SPORTSDAY

Bad news, folks: Cowboys cheerleader Christina Parker graces the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover, right by the S. While the team's official site puts its typical positive spin on the story, everybody knows about the SI cover jinx.

Might as well make that franchise-record playoff win drought an even dozen seasons.

Feel free to comfort yourself by checking out the local gal's SI.com photo gallery. If you wanna see a little more skin, view the beautiful slideshow of her dallascowboys.com photo shoot on the Rivera Maya.

Speaking of blonde babes with Cowboys ties who made memorable trips to Mexican beaches, I look forward to the swimsuit edition that features the future Mrs. Romo in the athletes' wives section.

Tony Romo and T.O., who talked to NFL Network earlier this week, also sat down together with FoxSports.com's Alex Marvez.

You can check out that interview here. The Romo/T.O. relationship has progressed to the point that the QB sings love songs to the receiver.

In a touching moment, T.O. reveals that the media made him cry after the playoff loss because he knew what questions were going to be asked about the Simpson Family Bye Week Fiesta.

On a related note, T.O. expressed concern that Romo is "in way over his head" with the Blonde Ambition star. The Original 81 might have been kidding. Always tough to tell with him.

The only question left is which one in Tony Romo and which one is Terrell Owens?

During a two-segment interview on last night's NFL Total Access, the Cowboys' record-setting duo couldn't settle that. At first, Romo assumed the role of the Boy Wonder, but at the end of their sitdown with Rich Eisen, the QB was looking to become the Caped Crusader.

That was just part of a talk that ranged from how much Owens' emotional defense of his QB at season's end meant to the QB, all the way to how good Romo really is at golf. Follow the jump for the long of the jovial conversation. And as a warning: We mean long.

Actually, "star" might be a bit of an exaggeration, but Tony Romo does make a cameo appearance in this Diet Pepsi ad that will air during the Super Bowl.

Rumor has it Romo and Jessica Simpson will be in a Pizza Hut commercial together, too. Ain't that sweet?

Romo might not be at Peyton Manning's pitchman level, but he's pretty popular among ad execs these days. Romo's previous Pepsi commercial did a fine job of foreshadowing the Cowboys' playoff loss.

It's not a Super Bowl championship, but Tony Romo won a very prestigious title this week. Victoria's Secret executives and designers voted him the sexiest male athlete.

(I swear I don't go searching for links like this one. They magically appear in my e-mail inbox.)

Congrats to Miss Simpson's man.

I was disappointed to see that there was no sexiest sportswriter category. I'm sure I would have won, but that's kind of like being the coolest guy in the glee club.

That's what the National Enquirer is reporting, and I'm not sure that publication has ever been wrong.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has dumped Jessica Simpson and is going to propose marriage on Valentine’s Day to his college sweetheart, the Enquirer has learned exclusively.

And here’s a shocker for Jessica: The entire time Tony was dating her, he was two-timing her with Crystal Kasper - a 25-year-old optometrist he first fell for during his student days at Eastern Illinois University.

“If you could see Tony’s phone bill from all the calls and text messages he sends Crystal, you’d be stunned,” said an insider close to the quarterback.

“They couldn’t hook up much during the season. She was finishing her doctoral studies in Florida. But I know Tony flew Crystal to a game in Chicago where they spent time together.

“Tony’s family is happy because he’s dumped Jessica and the Hollywood scene.”

Wait until Jess' lawyer gets wind of this!!!

I don't mean to scoop Timmy Tabloid here, but it looks like anyone who was worried about a certain blonde being a distraction to the quarterback of America's Team needn't worry anymore.

According to the always-reliable OK! magazine, it's all over. Sad day for Timmy Tabloid, I know, because of all the mileage he got out of that relationship. And I'll be looking for some reaction soon from my colleague on Cowboys Blog. Let him mourn the end first, and then I'm sure we'll hear from him.

By the way, I've got nothing against the Boston broadsheet, as Todd may have insinuated. I just had an inkling this morning on what the Herald was running, and thought it'd be an interesting link. For the record, it's worth checking out both stories (here and here), if you're interested in football beyond just the Cowboys.

We're being flooded with stories about how Eli Manning has matured into a franchise QB, and we will be for at least another 10 days. If the Giants pull off an upset over the Patriots, Eli will go from being a bust to having a bust in Canton.

It's amazing how a playoff run featuring four touchdown passes and no mistakes changed perception of Peyton's little bro.

Tony Romo is going to the Pro Bowl. Eli is going to the Super Bowl. Advantage, Eli, who outplayed Romo at Texas Stadium a few weeks ago.

But which QB would you rather have as a franchise cornerstone? A fella in a New York state of mind might say that he'll take the guy who has proven he can win a playoff game. Of course, Eli was 0-2 in the postseason before this year, so I wouldn't worry too much about Romo's playoff failures.

While Eli has certainly proved me wrong this month, I'll still take Romo, whose regular-season numbers over the last two years are far superior. Plus, Romo provides much better blog fodder.

Word was that Tony Romo reinjured his thumb early in the Cowboys' loss to the Giants, but it apparently has already healed.

Jason Garrett said he had a nice chit-chat with Romo today after deciding to stick around Valley Ranch. Romo invited him to play basketball with all the quarterbacks today, so his thumb must be feeling fine.

Tony Romo doesn't have to look too far for somebody who understands what he's going through. Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki knows all too well how it feels to be the star of a team that follows a spectacular regular season with a painful, premature playoff exit.

Dirk stuck around Dallas to pick up his MVP trophy and then got the heck out of the country. Dirk spent a few weeks last summer in the Australian Outback with mentor Holger Geschwinder, who isn't quite as easy on the eyes as Jessica Simpson.

