Friday’s roundup: Cowboys’ Romo OK after hard hit
Seattle — Three plays were all it took for Dallas to get yet another injury scare surrounding Tony Romo.
The quarterback lasted just 90 seconds into the Cowboys’ 27-17 preseason loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night before leaving with what appeared at first to be a potentially significant injury, but ended up being minor.
Romo was tackled from behind by Seattle’s Cliff Avril on the third play from scrimmage as Romo scrambled from the pocket.
He immediately grabbed at his back, crumpled on the field while trainers sprinted from the Dallas sideline and images of Romo’s injury problems from last year immediately flashed to mind.
Turned out it was all just a scare. Romo walked off the field without assistance, threw passes on the sideline and lobbied for a return to the game. Dallas coach Jason Garrett opted to play it safe and Romo donned a baseball hat as a spectator the rest of the night.
“That was a perfect timed situation. I was going into the slide and he obviously caught me from behind,” Romo said.
“In a weird way I feel good about the fact that was probably as tough of a hit I took on the back as I’ve had in the last five years. In that regard I feel very lucky that it could hold up and keep going.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones immediately felt the anxiety, but said there should be no issue with Romo being ready for Week 1. Romo said his back felt fine other than typical soreness.
“I just think everyone had a scare,” Jones said. “And he was not hurt. He said he wasn’t hurt. He wanted to go back in. He could have gone back in and played but I praise Jason. It was his decision.”
Elliott pot stop burns Jones
Ezekiel Elliott’s professional debut drew attention more for what he did before the game than during it.
The Cowboys’ first-round draft pick from Ohio State was shown on a video on TMZ visiting a Seattle marijuana shop hours before the game. The video did not show Elliott making a purchase.
Regardless, owner Jerry Jones wasn’t happy.
“I think that in and of itself the reason we are talking about is in a way part of the learning process,” Jones said. “But it’s not good. It’s just not good.”
Elliott was good on the field, gaining 48 yards on seven carries in one quarter of action.
Falcons rookie safety out
Atlanta Falcons rookie strong safety Keanu Neal, the team’s first-round pick and a projected starter, will miss the beginning of the season with a knee injury.
Neal will have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Monday and is expected to miss three to four weeks, according to the Falcons. Coach Dan Quinn said he is encouraged Neal avoided a more serious injury.