By Rick Gosselin/The Dallas Morning News


Let me start by saying I admire Tony Romo’s spunk.
At 35 years of age, and with the clock running out on his career, I also admire his swagger.
So when he recently predicted very boldly and very publicly at the Dream Ball Gala, “We’re going to win a Super Bowl next year,” I accepted it more as a statement of hope than a statement of conviction.
Tony Romo wasn’t here when the Cowboys were winning Super Bowls. The dust on those Lombardi Trophies is older than some of his current teammates. Romo has never been to a Super Bowl himself. He’s never even been to an NFC title game.
But Romo does know what a Super Bowl championship team looks like.
His Cowboys lost to champions in 2012 (Baltimore), 2011 (Giants) and 2010 (Green Bay). That’s why he encouraged Jerry Jones to go all in on the 2015 season. Neither man is getting any younger and, coming off an NFC East title, Romo thinks his team has a chance.
So Romo urged ownership (unsuccessfully) to re-sign DeMarco Murray. He welcomed the chance to have his contract restructured, yet again, to create salary-cap space to buy more players, better players. Pro Bowl pass rusher Greg Hardy was supposed to be the crown jewel of those additions.
The Cowboys remain a flawed football team. But in a salary-cap world, all teams are flawed. The Patriots won it all last season with an average defence and a sub-par running game. Imperfection opens the door for a team like the Cowboys, Lions and Cardinals in 2015.
Right now, I’d put the Patriots, Packers, Seahawks and Ravens ahead of the Cowboys in the pecking order of Super Bowl favourites.
All four have been to the Super Bowl in the last five years and all have won it. When those franchises talk of winning Super Bowls, they can back their words with experience.
But it was a bit refreshing to hear someone on the Cowboys other than Jerry Jones talking Super Bowl. And the root of all success is belief.
This fall Romo is going to have to put that belief and that talk into action.