What advice would Dirk give Romo on how to handle the devestating disappointment of playoff failure following such a fine regular season? Well, since the primary purpose of this post is to promote our Mavericks blog, you'll have to read Dirk's response there.

That's the rumor coming out of Pebble Beach. So says The Monterey (Calif.) Herald, which reports that the buzz is that Romo, Tom Brady and LaDainian Tomlinson could play in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Well, Romo, Brady and Tomlinson were all selected to the Pro Bowl, which is held the same weekend of the AT&T. Now players routinely skip the Pro Bowl but usually cite injury as the reason. Since players aren't contractually obligated to the Pro Bowl, the NFL is generally fine with that as long as they are not embarrassed.

Saying you're too injured to play in the Pro Bowl and then showing up on national TV playing golf at Pebble Beach may not be the smartest of moves. Brady has been the exception — he skipped the Pro Bowl in 2004 to play in the AT&T — but of course, as a three-time Super Bowl winner and perhaps the NFL's biggest star, Brady is the exception.

Romo and Tomlinson? That might be a tougher sell.

How the Giants came after Tony Romo on his 40 pass drops:

3-man pressure: 2 of 40 snaps (2 first half/0 second half)
4-man pressure: 25 of 40 snaps (7/18)
5-man pressure: 4 of 40 snaps (1/3)
6-man pressure: 5 of 40 snaps (4/1)
7-man pressure: 3 of 40 snaps (1/2)
8-man pressure: 1 of 40 snaps (0/1)

ROMO NUMBERS
First Half
Vs. 3-man pressure: 1-2, 11 yards
Vs. 4-man pressure: 4-6, 42 yards; 1 rush, 7 yards
Vs. 5-man pressure: 1-1, 13 yards
Vs. 6-man pressure: 2-4, 16 yards, TD
Vs. 7-man pressure: 0-1
Vs. 8-man pressure: 0-0
Second Half
Vs. 3-man pressure: 0-0
Vs. 4-man pressure: 6-16, 71 yards, INT; Sack; 1 rush, 11 yards
Vs. 5-man pressure: 3-3, 32 yards
Vs. 6-man pressure: 0-1
Vs. 7-man pressure: 1-2, 16 yards
Vs. 8-man pressure: 0-0; Sack
Overall
Vs. 3-man pressure: 1-2, 11 yards
Vs. 4-man pressure: 10-22, 113 yards, INT; Sack; 2 rush, 18 yards
Vs. 5-man pressure: 4-4, 45 yards
Vs. 6-man pressure: 2-5, 16 yards, TD
Vs. 7-man pressure: 1-3, 16 yards
Vs. 8-man pressure: 0-0; Sack

WHAT IT MEANT: For one thing, the lackluster numbers against standard, four-man pressure meant that the Giants covered well in those situations. The sack was a result of coverage, and in plenty of other cases, the coverage was good enough to get the linemen into Romo’s face, with a collapsing pocket. And after Romo showed an aptitude for dealing with the Giants’ five-man pressure, Steve Spagnuolo seemed to approach a bit of all-or-nothing approach, sending either four or the house and crowding the line at times to disguise it.

My friends at tysportsblog.com unearthed this 2004 video of an unknown backup quarterback discussing pop culture and hoping that someday he'll be able to find a beautiful 5-8 blonde.

Any criticism surrounding the Simpson Family Bye Week Fiesta is patently "absurd." Or, at least, that's the way Patriots QB Tom Brady -- who's quite the authority on celebrity girlfriends (see: Reid, Moynahan, Bundchen) -- put it.

Speaking during his weekly appearance on WEEI, a sports radio station in Boston, Brady took up for Cowboys QB Tony Romo.

“Everybody has lives,” Brady said. “We work seven months, eight months, out of the year. You still have a life to live. On the weekends you do whatever you do to relax and rejuvenate. It’s not like they can go to the local eatery in Dallas and hang out.”

With three rings already in his possession, Brady also knows what usually separates right from wrong in these situations.

“If they caught the ball in the end zone at the end, nobody makes any mention (of the Mexico trip),” Brady said. “You alleviate a lot of criticism by winning. That’s what I’ve realized for eight years.”

Tony Romo suddenly has a reputation as a quarterback who can't win a big game. That's the result of an 0-2 playoff record and two average-to-mediocre postseason performances.

If you really want to pile on, you could point out that Romo never won a playoff game at Division I-AA Eastern Illinois, either.

The Cowboys' confidence in their $67 million quarterback remains strong, however. Wade Phillips reiterated that a coach can't believe in a quarterback any more than he does in Romo. Pro Bowl tight end/travel partner Jason Witten attributed Romo's winless playoff record to bad luck as much as anything.

"I have 100 percent confidence he's going to lead us to the Super Bowl in the future," Witten said.

Tony Romo was in tears after his first NFL playoff loss. He felt like he let the franchise down with the Seattle Slip and said as much.

Romo's eyes were dry during his postgame press conference today, but he certainly wasn't smiling. Did he feel any different than last season in Seattle?

"No," Romo said. "They both sucked."

Romo (18 of 36 for 201 yards with a TD and an INT) was average against the Giants, as noted by superstar columnist Tim Cowlishaw. He got outplayed by mistake-free Eli Manning (12 of 18 for 163 yards and two TDs).

Don't blame it on Cabo.

Tony Romo did not play up to his Pro Bowl standards in the Cowboys' playoff loss to the Giants. Romo spent the previous weekend relaxing at a beach resort.

Those two facts are not necessarily related. The Giants' blitz packages are more to blame for the Cowboys’ premature playoff exit than Romo’s participation in the Simpson Family Bye Week Fiesta.

And I thought that even before T.O.'s passionate defense of his quarterback. T.O.’s designer shades hid tears that welled up while he talked about how "unfair" it'd be to link Romo's getaway with Jessica Simpson to the Cowboys' loss.

