Tony Romo Enjoying Limelight
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James Joyner | Wednesday, October 31, 2007 |
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.
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