you name Romo your starting QB? I doubt it.

    And if I'm Gramatica, I certainly don't want a mid-season change. If they want to "train" a new holder at training camp next year, great. But THIS year, I don't fault the big ol' Tuna for keeping Romo as the holder.

    What's lost is that he was less than a yard away from being a hero, and it took a heck of a clutch tackle to stop it.


  • << <i>Gramatica was thinking "thank God it wasn't me" >>




    You know if you watch Gramatica on the replay he gives the defender who stopped Romo a very lame shove. If he took one for the team Romo scores. I know kickers aren't supposed to do that much, but it is the playoffs after all.
  • grote15grote15 Posts: 29,694 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I'd agree about keeping Romo in as the holder. If the hold had been botched with a new holder, everyone would have been ripping Parcells for switching holders at this stage of the season. Bottom line is that Romo flubbed it, maybe it was nerves, or the feel of the different football they use for FGs, maybe not, but I don't think you can blame it on anyone but Romo. It was his Bill Buckner moment, but unlike Bill who was at the end of his career, Romo should rebound nicely in the years to come, and get his chance to redeem himself.


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  • ctsoxfanctsoxfan Posts: 6,246 ✭✭
    You can't change holders mid-season, especially when Romo's been your guy doing that for several seasons straight. If he had switched, and the new holder botched the snap, then he would hear how that was a bad move. Romo almost made it into the end zone after he fumbled the snap, gotta give him credit for trying.
    image
  • gregmo32gregmo32 Posts: 2,648 ✭✭✭
    First off, I hate the Cowboys. But I have to disagree with the comment about Grammatica. I thought he made a very "heads up" play just to react to the situation and slow that defender once Romo had bungled the snap. I would guess that most kickers would not have even had the presence of mind to make the attempt in that situation...
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  • markj111markj111 Posts: 2,921 ✭✭✭
    Theisman ripped the Bengals for NOT using a QB to handle the snaps. Most teams use the backup QB-which Romo was when the season started. Surely this is a non-issue.
  • stevekstevek Posts: 29,030 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Good! Keep Romo in there handling snaps...then the exact same thing will happen again sooner or later...guaranteed! I like it cause I hate the Cowboys...I hope they resign TO as well...keep them losing as much as possible next season...YEA!
  • estangestang Posts: 1,322 ✭✭✭
    I recall Joe Thiesmann saying that all holders should be QBs --- I can't recall if he said they should be starting QBs or not.

    Did Thiesmann hold even when he started?

    Paul Krause used to hold for the Vikings --- obviously with 81 Ints --- and a former Centerfielder --- he could do the job. Brad Johnson held the kicks last year, but not this year when he was the main starter.
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  • kadokakidkadokakid Posts: 426 ✭✭
    Joe Theismann is an idiot. There have been lots of NFL teams with someone other than a QB holding for kicks.

    Punters, def backs, etc


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  • markj111markj111 Posts: 2,921 ✭✭✭
    I agree that Theisman is an idiot. The point I was attempting to make was that using Romo as the holder was a non-issue that did not even approach rising to the level of a mistake.
  • stownstown Posts: 11,321 ✭✭✭
    Chad Stanley, the punter, has been our holder for years. He cut his thumb and we brought in our back-up QB, Sage Rosenfels, to hold. Sage ends up breaking his hand on an athletic play on a botched kick (wasn't long enough and they had a return on).

    So we get stuck with Ocho Stinko for the entire year image
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  • if gramatica would have blocked the outside guy coming in, romo would have got the first down, possibly the touchdown
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