"I thought I was making a good decision not going to Vegas and drinking for two or three days," said Romo, whose weekend of relaxation didn't ruffle the feathers of any of his bosses.

JOHN F. RHODES / DMN

T.O. knows what's coming for Tony Romo.

He knows folks are going to blame this loss on the Cowboys' franchise quarterback after Romo's mediocre performance (18-of-36 for 201 yards and a TD with an INT). And he know Romo's focus will be questioned after the much-publicized Simpson Family Bye Week Fiesta.

And T.O. made it clear that this loss shouldn't fall on Romo's shoulders. Tears formed behind T.O.'s designer shades while he stuck up for Romo in his postgame press conference.

"You guys can point the finger at him," T.O. said. "You can talk about the vacation, and if you do that, it's really unfair. It's really unfair. That's my teammate. That's my quarterback. If you guys do that, man, it's unfair. We lost as a team. We lost as a team, man."

The New York media is firing away at the Cowboys' franchise quarterback.

Here's the lead of DMN-ex Gary Myers' column that accompanies the classic New York Daily News backpage.

IRVING, Tex. - The last non-stop flight tonight from Dallas to Cabo San Lucas leaves about 30 minutes after the Giants plan on having the Cowboys eliminated from the playoffs.

It will be a bit of a rush job to get Tony Romo to the airport, but he could then cuddle with Jessica Simpson all week on the beach with his baseball cap turned backward and not have to worry about the NFC Championship Game Eli Manning will be playing in a week from today in Green Bay.

Newsday writes about Romo crossing the bridge to becoming a Celebrity Quarterback. Steve "Liberace" Serby writes about the potential for Eli Manning, a good, ol' low-key kind of fella (who arrived in New York after acting like a prima donna to force a trade), outshining Romo despite being the Other Quarterback. The New York Times even hops on the tabloid fodder, with Bill Rhoden writing he'd rather have Eli than Romo in a column headlined, "A Chance for Romo to Return to the Beach."

Kind of like this backpage this morning from the New York Daily News.

I doubt Romo will struggle today.

Troy Aikman made it clear during his Sporting News Radio show that he didn't think the Simpson Family Bye Week Fiesta would have any effect on Tony Romo's performance against the Giants.

But Aikman didn't think it was a wise decision for Romo to go south of the border, whether T.O. paid for the trip or not.

"I would never want to be put in a position where, if I played poorly, I gave anybody a reason as to why I played poorly -- other than, you know what, I just played bad," said Aikman, who will call the Giants-Cowboys game for Fox. "That was me, and I think that's probably pretty consistent with a number of these guys. I mean, I think that's consistent with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady and Brett Favre and a number of them."

Jimmy Johnson, who wasn't shy about criticizing the "relaxed-type atmosphere" at Valley Ranch, said Tony Romo taking part in the Simpson Family Bye Week Fiesta is no big deal. From Barry Horn's Hot Air:

Would you have minded if your quarterback went off to Mexico with a tabloid magnet on his days off?

I wouldn't have worried about it. Everyone in the media is searching for something to write about or talk about. I might have been glad. It would have kept people from asking me about the game.

You know, come to think of it, Romo didn't have to talk about the Seattle Slip much this week. Maybe that was part of the reason he jetted off to Cabo with Jessica Simpson. Brilliant!!!

Sophia Bush, an actress I never heard of until she started dating Tony Romo, now says that she never actually dated Romo.

"Tony Romo and I never dated," she tells OK! at the Fuze Resolution Slenderize event benefiting the American Diabetes Foundation. "We went out to dinners. We had that moment when we realized that we’re gonna be friends. We were looking for different things."

Huh? I thought if single people of the opposite sex went to dinner together it was a date. Plus, I know for a fact that Bush went to a Guitar Hero shindig at Terence Newman's crib with Romo. Sounds to me like somebody is trying to act like she's not heartbroken after getting dumped for Jessica Simpson.

In a futile attempt to make this post relevant to this week's game, I'll mention that rumor had it that Bush was at Giants Stadium when Romo lit New York up for four TDs in November.

For this here blog ... I'm Timmy Tabloid.

Sometimes, father knows best. In this case, it's especially true.

Ramiro Romo, Tony's pop, spoke to Yahoo! Sports' Michael Silver on Thursday about the mounting criticism surrounding the Simpson Family Bye Week Fiesta. And dad knows that son's priorities are in the right place.

"All this stuff people talk about, it's kind of just – I don't know how else to put it – media driven," Romo said. "It's designed to sell papers and get hits on the Internet, but it doesn't mean a thing. At the end of the day, it's about what you do on the field."

Makes sense, right? Although I don't know if I'm all for this calling out the media business.

If you think Jerry Jones is concerned about his franchise quarterback jetting off with Jessica Simpson, think again.

"I have no concern about Tony's social life and about his relationships," Jerry said yesterday. "I've had a lot of players in 19 years that I've had concerns in those areas about, so I'm not a novice. I don't have any. There's not one concern about his relationship and about how he relaxes and what he does with his time."

Jerry, who famously warned Romo that some ladies can "smell fresh cash" after he signed his $67 million deal, was asked why he didn't get invited to the Simpson Family Bye Week Fiesta. Jerry replied with a gem of a one-liner.

"I was the one taking the pictures," he cracked.

That was a joke -- Papa Joe was probably behind the camera -- but Jerry sure doesn't mind the marketing effect of Romo's crossover celebrity.

You'll have to watch.

So says superstar columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor, who thinks all the fans worrying about the Simpson Family Bye Week Fiesta are silly.

