Cowboys offseason countdown: 99 facts until the regular season (Day 9)

We countdown the days to kickoff giving you an interesting fact about each number. Today is number 9

We are at day 9 of our 99 day countdown until the regular season. Here is your daily fact associated with number 9.

The greatest player to don the number 9 for Dallas is an easy one, it is, of course, Tony Romo.

Set Number: X82916 TK1 R1 F81

Antonio Ramiro Romo was born April 21st, 1980 and went undrafted, then signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2003. Following Troy Aikman’s retirement at the conclusion of the 2000 season, the Cowboys struggled to establish stability at the quarterback position, experimenting with various players in an attempt to address the gap left by Aikman. By the year 2005, the franchise had already had its eighth quarterback since 2000.

In 2006, Tony Romo finally stepped into the spotlight after spending three years quietly on the roster. Despite not being selected in the 2003 NFL Draft due to concerns from various pro personnel directors regarding his throwing mechanics, as well as skepticism from some coaches in Dallas, Romo’s journey to the field was significantly influenced by Cowboys quarterbacks coach Sean Payton. Payton played a crucial role in both Romo’s arrival in Dallas and his subsequent development into a notable player.

During Week 7 of the 2006 season, Romo was given the chance to demonstrate his abilities. The Cowboys faced their division rivals, the New York Giants, and found themselves trailing 12-7 at halftime. With Drew Bledsoe not performing up to expectations, head coach Bill Parcells made the decision to replace him with Romo for the second half. Although Romo threw three interceptions, he managed to perform respectably in a 36-22 defeat.

Parcells had sufficient confidence in Romo to retain him as the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. By Week 13, the coach appeared to be exceptionally astute as Romo made a significant impact in the NFL. Following their defeat to the Giants, Dallas triumphed in five out of their next six games and also secured a victory against New York in their rematch in December. After that game, Romo topped all NFL quarterbacks with an impressive passer rating of 102.4 and had successfully completed nearly 70% of his passes.

In 2007, he achieved a remarkable performance by passing for 4,211 yards and recording a career-high of 36 touchdowns, alongside 19 interceptions. Additionally, he rushed for a personal best of 129 yards and scored two touchdowns, which earned him his second selection to the Pro Bowl.

In 2008, Romo surpassed 3,400 passing yards and threw for 26 touchdowns; however, the Dallas team did not qualify for the postseason. The following year, the Cowboys secured 11 victories, with Romo amassing 4,483 yards, 26 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, which led to his third Pro Bowl appearance.

Before the 2013 season, Jerry Jones extended Romo’s contract for six years at a value of $108 million. In response, the quarterback delivered an impressive season with 3,828 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. In a dramatic Week 16 matchup against Washington, Romo guided the Cowboys to a 24-23 victory, despite contending with a herniated disk. Subsequently, he was placed on injured reserve to undergo back surgery, and the Cowboys once again failed to reach the playoffs, finishing with a third consecutive 8-8 record.

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The 2014 season was a pivotal moment for Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys. Romo concluded the season with impressive statistics, amassing 3,705 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, and only nine interceptions, while also leading the NFL in various key metrics. These included completion percentage (69.9%), touchdown percentage (7.8), yards per attempt (8.5) and quarterback rating (113.2). In December, Romo’s performance was exceptional, achieving a quarterback rating of 133.7, the highest recorded for any single month in NFL history. His outstanding play earned him a selection to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time and marked his first and only All-Pro accolade. Romo played a crucial role in the Cowboys’ comeback victory in the Wild Card game against the Detroit Lions, overcoming a 17-7 deficit at halftime. In the Divisional round, he threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns; however, this effort fell short as Dallas was unable to advance past Green Bay, famously due to the controversial “Dez caught it” moment.

Romo started the year 2015 positively; however, he suffered a collarbone fracture during a match against the Eagles in Week 2. Subsequently, while participating in the preseason, Romo incurred a back injury that sidelined him for the majority of the next season. This situation allowed Dak Prescott to assume the starting role in 2016. It became evident that the team now belonged to Prescott, leading Romo to announce his retirement in early 2017.

During his career, Romo had 34,183 passing yards, 248 touchdowns, 117 interceptions, 620 rushing yards, and five rushing scores. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, one-time All-Pro, and led the NFL in passer rating and completion percentage in 2014. Furthermore, Romo established multiple franchise records, such as career passing yards and touchdowns, as well as the number of games with a minimum of 300 passing yards (46) and the highest number of fourth-quarter comebacks (28). In addition, he achieved NFL records for the most games in a single season with a passer rating of 135.0 or higher (6).

Cowboys fans will primarily remember Romo for his remarkable ability to embrace the role of starting quarterback in Dallas. Despite facing immense pressure, he consistently performed admirably, even when dealing with injuries and limited support from the defense on occasion. His heart and determination distinguished him from other quarterbacks, and his results are remarkable considering he was an undrafted player.

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