Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo needed season-ending back surgery this morning as a result of an injury he suffered on Sunday in Washington. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett believes what Romo did immediately after that injury was a heroic performance.
Garrett said after announcing that Romo is done for the year that he admires the way Romo toughed it out last week, throwing a game-winning touchdown pass to DeMarco Murray despite hobbling around the field with a serious back injury.
“Tony did an unbelievable job,” he said. “He might have had his finest hour against the Redskins last week. What he did at the end of that ball game, under the circumstances, is pretty special. We talk about mental toughness being your best, regardless of circumstances. There were a lot of circumstances going against him and he certainly rose to the occasion and somehow, some way, helped us win that ball game. He made a lot of big plays down the stretch, certainly the touchdown to DeMarco was something else. A real tribute to him, his approach, his mental toughness, his physical toughness.”
The Cowboys, of course, would prefer not to have a regular-season game go down as Romo’s finest hour. They’ll have to hope he can recover well enough that he’s able to do next year what he won’t be available to do on Sunday, and lead the Cowboys to the playoffs.