Cowboys QB Tony Romo: Hall of Fame, First-Ballot, Votes Jerry

The all-powerful Jerry Jones is now suggesting that one of his former players - indeed, maybe the owner's all-time favorite player, Tony Romo - should be a first-ballot Pro Football Hall-of-Famer.

FRISCO - If you aspire to "get the hook-up'' in the NFL, there is no greater guardian angel to have perched on your shoulder than the all-powerful Jerry Jones.

And the all-powerful Jerry Jones is now suggesting that one of his former players - indeed, maybe the owner's all-time favorite player, Tony Romo - should be a first-ballot Pro Football Hall-of-Famer.

”You’re talking to a guy that (says) he would be a first- ... ballot with me,'' Jones told "K&C Masterpiece'' on 105.3 The Fan. "And I don’t apologize for that.''

"Apologies'' are not necessary; everyone is entitled to a bias, and there are millions of Cowboys fans who likely agree with the owner, whose family is so tight with Tony that his third son's first name is "Jones.'' (Seriously.)

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But personal bias and affection for a person isn't supposed to be the driving force for HOF committee members. (Which doesn't mean they always avoid it). Further, while Jones, himself a Hall-of-Famer, has a voice - a powerful one - he doesn't have a vote.

So Romo, realistically, finds himself in the same stack of standout QBs, dating back decades, who have fallen short of the Hall mostly because they fell short in terms of championships.

And in the case of Romo? For whatever reason, his teams never won big. Super Bowl? Conference championship appearance? No. And no. During Romo's 13-year-long tenure as Dallas' QB, "America's Team'' won just two playoffs games.

Jones has, by the way, called that fact one of his greatest personal failures - that he didn't do enough to help Romo win big. But now? He's talking big.

The former Dallas quarterback Romo retired from the NFL after the 2016 season, making him eligible after this year. He does have some fantastic passing numbers, and his profile remains high as a national analyst on CBS, and the timing is right ... and he has the support of one guy.

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“There’s no question in my mind that Tony is at a skilled level,” Jones said. “He had accomplishments, statistically, that were there. The fact that we did not have a Super Bowl during that time is gonna always be the end of the conversation as to where Tony Romo will rank – where he’s acknowledged.”

Romo was a four-time Pro Bowler who went 78-49 overall and had just one losing season as a starter. He holds the bulk of the franchise's passing records.

That's going to get him voted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor - Jones is the one-man committee there. But "first-ballot Hall-of-Famer''? That's really not how it works, not even if the all-powerful Jerry Jones wishes it to.

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