– blogged by @LoveRubyWoo
Following the Cowboys’ impressive 35-30 win over the Steelers last Sunday, which was beautifully engineered by rookie phenom quarterback Dak Prescott (with a little help from fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott), Cowboys owner Jerry Jones officially confirmed that Prescott will remain the team’s starting quarterback. This would of course mean that Tony Romo, who is finally returning from his injury this week, will no longer be the starter. Instead, the 36-year-old veteran, who spent the last decade as the face of the franchise, will be taking his place on the bench as the backup, sitting back and watching as the Cowboys’ new hero takes his team to new heights.
While this announcement was not shocking, as it confirmed what many knew would happen, Jones had spent weeks denying that Romo’s job was in jeopardy. However, after Sunday’s game, it was more clear than ever, even to Jones, who should be the Cowboys’ leading man.
On Tuesday afternoon, Romo addressed the media for the first time about losing the starting quarterback position to Prescott.
“Dak Prescott has earned the right to be our quarterback, as hard as that is for me to say, he’s earned that right,” Romo said. “If you think for a second I don’t want to be out there, you probably have never felt the pressure of competing and winning.”
Romo opened up about the struggles he has faced these past few months. “To say the first half of the season has been emotional would be a huge understatement. Getting hurt when you feel like you have the best team you’ve ever had was a soul-crushing moment for me,” he said. “You almost feel like an outsider. Coaches are sympathetic but they still have to coach and you’re not there. It’s a dark place. Probably the darkest it’s ever been. You’re sad and down and out and you ask yourself, ‘why did this have to happen?’”
Although he is disappointed and saddened by the way things turned out for him, Romo says that he is fully committed to helping Prescott and the team win. “I think Dak knows that I have his back. And I know that he has mine. Ultimately, it’s about the team. It’s what we’ve preached our entire lives.”
Romo suffered a compression fracture to his back during the Cowboys’ preseason game against the Seahawks, which sidelined him for eleven weeks and took away his hopes for a successful comeback season. In Romo’s absence, Prescott, a fourth-round pick, came in and quickly and unexpectedly wowed the sports world, leading the Cowboys to an impressive eight straight victories and making them a team reminiscent of the ’90s powerhouse that ran the league.
When Jerry Jones officially named Romo the backup quarterback on Sunday, he all but confirmed what we all thought to be true: the Tony Romo era in Dallas is officially over.
