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POSTED: November 9, 2009
By MIKE MAZZEO
Last season's game against the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field left Tony Romo out of breath - literally.
After the Birds' vaunted defense bruised and battered Dallas' highly scrutinized quarterback all game long in a 44-6 rout on Dec. 28, Romo collapsed in the shower, the result of suffering a cracked rib.
He regained consciousness, refused a stretcher and walked away on his own power. But in a must-win game with wild-card implications, Romo again failed to deliver, throwing an interception and losing two fumbles. The blowout left his team out of the playoff picture and prompted his critics to again question his ability to ever enter into the Peyton Manning-Tom Brady conversation as a truly clutch signal-caller.
To make matters worse, his offseason proved to be even more tumultuous. Romo not only broke off his high-profile relationship with Jessica Simpson, he also lost his favorite target - public enemy No. 1 in Philadelphia, Terrell Owens, who was jettisoned by Dallas and wound up signing with Buffalo.
With his leadership skills in question and his main offensive weapon gone, many wondered if Romo could take his game to the next level and be a true leader.
However, through the Cowboys' first seven games, the 29-year-old has proved to be just that - a leader.
Despite reports of a lack of chemistry with his projected top target, Roy Williams, Romo managed to make do with unknowns like Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton, throwing 12 touchdowns and only four interceptions and guiding his team to five wins in its first seven games. Once again, a date with the Eagles at the Linc could determine the fate of the season.
This time, he managed to make it to the locker room relatively unscathed, thanks to his offensive line.
Oh, and he came out of Philadelphia a winner, too.
Romo was 21-for-34 passing for 307 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, leading the Cowboys to a crucial, 20-16 victory over the Eagles last night.
"It feels nice to not have to limp out here,'' said Romo, who improved to 5-4 lifetime against the Eagles. "So that's a good sign.''
Romo, who has been criticized for being unable to come up with a big play in crunch time, saved his most crucial throw for last.
Facing a third-and-14 from the Eagles' 49, Romo hooked up with Austin down the left sideline on a touchdown with 8:04 remaining, putting Dallas up, 20-13.
Austin, who has become Romo's go-to receiver, pulled a double move on his route, freezing cornerback Sheldon Brown and safety Quintin Mikell in the Eagles' secondary and getting separation. Romo put the ball on the money, hitting Austin in stride and the emerging star did the rest, eluding would-be tacklers and sprinting into the end zone for the go-ahead score.
"I tried to sell the fake," said Romo. "And they bought it, it worked."
Then, with his team needing just one first down to essentially seal the Eagles' fate, Romo provided the knockout punch when he hit tight end Jason Witten for a 5-yard reception on a third-and-3 for the final first down with 2:10 left.
"Big [win], big not only for the team, but big for Tony," said Williams, who had five catches for 75 yards. "Big for him because of the knack he has, I guess, for not winning the big game.
"All he had to do was throw it up to Miles and hand it off to Marion [Barber] and let them do the work. We have a good football team."
Now, Romo's Cowboys sit alone atop the NFC East with a 6-2 mark, right where he wants them to be.
"It's very important,'' Romo said of getting a win against a rival and divisional opponent. "There are a lot of good teams in the NFC East and we're in a good spot right now. We've got to just continue to get better and improve."
Said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: "I thought that Tony tonight is what he's worked so hard to be since we were here this time last year. The changes that you see in Tony, ball protection . . . some of the things he wasn't doing well last year . . . he turned it around in this one."
The two-time Pro Bowler has been under a microscope ever since 2006, when he stepped under center and into the limelight as the starting quarterback for the Cowboys.
But after his late heroics last night, Romo felt a sense of accomplishment, something he hasn't felt too often in the past, despite the gaudy numbers he's put up throughout his career.
"It's just what you want to do is win," Romo said. "And to do that you need to go out there and execute the offense. And when you get the opportunity at the end of a game, you've got to take advantage of it. And we did that today."
