Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo broke his silence on Tuesday when he spoke to the media about a variety of topics, including Thursday's game against the Vikings, his relationship with wide receiver Terrell Owens, and his off the field personality.
Do you think it's better to skip this game or be out there playing?
I don't know; I'm not sure. I know that offensively last year, we kind of came out of the gate pretty good in that first game. I know I didn't play that last pre-season game, so I don't think there's any perfect way to do it. We're a pretty veteran-laden group, experienced, especially offensively, that I think we'll be OK.
So you're going to play on Thursday or not?
I don't think I'll play. I wouldn't envision it, but you never know.
You've missed two deep balls here lately. We're not used to that. Anything to that?
No...I think, I mean you're not going to connect. I think it's a good thing when the only thing that people have to talk about is missing on the deep ball or something. You're just trying to get timing down. I'm sure I've missed two deep balls at some point in my career at different times. There's just not many throws now at the beginning of the year. I've only thrown the ball 20 times, or whatever it's been so far, or 30 times, whatever. So it's like people are just going to look at certain things. You're always trying stuff in the pre-season, trying to get yourself to a certain point. I'll really condense everything that I want to do going into the season, know what I'm doing well and do those things.
Since you're a golfer, is not dwelling on it like missing a couple of 4-foot putts?
No, it's practice. At the end of the day, you're trying to improve on something, you know. One ball that I might not do a certain way tomorrow that I did yesterday. I feel like the best thing that happens to me are the mistakes that I make because very seldom do I make the same mistake twice. It's a learning experience, something you go through, something you do. Like I said, it's just something you throw out in the pre-season. That's part of the reason I didn't talk a lot the last week or two. There's not much to talk about. You just kinda get out there. During the pre-season, you're just trying to get better. But there will be plenty of stuff for everyone to talk about during the season, each week, about what we did wrong and everything. It's difficult when you're trying to get better and everyone is watching because you're practicing, so you're trying different techniques, doing different things to prove yourself as an individual and as a team. And so I think for us, you know, you're always judged when you step out there in front of the cameras. We're just trying to get better and get to that point where we feel like we're playing our best level in week one, and I think we've accomplished that.
Is the team where it needs to be to start the season?
Yeah, I thought we had a really good pre-season. We're excited about our execution. The thing is that you guys look more so at just games, but we look at practice as a big tool as well. We feel like, and I said this a little while back in training camp, but we came out and we got into training at the beginning. It was the best offense has started training camp. Usually the defense is far and away ahead, but having the guys that we had at certain positions we were able to kind of pick up where we left off and go from there. It was important to get that feeling of confidence.
Is Kosier going to be a bigger loss than maybe the media gives him credit for?
Yeah, he's appreciated in here, and I think sometimes I get way too much credit when we win, and probably too much blame or whatever when you lose because it's such a team-oriented game. Kyle helps out in so many different ways that the normal fan won't know. He's always with Flozell and Andre and making some of the line calls, doing things that take pressure off them and myself, so everyone's got to step up a little bit and do a little bit more. But we know how important he is.
You didn't really talk much to the media. You weren't mad were you?
No, I think I don't really get mad. I don't ever get mad or any of that stuff just because it is what it is. I've said it a lot of times, if you're expecting all you guys to talk good about me all the time, then you're in for a bad feeling, I guess. It's just part of playing quarterback, it's part of being part of a franchise like this, it's part of being in this position...is getting ridiculed. There's always going to be talk, some good, some is bad. I've learned that, that's part of it. For me, I'd rather not always talk about it, more than just...sometimes it's fun just to play the game, and go home at night and talk about what's fun at practice.
So you just like playing the game sometimes?
