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Mort & Schefter's Week 5 notebook: Tony Romo's new challenge

Dak Prescott or Tony Romo?
By most accounts, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is getting better since he suffered a cracked vertebrae in the preseason. His MRI last week was encouraging. He has been throwing, and his rehab is on schedule for a targeted return of Oct. 30 against the Philadelphia Eagles, according to team sources. Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan even suggested last week that Romo was ahead of schedule.

Romo has remained publicly silent as he has watched rookie Dak Prescott perform to a level that few people, if any, saw coming. The good news for Romo: If he comes back healthy and is able to sustain the physical hits, Prescott most likely will deliver a Cowboys team that is still in contention. The bad news: If Prescott has no significant slips during the rest of the month, Romo has a standard to match. Now it's not just about health, but about maintaining the level Prescott is playing at.

"We're a few games away from Tony coming back, but Dak has not thrown an interception," said Michael Irvin, the Hall of Fame Cowboys receiver. "Tony is a great quarterback, but we all know that he has thrown that interception during his career where people just don't forget. This kid hasn't thrown any. It will be hell around here in Dallas if Tony comes back and throws an interception that costs [the Cowboys] a game."

Romo, therefore, has a psychological hurdle to clear as well.

Tony Romo could return by Week 8. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
"I think Tony can handle it -- and I know he's happy for Dak and the team -- but you better believe it's messing with his head," Irvin said. "I went through it with Troy [Aikman] when he was hurt and Steve Beuerlein came in and ran off six or seven wins. I kept reminding people we were Troy's team when a lot of people in the building and the public wondered whether we should just stick with Beuerlein for the playoffs. I saw it wearing on Troy. We're only human. Tony's only human."

Irvin's reference to Aikman is from the 1991 season, which was Aikman's third season. He hurt his back in a vital Week 13 game against the Commanders and left with a 14-7 lead. Beuerlein padded it to 21-7, and the Cowboys held on for a 24-21 win, giving the Commanders one of only two losses in a Super Bowl-winning season. Beuerlein won the last four starts of that regular season, and coach Jimmy Johnson gave him the start in the NFC wild-card playoff game, a 17-13 road win over the Bears. The next week, Aikman was back behind center, and the Cowboys were crushed 38-6 by the Lions in Detroit, a playoff elimination.

"That stuff bothered Troy, but there was no doubt going forward he was still the guy for the franchise," Irvin said. "In this case, between Tony and Dak, most people know that Dak is the future for the franchise. And if Dak has to go to the bench when Tony is ready, it's not going to affect Dak. He has won over this team, and he is just a mentally tough, even-keeled young man who is going to be ready and stay ready for whatever is thrown his way."

-- Chris Mortensen

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[WoodysGirl]

I like these Mort and Schefter notebooks.. Reminds me of the Len Pasquerelli's Tip Sheet from back of the day.

 

[dboyz]

This column is incorrect. In the Lions playoff game, Beurlein started, and Aikman came on late in relief, in the 3rd or 4th quarter. Jimmy was hedging his bets and started Beurlein even though Aikman could have started. In that game, our problem wasn't as much offense, it was stopping Erik Kramer who completely lit us up.

 

[Plankton]

This column is incorrect. In the Lions playoff game, Beurlein started, and Aikman came on late in relief, in the 3rd or 4th quarter. Jimmy was hedging his bets and started Beurlein even though Aikman could have started. In that game, our problem wasn't as much offense, it was stopping Erik Kramer who completely lit us up.

They were also wrong about how Aikman was injured. He sprained his MCL in the game against the Commanders - he didn't suffer his first back injury until the offseason of 1993, when he herniated a disc lifting weights.

 

[gimmesix]

This column is incorrect. In the Lions playoff game, Beurlein started, and Aikman came on late in relief, in the 3rd or 4th quarter. Jimmy was hedging his bets and started Beurlein even though Aikman could have started. In that game, our problem wasn't as much offense, it was stopping Erik Kramer who completely lit us up.

And I think that's how it should play out here. Wait until Dak is struggling and then insert Romo. That way either Romo saves the day or he doesn't look any worse than the rookie.

Hopefully, Garrett's smart enough to take a page out of Jimmy's playbook.

If Dak never struggles, which some here seem to believe he won't, then you don't make the change.

 

[theebs]

They were also wrong about how Aikman was injured. He sprained his MCL in the game against the Commanders - he didn't suffer his first back injury until the offseason of 1993, when he herniated a disc lifting weights.

yep

 

[DallasEast]

Hopefully, the Prescott's non-interception streak will not eventually boomerang back towards him unnecessarily from fans or even peers like Irvin. Even great quarterbacks have thrown bad passes that have cost their team's victory--sometimes significant victories. No successful quarterback's career has ever been isolated from the occurrence.

