If ain’t broke, don’t tweak it. Especially when it comes to Tony Romo’s back, and the nurturing thereof.
Coming off two offseasons of back surgeries, last year the Cowboys’ quarterback went through a scaled-back program. His downsized workload during training camp featured no more than two straight days of practice and even during the regular season he skipped Wednesday practices. The result? Romo had a brilliant, healthy season and led Dallas to a 12-4 record and a playoff win.
So, obviously, he’ll stick with the same plan for 2015. Or …
That was No. 9 on the field for all of the team’s OTAs at Valley Ranch the last two weeks. He might still be on a “pitch count” when the team gets to Oxnard next month, but so far skipping on-field work seems to be a thing of the recent past.
“The further I get away from the surgery the stronger I get in a lot of areas,” Romo told ESPN Dallas Thursday night during a charity event. “I’m working as hard as I can to ensure that I’m strengthening the areas that I need to be at my best, and right now it’s just been a good start in the offseason. I’ve been able to continue to build and grow. But it’s a very fluid situation as it was last year in that you have to do a good job making sure that you’re not leaving the day where you’ve hurt yourself for the next day or days.”
Romo maintains he’ll be smart about his back. But he’s also confident he’s healthier than he’s been since 2012.
“Backs are a little different than other areas,” he said, “and at the same time it’s been great to see that it’s been strengthening and I’m having some of the power in areas I hadn’t previously had or only had for short periods of time. They’re lasting extended periods of time. I’m excited about that.”
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A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
