Mosley: Romo's in tune with T.O. (Game Observations)
IRVING – As I watched Tony Romo sing along with Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" while waiting to accept Fox's Galloping Gobbler Award, the following thought occurred to me: What ever happened to T.O.?
Yes, I know he had eight catches for 107 yards and at least one donation to the Salvation Army on Thursday, but he's no longer the main storyline for this team.
Though sometimes against my will, I participated in the endless T.O. news cycle that began in Oxnard and erupted with the now infamous accidental overdose in late September.
And the fact that we now seem so far removed from that story speaks to Romo's remarkable rise. For one of the first times in his NFL career, T.O. seems to be one of the guys.
One of the guys who just happens to sell children's books in his spare time, but still, he actually seems to be enjoying his new-found anonymity.
I asked him last Thursday why he appeared to be laying low these days, and he walked over and gave the nameplate above Tony Romo's locker a few love pats. Could it be that a man who has spent most of his career in unhealthy quarterback relationships has finally found The One?
Well, I'll reserve judgment on that one until Romo has a poor game, something that may or may not happen in the next decade.
The way Romo has handled T.O. – and Bill Parcells for that matter – suggests that he picked up a master's in psychology in the hallowed halls of Eastern Illinois.
Drew Bledsoe tried to form a relationship with the mercurial wide receiver through text messages. After defeats, he almost begged T.O. to stay with him.
But T.O.'s proven time and time again that he doesn't respond to rational communication. I mean, this is a guy who wrote a book in response to being cussed out in the huddle.
Even before he took over as starter, Romo made it a point to forge a relationship with Owens.
Not over beers, but over post-practice throwing sessions.
Romo knew he wasn't dealing with the most stable human in the league, but he actually tried to listen to T.O. Of course, the backup quarterback is always in the best position to be a confidante to the scorned wide receiver.
For now, Romo will continue to say things like, "I just throw to the open receiver," but he has gone out of his way to get T.O. involved early in games. It's a good way to keep him out of your hair, and it's just one of the reasons this team suddenly has a legitimate shot at winning playoff games.
After another entertaining post-game session Thursday, Romo looked back at me and said, "Was that pretty good?"
So far, I'd have to say yes.
Things I jotted down on my 8½x11¾-inch notepad: Hope everyone took at least a few moments Thursday to reflect on what happened between the native Wampanoag people and the Pilgrims all those years ago.
I began my day at a place that evokes images of the sacrifice those brave men and women made for our nation: The Park Cities Club.
As the Plymouth contingent did nearly 300 years ago, we gave thanks over Polenta-crusted cod and talked about Tony Romo.
By the time I arrived at Texas Stadium, I'd been overtaken by the holiday spirit, which is much easier to achieve when you're holding a Blue parking pass.
I quickly bumped into the Hampton brothers from Amarillo. It was Roy and Allen's fifth consecutive Thanksgiving game, and they were serving up a traditional holiday spread of rib-eyes, lobster tails and Coors Light.
Allen was in the middle of a fascinating Dennis Thurman story when I had to turn my attention to three grown men dressed as a Pilgrim, turkey and Native American.
John Heyde, Stephen Cortes and Justin Cange grew up together in the jewel of the Brazos River, Waco, Texas, and were in a festive mood.
This touching tribute was only slightly marred by a pony keg of Heineken in the back of an SUV. …
One of Fox's time-honored traditions (since 2002) is to present the player of the game with the Galloping Gobbler Award. The network had to resort to handing out a metal bird when John Madden took his Turkey Leg and flew the coop.
Much like the Stanley Cup, the Gobbler has a full-time handler who wears white gloves in an effort not to leave spots. Fox asked fans to vote whether to kill the tradition, but it somehow survived.
Tony Romo became the third Cowboy (Emmitt and Julius) to win the coveted award after his five-touchdown performance.
The always camera-shy Romo played with sideline reporter Pam Oliver's hair and sang along with Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" as it blared over the PA system.
Afterward, Tony granted David Marcus of WTMJ-NBC in Milwaukee a locker-room exclusive during which he talked about his golf game and his now famous hometown.
