Why Tony Romo Will Never Win a Super Bowl

Anyone who listens to Sportstalk on a regular basis knows I have more theories about things than a 70s TV detective.  Over the weekend, I convinced myself during a celebrity golf tournament that Tony Romo will never win a Super Bowl.

Author Malcolm Gladwell discusses the concept of 'thin slicing' in his 2005 book Blink. Thin slicing is when we trust our initial instincts about something rather than getting bogged down with too much information.  On Sunday I 'thin sliced' Tony Romo at the American Century celebrity golf challenge in Lake Tahoe.

About ten years ago the tournament switched to a modified Stableford scoring system because the same three guys were winning every year.  With a Stableford golfers are awarded points for eagles, birdies, and pars.  On the 18th tee on Sunday actor Jack Wagner led Romo by four points.

The 18th hole at the Edgewood-Tahoe golf club is a reachable par 5.  The green is protected by a lake on the left and Lake Tahoe on the right.  After finding the fairway off the tee, Wagner put his second shot in the lake.  At the American Century golfers are awarded 4 points for an eagle, 2 points for a birdie, 1 point for a par, 0 points for a bogey, and -2 for a double bogey or worse.

After finding the lake with his second, bogey was a real possibility for Wagner.  Romo needed to knock it close to put pressure on Wagner.  After bombing his tee shot 336 yards down the middle, Romo was left with 165 to the flag.  Rather than knock one stiff, and put all the pressure back on Wagner, Romo pulled one into the very same lake and took all the pressure off Wagner.  It was that very moment when something clicked in my brain, and I thought this guy will never win a Super Bowl.

I know some people will read this and say it's ridiculous.  It might be, and I may very well be proven wrong.  The funny thing is that I have been one of the biggest Tony Romo defenders on the airwaves.  Football is a team game.  I thought it was unfair to blame every Cowboy shortcoming of the last four years on one guy.

However, when I saw him yank one into the lake from the middle of the fairway in the 'blink' of an eye I convinced myself there is something hardwired in his DNA that will prevent him from winning a Super Bowl.