By MIKE MAZZEO
Last season's game against the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field left Tony Romo out of breath - literally.
After the Birds' vaunted defense bruised and battered Dallas' highly scrutinized quarterback all game long in a 44-6 rout on Dec. 28, Romo collapsed in the shower, the result of suffering a cracked rib.
He regained consciousness, refused a stretcher and walked away on his own power. But in a must-win game with wild-card implications, Romo again failed to deliver, throwing an interception and losing two fumbles. The blowout left his team out of the playoff picture and prompted his critics to again question his ability to ever enter into the Peyton Manning-Tom Brady conversation as a truly clutch signal-caller.
To make matters worse, his offseason proved to be even more tumultuous. Romo not only broke off his high-profile relationship with Jessica Simpson, he also lost his favorite target - public enemy No. 1 in Philadelphia, Terrell Owens, who was jettisoned by Dallas and wound up signing with Buffalo.
With his leadership skills in question and his main offensive weapon gone, many wondered if Romo could take his game to the next level and be a true leader.
However, through the Cowboys' first seven games, the 29-year-old has proved to be just that - a leader.
Despite reports of a lack of chemistry with his projected top target, Roy Williams, Romo managed to make do with unknowns like Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton, throwing 12 touchdowns and only four interceptions and guiding his team to five wins in its first seven games. Once again, a date with the Eagles at the Linc could determine the fate of the season.
This time, he managed to make it to the locker room relatively unscathed, thanks to his offensive line.
Oh, and he came out of Philadelphia a winner, too.
Romo was 21-for-34 passing for 307 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, leading the Cowboys to a crucial, 20-16 victory over the Eagles last night.
"It feels nice to not have to limp out here,'' said Romo, who improved to 5-4 lifetime against the Eagles. "So that's a good sign.''
Romo, who has been criticized for being unable to come up with a big play in crunch time, saved his most crucial throw for last.
Facing a third-and-14 from the Eagles' 49, Romo hooked up with Austin down the left sideline on a touchdown with 8:04 remaining, putting Dallas up, 20-13.
Austin, who has become Romo's go-to receiver, pulled a double move on his route, freezing cornerback Sheldon Brown and safety Quintin Mikell in the Eagles' secondary and getting separation. Romo put the ball on the money, hitting Austin in stride and the emerging star did the rest, eluding would-be tacklers and sprinting into the end zone for the go-ahead score.
"I tried to sell the fake," said Romo. "And they bought it, it worked."
Then, with his team needing just one first down to essentially seal the Eagles' fate, Romo provided the knockout punch when he hit tight end Jason Witten for a 5-yard reception on a third-and-3 for the final first down with 2:10 left.
"Big [win], big not only for the team, but big for Tony," said Williams, who had five catches for 75 yards. "Big for him because of the knack he has, I guess, for not winning the big game.
"All he had to do was throw it up to Miles and hand it off to Marion [Barber] and let them do the work. We have a good football team."
Now, Romo's Cowboys sit alone atop the NFC East with a 6-2 mark, right where he wants them to be.
"It's very important,'' Romo said of getting a win against a rival and divisional opponent. "There are a lot of good teams in the NFC East and we're in a good spot right now. We've got to just continue to get better and improve."
Said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: "I thought that Tony tonight is what he's worked so hard to be since we were here this time last year. The changes that you see in Tony, ball protection . . . some of the things he wasn't doing well last year . . . he turned it around in this one."
The two-time Pro Bowler has been under a microscope ever since 2006, when he stepped under center and into the limelight as the starting quarterback for the Cowboys.
But after his late heroics last night, Romo felt a sense of accomplishment, something he hasn't felt too often in the past, despite the gaudy numbers he's put up throughout his career.
"It's just what you want to do is win," Romo said. "And to do that you need to go out there and execute the offense. And when you get the opportunity at the end of a game, you've got to take advantage of it. And we did that today."