Cowboys happy to see Romo still has swagger
IRVING, Texas -- One of Tony Romo's greatest strengths is that he's blissfully unaware of any shortcomings he might have. This trait existed well before his name became attached to the likes of Jessica Simpson and Carrie Underwood.
It's why those of us who had a front-row seat to his unlikely ascent knew he'd eventually bounce back from The Bobble.
During the Cowboys' mandatory three-day minicamp this past weekend, the swagger had returned. Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten said he was relieved when he heard Romo "trash-talking" the defense in the opening practice Saturday.
The Bobble could have haunted Tony Romo. Instead, he's moved on and is focused on the future.
It was Witten who sat next to Romo on the return flight following the Cowboys' 21-20 wild-card playoff loss to Seattle in January. Romo's bobble on a field-goal try with 1:19 left led to a scramble that ended two yards short of the end zone and a yard short of a first down.
"It was a four-hour flight home and I didn't know what to say," Witten said Monday. "I just put my arm around him and said, 'It's going to be OK.'"
Witten remembers Romo saying only one thing the entire flight.
"He leaned over and said, 'I wouldn't have wanted that ball to be in anyone else's hands but mine.'"
Romo retired to a leather couch in his apartment and didn't get up for two days. Witten finally coaxed him outside by suggesting they visit right guard Marco Rivera, who was recovering from back surgery at a local hospital.
"I picked him up and we stopped by to eat at Dave and Buster's," Witten said. "I think they showed the highlight of Tony dropping the ball three times before our food was served."
Two and a half months earlier, I had bumped into Witten at a chapel service several hours before Romo was to make the first start of his career against the Panthers.
"The only thing I'm worried about is what might happen if he gets in trouble early," Witten said.
And by the end of the first quarter, the Panthers were up 14-0 and Romo had already thrown a costly interception. But instead of pressing, he found his rhythm and led the Cowboys to a 35-14 victory.
With an entire week of practice as the starter, he knew the Panthers game would reveal whether he was ready for the full-time job.
"Either I'm going to do this or I'm not," he said. "It'll show in the game."
The last sentence is vintage Bill Parcells, whom Romo reveres. While some of his teammates used the minicamp as an opportunity to bash Parcells, Romo said, "You won't hear any of that from me."
He has hinted that he's looking forward to playing for a less volatile coach, and has gone out of his way to praise coaches such as Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith for how they approach the game.
Asked what he thinks of new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, the 27-year-old Romo said, "He's a good kid."
Never mind that Romo was 14 when Garrett took over for an injured Troy Aikman and led the Cowboys to a 42-31 victory over the Packers on Thanksgiving Day in 1994.
"I've told him that's the only thing he ever did," joked Romo.
Romo threw 10 touchdowns and only four interceptions in leading the Cowboys to wins in five of his first six starts last season. Romo-mania swept through North Texas, and the kid who'd confided in Al Michaels that he'd been dumped just before he was named the starter was suddenly being linked to Jessica Simpson.
(For the record, the closest Romo ever got to Jessica was lunch with her father.)
The Cowboys appeared to be emerging as a legitimate Super Bowl contender until they dropped three of their final four games, including an embarrassing 39-31 loss to the Detroit Lions.
I later found out that Parcells had been furious the week before when Romo invited Underwood onto the field a couple hours before a 23-7 loss to the Eagles.
Down the stretch, Romo lost faith in his offensive line and had trouble securing the ball.
With all that in mind, the Cowboys had the opportunity to select the No. 8 player on their draft board last month when Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn slipped all the way to No. 22. When Cowboys owner-GM Jerry Jones traded that pick to Cleveland for the Browns' 2008 first-round choice, it was a strong show of support for Romo.
"I'm very realistic with myself and other people," Romo said. "The realistic side is if you find a player that's better than someone else, it's their job to bring someone in to get better and to help this team. If they would have felt that Brady Quinn is a better quarterback, then they probably should have drafted him."
Jones said he thinks Romo's capable of leading his club to the Super Bowl, and in the watered-down NFC, that's probably an attainable goal.
If you think Romo will be haunted by what happened in Seattle, think again. He's been stripped of his holding duties, so you don't have to worry about any more bobbles.
Over the weekend, he patiently answered every question about the play and even provided a reenactment for two reporters to show how close he came to getting in the end zone.
He then recalled his "greatest moment," an 8-yard touchdown run on the final play of the game to give Eastern Illinois a 25-24 victory over Eastern Kentucky in 2002.
In the days and weeks after The Bobble, Romo received hundreds of letters, text messages and cell phone calls. He wouldn't single anyone out, but I'll do it for him.
