COMMENTARY: Romo's retirement good for Broncos

The Tony Romo mania that swept through Colorado never made sense.

Romo is battered, damned with an extremely iffy reconstructed clavicle.

Romo played five games since the 2014 season, and he did not exactly dazzle in those games, throwing seven interceptions.

Romo, at his peak, never was great. He led the Cowboys to only two playoff victories in nine seasons as a starter. Yes, he was an exciting presence in the pocket. He also was an erratic presence.

Romo, 37, is done as a quarterback. Good for him. He won't further risk injury -- and creaky, agonizing old age -- as he sits and talks in a broadcast booth as the lead CBS analyst.

Good for the Broncos, too. Instead of trying to hand the offense to an exhausted, battered quarterback, the franchise and its fans can now concentrate on healthy, youthful and gifted Paxton Lynch.

Is Lynch the right Bronco quarterback for 2017, and beyond? We don't know yet, but it's time to find out if he's worthy of a first-round investment. Adding Romo would only have delayed answering the crucial Lynch answers.

Why did Romo mania sweep through Bronco-land?

Peyton Manning is the reason. In 2012, a seemingly broken-down quarterback galloped into our lives from Indiana and revived a fallen franchise. Manning, even after four neck surgeries, remained the NFL's premier offensive force. He restored the Broncos to elite status.

In the four seasons before Manning's arrival in Colorado, the Broncos lost 36 games. During the four seasons Manning wore an orange No. 18, the Broncos lost only 14 games, won the AFC West four consecutive times and traveled to two Super Bowls.

Manning, creaky and limping, willed the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory over the Panthers before finally saying goodbye. He is, and always will be, a beloved Colorado folk hero.

The probability was remote for a repeat of Manning's highly unlikely, and highly entertaining, football tale. Broken-down quarterbacks are almost never miraculously restored to their days of greatness, or, in Romo's case, sort-of-near-greatness. Manning and Brett Favre are the exceptions. John Unitas was useless in San Diego after being magnificent in Baltimore. Same with Joe Namath when he traveled from New York to Los Angeles.

Turns out, Romo was never serious about relocating in Colorado. In a conference call Tuesday afternoon, Romo said he had looked first to Houston, where he could have followed Brock Osweiler as starting quarterback.

"Obviously, Houston was at the top of the list of the teams that I would have looked at," Romo said.

That truth never seemed obvious to Bronco fans, who tend to believe the football world revolves around their team.

Many Bronco fans got lost in the always-unlikely vision of Romo wearing an orange No. 9. They believed another tattered veteran could lift a struggling offense.

It's time to return to the reality of the Broncos' quarterback situation. Trevor Siemian is too fragile, his frame too slight, to survive as an NFL starter. He's an ideal backup. Steady. Accurate. Experienced.

But Siemian never will crack the list of the NFL's top 15 quarterbacks. He lacks the arm strength and nerve to keep climbing. He's not the answer.

Lynch could lead the Broncos back to the playoffs. The defense remains mighty and sinister. The offense only needs to climb into the top half of the NFL for the Broncos to return to Super Bowl contention.

Lynch is blessed with a powerful right arm. He's a swashbuckler in the mold of John Elway. That's not completely a compliment. Swashbuckling, as Elway once showed Colorado, has its ups and downs. Lots of thrills. Lots of interceptions.

Departed coach Gary Kubiak had deep faith in Siemian, probably because Siemian reminded Kubiak so much of himself. Kubiak declined to show trust in Lynch, keeping the young quarterback on a short leash. Lynch was never given a chance to show his full power.

His chance has arrived. He's only 23, heading into his prime years.

Romo is done. Good for him. Good for the Broncos.

Sports on 04/06/2017

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