I wish more focus (and commentary) would reflect on football as a team sport, where games are often decided by factors happening in all four quarters of every game. As Irvin said, Romo has thrown interceptions that played a major roles in certain losses. He has also thrown interceptions in games that were minor in impact compared to miscues committed by his teammates. Overall perception of Romo's career (as it should for every quarterback's) should reflect this but doesn't.

 

[erod]

Owwww! I have never been capable of watching limbs bend the wrong way.

"He's more upset about being hurt than hurt about being hurt." - Lol, Madden was awesome.

 

[WillieBeamen]

yep

Amazing throw by Troy

 

[Bullflop]

Despite a technical flaw here and there, this is in essence and message, an outstanding article. It explains in no uncertain terms what has occurred in the past with others and what is likely the case right now with Tony. Like Michael Irvin said, he's only human. The pressure is real. Here's hoping both Dak and Tony find the success that they surely want and need. What's good for both of them will ultimately be good for the team as well.

 

[NorTex]

I'm so tired of worrying about Romo's psyche, it's way past getting old. He gets paid very generously to perform at a high level and lead the team to wins. Having said that, I think he'll do fine in the limited time he plays before his next injury, which will end his career, IMO.

 

[Idgit]

I'm so tired of worrying about Romo's psyche, it's way past getting old. He gets paid very generously to perform at a high level and lead the team to wins. Having said that, I think he'll do fine in the limited time he plays before his next injury, which will end his career, IMO.

Why have you been worrying about Romo's psyche? That's going to be the least of his issues. Tony's a competitor. If anything, Dak playing well will have him play even better than he usually does.

 

[Redball Express]

I like these Mort and Schefter notebooks.. Reminds me of the Len Pasquerelli's Tip Sheet from back of the day.

What I like is seeing Mort again.

He has won his fight with his illness..

He lost some weight and looks 10 years younger.

It helps to have a great make up artist, too

 

[AmericasTeam81]

yep

"When you go up against a gorilla, you don't ever hit him lightly, you hit him with everything you've got".

The "oh no, here we go again" game that never happened.

 

[birdwells1]

This column is incorrect. In the Lions playoff game, Beurlein started, and Aikman came on late in relief, in the 3rd or 4th quarter. Jimmy was hedging his bets and started Beurlein even though Aikman could have started. In that game, our problem wasn't as much offense, it was stopping Erik Kramer who completely lit us up.

I always look at the game as the catalyst for us winning those super bowls, Kramer spotlighted the need for us to draft some corners and in the next draft we got Kevin Smith and Larry Brown.

 

[KJJ]

The Steve Beuerlein situation showed that a great coach isn't pulling a QB who's playing well and you're winning with. The Cowboys won 5 straight with Beuerlein beginning in week 13 of the 91 season. The team was on a roll and even though Aikman had recovered from a knee injury, Jimmy stayed with Beuetlein into the playoffs knowing Aikman would likely be rusty. Jimmy stayed the course until the magic wore off with Beuerlein. We all knew Aikman would get his job back. He was young, healthy and our future. Romo is in a completely different situation, if Dak keeps progressing a changing of the guard is coming soon.

 

[Plankton]

I always look at the game as the catalyst for us winning those super bowls, Kramer spotlighted the need for us to draft some corners and in the next draft we got Kevin Smith and Larry Brown.

Larry Brown was drafted in 1991, and started in that game against the Lions. They had made some other acquisitions in 1992 to add speed to the linebacking corps to help in dealing with quicker offenses (Dixon Edwards and Godfrey Myles, who was a rover/SS at Florida).

The Cowboys needed to make a couple of other changes to correct the issues that they faced when matched up against run and shoot offenses (Lions, Falcons, Oilers):

• The biggest move was trading for Charles Haley - having him raised the level of the entire defense, and provided the defense with a guy that opposing offenses had to gameplan against.
  
• Draft Kevin Smith to replace Issiac Holt. Smith injured a shoulder in camp in 1992, and didn't become a full time starter until Week 11 against the Rams. Holt had good ball skills, but was a guesser as a player to overcome a lack of speed and quickness. Against smaller, quicker receivers, he had issues.
• Trade for Thomas Everett to replace Ray Horton at safety. Horton lacked speed and was a liability on the back end. Everett may have been one of the more underrated acquistions of the Johnson era because he added a tremendous hitter on the back end as well as good enough range and ball skills to contribute in coverage.
• They also added Darren Woodson and Clayton Holmes in the 1992 draft, but neither were significant contributors to the defense that year (Woodson was still learning the safety position after being a college LB at Arizona State, Holmes was largely a special teams contributor).
• Replace an injured Bill Bates as the nickel/dime linebacker. The Cowboys signed Mickey Pruitt late in the year, and he played significant minutes in the Super Bowl.