Romo starts slowly, finishes with flourish
Sunday night marked a homecoming of sorts for former Eastern Illinois quarterback Tony Romo, not that you would know it by the welcome the Bears' defense gave him in the first half.
Mark Anderson sacked him on the Cowboys' first offensive play. In the second quarter, Romo avoided pressure from Lance Briggs and Anderson, only to get crushed by Brian Urlacher.
Welcome back to Illinois, Tony.
His teammates didn't do him any favors, either. Wide receiver Patrick Crayton had a Jackie Smith moment, dropping what would have been an easy touchdown catch. The Cowboys' running game didn't take any pressure off him, with 18 yards at halftime.
Yet Romo persevered, beat the odds and ended up victorious, pretty much as he has done since high school. He completed 22 of 35 passes for 329 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Cowboys' 34-10 victory.
Romo did all that against a Bears defense that has allowed an NFL-low 69.1 quarterback rating in Lovie Smith's four years as coach. Something had to give, with Romo entering the game with the NFL's second-best QB rating (119.3).
It was the Bears' defense that broke down, literally, with starter after starter leaving the game injured while Romo led the Cowboys up and down the field for 31 points in the second half.
Romo has enjoyed a fairy-tale climb to becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He didn't even lead his high school, Burlington, Wis., to a winning record.
That didn't earn the attention of college football's elites, so he ended up at Eastern Illinois, where he set several school records. Despite throwing for more than 8,000 yards and 85 touchdowns at Eastern, Romo did not get selected in the 2003 NFL draft.
Sean Payton, then an assistant coach at Dallas and like Romo an Eastern Illinois graduate, helped convince Dallas to sign him as an undrafted free agent. The rest is history, with Romo waiting behind the likes of Quincy Carter, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Henson and Drew Bledsoe before bursting on the scene last year.
Romo's night Sunday started slowly. Dallas didn't gain a first down until 10:38 remained in the second quarter. Their first drive ended with a three-and-out, Adam Archuleta intercepted a deflected pass on the second possession, before the Cowboys again went three-and-out.
By its fourth drive, Dallas pretty much scrapped running the ball and put the game in Romo's hands. Romo delivered, throwing for every yard Dallas gained in a 57-yard march for a tying field goal.
On their next possession, Romo hit Owens for a 12-yard gain on fourth-and-3. The drive would have ended in a touchdown if not for Crayton's drop.
Romo picked up where he left off in the second half. He showcased a variety of throws while directing a 9-play, 89-yard drive to start the third quarter.
The drive ended in a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jason Witten. On one key third down, Romo avoided pressure and connected with Terrell Owens on a 12-yard gain.
Romo threw another touchdown pass on next drive, a 10-yarder to Marion Barber. That capped a 10-play, 91-yard march, with Romo going 5 of 7 for 86 yards.
At times, Romo stood in the pocket and picked the Bears apart, but he was even dangerous making plays on the move. In the fourth quarter, Romo pump-faked to avoid a sack by Adewale Ogunleye, then found Witten for 9 yards.
A little later, Romo's homecoming was complete, with backup Brad Johnson coming in to mop up. Bears fans were calling for their own No. 14 backup QB (Brian Griese) to get in the game.
Or wishing their No. 1 draft pick Rex Grossman played like this undrafted QB from EIU.