IRVING, Texas – Tony Romo isn't typically the type for juicy soundbites or headline-grabbing quotes.
He's far more likely to flash a sly smile and give an evasive answer – an art he's perfect after countless hours in front of scores of cameras.
That's what made it so noteworthy when Romo's official Twitter account posted a bold proclamation in reference to the 2-7 Cowboys' prospects through the second half of the season:
Even better than that, when pressed for comment on Wednesday, the typically reserved Romo didn't shy away.
"I think I want everyone to know we're not done yet," Romo said.
That was more or less the theme as Romo faced the media for the first time since he broke his collarbone on Sept. 20. The Pro Bowl quarterback hasn't officially been activated to the 53-man roster yet, but there's no doubt he'll be starting when the Cowboys kick off in Miami this weekend.
There's also no doubt that the challenge awaiting Romo is daunting, to put it mildly. Dallas has gone 0-7 in agonizing fashion during his absence, leaving the team with next-to-no margin for error if any of this season's lofty goals are to be attained.
"I think at no point when you play this game do you envision being 2-7. I think no one thought we'd be in this position and, you know, we are," he said. "You just to have to accept that and understand where we are and from here it's mostly about winning one game, winning this week."
Not that it does anyone any good in retrospect, but the Cowboys have been oh-so-close to that elusive one win during this string of losses. Five of the seven losses have come by a touchdown or less, and held a second-half lead against every opponent but New England and Philadelphia.
If anything, Romo said he was inspired by his team's competitive effort despite the unfavorable results.
"I understand what it's like when you have had a losing streak like we've had. It's tough. It's tough to know," he said. "But I think the guys understand where we're at. I think they also understand that the season is not over. It's far from it."
That's an inspiring sentiment, especially given the turbulent eight weeks the Cowboys have endured during Romo's absence. The unflinching truth of the matter is that a loss in Miami this weekend is not an option for a team with flickering playoff hopes.
To that end, Romo was asked plenty of questions about trying to do too much – and he wasn't the only one. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett gave a fairly realistic expectation of what he wants from his quarterback this weekend.
"We certainly don't want him to feel like he has to come in and save the day," Garrett said. "He just needs to play quarterback for our football team. He's done that well for us in the past. We anticipate him doing that on Sunday."
Romo's track record is more than enough to prove that point. That said, the turnaround sounds like quite a challenge. NFL rules have allowed Romo to take part in practice during the past two weeks, and he has gotten involved in the full-team periods while the Cowboys have prepared for the Eagles and the Buccaneers.
As he himself admitted, though, that's a big difference compared to a live rep against an opposing defense – which he hasn't done since that Week 2 win at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
"My job is to hopefully not have the kind of rust that can happen after this kind of layoff. And I've had it before. I've thought about that. I've tried to do certain things to help that," he said. "Until you play though, it is the National Football League. There are going to be certain things that you have to go through, but hopefully they're only a couple of plays than more than that."
Only time will tell exactly what it'll look like, but Romo at least gives the Cowboys their full assortment of starters since the season opener. He also gives a boost to a team that miraculously still has slim playoff chances despite being five games under .500.
For the time being, he said he's simply focused on stopping the losses. If he can help deliver one win, perhaps the rest of the Cowboys' mountainous challenge will follow.
"We know where we're at. I think when you have seven losses, you don't have much room," Romo said. "But if you think about that, you're going down a path where you're trying to do too much. You're trying to think about the big picture. And I've found that the big picture will take care of itself if we go get one win. And then we go from there."
