OXNARD, Calif. - Whether it's for three plays, one long series or an entire quarter, Tony Romo said he wants to play in Sunday's Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
After Monday's practice, Romo spoke in length to reporters and reiterated that it won't be his decision, but at least revealed his preference.
"Sure. I always like to play," Romo said. "But we'll do whatever the coach says. That's part of being a team. We've got to get some guys some looks and do some things."
The topic received some buzz last week when a report surfaced that coach Jason Garrett said his star quarterback likely won't play against the Dolphins in the first of five preseason games.
In 2010, the Cowboys kicked off the season in Canton as well, playing the Bengals. Romo played just one series. But it happened to be a 14-play, 63-yard drive that resulted in a field goal. Romo threw just six passes on the drive that actually stalled at the 2-yard line forcing the Cowboys to kick a field goal.
When asked if missing the entire offseason because of minor back surgery means he needed to take more preseason reps, Romo said the amount he would play against the Dolphins wouldn't be enough to make a huge difference.
"I don't know that first series, if I did play, it would be a series, whether you went eight plays or three plays, I'm not sure how much that is going to affect that.
"Saying that, I still want to play every time I suit up. Every time I step out there your juices are flowing and you want to compete. From that perspective, yeah. But whatever the coaches want."
[embedded_ad]
Whether or not Romo plays, his backup Kyle Orton probably won't take a ton of snaps either. The 30-year-old veteran who is entering his ninth pro season, probably won't play past halftime either way.
That should give youngsters Nick Stephens and Alex Tanney plenty of reps in the second half. Tanney has actually turned some heads here in the last few days with his live arm, his pocket awareness and his ability to make throws on the run.
