Aikman: Cowboys Should Be Concerned about Romo's Back
As if the Dallas Cowboys don't have enough to be worried about, Fox analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman says Jerry Jones and the 'Boys need worry about Tony Romo's aching back.
“I think it would be a concern of mine if I was with the Cowboys, having back surgery once again and at his age,” Aikman said. “It could be a factor going forward as far as his performance.”
Romo underwent back surgery last week. Aikman admitted that the reason for his retirement wasn't because of concussions; it was because of his back.
“There are a lot of people that believe the concussions led to my retirement, but nothing could be further from the truth,” Aikman said. “I then, or now, have ever experienced anything that had to deal with the concussions. I had surgery back when I was 26. I was young when I had my first back surgery following our first Super Bowl victory and didn’t miss any time for it. Then, going into my last year, I was having some back issues.”
Aikman continued:
“I took epidural shots, as I understand Tony [Romo] had this week, and the first time I took them was before the Jacksonville game that season in 2000, and I remember on the day of the game, waking up, and I’d never felt better for a game in my life. My back felt pain free for the first time in years. And in the first quarter, we completely turned Tony Brackens loose and he slammed me on the turf right flat on my back, and immediately, my back went into spasms. I was done for the day. So that good feeling lasted about half of a quarter. And I took shots the following week hoping that I could recapture the pain-free symptoms, and it never took again. So, that is why I retired.”
Who knew?
Interesting thoughts from Aikman, and he may be right. Romo is 33 now and hasn't really had much of an injury-free season since he's been a starting quarterback. Even without the back injury, many think the Cowboys should be looking to invest in another quarterback because of Romo's history of choking over the years.
The good news, Cowboy fans, is I heard Jay Cutler may be available soon.
He might be a smoker or even a midnight toker. But he's not a choker, is he?