New Cowboys QB is Mr. Cool to teammates
By JAIME ARON
AP Sports Writer
IRVING, Texas (AP) -Ask Dallas Cowboys players to describe Tony Romo and one word keeps emerging: cool.
It makes sense considering how he's handled the last month.
Undrafted out of college and unused his first 3 1/2 NFL seasons, all Romo has done since taking over the high-profile job of Cowboys quarterback is win three of four starts, earn NFC offensive player of the week honors one Sunday and then outduel Peyton Manning the next.
He's even found time to make his way into the gossip columns. Talk of a budding relationship between Romo and Jessica Simpson has hit such a frenzy that an Internet gambling site is offering 3-2 odds they will soon be dating.
``Romo is having one of those Cinderella seasons,'' linebacker Kevin Burnett said Monday. ``He's the type of quarterback who is cool. He extends the play, he gets himself out of bad situations. If we go to the Super Bowl, he's going to be the guy who takes us there.''
Whoa, hang on there. While Romo's rapid emergence has salvaged this season and set up the Cowboys (6-4) for an interesting finish, he's bound to start running into some obstacles - right?
Perhaps. But so far Romo has shown the poise of someone who has been playing for years, not watching.
After having a fumble, a three-and-out and an interception on his first three drives Sunday, Romo rallied Dallas to a 21-14 victory over previously unbeaten Indianapolis. In the fourth quarter, he led the Cowboys on a 68-yard drive to tie it, an 80-yarder for the go-ahead score, then kept alive another long enough to run out the final 2:59.
Romo was 10-of-11 in the second half, a week after going 10-of-10 in the second half against Arizona.
``Romo has been the coolest dude around for a while,'' said linebacker Bradie James, who joined the club in 2003, same as Romo. ``The way he's been playing is what we've always seen with him on the practice field. We all knew what he could do, but when you've got 11 beasts on the other side of the ball, we never knew how he would respond. He's responded well.''
For his season, and thus his career, Romo has completed 68 percent of his passes (103-of-151) for 1,350 yards with eight touchdowns. He's thrown five interceptions, but three came in his debut, when he replaced Drew Bledsoe at halftime of a Monday night game against the New York Giants.
Romo's quarterback rating is an even 100, a mere 0.5 behind Manning for tops in the NFL. His sustained success is making it harder to dismiss him as a fluke. If anything, he's starting to look like the long-term answer at quarterback the Cowboys have been seeking since Troy Aikman took his last snap in 2000.
He's been so good, folks are wondering why coach Bill Parcells didn't make the move sooner.
``That's the advantage of a retrospective view,'' Parcells said Monday. ``I did it when I thought it was time.''
Romo can really build on his legacy if he can get Dallas into the playoffs. He's got six games left, beginning Thursday against Tampa Bay (3-7).
Romo isn't surprised by his success; after all, he's always had Pro Bowl-caliber confidence. He's having a lot of fun with his newfound fame, with no hint of any I-told-you-so's.
For instance, asked Monday about whether the attention he's receiving has become a distraction, Romo smiled and said, ``I'm a football guy 24-7, so, for me, all the other stuff off the field is just for you guys to talk about.''
How about the rumors linking him and Simpson, which spread after he gave her dad tickets to the game in Arizona?
``No comment,'' he said, smiling again and turning away from cameras, claiming he had to hurry off to a meeting.
But Romo didn't end the conversation. He answered more questions about everything from Xs and Os intricacies to whether he has an ``it'' factor.
``I don't know what `it' is,'' he said. ``I think you try to work hard, try to get better each week. I think I play the game with a little bit of passion. I enjoy the game a lot, it's a lot of fun when I'm out there. I think that's the way I play. For some reason, people like me.''
Keep winning, and Cowboys fans will love him - regardless of whether Simpson ever does.
AP Sports Writer
IRVING, Texas (AP) -Ask Dallas Cowboys players to describe Tony Romo and one word keeps emerging: cool.
It makes sense considering how he's handled the last month.
Undrafted out of college and unused his first 3 1/2 NFL seasons, all Romo has done since taking over the high-profile job of Cowboys quarterback is win three of four starts, earn NFC offensive player of the week honors one Sunday and then outduel Peyton Manning the next.
He's even found time to make his way into the gossip columns. Talk of a budding relationship between Romo and Jessica Simpson has hit such a frenzy that an Internet gambling site is offering 3-2 odds they will soon be dating.
``Romo is having one of those Cinderella seasons,'' linebacker Kevin Burnett said Monday. ``He's the type of quarterback who is cool. He extends the play, he gets himself out of bad situations. If we go to the Super Bowl, he's going to be the guy who takes us there.''
Whoa, hang on there. While Romo's rapid emergence has salvaged this season and set up the Cowboys (6-4) for an interesting finish, he's bound to start running into some obstacles - right?
Perhaps. But so far Romo has shown the poise of someone who has been playing for years, not watching.
After having a fumble, a three-and-out and an interception on his first three drives Sunday, Romo rallied Dallas to a 21-14 victory over previously unbeaten Indianapolis. In the fourth quarter, he led the Cowboys on a 68-yard drive to tie it, an 80-yarder for the go-ahead score, then kept alive another long enough to run out the final 2:59.
Romo was 10-of-11 in the second half, a week after going 10-of-10 in the second half against Arizona.
``Romo has been the coolest dude around for a while,'' said linebacker Bradie James, who joined the club in 2003, same as Romo. ``The way he's been playing is what we've always seen with him on the practice field. We all knew what he could do, but when you've got 11 beasts on the other side of the ball, we never knew how he would respond. He's responded well.''
For his season, and thus his career, Romo has completed 68 percent of his passes (103-of-151) for 1,350 yards with eight touchdowns. He's thrown five interceptions, but three came in his debut, when he replaced Drew Bledsoe at halftime of a Monday night game against the New York Giants.
Romo's quarterback rating is an even 100, a mere 0.5 behind Manning for tops in the NFL. His sustained success is making it harder to dismiss him as a fluke. If anything, he's starting to look like the long-term answer at quarterback the Cowboys have been seeking since Troy Aikman took his last snap in 2000.
He's been so good, folks are wondering why coach Bill Parcells didn't make the move sooner.
``That's the advantage of a retrospective view,'' Parcells said Monday. ``I did it when I thought it was time.''
Romo can really build on his legacy if he can get Dallas into the playoffs. He's got six games left, beginning Thursday against Tampa Bay (3-7).
Romo isn't surprised by his success; after all, he's always had Pro Bowl-caliber confidence. He's having a lot of fun with his newfound fame, with no hint of any I-told-you-so's.
For instance, asked Monday about whether the attention he's receiving has become a distraction, Romo smiled and said, ``I'm a football guy 24-7, so, for me, all the other stuff off the field is just for you guys to talk about.''
How about the rumors linking him and Simpson, which spread after he gave her dad tickets to the game in Arizona?
``No comment,'' he said, smiling again and turning away from cameras, claiming he had to hurry off to a meeting.
But Romo didn't end the conversation. He answered more questions about everything from Xs and Os intricacies to whether he has an ``it'' factor.
``I don't know what `it' is,'' he said. ``I think you try to work hard, try to get better each week. I think I play the game with a little bit of passion. I enjoy the game a lot, it's a lot of fun when I'm out there. I think that's the way I play. For some reason, people like me.''
Keep winning, and Cowboys fans will love him - regardless of whether Simpson ever does.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:11 PM
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