Old Romo Stuff

[theogt]

Hos' QB thread got me roaming through old threads about Romo and I came across this. I couldn't help but bring it up. I'm sure many will enjoy.

LINK

Roaming with Romo, Part Four - Tony Finally Completes A Pass! Tony finally completes a pass!
04:57 PM CDT on Monday, April 26, 2004


Cowboys backup quarterback Tony Romo, 24, keeps a weekly journal for CowboysPlus.com. This week, Tony discusses his decision to move into new digs (he needs to be closer to Valley Ranch), meeting THE girl (Jenny, not her real name), advice on women from buddy Brandon Finsterwalder, his birthday and more. A new journal is posted every Monday afternoon.

Roaming With Romo
Tony Romo

I have good news and bad news from this past week. First, the bad news.

I decided to move into an apartment in Valley Ranch. I'll have to get all my things together and drag them across the suburbs -- that's always a complete pain. But it'll be nice to have my own place. I have been living with my teammate, Terence Newman, for a while. It was a lot of fun living with him, but I needed to find a place closer to the practice facility. The long drives were killing me! Terence and I have similiar interests, so we got along really well.

Terence also has plenty of stories about the opposite sex, but it seems he recently found the right girl. So my timing in moving out is probably pretty good.

The good news this week is that I may have found a girl, too. The problem I have is trying to figure out if she actually reads "Roaming With Romo." And if you do, Jenny, please disregard from this point forward. (Name changed to protect the innocent.)

I met her Saturday afternoon at a restaurant in downtown Dallas. Her 5-4 frame with dark complexion caught my eye right away. She was ordering a drink at the restaurant bar when I went up to get a glass of water. I actually started the conversation by making fun of her for ordering a drink at 3 in the afternoon. She giggled and said she was just trying to be sociable around her friends because it was her birthday.

I asked her, "Are you sure that you don't have a problem?" To which she replied, "No, I don't have a problem!" Being the quick-witted guy I try to be, I came back with, "All people with problems say that!" Somehow, she actually found me humorous, which was delightful because normally I'm not very humorous. So I knew right away that I liked this girl. Any girl who finds me funny shoots up my list real fast!

Anyway, she gave me her phone number, and I told her that I'd call her. Now the real question: How long do I wait? Three hours went by, and I figured, hey, it's been long enough. My buddy, Brandon Finsterwalder, convinced me that it'd probably be in my best interest if I waited a little longer. Ha, ha, ha. As of the deadline for this journal entry, I have yet to call her. It's been nearly two days, so I figure it'll make for a good story in next week's journal as far as whether or not this girl takes an interest in me after we speak. (Or perhaps she actually DOES read this space every week, in which case, I'll have no chance). But that's what a good journalist does, right? He lays himself on the line. He finds the good story and brings it to the readers.

This week has been tough on some of my friends. Five of my former teammates from Eastern Illinois saw what happened with me during the draft last year. I was signed as a free agent by the Cowboys after not being selected in the draft. I called a few of them after the seventh round ended Sunday and told them that most teams have two sets of free agents: priority free agents and secondary free agents, and that the teams call their priority free agents first to try to set up deals before moving on to guys on their secondary lists.

The tough part is that I know these guys had really been looking forward to this day, and it was hard on them as they hadn't received many calls. I could relate after dealing with the draft last year. Only one of them signed a deal. Our tight end, Nick Eller, signed with Baltimore. But the other four are waiting for a call, just hoping to get a chance.

I guess I should tell you about my birthday, which took place this past week. I didn't have much planned because I'm getting to the age (I turned 24) where it's not as big a deal anymore, and my family isn't around. But it made me happy to realize that I had a lot of friends who cared about me and wanted to celebrate. I went over to Jason and Michelle Witten's house, where Michelle made me a birthday dinner -- which is rare for me, being that I'm a young, single male. I don't see a lot of home-cooked meals. It was a good, relaxing night of hanging out with great friends.

The next day I played golf. I shot a 72 with a few bogeys and a few birdies. Overall, it was a pretty good round. Afterward, I watched some film of the preseason games I played in last year, and that got me excited for the upcoming minicamps and training camp in July.

 

[theebs]

How can anyone not love this guy.

