Tony Romo Enjoying Limelight
Matt Mosley says of the Dallas Cowboys’ newly minted $67.5 million man,
You can buy into all this “I’m just happy to be here” Romo storyline or you can know the truth, which is that no quarterback this side of Joe Willie has ever enjoyed the stage like this kid.
There’s nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all.
His joy is apparently infectious, which shouldn’t be surprising considering how long the Cowboys have waited for a worthy successor to Don Meredith, Roger Staubach, and Troy Aikman.
In what may have been one of the most surreal news conferences in club history, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced quarterback Tony Romo’s six-year, $67.5 million contract, and then passed along some time-honored dating advice. Moments after a non-Hashmarks sanctioned reporter interrupted the proceedings with a question about Romo’s alleged run-in with Britney Spears in Los Angeles on Friday, Jones slowly leaned forward and said in his best Arkansas accent, “I’ve told Tony that sometimes they can smell fresh cash.”
The line drew huge laughter, and I turned to my right just in time to see the owner’s daughter, Charlotte, rolling her eyes. Romo was in the middle of answering the next question when he paused, looked over at Jones and said, “That was pretty good.”
Pretty good, indeed. Although this isn’t even close to the most surreal press conference in Jerry Jones’ tenure. There was the awkward announcement of the hiring of Jimmy Johnson in the wake of the firing of the legendary Tom Landry. There was the bizarre announcement that Johnson was leaving after back-to-back Super Bowl wins. Then there was the hiring of Barry Switzer and his histrionics.
A little comic relief is just fine after all that.
You can buy into all this “I’m just happy to be here” Romo storyline or you can know the truth, which is that no quarterback this side of Joe Willie has ever enjoyed the stage like this kid.
As Jones and coach Wade Phillips showered him with praise for about 45 minutes, Romo desperately tried to supress a grin that has contributed mightily to his growing fortune. Repeatedly asked whether the money would change him, he finally deadpanned, “I think definitely I’m a better person now because I have more money.”
And the Valley Ranch press corps roared its approval.
A great line. This is a kid who’s come a long way and knows damned well that this is an absurd amount of cash. But, hey, he’s not going to turn it down.
Both Jones and his son, Stephen, talked about the active role Tony played in the negotiation process. At one point, Stephen told the quarterback he wasn’t willing to concede a certain aspect of the contract. Romo walked down the hall to the elder Jones’ office, and within seconds, had what he was looking for.
“I should’ve dealt with [Jerry] the whole time,” Romo told Stephen, who said he’d never had a player take such an active role in negotiations.
I’m glad this one is in the bag. The Cowboys have plenty of cap room and, while the amount of money is absurd, it’s quite reasonable by elite NFL quarterback standards.
- Cowboys Backup QB Tony Romo Signs 1 Year, $3.9 Million Contract Extension
- Cowboys Sign QB Brad Johnson to Three-Year Deal
- Tony Romo Cowboys’ New Starter Over Jerry Jones’ Objections
- Cowboys Working on Tony Romo Contract Extension
- Romo in 5th Place in Pro Bowl Balloting
- Tony Romo Ranking
- Michael Irvin Apologizes for Racial Jokes about Tony Romo
- Tony Romo Sets Good Records in Lousy Performance
- Romo Focused on Winning, Still Having Fun
- Cowboys Hire Wilson and Read to Coaching Staff
- Eight is Enough- Edmonton beats Chicago 8-4
- Lydia Ko wins New South Wales Open
- The Comeback I- Pittsburgh Penguins beat NY Islanders 5-0
- Seattle Mariners Outfielder Greg Halman stabbed to death at age 24
- Hee Young Park wins CME Titleholders Championship
- Oklahoma State Women’s Basketball Coach Kurt Budke dead at 50
- Costly mistake- Blackhawks waive Rostislav Olesz
- Manager Tony La Russa announces retirement
- Puck Drop- Florida Panthers start the 2011-12 NHL season
- 13-time PGA Tour winner Dave Hill dead at 74
Comments are Closed