Tony Romo’s first season as the Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback would wind up being a harbinger for his career. He performed exceptionally well when he replaced Drew Bledsoe under center midway through the 2006 campaign, leading Dallas to a postseason berth. But his one misstep in the Divisional round against the Seattle Seahawks wound up overshadowing everything else.
Tony Romo may not get a chance to shake his reputation as an injury-prone QB
He was able to prove he’s clutch after years of carrying that label, but now Romo has a new narrative to beat.
Trailing by one, the Cowboys lined up for a 19-yard field goal with 1:19 remaining in regulation. The seemingly automatic chip shot was going to give them their first playoff win in 10 years, but then Romo fumbled the snap and Dallas lost. It took him years to shake that.
Despite leading the Cowboys back to viability, Romo was branded a choke artist for nearly the next decade. The reputation started to wane only after he orchestrated a miraculous comeback victory over the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card round during the 2014 season.
But as soon as one narrative fades to the background, another one rises to the forefront. After breaking a bone in his back Thursday against the Seahawks — his second major back injury in as many seasons — Romo is now considered injury prone. And he may not be able to prove this label wrong.
The 36-year-old Romo has become well-acquainted with the injured reserve list in recent seasons. He was placed on IR with a herniated disk in 2013 prior to the Cowboys’ season-finale loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, which wound up costing them a playoff berth. Last season, Romo played in only four games due to a broken collarbone.
Though Romo is expected to miss six to 10 weeks at the start of this season, the Cowboys aren’t counting him out for the opener. Head coach Jason Garrett even described Romo as “day-to-day” Saturday.
Romo has played through crippling conditions in the past. He powered through that herniated disk three years ago, leading the Cowboys on a late game-winning touchdown drive to defeat Washington in Week 16 and keep their playoff hopes alive. He also attempted to return for two games last November before he re-injured his collarbone and returned to the sidelines.
But if Romo somehow takes the field in two weeks, he’ll risk never being healthy this season and potentially missing time down the line. Given Dak Prescott’s scintillating preseason, it appears likely the Cowboys will be cautious with him.
On the surface, Prescott shouldn’t be considered a threat to supplant Romo as the Cowboys’ starter. The fourth-round pick out of Mississippi State has just 50 preseason passes to his name. But it becomes more difficult to doubt Prescott with each touchdown throw. Plenty of quarterbacks can play well against scrubs in an isolated exhibition contest, but far fewer can carve up defenses like Prescott has over these last three weeks. His average QB rating this month is a remarkable 137.3.
The pro-Prescott whisper campaign is already beginning. Several unnamed scouts told USA Today this weekend Prescott’s fresh legs give him an advantage over Romo, whose ability to extend plays outside the pocket has been depleted in recent years. Prescott has rushed for two touchdowns this preseason.
“He’s calm. That’s not normal,” wide receiver Dez Bryant said Sunday after practice. “There’s guys been in this league for years that haven’t established that.”
With an elite offensive line and top-tier running game, the tools are there for Prescott to continue playing well this fall.
Yet Prescott insists this is still Romo’s team.
“I’m just going to try to do my best to hold the fort down,” he said.
Still, if the Cowboys get to the top of the wide-open NFC East with the rookie quarterback, it could be difficult to replace him with Romo midway through the season, especially with the threat of another injury looming over Romo every time he takes a hit.
It took a long time, but those who doubted Romo’s ability to deliver in the clutch were ultimately proven wrong. The same critics are now casting doubt on his ability to make it through a season, and there’s a chance Romo won’t receive another opportunity in Dallas to show otherwise.
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