I remember he did an interview on fox 4 around this time with nita wiggins and he was like a kid. He was living with his buddies in an apartment and just had a certain way about him.

The whole interview they were joking about him actually playing qb in the nfl!!

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Ha, I'm pretty sure a young Matt Mosley was the ghost writer on these, too...

The even better ones were the earlier ones where he went to some luncheon at SMU and was too terrified to ask out a girl. He's come a long way from those days, I'd say.

 

[gmb85]

How can anyone not like this dude?

 

[goliadmike]

Thanks for posting that theogt it reminds me of this article by Archer.

Cowboys in San Antonio, driving for Arizona.

Article from:The Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX) Article date:July 25, 2007More results for: tony romo going to training camp Byline: Todd Archer
Jul. 25--SOMEWHERE ALONG INTERSTATE 35 -- On the tiny TV screen inside the Ford Expedition, Journey's Steve Perry is singing "Don't Stop Believin' " from a 1981 concert stop in Houston.
It's a fitting song title for the car's occupants.
In the driver's seat, Jason Witten is belting out the lyrics, while Terence Newman mimics playing the drums in the passenger seat. In one of the back seats, Tony Romo hits the highest of high notes, sounding like a karaoke singer at a local club.
"It's because I think I can sing like him," Romo said of his Journey infatuation. "I'm kidding. I can't."
More than three hours later, Witten, Newman and Romo have arrived at the San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk, the Cowboys' training camp headquarters, slightly stiff from the drive but full of hope.
In 2003, they arrived in San Antonio with different expectations. Newman came in as the fifth overall pick; Witten arrived as a third-round pick; and Romo was an undrafted free agent.
This year they are among the most important players on the roster as the Cowboys hope to end the season at Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz.
"There's a lot of energy around here with Wade [Phillips]," Witten said of his new coach. "I think we're all just excited about where we're headed. There's a lot of work to do, but this is the process."
Cowboys beat writer Todd Archer rode along with Witten, Newman and Romo on their trip from Dallas to San Antonio.
The following is a chronicle of their journey:
10:44 a.m. -- Witten's Ford pulls out of the Cowboys' Valley Ranch complex now that Romo has arrived and heads to Newman's Uptown home. Witten's wife, Michelle, has baked some chocolate chip cookies and brownies for the ride.
"Watch, Romo will eat all of them," Witten said.
11:08 a.m. -- "We're going to die," Romo says out loud as Witten eases (ahem) his way onto I-35E South. That will be a constant refrain from the quarterback, good-natured teasing of his buddy, although Witten's late braking gets to even Newman later.
11:30 a.m. -- The trip begins down an alley where Newman's neighbor, running back Julius Jones, is waiting in his Range Rover.
"Let's ride," Jones says.
"We're just the Griswolds in here," Witten shouts back, referencing National Lampoon's Vacation.
11:34 a.m. -- I-35 is filled with traffic thanks to an accident -- not a good start to the trip. Newman finds an "I love Mommy" bib belonging to Witten's son, C.J., and quickly hangs it from the rearview mirror.
11:50 a.m. -- Romo cracks open his playbook while Witten and Newman discuss the cost of cars. When it's suggested Romo is studying because he knows it will make the newspaper, he's ready with an answer.
"No, I don't want to get yelled at when I get down there," Romo says.
11:59 a.m. -- Construction and a convoy of construction vehicles has Witten and Jones stuck. Four minutes later, they exit onto an access road and speed ahead of the convoy as the construction lightens up. Jones, however, nearly gets caught behind another set of trucks but makes it through.
12:14 p.m. -- "Tiger right, Jay?" Romo says, quizzing Witten about the playbook. "Tell me where everybody is at."
Witten gets the answer right. The players continue with the questions with Newman giving the defense's reaction to different formations.
12:21 p.m. -- Italy is the home of safety Keith Davis, but more important, a McDonald's and Subway. Oh yeah, a gas station, too. Romo quickly makes his way to the Subway for a sub.
Newman and Jones go to McDonald's. Newman goes with a couple of Filet O' Fish sandwiches, and Jones gets the two cheeseburger meal.
