Tony Romo: How Cowboys QB Went from Goat to Hero in Just Seven Days

About now is when we need Don King to step in and make another of those declarations of his: "Only In America!"

Make that Only In America OR the NFL!

Better yet, let's summon Shakespeare:

"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to praise Tony Romo, not to bury him..."

With all due apologies to the Bard of Avon.

We've just witnessed, in the short span of seven days, the quickest fall and rise of a quarterback. We've witnessed America's Golfer, Tony Romo, go from goat to hero faster than you can say "Jerry Jones loves to spend money."

Playing with a broken rib and a punctured lung will do that.

Romo was hurt on the third play of last Sunday's game between the Cowboys and the 49ers, one of those contests that the Dallas faithful had marked down with a "W" on their season schedules.

With Romo out of the game, the greatness that is backup Jon Kitna saw his team fall behind by 10 in the third quarter when Romo approached head coach Jason Garrett and simply wanted back in. The X-rays on Romo showed at least one broken rib and a small lung puncture.

Damn the lung puncture, damn Jay Cutler; Romo wanted back in.

This was the same Tony Romo who was demoted to "goat" status after the Cowboys fumbled and intercepted their way to a loss to the Jets in Week 1. Romo took the brunt of the blame, naturally. He didn't look good, but his teammates didn't fare any better; blocked punts and such can certainly screw up would-be wins.

There was Romo last Sunday, his team trailing by 10, back in, playing well, leading, performing.

All he did was put up 201 yards a touchdown and went 12-for-16. He'd end up with 345 yards passing and a couple of touchdowns, and more importantly, a 27-24 overtime win over the Niners.

Epic.

Jerry Jones defended Romo after those mistakes against the Jets. "One of the best games I've ever seen him play," is what Jones said after the Romo-led Cowboys blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead for the first time in franchise history.

For Jones, it was one of those Tammy Wynette moments.

Stood by his man, didn't he?

Then after the Romo-led comeback?

"This was a tidewater moment for the team," said Jones, who has some Don King in him, doesn't he?

Out there in media land, well, stuff like this puts a guy on top faster than a Banana Republic revolution.

The pundits who buried Romo the week before praised him seven days later.

And that's how fast it can happen.

Romo's status isn't real clear for Monday night's battle with NFC East division rival Washington.

"My guess is since he came back into the game and wasn't showing any symptoms, he is going to play Monday."

That was the observation of Dr. Robert Ashton, Director of Thoracic Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. Dr. Ashton is not the Cowboys' or Romo's physician, if you care for disclaimers.

The world now loves Tony Romo because he showed us he's tough, he can take it, he can play in pain, he's no quitter.

That's folk-hero stuff, isn't it?

It's like Doug Williams passing his way to Super Bowl MVP with a hyper-extended knee.

It's simply what great players do.

Granted, they're not lining up to label Romo "great," but he deserves a lot of credit.

Would have been pretty easy to simply stay there on the bench, wouldn't it?

Romo saw his team ready to go down that 0-2 drain, and he did something about it.

Only in America, right?

And America's Team.

Goat to hero in seven days.