08-16-2007, 11:30 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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Both of them
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,225
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Big 'D' could have been Denver for Romo
Big 'D' could have been Denver for Romo | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | SportsDay: Football: Cowboys
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Cowboys' QB turned down more money from Broncos to sign with Dallas
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Mike Shanahan thought he had the quarterback from Eastern Illinois signed with the Broncos after the 2003 draft. He offered more in signing bonus and even played on the quarterback's feelings for the alma mater.
Like Shanahan, Tony Romo was a graduate of Eastern Illinois.
But in the end, Romo decided his chances of making the Cowboys' roster outweighed the opportunity to make more money and play for a two-time Super Bowl winning coach with a shared college experience.
Instead he settled for another two-time Super Bowl winning coach in Bill Parcells, and another Eastern Illinois grad: then-Cowboys assistant head coach Sean Payton.
"I asked Tony not too long ago, 'How could you go to Dallas?' " Shanahan said. "At least he said the right thing. He said, 'Coach, I thought I had a much better chance to make the team here than at your place,' so he's a politician as well."
If Romo had listened to Shanahan then, he could have been making his first trip to Valley Ranch this week for practice as a Bronco, attempting to win over John Elway fans waiting for another Super Bowl instead of Troy Aikman fans waiting for another Super Bowl.
"I think I made the right choice for right now," Romo said, smiling, "but you never know."
This two-day, four-practice session with the Broncos could have been Terrell Owens' first trip to Valley Ranch as well. Before he was cut by Philadelphia in 2006, he was granted permission to speak with the Broncos as a prelude to a possible trade.
Owens and Shanahan had dinner at a steakhouse near the Broncos' practice facility, but Owens was not sure how close he was to being dealt.
"My agent handled that part of it," Owens said. "It was a good visit. There was an opportunity, but I'm happy here with the Cowboys. We're looking to do great things."
Romo is also happy with the Cowboys, but there were instances his first three years when he failed to take a meaningful snap in a regular-season game and he wondered if he made the right decision.
"I don't look back and say, woulda, coulda, shoulda," Romo said, "but if I went somewhere else, maybe I would've gotten on the field sooner. Everything happens for a reason."
The Cowboys are glad Romo decided his chances of beating out Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson and Clint Stoerner were better than going into a camp with Jake Plummer, Danny Kanell and Steve Beuerlein.
Romo actually grew up as much a fan of Elway as Brett Favre. He rooted for the Broncos and Packers growing up and was conflicted when those teams met in Super Bowl XXXII with Elway finally winning a ring.
This summer at Lake Tahoe, Romo got to play a round of golf with Elway.
"Walking down the fairway just talking to John was just a treat for me," Romo said. "I picked his brain on some different things."
In a conversation during Wednesday's practice, Shanahan was quick to rib Romo about Elway getting the best of him in one of the tournament's rounds. It was the least he could do after being spurned in 2003.
"He's a football player," Shanahan said. "You can see it – the way he handles himself, the confidence level, reads defenses extremely well, has a great sense of timing. He'll be a great quarterback for a lot of years."
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Big 'D' could have been Denver for Romo
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