Home Press Conference: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo
Sports

Press Conference: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo

Contributors

tony romoDallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo talks with reporters after the Cowboys’ 44-17 win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

 

On playing all of the starters in today’s game:

“I think that if you love the game and you’re passionate about the game, you have an opportunity to really just show who you are as an individual and a team. You have that opportunity today and that’s why you play. You want to go out and show the best version of yourself every week. We had that opportunity and you don’t pass that up. That’s why you play.”

 

On wide receiver Dez Bryant and running back DeMarco Murray setting franchise records:

“They’ve been outstanding all season. It’s just tough on defenses with what you want to take away and what you’re going to do. They’re really good players who do a great job of putting themselves in position by their work ethic, commitment to the team and their unselfishness, too. It spreads throughout the team.”

 

On how winning this division title feels different from past titles:

“The division title is great. For me and where I’m at, I think it is bigger aspirations. We’ve done the division title thing, like you said. I think that anytime you get 12 wins, it’s hard in the National Football League. We are proud of that at the same time. We understand that we are just getting started and we are excited about the opportunity.”

 

On how he feels with this season’s results after having back surgery a year ago:

“For me, I was just excited to be able to get back to a level to do some of the things I learned. I was excited about trying things I used in the past. They’ve held up and really allowed me to play my best football season. I think that was the most exciting thing about being healthy and getting better was just wanting to have another opportunity to go back and try to show that you can be a better version of yourself.”

 

On how the mindset of this team differs from past teams:

“I just don’t think we care about anything else that is happening around. You just go play and you execute whether you’re up by 10, down by 10, on the road or at home. We are going to put the pedal down. We are going to push the envelope and be an aggressive, attacking style offense that can run it and throw it. For us, we just want to score on every possession we get the ball.”

 

On the six current players who were a part of the Cowboys’ last playoff run:

“These guys deserve a chance to play in these games. Obviously, we work our butts off to be a team playing in January. If you have that opportunity, you want to take advantage of that. Some of these guys are young enough not to know any better, just go out there and give it everything they’ve got. Some of the guys that are older know how important this is.”

 

On the team’s aggressive mindset and the onside kick:

“They practiced it during the week and I think it’s just the mindset. We’re playing to win the game. Coach [Jason Garrett] made a great call and it was a great kick and recovery.”

 


 

On the difference between the previous game against the Redskins and this one:

“Well, we were more prepared with what we were going to do. A couple times we had a hot read, they just covered it. They knew what it was so I had to eat it and take a sack. This time we had some more stuff. We didn’t even get to all the stuff we had. They still pressured but just a little bit different variance of it – not as much all-out pressure. A couple times they did, we gashed them on it.”

 

On being the best version of himself this season:

“I think there is no question that I am playing on a level that I am proud of and I have to continue to get better.  It’s exciting when the stuff you’ve worked on [comes to life] and it felt really good. Like I said earlier, why you want to get back when you’re hurt [is] to be healthy so you can see that the stuff that you think gives you a chance to be an improved player is going to show up. I think that’s taken shape. I’m just excited about the progression of improvement.”

 

On this being the best prolonged offensive stretch he has been a part of:

“We’re very aggressive. I think we are continuing to evolve and understand who we are and what we can be. Guys are just doing their job and we have guys who can do it at a high level and go out and execute.”

 

On the status of the team heading into the playoffs:

“We really felt like we were playing in the playoffs this month. Four weeks ago, you felt like if you lost a game, you’re going to be out. We’re just going to keep the same approach we’ve been having – put our head down, go to work, attack the team we play.”

 

On running back DeMarco Murray passing Emmitt Smith’s single-season rushing record and wide receiver Dez Bryant passing Terrell Owens’ single-season receiving touchdown record:

“Those two both [Murray and Bryant] have had outstanding seasons. They deserve all the credit. Those guys allow us to be explosive, allow us to be diverse, and when you have two guys like that, it helps everybody else.”

Contributors

Contributors

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.