They believe they own him 25-8-366, because celebrating a Super Bowl championship is among their inalienable rights, and they don't want Romo's perceived lifestyle to affect whether the Cowboys win the Super Bowl.

My response: Shut up and get a life.

The sooner, the better.

Never has more time been wasted on something so ridiculous. It does not matter one iota – as mama used to say – whether Romo spent the weekend in Cabo San Lucas or South Beach or LA after leading Dallas to a 13-3 record and a first-round bye. It's his life; he can do as he chooses.

On a somewhat related note, I hope Romo doesn't consider Todd Archer's in-depth breakdown of his locker further invasion of his privacy.

Several New York scribes made their way to Valley Ranch today, so Wade Phillips was asked a bunch of questions about Tony Romo's focus that he answered Monday.

Phillips wasn't too fond of this line of questioning, so he made it as clear as possible that he has confidence in Romo.

"I don't know that you can believe in a quarterback more than I believe in him," Phillips said.

So says SI.com's Don Banks, who ranked the eight quarterbacks still playing. He put Tony Romo at No. 5, one spot behind Eli Manning.

5. Tony Romo -- One touchdown pass, five interceptions, five sacks, three fumbles, one sore thumb and one over-exposed girlfriend (you know what we mean) in his past three games. For a second straight December, he went from Romo to No-Mo (as in, no momentum).

Call me crazy, but I'd still take the two-time Pro Bowler over the guy who only goes to Hawaii to watch his big brother.

We'll find out Sunday whether Tony Romo can shake off a late-season slump and get back into Pro Bowl form on the field. But there's no doubt that his wit is as sharp as ever.

ESPN star Ed Werder asked Romo whether it bothered him that he's not given the benefit of the doubt regarding off-field activities after the great season he had. Romo replied that he didn't care and wasn't worried about perception.

"I'm going to be able to sleep at night," Romo said. "I know it's tough on you with that haircut for you to sleep at night."

Ed took the insult like a man, which is a good thing. Would have hated to see tears cause his makeup to run.

Tony Romo talked to the Valley Ranch media horde today. Believe it or not, the Simpson Family Bye Week Fiesta was a hot topic of conversation.

Romo certainly didn't apologize for leaving the country during the bye weekend. He did what he thought was best to prepare himself for a playoff run.

You might think Romo spent the whole weekend swigging Coronas and snuggling with Jessica Simpson, but that's not the case. I can't say for sure if Jason Witten ran any seam routes on the beach for Romo, but they did watch the full slate of NFL playoff games.

"I know what I needed to get myself in a position to hopefully be successful," Romo said. "You know, people asking for tickets, media requests, all these things doing the weekend – I was able to put the phone aside and get myself ready and watch some football for two straight days. It was really fun and exciting."

The Seattle Slip sure is drawing laughs up in New York, especially with this clip circulating around the message boards up there.

If you want to invade their turf, here's a good place to stir it up.

At least one voter for the offensive player of the year thought so.

Tom Brady ran away with the award, as he should have after throwing 50 TD passes for an undefeated team. Brady got 35.5 votes. His record-breaking receiver, Randy Moss, got 12.5. Packers QB Brett Favre got one vote. Patriots slot receiver Wes Welker got one vote.

I won't complain about Tony Romo getting shut out, because he clearly didn't have a better year than Brady. But it befuddles me that somebody voted for Welker.

No offense to the Texas Tech legend, but I just can't see how a guy with 1,175 receiving yards and eight TDs could be considered the best offensive player in the game. Does Nate Jones have a vote?

I'm sure Tony Romo will be asked a question or two about the Seattle Slip when he talks to the media tomorrow, although he seems to have recovered from that painful moment pretty well, judging by the franchise records he set this season.

His performance as a quarterback in that game has been almost forgotten.

Romo had a rather ho-hum night throwing the ball against an injury-plagued Seahawks secondary. He completed 17 of 29 passes for 189 yards and a TD. Not bad numbers, but the Cowboys certainly didn't attack a secondary so beat up that a dude who started the week as a loan officer played nickel corner.

T.O. was held to two catches for 26 yards. Romo only had one completion longer than 20 yards (32 yards to Jason Witten). The dude who earned a trip to the Pro Bowl by gunslinging settled for being a bus driver.

You can blame Bill Parcells for the conservative game plan if you want. It was also puzzling that Marion Barber only got three carries. And you can point out that Romo put his team in position to win the game, although the key play on that drive was a 35-yard run by Julius Jones.

But I doubt you see such a conservative approach from Romo on Sunday, especially against a Giants defense he torched for eight touchdowns this season.

Jessica Simpson might not agree, but I'm focusing purely on football this week. Hope you folks don't mind.

There's no doubt that Tony Romo is a better quarterback than Eli Manning. Romo would be the MVP if not for Tom Brady, while Manning was mediocre most of the season.

But Manning has been played better than Romo recently. Here's their stats from the last three games (sample size skewed to include worst performance of Romo's career).

Manning -- 49-of-74 for 547 and 6 TDs with 3 INTs

Romo -- 48-of-94 for 557 yards and 1 TD with 5 INTs

It's funny how people are saying Troy Aikman, Brett Favre and a few other quarterbacks didn't vacation during bye weeks.

Those players probably did, we just didn't know about it because the media, internet gossip pages and the such, weren't around as much.

If Tony Romo wants to vacation in Mexico during the bye week, that's his business. To me, it's not a big deal. It becomes a big deal if the Cowboys lose and its been determined he was distracted by all of this.

So far, it hasn't been proven he is distracted for dating Jessica Simpson. So, what do you say about Jason Witten, who is sitting with Romo in Mexico? So, if Witten has just two catches next Sunday, he was distracted?

I think the whole thing is a joke. Whether or not Romo has vacation in Mexico, Paris, Texas or Chicago, it doesn't matter.

