Tony Romo sees progress in Cowboys' rout of Titans
Tony Romo swears everything is right with him physically.
Jason Witten did not see anything in the Dallas Cowboys' 26-10 victory against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
“I think he’s himself,” Witten said.
Head coach Jason Garrett said Romo was solid.
“Tony was more of a complimentary player,” Garrett said, “but I think he played a good game for us.”
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones, as strong a Romo backer as there has been despite his flirtations with Johnny Manziel last spring, came the closest to saying something didn’t seem quite right.
“We all saw a couple of passes that looked like they needed a little more energy,” Jones said. “But then I saw him throw on a key third-down situation, I saw him zip that ball out there to Cole Beasley. If you can see that, by the way, in the fourth quarter after a lot of snaps, you can count on it being there.”
Maybe it is just the heightened awareness because of Romo’s back surgery last December. Maybe we’re looking for the first cracks of age. Coming off a three-interception game in the season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers, all eyes were on Romo to see how he would respond Sunday against the Titans.
Romo completed 19 of 29 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown in the win, but it was some of the throws that floated that stood out almost as much as the third-and-7 completion for 10 yards to Beasley that Jones referenced or the 18-yard pickup on third and 15 to Dez Bryant on the game’s most crucial drive.
Romo missed Witten on back-to-back throws at the end of the first half that he has made thousands of times in games and practices over the years. He floated one to Bryant near the Dallas sideline and was low on a crossing route to Bryant as well.
“Listen, I’m telling you guys, the reason I’m excited is because of the way I’m throwing the football,” Romo said. “Physically just like piercing it when I want to. I can throw it better than I ever have. The rest of it is part of the game and footwork and your hips. Did you find the guy at the right time? Or are you working here and throwing it over there so it’s like you don’t get anything on it?”
It wasn’t arm strength, or a sore back -- he was sacked four times by the Titans -- but body position.
On the throw to Witten: “It’s 14 seconds, no timeouts. So what you’re going to try to is hold yourself up high so the corner drives up and then at the last second throw it here. Your body’s not turned, so it’s really hard. You don’t want to just open up and turn, or the corner comes off. So that throw has nothing to do with arm or any of that stuff. It’s more body, getting yourself in position … It looks easy. It’s just not.”
On the throw to Beasley: “It’s third down, outbreaking route. I’m just right in here and he breaks out and you throw it and it’s right on target. ... If I’m able to just drop back and throw the ball, I’ve never thrown it as well as I am.”
On the throw to Bryant: “The corner doesn’t blitz, but he looks like he’s blitzing to help in the run game. So I’m giving him a play-action fake and as soon as I’m coming up to throw it, he’s supposed to be over the middle. So as I come up and see, my body weight is getting ready and not I want to get him to him quick. Most people just kind of reset, but it would take so long to get there. ... You’re never going to get anything on the ball. Not if you’re going to give it to him quickly.”
In a crisp gray suit with white shirt, blue tie and black dress shoes, Romo demonstrated his motions on those throws as he walked to the Cowboys’ buses, accepting congratulations as stadium workers passed by.
There was no pass rush. Nor was there thousands screaming in the stands. It was just Romo pantomiming his actions as he spoke, bouncing on his toes, his held head high as if he was reading the coverage.
“I think I’m going to make it,” Romo said. “I’m getting stronger every week. It’s a positive. It’s been good this last month.”