The opening for the Romo Museum in Burlington (Wis.) has been moved up to 2007. …
The halftime show appeared to go off without a hitch, although it's hard to hear Carrie Underwood through Plexiglas. Underwood's performance ended with several explosions, a few of which appeared to be intentional.
Unfortunately for Underwood, a group of bare-chested male acrobats hanging onto king-sized bedsheets caused the biggest scene. The men clasped hands and rotated their bodies at least 20 feet above the ground. And as I've often said, nothing says Thanksgiving like male acrobats. …
All-world punter Mat McBriar pretty much had the day off since the offense was playing so well. He used his secret English to force Ike Hilliard to fair catch the ball at his 13-yard line, but a 35.5-yard average and a 31 net isn't going to get us to Hawaii. Yes, I'm planning to cover the Pro Bowl, although I haven't shared this with my editors. …
Best line from a team doctor: "We scored so much that we had to give the little girl who was retrieving the tee an IV." …
Kudos to the fans who unfurled an authentic-looking Tony Romo banner in the Ring of Honor. Romo wisely called it an "injustice" to the men whose names grace the Ring, but it doesn't mean he didn't enjoy it. I'm thinking we should at least wait and see what happens next week before inducting Tony. …
The next time I need Brian Baldinger's help while interviewing Cowboys right guard Marco Rivera, I'll ask for it. …
Thought it was nice of Rivera to take time out to compliment my corduroy jacket, though. After the game, Rivera was still upset about giving up a sack to Chris Hovan. Rivera looked to his left to see if Ronde Barber was coming on the safety blitz and by the time he looked back, Hovan was pushing him like he was a grocery cart. "Out of 75 plays, that's the reason I won't be able to sleep tonight." For the record, Rivera had been the most consistent player on the offensive line over the last month. And no one on this team is happier for Romo than Rivera, who spent several years in Green Bay and sort of views Tony as a mini-Favre. And if Romo happens to read that last line, I'll hear about it. …
Not sure what Bill Parcells was trying to say when he slapped me on the back after the game, but I'll assume it was "Happy Thanksgiving."… Great to see T.O. deposit a football into the over-sized Salvation Army kettle after scoring. Can he write that off?
Yes, I know he had eight catches for 107 yards and at least one donation to the Salvation Army on Thursday, but he's no longer the main storyline for this team.
Though sometimes against my will, I participated in the endless T.O. news cycle that began in Oxnard and erupted with the now infamous accidental overdose in late September.
And the fact that we now seem so far removed from that story speaks to Romo's remarkable rise. For one of the first times in his NFL career, T.O. seems to be one of the guys.
One of the guys who just happens to sell children's books in his spare time, but still, he actually seems to be enjoying his new-found anonymity.
I asked him last Thursday why he appeared to be laying low these days, and he walked over and gave the nameplate above Tony Romo's locker a few love pats. Could it be that a man who has spent most of his career in unhealthy quarterback relationships has finally found The One?
Well, I'll reserve judgment on that one until Romo has a poor game, something that may or may not happen in the next decade.
The way Romo has handled T.O. – and Bill Parcells for that matter – suggests that he picked up a master's in psychology in the hallowed halls of Eastern Illinois.
Drew Bledsoe tried to form a relationship with the mercurial wide receiver through text messages. After defeats, he almost begged T.O. to stay with him.
But T.O.'s proven time and time again that he doesn't respond to rational communication. I mean, this is a guy who wrote a book in response to being cussed out in the huddle.
Even before he took over as starter, Romo made it a point to forge a relationship with Owens.
Not over beers, but over post-practice throwing sessions.
Romo knew he wasn't dealing with the most stable human in the league, but he actually tried to listen to T.O. Of course, the backup quarterback is always in the best position to be a confidante to the scorned wide receiver.
For now, Romo will continue to say things like, "I just throw to the open receiver," but he has gone out of his way to get T.O. involved early in games. It's a good way to keep him out of your hair, and it's just one of the reasons this team suddenly has a legitimate shot at winning playoff games.
After another entertaining post-game session Thursday, Romo looked back at me and said, "Was that pretty good?"
So far, I'd have to say yes.