The games matter.

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips update the injury situation of all his players. And he did try to shoot down speculation on lingering effects from Tony Romo's thumb injury, suffered two weeks ago against the Eagles.

"I thought the first series of the second half, he came back out, he was into it," Phillips said. "He had one that would’ve been a 60-yard touchdown, obviously. And the guy dropped it, and that’s when I took him out of. But I thought he was back into the game, he was sharp."

Or so he says.

Tony Romo has 504 attempts this year, 29 shy of Danny White's team record, set in 1983. He has 328 completions, six short of how many White had in '83. And he's already got the touchdowns and yards records in tow. But none of that matters, according to the QB.

"At the end of the day, I’m not going to sit up at night saying, ‘Hey, I could have this record or that record,’" Romo said. "It’s a neat accomplishment, obviously, but it just doesn’t do it (for me), unless you accomplish the other stuff."

Some records that, at least he claims, he'd rather have? The team marks. Like the 479 points the '83 team scored. The Cowboys are 30 short of that one.

"That’s neat, because you do it with other people," Romo said. "The individually side of this game is not as special. But when you get to do something with your teammates, it’s a special feeling, because you get to relive it with them."

Wade Phillips wouldn't go so far as to say he was confident that T.O. could play in the Cowboys' first playoff game. Tony Romo did so without hesitation.

"I'd be very surprised if he wasn't back," Romo said. "There's a few guys that on this team that you just know they'll do whatever it takes in certain situations. Jason Witten and some guys like that, you just know they'll fight through certain things and give you everything they've got."

T.O., who didn't make his normal Wednesday appearance in the locker room, proved his toughness and competitiveness by playing in Super Bowl XXXIX six weeks after breaking his ankle and tearing ligaments in his leg while being horse-collared by Roy Williams. He has three weeks to recover from a high ankle sprain. His quarterback figures T.O. will crank up his trusty hyperbaric chamber and be fine.

I didn't write Jessica Simpson's name on this here blog one single time yesterday, because I had a hunch that folks were tired of reading about her. But Jerry, a marketing genius if there ever was one, enjoys the Jessica drama.

"There's a little part of me that hopes it doesn't go away," Jerry said in the locker room last night. "It's kind of fun for that kind of bantering to go about. Not at her expense. But I think it's about how popular she is, how pretty she is and her fame.

"But it has never had and won't ever make a difference on how Tony Romo plays."

Tony Romo didn't speak to the media this week for the first time since he became the starter, primarily because he didn't want to talk about whether he was distracted.

"I just needed to get myself in the right frame of mind to play at my best," Romo said. "I felt like this week there were just so many distractions -- just junk sometimes -- and I felt like the most important thing for my team was to get myself in football mode 24/7."

Romo responded by completing 28 of 42 passes for 257 yards and one TD with one INT in the win over the Panthers. Those numbers are so-so by his high standards, but pretty impressive considering his sore thumb and T.O.'s absence for the second half.

You can hate the Romo romance coverage all you want. Only Romo and the guys in the huddle and meeting room with him know whether his focus was an issue last week. But it's a safe bet that it won't be for the refocused Romo the rest of the season.

We all know how much Vinny Testaverde meant to Tony Romo when they were teammates in 2004. On Friday night, Romo, along with Jason Witten, had dinner at the Capital Grille with Testaverde, re-living old times.

Testaverde had a habit of leaving a message on Romo's cell phone by saying, "Throw the ball to Witten," and hanging up.

Capital Grille was a hot spot. Bobby Carpenter was spotted there with some friends and Pro Bowl kicker Nick Folk and punter Mat McBriar gnoshed with some pals, too.

I won't go so far as to say his bruised right thumb has healed, but Tony Romo just threw a few tight spirals to TE Jason Witten.

They were standing 20 yards apart. Romo threw ropes. No flutter whatsoever.

Looks like 790 The Ticket might as well be hubbed not in Miami, but the Metroplex, because the Cowboys talk keeps coming from them.

Jerry Jones is a guest on The Michael Irvin Show, and he's been effusive in his praise for new Dolphins VP Bill Parcells.

"There’s nobody smarter than Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells, and you’ve got to respect that," Jones said. "I’ve certainly made my best decisions when I’ve been around someone who’s really smart, and I made my best decisions around those guys."

Jones said he didn't disagree strongly with Parcells more than four or five times, and that "Bill was more on board with Terrell (Owens) than people think." And he also went over how he would recommend Parcells to others. Follow the jump to see what he said.

The Cowboys had a walkthrough at Valley Ranch today, prior to boarding the charter for North Carolina, and the injury report came across as expected. Here's the lowdown:

OUT: WR Terry Glenn (Knee); C Andre Gurode (Knee); S Patrick Watkins (Ankle)
PROBABLE: DE Chris Canty (Knee); OT Marc Colombo (Ankle); TE Anthony Fasano (Head); QB Tony Romo (Right Thumb)

T.O. talked to the media again today, breaking his Wednesday-only routine. He wanted to make it clear that he does not blame Jessica Simpson for the loss to the Eagles and hopes there are no hard feelings.

"If I don't get the ball this week, I'm going to have to go to Hollywood and bake some cakes or something," T.O. said.

That was a joke.

On a serious note, T.O. was asked about Tony Romo's focus. Is the Cowboys' franchise QB as focused as he should be?

"You've got to ask Tony," T.O. said, not exactly giving a ringing endorsement.

The NFL, which can smell fresh cash with the best of 'em, sees the relationship between Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson as a marketing opportunity. Romo and his blonde babe are fodder for the latest NFL Network "Joe's Diner" ad.

Since Jerry is an NFL Network head honcho, this could be seen as a seal of approval.