The one guy who wouldn't stop calling to check on him was Terrell Owens.
Now how's that for a fairy tale ending?
It's why those of us who had a front-row seat to his unlikely ascent knew he'd eventually bounce back from The Bobble.
During the Cowboys' mandatory three-day minicamp this past weekend, the swagger had returned. Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten said he was relieved when he heard Romo "trash-talking" the defense in the opening practice Saturday.
The Bobble could have haunted Tony Romo. Instead, he's moved on and is focused on the future.
It was Witten who sat next to Romo on the return flight following the Cowboys' 21-20 wild-card playoff loss to Seattle in January. Romo's bobble on a field-goal try with 1:19 left led to a scramble that ended two yards short of the end zone and a yard short of a first down.
"It was a four-hour flight home and I didn't know what to say," Witten said Monday. "I just put my arm around him and said, 'It's going to be OK.'"
Witten remembers Romo saying only one thing the entire flight.
"He leaned over and said, 'I wouldn't have wanted that ball to be in anyone else's hands but mine.'"
Romo retired to a leather couch in his apartment and didn't get up for two days. Witten finally coaxed him outside by suggesting they visit right guard Marco Rivera, who was recovering from back surgery at a local hospital.
"I picked him up and we stopped by to eat at Dave and Buster's," Witten said. "I think they showed the highlight of Tony dropping the ball three times before our food was served."
Two and a half months earlier, I had bumped into Witten at a chapel service several hours before Romo was to make the first start of his career against the Panthers.
"The only thing I'm worried about is what might happen if he gets in trouble early," Witten said.
And by the end of the first quarter, the Panthers were up 14-0 and Romo had already thrown a costly interception. But instead of pressing, he found his rhythm and led the Cowboys to a 35-14 victory.
With an entire week of practice as the starter, he knew the Panthers game would reveal whether he was ready for the full-time job.
"Either I'm going to do this or I'm not," he said. "It'll show in the game."
The last sentence is vintage Bill Parcells, whom Romo reveres. While some of his teammates used the minicamp as an opportunity to bash Parcells, Romo said, "You won't hear any of that from me."
He has hinted that he's looking forward to playing for a less volatile coach, and has gone out of his way to praise coaches such as Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith for how they approach the game.
Asked what he thinks of new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, the 27-year-old Romo said, "He's a good kid."
Never mind that Romo was 14 when Garrett took over for an injured Troy Aikman and led the Cowboys to a 42-31 victory over the Packers on Thanksgiving Day in 1994.
"I've told him that's the only thing he ever did," joked Romo.
Romo threw 10 touchdowns and only four interceptions in leading the Cowboys to wins in five of his first six starts last season. Romo-mania swept through North Texas, and the kid who'd confided in Al Michaels that he'd been dumped just before he was named the starter was suddenly being linked to Jessica Simpson.
(For the record, the closest Romo ever got to Jessica was lunch with her father.)
The Cowboys appeared to be emerging as a legitimate Super Bowl contender until they dropped three of their final four games, including an embarrassing 39-31 loss to the Detroit Lions.
I later found out that Parcells had been furious the week before when Romo invited Underwood onto the field a couple hours before a 23-7 loss to the Eagles.
Down the stretch, Romo lost faith in his offensive line and had trouble securing the ball.
With all that in mind, the Cowboys had the opportunity to select the No. 8 player on their draft board last month when Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn slipped all the way to No. 22. When Cowboys owner-GM Jerry Jones traded that pick to Cleveland for the Browns' 2008 first-round choice, it was a strong show of support for Romo.
"I'm very realistic with myself and other people," Romo said. "The realistic side is if you find a player that's better than someone else, it's their job to bring someone in to get better and to help this team. If they would have felt that Brady Quinn is a better quarterback, then they probably should have drafted him."
Jones said he thinks Romo's capable of leading his club to the Super Bowl, and in the watered-down NFC, that's probably an attainable goal.
If you think Romo will be haunted by what happened in Seattle, think again. He's been stripped of his holding duties, so you don't have to worry about any more bobbles.
Over the weekend, he patiently answered every question about the play and even provided a reenactment for two reporters to show how close he came to getting in the end zone.
He then recalled his "greatest moment," an 8-yard touchdown run on the final play of the game to give Eastern Illinois a 25-24 victory over Eastern Kentucky in 2002.
In the days and weeks after The Bobble, Romo received hundreds of letters, text messages and cell phone calls. He wouldn't single anyone out, but I'll do it for him.
The one guy who wouldn't stop calling to check on him was Terrell Owens.
Now how's that for a fairy tale ending?
posted by The Gryphon at 8:15 PM
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