IRVING, Texas -- The day off paid off for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
Romo, who did core strength exercises instead of practicing last Wednesday, felt and moved much better than he had in the previous two weeks during Sunday’s comeback win over the St. Louis Rams. He completed 18 of 23 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns with an interception and had a key 16-yard scramble that probably wouldn’t have been possible if his surgically repaired back was as stiff as it’s been.
Should the Cowboys make missing Wednesday’s practice part of the routine for Romo?
“It certainly helped him last week,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “He looked better as the week wore on, both Thursday and Friday in practice. And I think he looked his best in the game.
“So we’ll evaluate how he feels and what the best thing is to do. We’re not going to make any grand proclamations about what we’re going to do for all the weeks in the rest of the season. We’re just going to take it day by day, week by week.”
The Cowboys have based Romo’s rest days since the start of training camp primarily on feedback from him about how he’s feeling. He did not practice three consecutive days until the first two weeks of the regular season, when he didn’t miss any practices.
Romo reported to the coaches Wednesday morning that his back felt stiff, so the decision was made for him to spend practice in the weight room doing core strength exercises. Romo said he’d discuss the matter with Garrett and offensive playcaller Scott Linehan, but he’s open to the idea that practicing only two times per week could be best for him considering the circumstances.
“I think more than anything, you have to kind of figure out what’s going to give everyone the best opportunity to play at your best,” Romo said. “If you’re just tired or sore, that’s just part of football. Nor does anyone get anything for that.
“It’s mostly just you want to have the functional strength that you might have without as many torqued situations during the week. I think with me, that was the benefit this week and we’ll see going forward how that reacts and everything. But it was a good week.”