1 p.m. -- Witten's Expedition becomes a mobile I Love the 80's headquarters with Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' " blaring from the speakers. Seamlessly, Romo adds, "Oh, my gosh, we're going to die" into the lyrics as Witten moves onto the highway.
1:11 p.m. -- More Journey. Specifically, more "Don't stop believing'." Only this time it comes from Witten's iPod, and Romo, holding onto his hat, sticks his head out the window to sing.
Finally some diversity in the music selection as Witten punches up Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight."
"Best warmup song out there," Witten said.
Newman pulls a blue mouthpiece from his backpack.
"You got me pumped right now," he says.
1:26 p.m. -- "Oh, he's got us," Witten says.
A police car appears behind Witten, but Witten is not speeding. Witten moves into the middle lane, and the police car drives by harmlessly.
"Jason might be the only person in the history of the world to pull over before he even gets pulled over," Newman jokes.
1:53 p.m. -- Tired of the music, Romo puts Hannibal Rising into the DVD player.
2:05 p.m. -- A quick rain storm is a sign of things to come, and Witten keeps the wipers on a little too long.
"I think it's stopped raining," Newman points out.
2:24 p.m. -- The rain returns, and they are about 100 miles from San Antonio. Traffic is crawling along with little visibility as the highway floods a little. Three minutes later, pea-sized hail starts to pelt the car but not too seriously.
2:46 p.m. -- To the right is the indoor practice facility at the University of Texas. In the distance are the lights to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
"Did it get loud there?" Witten asks Newman, who played at Kansas State.
3 p.m. -- In need of a bathroom break, Witten pulls into a Shell station. Romo picks up some water and beef jerky. Newman gets an orange juice and peanuts. Witten goes with some sunflower seeds and a Gatorade. Jones gets a share of snacks too, but he's got another problem: a nail of some kind is in his left rear tire. He wonders if he should take it out but opts against it.
3:14 p.m. -- "You ever been in an accident?" Newman asks Witten.
"No."
"How the heck you ever do that?" Newman replies as Witten gets back onto I-35.
3:22 p.m. -- Romo calls Bruce Mays, the Cowboys' director of football operations, to tell him they are about an hour from San Antonio. Tiring of the movie, he fast-forwards to the end and decides to lighten the mood with Talladega Nights.
3:38 p.m. -- "Thirty-eight miles, boys," Witten said in a mix of relief and anticipation. Soon all three are quoting lines from the movie and laughing.
4:10 p.m. -- The Alamodome is finally visible in the distance. Newman, acting as co-pilot, is reading the directions as Witten pulls off the highway onto Commerce Street.
4:13 p.m. -- A little boy is wearing a Witten jersey. At a red light, Newman puts the window down and screams, "Jason Witten is right here. That's Jason Witten."
A woman, however, yells back, "Terence, Terence," as Witten turns onto Alamo.
4:15 p.m. -- Witten makes the left onto Market Street toward the hotel with his window down, and fans instantly recognize him. He pulls down the ramp into the garage.
One trip is over. Another begins.
To see more of The Dallas Morning News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.***BANNED-URL***.
Copyright (c) 2007, The Dallas Morning News
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

 

[robb01]

very cool guy

 

[casmith07]

I forgot that Romo was living with Newman. I imagine with his teammates getting married they don't hang out as much, but I'm sure Tony and Miles hang out a lot now.

 

[percyhoward]

Journey's Steve Perry is singing "Don't Stop Believin' " from a 1981 concert stop in Houston.

Texxas Jam at the Astrodome, IIRC.

I was there.

 

[jswalker1981]

Is anyone wondering if that girl he was talking about is the same one that dumped him shortly before becoming the starter?

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Is anyone wondering if that girl he was talking about is the same one that dumped him shortly before becoming the starter?

I did wonder if that was the same girl as I was reading that.

I honestly don't know how anyone could possibly not like this guy.

 

[JustDezIt]

This is a trip. never read these back then

 

[Hostile]

I agree, what's not to love about the guy.

 

[CowboyDan]

Is anyone wondering if that girl he was talking about is the same one that dumped him shortly before becoming the starter?

Nope, that was Crystal, and she wasn't 5'4" and dark complexion.

 

[Faerluna]

Great stuff!