While the last few years have been extremely frustrating for Tony Romo, the Dallas Cowboys and their fans, the quarterback has good news as it relates to the future.
Speaking about his oft-injured back, he revealed encouraging news, via Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News:
Tony Romo: My back is "as strong as it's been in 3-4 years. That's exciting…I'm able to do things I wasn't able to do last year."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 23, 2016
Romo, at the age of 35 (he’ll be 36 next season) has missed 14 games since the start of the 2013 season.
He underwent microdiscectomy surgery to repair a herniated disc in December of 2013 and then suffered two fractured transverse process in his back last season. Then he missed most of this past campaign with a fractured collarbone, which he actually suffered twice.
Needless to say, folks in Dallas and around the country who root for the Cowboys have long since abandoned the “beginning to wonder” stage as it relates to the long-term sustainability of Romo’s health. At this point, fans are clamoring for Jerry Jones and the ‘Boys to find Romo’s heir-apparent before it’s too late and the team goes into the toilet for a couple more seasons.
That said, Romo clearly believes he’ll be able to have plenty more success in the NFL.
Tony Romo: "I'll be able to play for a while. … The fact that I can work the way I'm working now, it's exciting."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 23, 2016
Romo recently told Bill Simmons of HBO that he has “four more years left” in his body (h/t Marc Sessler of NFL.com). He’s long made it clear he still thinks he has plenty left in the tank.
Clearly he’s still optimistic about being able to stay healthy for the long run, and perhaps he’s right. Dallas does feature one of the league’s best offensive lines, and this past season was kind of a freak deal, with him fracturing the same collarbone twice.
If Romo can stay healthy, there is no doubt the Cowboys will have a shot to not only win the NFC East but also compete for the Super Bowl next year.