OXNARD, Calif. (AP) – Tony Romo wrapped up his most strenuous day so far at training camp by saying his surgically repaired back would get a rest: He will not play in the preseason opener at San Diego.
The Dallas quarterback also planned to sit out a day of practice this week, the latest indication that the Cowboys are closely managing the 34-year-old Romo’s recovery.
Romo pushed himself through a long practice on the team’s ninth workout day of camp Sunday. He had been off the previous two days and skipped two practices earlier.
“It doesn’t feel that much different than the other days, but we’re just out here more time and with more plays,” Romo said after throwing 25 passes in 7-on-7 and team drills Sunday. “We’ve been executing real well so it was good to see that again today.”
Seven months removed from surgery for a herniated disk, Romo says he’s 100 percent but acknowledges that his workout routine has changed significantly.
He gets cold water treatment three times a day. And he’s constantly stretching and exercising the muscles around the back.
He says that back surgery means “you kind of have to change the way you do things.”
“But that doesn’t mean you can’t do the things that it takes to be successful on the field or whatever you want to do,” Romo said. “There’s been plenty of people who’ve done it. You just got to go do it. It just takes work.”
Romo has tested the back by going through consecutive afternoon practices several times in camp. But he hasn’t done three in a row yet, and won’t this week. If the camp model becomes part of the routine in the regular season, Romo could be sitting out a practice each week.
“If it was up to me, I am going to do everything,” Romo said. “And then they’ll say, ‘You’re done. You did too much.’ We go, go, go and then you’re hurt, and you’re out instead of being smart. So that’s why we have a lot of people that are smart and take this progression a long way.”
With Romo saying he’s out, Brandon Weeden is likely to get the start against the Chargers on Thursday night.
“He’s going to be smart about it,” Weeden said of Romo. “I don’t worry about it. If he’s 34, 39, doesn’t really matter. He’s a franchise quarterback. He’s been doing it for so long. He knows what it takes.”