Romo recalls how Jerry Jones, Bill Parcells got him to sign in 2006
IRVING, Texas – With Tony Romo about to make his 100th career start on Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback fielded several questions about his NFL career on Thursday.
The typically guarded Romo reflected for a few minutes on the early part of his career, which included some details of a "little shakedown" that occurred before the final preseason game in 2006.
With the Cowboys looking to sign their 26-year-old backup quarterback to a contract extension, Jerry Jones and head coach Bill Parcells put some pressure on Romo.
"It had a little shakedown feel to it," Romo said. "I was going into my final year with the team and I was excited just about getting a chance to play at some point and I understood that we had a really good quarterback in Drew Bledsoe and it's just not easy to get on the field when you have a guy that talented in front of you.
"So I was just wanting to continue to improve and I had improved each year that I had been there. Without having played at all, money wasn't as big a deal to me as being able to play somewhere, just anywhere. Obviously I preferred here, but with them having a quarterback at the time, I was more excited about the opportunity to go out and see if I could play this game at a level, at a high level.
"When they brought me in, they timed it up pretty good right before the game and Bill and Jerry were sitting right next to me and we ended up having some good conversations."
Romo ended up signing a two-year, $3.9 million deal before the game. He made his first career start in Week 8 that year and has been the Cowboys' franchise quarterback ever since.
How different will it be making his 100th start compared to that October day in Charlotte when he made his first?
"You're always trying to get better and improve and I think that's from start one," Romo said. "Start one you don't really know, you're excited about the opportunity to go out and prove to yourself if you can actually do this.
"Start 100 it's all about getting your team to where you want to go and leading a group of men and trying to take them there and that would be one difference. It's a little more individual related starting off to prove to yourself that you can play and start 100 it's about bringing the team there and winning and accomplishing team goals and that's really what it's all about, accomplishment."
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