Cowboys’ Romo Not Practicing, Expected To Play Monday

Added on Sep 22, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NFL

Many consider the Dallas Cowboys’ Tony Romo an ‘overrated’ quarterback. One thing that can be questioned at this point, however, is his toughness. Romo came off the bench and guided the Cowboys to an overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers despite suffering from a broken rib and a punctured lung.

Not surprisingly, he hasn’t practiced this week but every indication is that Romo will be under center on Monday night when the Cowboys host their arch rival Washington Redskins. The Redskins have been an early surprise this NFL season and are 2-0 while the Cowboys are 1-1 on the year. The official NFL injury report lists Romo as ‘probable’ and backup John Kitna, who has been taking snaps with the first team during Romo’s practice absence, concurs:

“I fully expect [Romo] to play.”

Kitna also said that he’s ready to do his part in practice or the game to help the team win:

“I try to do things just as he would do them. I don’t want to change anything for what those guys are used to so far.”

Romo has undergone a couple of CAT scans to properly assess his situation before a final decision is made regarding his status. He’s reportedly got one broken rib and the puncture in his lung has been described as ‘small’ and the expectation is that it could clear up within a few days. He’s been fitted for a protective vest which is a further indication that he’ll try to play next Monday night.

Cowboys’ head coach Jason Garrett gave the team the day off on Tuesday and Wendesday in hopes to allow his players to recuperate physically. In addition to Romo, there are a number of other banged up playmakers on the Cowboys’ roster and Garrett decided that at this point his team needed to get better more than they needed the practice.

The Monday Night Game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins is off the board at a number of sportsbooks. A few are offering a NFL betting line on the game, with Dallas priced as a -5′ point home favorite with the total set at 46.