I'm just saying like instead of being right here, this is OK, but...like talking about the deep balls or talking about our team, what we need to get better. We're practicing. I mean that's what we're doing. For us, it's just we want to improve and get better, and it's fun not to have...it's almost like the business side of the game. The game is so much fun and you love playing the game, and sometimes you just like to just play the game because it's a game and we really enjoy that side of it. Sometimes when you're in a contract dispute, or when media wants to talk all the time or everything, it doesn't allow me to go sit in the locker room for 25 minutes and talk to the guys. I've always got something I've got to do. There's always something that you have to do over here, and you miss out on a lot of the fun stuff. But I'm lucky enough to be able to do this for a living. I try sometimes to say, I'm going to put some stuff on the backburner. I'm not doing this, I'm just going to do this and have fun and enjoy it. And for me, that's always something I try not to take for granted, those moments. You're not always going to have that, so use that.
Did you ever ask Roger Staubach or Troy Aikman how to handle it?
Troy said not to talk to you guys all the time.
What do you think about the perception that you are changing off the field?
I don't want to minimize what I'm about to say in anyway, but it doesn't affect me necessarily. It just doesn't mean that much to me. I appreciate how passionate people are about our game because if you guys aren't in here talking and everything the game's not as exciting as it is. This is a great game and we're all lucky enough to play and you guys are lucky enough to be around it as well. For me, I don't necessarily take that feeling home with me and get mad at people and frustrated because I know when I'm sitting watching the Olympics I say, 'Why'd that guy do that?' or 'Why didn't he do this?' We're all Monday morning quarterbacks. That's the way we all are. It's part of the fun-ness. Let's talk about this on the radio, let's have a little give and take here. And for me, I don't mind anymore when someone says something because it gets people debating and talking about it. I think sometimes people talking about it is good for the game, for what it is. You hope you're always on the good side of the call but that's not always the case. If you can understand that in your brain, then you're OK with whatever happens and how it goes. You can rest easy when you're playing, when you're done playing or when your career is over.
Do you fear that maybe you have changed?
I think that's always something you try and watch out for. The hardest part is not becoming...I try and read and talk to different athletes and people just because sometimes you become a little cynical about everything. Like I said, you can get upset with people, you can get mad at people, people want to use you. There's a lot of deceitfulness involved in a lot of different areas and lot of it is just individuals. Some are whatever and I don't want to go into detail on it, but when you see that, it just lessens people's credibility in your eyes. So in a sense, I don't ever want to become...A, I don't want to naive, but, B, at the same point, I don't ever want to become the guy that thinks that everyone is out for something. I don't want to be that guy that assumes that guy is a bad person. I think it's allowed me to treat everyone the same and be the same person. And my dad will always yell at me, so I'm sure that will always keep me grounded.
How much of the offense did you show in the pre-season?
Oh, we held quite a bit out, and saying that, you're always trying to move the ball. I think it's something where what's in the best interest of your team. Like honestly, if I throw for 12 touchdowns because we out-scheme them, that's great but you're not going to be able to out-scheme them the next few times. It's a fine line you draw there. We held out a lot of stuff and hopefully that will help us. It doesn't mean you're going to be successful, but it gives you a little higher percentage chance.
How do you know if it works in a game?
That's why practice is so important. You play against your defense, and I hate to say it, but we treat it as a game. I feel like I play at a tempo of the game-like speed. That's why when the games happen, you just try to do the same you've done in practice.
Can you still do that although it's not full speed?
That's the whole thing I didn't understand when I first got into the NFL. Most quarterbacks if a guy comes free, gets to the edge and breaks it down, they let the guy run by and still throw in rhythm. I've never had the ability. A guy comes free, the ball is coming out. I'm going somewhere because that's what you do in a game. I'm not saying that's right or wrong, but my brain is telling me this guy, I feel him, he's going to hit me, it just feels the same. Now maybe that was a benefit for me to allow me to play better quicker when I was younger. I just felt that I was able to play at a tempo like you're playing games. When it happens in a game, it's not a brand new thing, not a random act. It felt the same.
Can you describe your relationship with T.O. and why the QB-WR relationship is better for him here than in the past?
Two people have to want to do it. If he wanted to have a bad relationship with his quarterback, he could. If I wanted to have a bad relationship with my receiver, I could make it that way. But you both know it's in your best interests to get along to do things well. The other thing is, our personalities are somewhat similar. Where we're opposite is that I'm funny and he's not.
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