Things I jotted down on my 8½x11¾-inch notepad: Hope everyone took at least a few moments Thursday to reflect on what happened between the native Wampanoag people and the Pilgrims all those years ago.
I began my day at a place that evokes images of the sacrifice those brave men and women made for our nation: The Park Cities Club.
As the Plymouth contingent did nearly 300 years ago, we gave thanks over Polenta-crusted cod and talked about Tony Romo.
By the time I arrived at Texas Stadium, I'd been overtaken by the holiday spirit, which is much easier to achieve when you're holding a Blue parking pass.
I quickly bumped into the Hampton brothers from Amarillo. It was Roy and Allen's fifth consecutive Thanksgiving game, and they were serving up a traditional holiday spread of rib-eyes, lobster tails and Coors Light.
Allen was in the middle of a fascinating Dennis Thurman story when I had to turn my attention to three grown men dressed as a Pilgrim, turkey and Native American.
John Heyde, Stephen Cortes and Justin Cange grew up together in the jewel of the Brazos River, Waco, Texas, and were in a festive mood.
This touching tribute was only slightly marred by a pony keg of Heineken in the back of an SUV. …
One of Fox's time-honored traditions (since 2002) is to present the player of the game with the Galloping Gobbler Award. The network had to resort to handing out a metal bird when John Madden took his Turkey Leg and flew the coop.
Much like the Stanley Cup, the Gobbler has a full-time handler who wears white gloves in an effort not to leave spots. Fox asked fans to vote whether to kill the tradition, but it somehow survived.
Tony Romo became the third Cowboy (Emmitt and Julius) to win the coveted award after his five-touchdown performance.
The always camera-shy Romo played with sideline reporter Pam Oliver's hair and sang along with Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" as it blared over the PA system.
Afterward, Tony granted David Marcus of WTMJ-NBC in Milwaukee a locker-room exclusive during which he talked about his golf game and his now famous hometown.
The opening for the Romo Museum in Burlington (Wis.) has been moved up to 2007. …
The halftime show appeared to go off without a hitch, although it's hard to hear Carrie Underwood through Plexiglas. Underwood's performance ended with several explosions, a few of which appeared to be intentional.
Unfortunately for Underwood, a group of bare-chested male acrobats hanging onto king-sized bedsheets caused the biggest scene. The men clasped hands and rotated their bodies at least 20 feet above the ground. And as I've often said, nothing says Thanksgiving like male acrobats. …
All-world punter Mat McBriar pretty much had the day off since the offense was playing so well. He used his secret English to force Ike Hilliard to fair catch the ball at his 13-yard line, but a 35.5-yard average and a 31 net isn't going to get us to Hawaii. Yes, I'm planning to cover the Pro Bowl, although I haven't shared this with my editors. …
Best line from a team doctor: "We scored so much that we had to give the little girl who was retrieving the tee an IV." …
Kudos to the fans who unfurled an authentic-looking Tony Romo banner in the Ring of Honor. Romo wisely called it an "injustice" to the men whose names grace the Ring, but it doesn't mean he didn't enjoy it. I'm thinking we should at least wait and see what happens next week before inducting Tony. …
The next time I need Brian Baldinger's help while interviewing Cowboys right guard Marco Rivera, I'll ask for it. …
Thought it was nice of Rivera to take time out to compliment my corduroy jacket, though. After the game, Rivera was still upset about giving up a sack to Chris Hovan. Rivera looked to his left to see if Ronde Barber was coming on the safety blitz and by the time he looked back, Hovan was pushing him like he was a grocery cart. "Out of 75 plays, that's the reason I won't be able to sleep tonight." For the record, Rivera had been the most consistent player on the offensive line over the last month. And no one on this team is happier for Romo than Rivera, who spent several years in Green Bay and sort of views Tony as a mini-Favre. And if Romo happens to read that last line, I'll hear about it. …
Not sure what Bill Parcells was trying to say when he slapped me on the back after the game, but I'll assume it was "Happy Thanksgiving."… Great to see T.O. deposit a football into the over-sized Salvation Army kettle after scoring. Can he write that off?
posted by The Gryphon at 5:35 PM
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