For those folks tired of girly gossip, breathe easy. This post has nothing to do with Jessica Simpson.

T.O. said this morning that he'd advise Tony Romo to sit out Saturday if his bruised right thumb needs the rest.

"Be smart and realize that with the guys we have in this locker room, I feel like we can go into Carolina with Brad [Johnson] and win," T.O. said. "If it takes him to sit out a week to rest that thing, then I would really encourage that."

T.O.'s publicist wants the world to know that he was just joking about Jessica Simpson this morning. You can judge for yourself by listening to the conversation. And you can vote here.

T.O. had just finished saying he was looking forward to sipping mai tais and looking at bikinis when I asked for his thoughts about Simpson. Here's the transcript:

Me: "Speaking of looking at bikinis, what do you think about all the hubbub about Jessica Simspon and Tony Romo?"

T.O.: "Right now, Jessica Simpson is not a fan favorite in this locker room or in Texas Stadium." [reporters laugh]

Me: "Why not in this locker room?"

T.O.: "I think with everything that has happened, and obviously the way Tony played and the comparison between her and Carrie Underwood, I think a lot of people feel like she's probably taking his focus away. Other than that, she was at the top of my list until last week." [reporters laugh after last line; T.O. had a straight face during the first sentence]

Me: "She looks good, but you want to see her on TV and not at Texas Stadium."

T.O., playing to the crowd: "Oh, I've got a message for her when we make the playoffs. Just stay tuned." [reporters laugh as he walks off]

UPDATE: My take? He wasn't kidding when he said Simpson isn't a favorite in the locker room or when he talked about Romo's focus.

The Cowboys are off Friday, but don't expect to find T.O. checking out Blonde Ambition during its opening day in Texas theaters. He's not joking when he says that Jessica Simpson is screwing up Tony Romo's focus.

"Right now, Jessica Simpson is not a fan favorite in this locker room or in Texas Stadium," T.O. said. "I think with everything that has happened, and obviously the way Tony played and the comparison between her and Carrie Underwood, I think a lot of people feel like she's probably taking his focus away.

"Other than that, she was at the top of my list until last week."

Romo didn't make his usual Wednesday appearance in the locker room, so we didn't have a chance to get his reply to T.O.'s concern about Ms. Simpson. And T.O. isn't done dealing with her, either.

"I've got a message for her when we make the playoffs," T.O. said. "Just stay tuned."

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said that the team is closely monitoring the precious right thumb of Tony Romo, but that its status is such that he expects the QB to be ready to go on Saturday in Charlotte.

"He said he felt better today," Phillips said. "He has a bruised thumb. It was just a bruise, he did have some swelling, I think that went down. We expect him to play."

As we posted earlier, Romo walked into the coaching offices with his right hand iced and heavily bandaged, with an electronic device attached. Phillips said that the offense didn't do any throwing at the walkthrough today, and the team kept Romo from taking any snaps from center.

The coach said he thinks the QB will practice some tomorrow, while the team may also get Brad Johnson some "just-in-case" reps. Plenty of players don't think that's necessary.

"He's a competitor," Patrick Crayton said. "Carolina's gonna get a heavy dose of 9."

Quarterback Tony Romo was at practice, but he kept his hands - and right thumb - in his pockets as offensive coordinator Jason Garrett took his throws in the pre-practice throwing session. Before we left, Romo did not attempt a pass.

According to the photojournalists on hand who could zoom their lenses on to Romo during the stretching period, he was not wearing any kind of wrap on his thumb.

Where Tony Romo’s 36 throws went on Sunday:

WR TERRELL OWENS
Thrown to: 12 (5 first half/7 second half)
Final stats: 2 catches, 37 yards (0-0/2-37)
Drops: 1

TE JASON WITTEN
Thrown to: 10 (5/5)
Final stats: 8 catches, 113 yards (4-81/4-32)
Drops: 0

DMN gossip hound Alan Peppard chatted with beer bigwig Barry Andrews, who hosted the Simpson clan in his luxury suite yesterday. Andrews thinks Tony Romo's thumb had more to do with him stinking up the joint than the Curse of Blonde Beauties.

Sure, pal. Care to explain why Romo was worse in the first half?

WFAA-TV

Here's an image of Tony Romo's wrapped-up thumb after Sunday's game (just in case anybody thought he was faking it).

Well, our photo staff couldn't come up with anything positive for this week's edition of Motion Pictures. They chose Tony Romo being under constant pressure from the Eagles' pass rush.

Here's the season archive of Motion Pictures, where you're sure to find something more memorable than what took place Sunday.

We interrupt this serious football talk with more Romo-Simpson gossip. Our friends on Guide Live's Over The Top Blog are asking all sorts of questions, including, "Is Jessica to blame for Tony Romo's bad game yesterday?"

Miss Simpson was shown more than once during Sunday's game in her pink Tony Romo jersey. (And if you were watching, even Sunday's commentators Joe Buck and Troy Aikman mentioned Jess. ESPN post-game commentator Merrill Hodge commented that it looked like Romo was trying to show off for Jessica but didn't quite make it.)

Tell us, Cowboy fans: Was Jessica the reason for Tony's less-than-stellar performance against the Philadelphia Eagles?

They have a survey question if you'd like to voice your opinion.

A statistical breakdown of the QB comparison that this here blog will be buzzing about all week (stats from this season):

MATT MOORE
Completions: 33
Attempts: 59
Yards: 374
TD: 0
Interceptions: 3
Passer rating: 53.9
Times cut by Cowboys: 1
Record as starter: 1-0 (UNDEFEATED!!!!)

