ESPN Mosley: Romo tries a different approach this week

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

The Cowboys spent part of last week hinting that Tony Romo might start against the Rams despite the fact the team's medical staff had projected him to miss three games. Owner Jerry Jones fueled a lot of the speculation with optimistic comments on his weekly radio show Friday.

Now, it seems like Romo is facing the reality that he may miss two more games. Speaking on Terrell Owens' radio show Tuesday evening, Romo all but ruled himself out for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay.

"I'll say it will be Brad [Johnson]" Romo said. "Brad is going to go this week, unless something different happens that we don't foresee. It will be very difficult to change."

I think it was important for Romo to send a message to his teammates last week that he was willing to sacrifice his health in order to help them win. But the "will he or won't he" story line leading up to the game only served as another distraction for the Cowboys. By declaring himself out for Sunday's game early in the week, Romo is giving the team a chance to truly focus on winning with Brad Johnson.

Or maybe he's simply running a misdirection play like his owner. If Romo sits out the next two games, there's a good chance the Cowboys are 4-5 when he returns.

By the way, it also sounds like the splint on his right hand may need to be tweaked. After praising the athletic trainers, Romo said they would go "back to the drawing board."