One play during the 2016 preseason changed the fate of Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys. Seattle Seahawks pass rusher Cliff Avril made a hard tackle on Romo last August that sent Cowboys Nation into a state of shock (watch here). Romo ended up breaking a bone in his back, which caused him to eventually be shelved indefinitely.
Without any (apparent) viable options at the quarterback position, the injury appeared to doom Dallas to yet another dismal campaign after the ‘Boys won just four games in 2015. However, fourth-round rookie out of Mississippi State, Dak Prescott, came to the rescue to lead the team to a 13-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Because of the way things worked out, there have been plenty of people who have seen Romo’s injury as fortuitous for the Cowboys. That Avril is somehow a hero for breaking the quarterback’s back.
Just don’t count the pass rusher among those tho hold that view.
“I don’t ever want to injury somebody and put somebody else in there,” Avril said, per Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram “But Dak took full advantage of the opportunity. He has been killing it ever since.”
Avril has seen firsthand what kind of impact a young quarterback who knows how to lead can have on a team, playing with Russell Wilson. He has seen a lot of Prescott this week in Hawaii as they practice together for the Pro Bowl. He loves what he sees from the first-year player and believes more good things are in store for Prescott as he matures.
“Just talking to him the last couple of days you can see why he has been so successful,” Avril said. “He’s a lot more mature than you expect him to be. His passion for winning is crazy. It’s cool to see. It’s cool to be around him. It’s cool to hear how he thinks. He is like Russell as you can see the passion they both have for winning and that’s going to continue to get better. I can see him doing great things in this league.”
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a similar take after witnessing firsthand just how potent a leader and player Prescott is when the rookie nearly came back to beat him in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Clearly, the Cowboys found a diamond in the rough when they drafted Prescott in the fourth round. He’s one of the most promising young players in the league, and there can be no doubt Romo’s injury impacted his career arc forever. That being said, Avril’s stance here about not wanting to take any credit for the injury is one we can all get behind.