TONY ROMO
Completions: 300
Attempts: 462
Yards: 3,868
TD: 35
Interceptions: 17
Passer rating: 101.0
Times cut by Cowboys: 0
Record as starter: 12-2

Cross your fingers that Tony Romo's right thumb, which was heavily wrapped after the game, doesn't bother him the rest of the season. But don't blame his poor performance in the loss to the Eagles on an injury.

Romo said he didn't know exactly when he hurt his thumb. Thought it might have been during the second quarter. Trainers first took a look at it in the third quarter.

Romo didn't complete a pass in the first quarter, misfiring on all six attempts. He actually improved in the second half, boosting his passer rating from 9.8 at halftime to 22.2 for the game.

Banging his thumb on a helmet was one of many things that went wrong for Romo, but his problems started long before the pain in his throwing hand.

It's a real shame that Donovan McNabb completed that third-down pass to TE Brent Celek a couple plays before the two-minute warning. I really wanted to see whether Tony Romo could pull some two-minute magic again.

Yes, Romo was really, really bad today. But he was terrible against the Bills until the Cowboys went to hurry-up mode with the game on the line, and you know how that turned out. And you know how last week's win against the Lions ended and so on.

There might not be a better two-minute QB in the league right now than Romo, as detailed by Todd Archer. As awful as Romo was today, the Cowboys had confidence he'd find a way to win if given a late shot.

"Two minutes left, no timeouts ... that's perfect," WR Patrick Crayton said. "That's perfect for us. We'd have took it piece by piece down the field."

Watching McNabb kneel a few times after the two-minute warning wasn't nearly as entertaining.

The Cowboys' offensive performance was pathetic today, as evidenced by the 6 on the home side of the scoreboard.

You won't get any argument from the Cowboys' offensive stars, nor will you get any excuses. Tony Romo (13 of 36 for 214 yards and three INTs) said the Cowboys made way too many mental mistakes. He pointed the finger at himself: "I played poorly." T.O. (two catches for 37 yards) gave the Eagles credit but summed up the Cowboys' effort by saying, "We just played bad."

But the Cowboys aren't concerned that this stinker is a sign of things to come. The Original 81 tried to spin it into a positive, calling this game a gutcheck.

There's no doubt in this locker room," T.O. said. "Throughout the season, I think we've shown the character to gut some wins out. Obviously, the way we've played this season, there's no reason for a lack of confidence. Not at this stage of the game.

"We have all the confidence in the world with this team. We're not going to let any doubt creep in just because we lost this game today."

Matt Moore's stats vs. the Seahawks (13-10 win): 19 of 27 for 208 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT

Tony Romo's stats vs. Seahawks (playoff loss): 17 of 29 for 189 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT

I think these stats prove that Jerry should have cut Romo, made Moore the starter and saved $67 million.

UPDATE: Subbed in Moore's final stats. Let me also point out that he had perfect form on the handoff that led to DeAngelo Williams' TD run.

At least that's what this ESPN.com story says, based on evaluations of the league's young starting quarterbacks by two pro scouts, one personnel director, a defensive coordinator and a defensive backs coach.

The story wasn't a slap on Romo, ranking him in the "Buy" category, which projects a long, productive career with Pro Bowls in his future. The knock on Romo: "Lacks the raw physical attributes of other quarterbacks on this list, notably pure arm strength."

Strangely, a chart runs right below that comment of the QBs with the most 20-plus-yard TD passes this season. Romo ranks first with 18, and only Tom Brady and Peyton Manning (only two QBs I'd take over Romo right now) join him in double digits.

The insiders who did the evaluating for this story must not have the NFL Network. I don't see how anybody could question Romo's arm strength after seeing his 26-yard TD pass to Anthony Fasano against Green Bay. Romo threw that ball on a rope to the front corner of the end zone, zipping it over a cornerback trying to get back. Figure the ball traveled 50 yards in the air with a whole bunch of mustard on it, which is tough to do without a pretty strong arm.

Chicago Sun-Times gossip columnist Bill Zwecker speculates that Tony Romo might be getting hitched to Jessica Simpson fairly soon.

This Jessica Simpson-Tony Romo romance sure is moving fast. My good Dallas sources whisper the twosome is so coosome, Romo already has been doing a bit of ring shopping!

Cowboys fans can react to this report two ways: 1) Freak out that Romo will ruin his career (and destroy America's Team) by marrying this chick, ending up on a cheesy reality show in the not-too-distant future; 2) question the credibility of a Chicago gossip columnist's good Dallas sources.

I strongly recommend option No. 1.

We got word yesterday that Tony Romo took time out of his hectic schedule to call the Southlake Carroll backup QB whose fumbled snap ended the Dragons' season -- and 59-game winning streak against Texas schools.

Sure would make for a nice story -- Romo calling the kid and talking to the youngster about how he bounced back from the Seattle Slip. Except it's not true.

Turns out practice squad QB Richard Bartel, a Grapevine native who is buddies with the backup QB's big brother, gave the kid a pick-me-up speech over the phone.

I thought the story was suspicious when I heard it. Romo was busy smooching Jessica Simpson that weekend.

JOHN F. RHODES / DMN

Imagine if you put Jessica Simpson's head on Jason Witten's body in this picture.

A creative member of the Cowboys' support staff came up with that idea and did a little cut and paste with the front page of our fine paper. Witten just about busted a gut laughing when he saw the artwork in his locker.

"Yeah, that's pretty funny," Romo said with a smirk when Witten came over waving the piece of paper.

JOHN F. RHODES / DMN

That Journey tune is kind of Tony Romo's unofficial theme song, and it certainly fit today's game.

Romo managed to pull out a victory in a game the Cowboys really had no business winning. And he's certainly not apologizing that the Cowboys' 28-27 win over the double-digit underdog Lions wasn't more impressive.

"We're good enough to win the Super Bowl," Romo said, pointing to a team's ability to win games like this as a quality of a champion.

