IRVING – Jerry Jones has been talking about Tony Romo taking on a bigger role in the Dallas Cowboys offense since the NFL Draft ended in April.
Jones again talked on Tuesday about Romo being "significantly more involved" in the team's play-calling and game-planning. Except this time, Jones was discussing the conversation he recently had with Bill Parcells about Romo's increased responsibilities.
"Of course, Bill knows Tony well. He has always had a real appreciation for Romo's approach and his intellect, relative to play-calling, relative to seeing and understanding the game," Jones told the New School show on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM]. "And he's unique in that way. I'd say that Tony has some of the kind of skill that you might see in a Sean Payton."
Jones then referenced Payton's surprising onside kick call to start the second half in Super Bowl XLIV, a 31-17 victory by Payton's New Orleans Saints.
"Bottom line is this, there's a little bit of that, and whether that's the risk-taking aspect of it, but it's also just the flair for being able to see it and be creative out there," Jones said of comparing Romo to the Saints head coach. "So, where are we going with this? Where we're going is that, in visiting with Bill, he thought it was something that we really ought to maybe take advantage of, try and take advantage of, is Tony's ability to see the field, call the plays and make more decisions out there.
"We were going in that direction, obviously, as had been well reported. But Bill had positive thoughts about it as well."
Like Romo, Payton also played quarterback at Eastern Illinois. The 2006 AP NFL Coach of the Year worked with Romo from 2003-2005 as the Cowboys' assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. Parcells was the head coach of those Cowboys teams.
Follow Jon Machota on Twitter: @jonmachota
