That's the question being debated on NFL.com based on the rankings of the two quarterbacks in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012. Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo came in at #91 while Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco was ranked 17 spots higher at #74. In the 2011 rankings, the two were reversed, with Romo at #72 and Flacco at #90.
So why the virtual opposite rankings one year later? There is no question that the pure stats show Romo dwarfing Flacco. Looking at just the numbers, one might have a great argument on how a guy with significantly lesser stats could be ranked higher, much less significantly higher.
In 2011, Romo threw for 500 more yards, eleven more TD passes, two less interceptions, with a QB Rating over 20 points higher. Those numbers alone support the argument to have the two players switch places on the NFL list. The debate then needs to shift to the team's success with their guy at quarterback, as well as the player's ability to carry the team and win games at crucial times.
While Joe Flacco has had a tough time carrying the Ravens on his shoulders, Romo has had an even tougher time when the chips were down. Too many times, not just in 2011, but over the course of his career, has Tony Romo single-handedly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory on behalf of his team.
From his difficulty getting to the playoffs, much less winning when he did get there, to throwing ridiculous interceptions with the game on line, Romo has frustrated Cowboys fans to the point of questioning whether the team should be looking for a replacement.
Meanwhile, Joe Flacco has been able to lead the Ravens to key victories over their AFC North arch-rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the last few seconds and on the road no less. The Ravens may have lost to the New England Patriots in last season's AFC Championship Game, but it certainly wasn't Flacco's fault, as he easily outplayed Tom Brady and threw for over 300 yards in the contest.
It's hard to gauge what a team's overall effect is on the quarterback as an individual but one thing has become clear in Flacco relatively short career. 'Joe Cool' and the Ravens have been to and won playoff games every season he's been in the NFL. Meanwhile the Cowboys have been annual under-achievers every year and Romo's miscues fan the flames of discontent around Dallas.
The NFL got it right, and while Cowboy fans might not give up or want to trade Romo for Flacco, there is no sane Ravens fan who would ever switch those two quarterbacks if given the chance.