Forget Better Than Ever, Cowboys QB Tony Romo May Never Be the Same Again

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo may never be the same again.

Let's just get that right out there in the open.

Never mind that Romo insisted he would be better than ever in 2014.

In fact, he went a step further and said he would be the best version of himself this season and beyond.

But to steal a line from owner Jerry Jones, "just cause he said doesn't make it so."

The truth is Romo, 34, will likely never be the same again.

That much was evident in training camp and the preseason when the Cowboys kept Romo in bubble wrap out of precaution because he was coming back from December back surgery to repair herniated disk.

Romo missed seven practices during training camp. He played only 48 snaps in two exhibition games as the Cowboys wanted to make sure he was healthy and ready to go for the season opener.

And now three weeks into the season Romo is missing practice because of back tightness, as was the case on Wednesday.

Romo and the Cowboys say it's not a big deal. He will practice Thursday and be ready for Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams.

“It’s going to pop up,” Romo said. “I’m sure it’ll happen throughout the rest of the season. You’ll see a day here or there. It’s the same as the arm. Sometimes your arm gets [tired]. It’s just obviously more talked about because of having surgery on the back. You play this game. It’s a very violent, physical game, and you throw the ball a lot and you do all these things. Sometimes it’s just that tightness stuff comes up. You prefer obviously to do everything 100 percent of the time, but you can’t always do that. I’ll be fine. I’ll be good to go."

Time will certainly tell. 

Back injuries are nothing to play with and are a justifiable reason for a decline in play.

Remember Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman was forced to retire in 2000 because of back issues at the age of 34 himself.?

Troy Aikman is also concerned about Tony Romo's back.

So the missing of a regular-season practice because of back tightness is concerning in itself because of his age and his surgical past. Romo has undergone back procedures the past two offseasons.

There's also the little fact that the Cowboys gave Romo a $108 million contract extension, including $55 million in guaranteed money, before last season, to be the team's quarterback for several years to go.

Not only is the future at issue but so is his ability to perform at a high level this season.

Certainly the Cowboys' move to a run-based attack, featuring the emerging running back DeMarco Murray, in the first two games takes some pressure off Romo having to carry the team as he has in years past.

But there are going to be times when the Cowboys will need to be able to count on Romo to win games with his arm.

If the first two games are an indication, that is also a growing area of concern.

The old magic is missing from his arm and his feet.

Romo has been off target with his throws and no longer avoids the rush as well as he did in the past.

He has been sacked seven times, hit nine other times and has not looked comfortable in games.

The back tightness is not a good indication of things getting better.

“Like we said throughout training camp, you have to be smart,” Romo said. “It’s just part of you understanding when your back gets tight, you’ve got to do those things, and you’ve got to go and do gluts, abs and hammer out functional strength stuff in the weight room and do a lot of things to enhance that. It’s been good.”

The Cowboys are remaining patient publicly.

Jones blames Romo's errant throws on rust and technique issues with his foot work because of the lack of reps in camp.

“That’s probably getting better as the practices and the games go along,” Jones said this week on his local radio show. “But he’s going to always need to have the good footwork, or his best footwork, to throw his best balls.”

Coach Jason Garrett says Romo still working back from the injury and believes he will get better as the season goes on.

“He is coming back from an injury,” Garrett said. “He is working his way back through, and there have been some good things over the first couple of weeks. He, like everybody else on our team, is trying to get better. Learn from the things that weren’t good and try to build on the things that were.

“He’s trying to get himself physically right. He goes through a process to get himself right each and every day and over the course of a week. I think it’s an important thing for him try to continue to do. Hopefully, he will get better and better as the year goes on.”

Hopefully he is right.

Romo's quarterback rating of 75.1 ranks 31st in the league and is well below his career average of 95.4.

Even more alarming is Romo sudden inability to throw the deep ball. Romo has only attempted five passes this season that have traveled further than 20 yards in the air, completing one. And that was duck.

This issue dates back to last year. Romo had a career-low 7.2 yards per attempt. It has dropped to 6.9 this season on 66 attempts.

Yet Romo insists he is throwing the ball better than ever and that things are going to be just fine.

"As far as down the field, I'm throwing the ball really well," Romo said. "I'm excited about that." 

Just cause he said it don't make it so.

Romo will certainly get better. But he likely won't be the same again.

Nor better than ever.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.