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Dallas QB Tony Romo explains why he plays hurt at this point in his career
Rainer Sabin
Published: December 9, 2014 1:59 pm
Tony Romo was back in a hospital Tuesday. But he was only there to visit.
The Cowboys star, who has dealt with one medical issue after another throughout his nine-year run as an NFL starting quarterback, joined a pack of teammates at Texas Scottish Rite – a pediatric center located in the heart of Dallas. Greeting infirm children confined to wheelchairs and equipped with back braces, Romo signed autographs and posed for pictures.
“I think more than anything you appreciate your health and how lucky you are and how not everybody has that,” Romo said.
It was an interesting comment coming from the 34-year-old quarterback who never seems to be in optimal condition anymore and has suffered physical hardship throughout his career. Already this season, he has dealt with torn rib cartilage and a pair of transverse process fractures in his back – the same back that was surgically-repaired twice in 2013 to fix a herniated disk and remove a cyst. Asked if all of his injuries have healed, Romo mustered an ambiguous response Tuesday.
“I think everything is close,” he said.
Despite the toll his body has taken, Romo has missed only two games in the last four seasons. During that period, he has also suffered a fractured rib, a punctured lung and a bruised right hand. Along the way he has reshaped his own narrative – the one about the quarterback who always folds in the clutch. Romo is still known for combusting in big moments, but he’s also gained recognition as one of the game’s ultimate tough guys.
Now, some wonder why Romo continues to throw himself in harm’s way when the risk is so considerable and his financial future had already been secured with a $108 million contract extension he signed in 2013.
“Football for me, it’s my life’s work,” he said. “That’s my career. I’ll be a husband; I’ll be dad, and I’ll have been a football player at the time when I finish on this Earth. In some ways, I want to give everything I can into being the best version of that I can be. There’s only 16 games a year, 16 days, that you’re guaranteed, and you’re really not even guaranteed that…You just want to make sure you give everything you can. It’s a great, rewarding experience if you’re able to do that at a level that you feel proud of.”
And Romo has been pretty darn good this season. His yards per attempt average is the highest it’s been since he burst on the scene in 2006. Romo’s completion percentage, meanwhile, has only been exceeded by New Orleans’ Drew Brees. In seven games, he posted a quarterback rating over 100, and the Cowboys won every time. Although he has now supported by a robust running game, the quarterback remains the team’s driving force.
“We talk about being your best regardless of circumstances, whatever circumstance he’s been in, somehow he’s found a way to fight through it,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said recently. “He’s led our team well. Obviously, we’re better offensive unit around him. We’re better on the offensive line. We’re running the ball better. All of those things are good. But he’s had a huge part in orchestrating all of that.”
Yes, Romo is the conductor. In games when he’s played brilliantly, the Cowboys have followed suit, resembling the best philharmonics. When he’s been lousy, as he was in two losses to San Francisco and Philadelphia, the Cowboys were the equivalent of a raggedy, dissonant garage band. And when he’s been absent, like that time he was inactive against Arizona, the Cowboys performed with the incoherence of a rock group missing its frontman.
This season has once again proved that Romo’s value to the team is immeasurable, which is why he keeps putting his body on the line for its betterment.
“It’s really about competition and competing and understanding you are give so few opportunities to do this that you just want to take advantage of all of them,” Romo said. “I also understand that if you miss one game it could be the difference between getting into the playoffs or not. That’s why you just don’t want to sacrifice that as a quarterback. That’s why you fight and do the stuff. That’s why quarterbacks in general and players in this league play because every game matters.”
The ones left on the schedule certainly do. This week, the Cowboys face the Eagles and sole possession of first place in the NFC East is at stake. There’s work to do, and Romo knows it has to be done. Soon after dropping by Texas Scottish Rite, he returned to his job – the one he loves and the one that has left him battered in the pursuit of glory.
Rainer Sabin
Published: December 9, 2014 1:59 pm
Tony Romo was back in a hospital Tuesday. But he was only there to visit.
The Cowboys star, who has dealt with one medical issue after another throughout his nine-year run as an NFL starting quarterback, joined a pack of teammates at Texas Scottish Rite – a pediatric center located in the heart of Dallas. Greeting infirm children confined to wheelchairs and equipped with back braces, Romo signed autographs and posed for pictures.
“I think more than anything you appreciate your health and how lucky you are and how not everybody has that,” Romo said.
It was an interesting comment coming from the 34-year-old quarterback who never seems to be in optimal condition anymore and has suffered physical hardship throughout his career. Already this season, he has dealt with torn rib cartilage and a pair of transverse process fractures in his back – the same back that was surgically-repaired twice in 2013 to fix a herniated disk and remove a cyst. Asked if all of his injuries have healed, Romo mustered an ambiguous response Tuesday.
“I think everything is close,” he said.
Despite the toll his body has taken, Romo has missed only two games in the last four seasons. During that period, he has also suffered a fractured rib, a punctured lung and a bruised right hand. Along the way he has reshaped his own narrative – the one about the quarterback who always folds in the clutch. Romo is still known for combusting in big moments, but he’s also gained recognition as one of the game’s ultimate tough guys.
Now, some wonder why Romo continues to throw himself in harm’s way when the risk is so considerable and his financial future had already been secured with a $108 million contract extension he signed in 2013.
“Football for me, it’s my life’s work,” he said. “That’s my career. I’ll be a husband; I’ll be dad, and I’ll have been a football player at the time when I finish on this Earth. In some ways, I want to give everything I can into being the best version of that I can be. There’s only 16 games a year, 16 days, that you’re guaranteed, and you’re really not even guaranteed that…You just want to make sure you give everything you can. It’s a great, rewarding experience if you’re able to do that at a level that you feel proud of.”
And Romo has been pretty darn good this season. His yards per attempt average is the highest it’s been since he burst on the scene in 2006. Romo’s completion percentage, meanwhile, has only been exceeded by New Orleans’ Drew Brees. In seven games, he posted a quarterback rating over 100, and the Cowboys won every time. Although he has now supported by a robust running game, the quarterback remains the team’s driving force.
“We talk about being your best regardless of circumstances, whatever circumstance he’s been in, somehow he’s found a way to fight through it,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said recently. “He’s led our team well. Obviously, we’re better offensive unit around him. We’re better on the offensive line. We’re running the ball better. All of those things are good. But he’s had a huge part in orchestrating all of that.”
Yes, Romo is the conductor. In games when he’s played brilliantly, the Cowboys have followed suit, resembling the best philharmonics. When he’s been lousy, as he was in two losses to San Francisco and Philadelphia, the Cowboys were the equivalent of a raggedy, dissonant garage band. And when he’s been absent, like that time he was inactive against Arizona, the Cowboys performed with the incoherence of a rock group missing its frontman.
This season has once again proved that Romo’s value to the team is immeasurable, which is why he keeps putting his body on the line for its betterment.
“It’s really about competition and competing and understanding you are give so few opportunities to do this that you just want to take advantage of all of them,” Romo said. “I also understand that if you miss one game it could be the difference between getting into the playoffs or not. That’s why you just don’t want to sacrifice that as a quarterback. That’s why you fight and do the stuff. That’s why quarterbacks in general and players in this league play because every game matters.”
The ones left on the schedule certainly do. This week, the Cowboys face the Eagles and sole possession of first place in the NFC East is at stake. There’s work to do, and Romo knows it has to be done. Soon after dropping by Texas Scottish Rite, he returned to his job – the one he loves and the one that has left him battered in the pursuit of glory.