Monday, October 18, 2004 1:40 PM CDT
Romo on hold with Cowboys
BY BRIAN NIELSEN, Sports Editor
IRVING, Texas -- No, Tony Romo does not want Vinny Testaverde to get hurt.
At least Romo says not.
But the former Eastern Illinois star wants to play.
Four games into Romo's second NFL season with the Dallas Cowboys, he has not taken one regular-season game snap at quarterback.
He is closer this year, now listed as the No. 2 man instead of the No. 3 he was as a rookie.
But the 40-year-old Testaverde has stayed in the game so far, showing the durability of a man half his age.
"You know, it's one of those things," Romo said. "You never wish anything bad on anyone. It's got to be tough for anyone to play and last a whole season, especially someone Vinny's age.
"If you don't prepare like you were going to play every game, you won't be ready. It's just one of those things you prepare like you're going to play."
Actually, Romo has played.
After only standing on the sidelines throughout last year, Romo is the holder for place-kicker Billy Cundiff.
Romo's previous experience at this job?
"Never," he said. "When I started I was pretty bad. I think I've gotten better at it."
Here is what he knows about being a holder now: "You have to be calm," Romo said. "You have to be ready for the ball to be snapped anywhere. It's just a repetition thing. The more you do it, the better you're going to be."
So far, no problems, just one scare for holder Tony Romo.
"I think there's one time when I fumbled the ball a minute but got it down in time," he said.
His stats as a holder?
"I don't keep track," Romo said. "I don't want to sit there and say I'm 60 in a row or something and build up the pressure."
Of course, the backup quarterback sometime might run a play on a fake field goal attempt, something the Cowboys have practiced.
"Once in a while," he said. "It's not a huge thing in our offense yet."
For now, this is a role Romo likes knowing at least he is going to get on the football field in some capacity.
"Yeah, exactly," he said. "It helps just before the game getting ready. You do directly affect the outcome."
But as a backup quarterback, Romo is only one play away from being much more visible if something happens to the starter.
His collegiate career started with almost no notice when Anthony Buich was injured, and the redshirt freshman Romo was called into the game against Tennessee-Martin.
"That was pretty scary," Romo said. "I think I am more prepared this time than then."
Romo helped Eastern to a win in his collegiate debut.
Then when becoming the starter as a sophomore he won three straight Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year awards, topping things with the NCAA Division I-AA's version of the Heisman when receiving the Walter Payton Trophy as a senior.
After all those fond memories, Romo obviously still has an interest in EIU.
He is not rejoicing that ever since perhaps his most memorable college moment, that 8-yard last-second touchdown run for the Panthers' 25-24 win over Eastern Kentucky two Homecomings ago, the Colonels since have posted 41-0 and 49-6 routs over the Panthers in their post-Romo era.
Last week Eastern Kentucky stifled an EIU offense that had been rolling, but Romo, while busy at work in Texas, understands what may have happened.
"Eastern Kentucky was always the best at disguising stuff," he said. "They made things really difficult on the passing game. I can see how those guys had trouble."
So Romo, who owns EIU records of 85 career touchdown passes and 34 in a season while ranking second on the school's list for passing yardage behind Cowboys quarterbacks coach Sean Payton, has this pep talk for the Panthers heading into today's 1:30 p.m. Homecoming game against Murray State.
"It's what you do afterward that matters," Romo said referring to the humiliating loss to Eastern Kentucky. "You're going to have losses like this. The ones who still believe in themselves are the ones who can come back from that. Yeah, Eastern Kentucky may have gotten after them. After that they either come together or tear apart. Now they've got a huge win and a bad loss. They're on the picket fence."
Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.
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