"He's not injured."
That was Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' status report on Tony Romo, who gave the team a scare when he had to leave Thursday's exhibition in Seattle after only three plays. After scrambling and sliding in vain to try to avoid a sack by the Seahawks' Cliff Avril, Romo landed awkwardly and twisted his lower back.
There he was, on the ground, causing everyone who cares so much about the Cowboys to will their quarterback up and hope another season in Dallas wouldn't be lost before it began.
So how he could not be hurt, when he looked like he was in so much pain?
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Simple: Whether it's "jammed" or "stiff" or "tight," Romo's back will never be right again. Every time he gets up, it's a win as he endures to play another down.
Tony Romo walks off the field with an apparent injury after being tackled. #DALvsSEA https://t.co/IILl1huJth
— NFL (@NFL) August 26, 2016
The Cowboys know this, and Romo knows this. For a 36-year-old who had multiple back surgeries in 2013 and '14, sandwiched between the broken collarbones in 2010 and last season, he has already been playing on borrowed time.
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Many other QBs his age would have hung it up after the recent physical beating. Romo? He was grabbing his helmet, lobbying to return for a second series in a game that didn't count.
There is differing opinion on whether Romo is a "clutch" quarterback. There should be no disagreement that he's a tough SOB.
"Not feared to be serious."
That was head coach Jason Garrett's status report on Romo. There's no other way for the Cowboys to think.
There's no magical duct tape or fountain of youth. They're counting on Romo to gut it out for maybe one last time.
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Romo isn't healthy. He hasn't been for a while. There's no point to the Cowboys worrying so much about every time he tweaks his back. They know that's not what's going to hold him and them back. What he did in 2014 was proof of that. So was how he looked in training camp and his first game action last week.
Romo saw what happened to the team without him in 2015. This year, with rookie backup Dak Prescott lighting it up in the preseason, Romo's next real injury is likely to expedite the end of his Cowboys career.
For now, Romo is still a go. No injury. No fear.