Romo's presence gives the Cowboys confidence in their comeback ability. Completing eight of 10 passes for 78 yards and a TD on the game-winning, two-minute-drill drive will only add to that.

"We always feel like we have a chance to win the game," said Romo, who passed for 302 yards and two TDs. "We're going to find a way to have a chance to win the game."

It's tough to pin a 39-31 loss on a quarterback, especially one who threw for 321 yards and two touchdowns. But Tony Romo made some costly mistakes against the Lions last season.

Romo threw an interception that set up a Detroit touchdown. He lost one fumble inside the Lions' 10 and another that led to a Detroit field goal.

It was, according to TE Jason Witten, a valuable learning experience for the Cowboys' franchise QB.

"He was always making plays for us, but I think he understood then that you can't take anything for granted," Witten said. "I think he understood, too, that you can't just run around all the time. He understood where he is as a quarterback. His strength can be his weakness. I think he learned a lot from that."

Despite all the eye-popping stats Romo is putting up, Witten said the most impressive thing the NFC MVP has done this season is consistently manage the game well. If you take Romo's fluke six-turnover game in Buffalo out of the equation, he's averaging less than a turnover per game.

You'll read more about this in tomorrow's paper, but I don't think I'm giving away anything by saying that Tony Romo is, very much, in the midst of an MVP-type season.

Just don't trick yourself into thinking he's winning the award. Not unless Tom Brady falls flat on his face over the last four weeks of the season.

"I couldn’t be prouder of the job (Romo) has done, it is really remarkable," Troy Aikman, Cowboys QB emeritus and Fox broadcaster, said today at the Ranch. "The thing that’s disappointing as a former player is that I think Brady wins the MVP hands down. But in any other year, this guy runs away with it.

"What he has done, in most years, is as good or better than anyone who has won the league MVP. Yet in a year when Brady is just off the charts, it’s probably not going to happen for him. That’s disappointing because I think he is going to continue to have great years, but this is a really special year."

Tony Romo has already shattered the franchise record for touchdowns in a season, and he's on pace to obliterate the yardage record, too. Those records were set by Danny White in 1983, but Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach set the Hall of Fame standard for quarterbacks around these parts.

But Aikman said that Romo's performance this season is by far the best by a quarterback in franchise history.

"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that one. Right?" Aikman said in a chat with media at Valley Ranch today. "I mean, seriously, I would say that it's been by far the best season a quarterback has had."

Aikman acknowledged that Romo won't be satisfied with his season unless the Cowboys win a Super Bowl. (And, by the way, Aikman believes the Cowboys could beat the Patriots three or four out of 10 meetings.) But Aikman certainly won't argue with folks who say that the Cowboys' two Hall of Famers never had a season this good.

"If you put my best two years together, I don't think you'd come up with the numbers that he's going to have at the end of the season," Aikman said. "Unless Roger's got a beef with it, I certainly don't."

Don't ever expect to read or hear any Jon Kitna-like quotes coming from Tony Romo's mouth.

"I've never been a guy to get on people, because I know I'm going to play them again," Romo said. "I wouldn't want to give them an edge."

Earlier today, I threw it up here that Tony Romo's one of three nominees, along with Gus Frerotte and Peyton Manning, for FedEx Air Player of the Week honors. That's done by fan voting and, again, you can cast your ballot here.

If No. 9 wins that, as it turns out, it'll be his second such plaudit of the week. Tomorrow, the league will announce that Romo has been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this year and the fourth time in his last 20 games. Mr. Franchise was 19-of-30 for 309 yards and four touchdowns in the NFC Game of the Year.

Romo also captured this honor in the season opener, and in games against Arizona and Tampa last fall.

A helpful reader e-mailed this list, which ranks the dumbest people in Hollywood. Jessica Simpson, Tony Romo's most recent squeeze, is No. 7.

I'm no Hollywood expert, but I believe Britney Spears is waaaaaaaaaay underrated at No. 14. You might recall Romo being linked with the bald bimbo, but I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt on that one.

Ryan Seacrest breathlessly reported that Britney gave Romo a lap dance in a club one night, but T.O. had the real scoop.

"He did tell me there was a photo op," T.O said that week on his radio show. "And you know how loose those girls are. She just hopped in his lap to take the picture."

AP

It's been almost a week since we last updated Tony Romo's romancing on this here blog, and I've been flooded with requests for more of this type of reporting.

Fortunately, People Magazine is willing to do the work for me. Romo was apparently getting his groove on with Jessica Simpson at a Hollywood club during his weekend off. And they kissed in public!!! Like, oh my gosh!!

At first, the singer – wearing a form-fitting black dress and spike heels – and her new beau kept things low-key in a secluded booth. But as the night wore on, the two were spotted with their arms around each other. Then, after a few seconds of conversation, they leaned in for a kiss – right in the middle of the crowded club.

I know some of you folks think all these invasions of Romo's privacy are silly and annoying. That might be true, but they're a good excuse for me to post pictures like this one.

AP

It's been almost a week since we last updated Tony Romo's romancing on this here blog, and I've been flooded with requests for more of this type of reporting.

Fortunately, People Magazine is willing to do the work for me. Romo was apparently getting his groove on with Jessica Simpson at a Hollywood club during his weekend off. And they kissed in public!!! Like, oh my gosh!!

At first, the singer – wearing a form-fitting black dress and spike heels – and her new beau kept things low-key in a secluded booth. But as the night wore on, the two were spotted with their arms around each other. Then, after a few seconds of conversation, they leaned in for a kiss – right in the middle of the crowded club.

I know some of you folks think all these invasions of Romo's privacy are silly and annoying. That might be true, but they're a good excuse for me to post pictures like this one.