Cowboys survive Romo scare
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.”
Avril said he checked with some Dallas players to make sure Romo was OK.
“I thought he was going to try to throw it so I tried to swipe down and get his arm but I guess the force just, whatever, messed his back up. ... I’m never in the business of trying to hurt anybody,” Avril said.
Dolphins 17, Falcons 6
ORLANDO, Fla. — Running back Arian Foster had a 2-yard touchdown run in the Miami Dolphins’ 17-6 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night.
Foster, who joined the Dolphins during the offseason and is coming off an Achilles injury, had his most extensive playing time with his new team in the third preseason game that was played at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium.
“It’s just a testament to the work we have been putting in, it is doing the work every single day,” Foster said. “We keep getting better, taking each opportunity to give back.”
The four-time Pro Bowl running back played in just one series in the first half, but he made the most of the limited opportunities by sparking the Dolphins to their lone touchdown drive of the half with five carries for 10 yards, capped by his 2-yard scoring run early in the second quarter.
The Dolphins are taking a cautious approach with Foster, who hasn’t played a full season since 2012 with Houston. The former Texans star didn’t play in the Dolphins’ preseason opener and had just two carries for minus-5 yards last week against Dallas.
“There was a couple of situations where we got him the ball and just getting him into a rhythm and used to the flow of the game was good for him,” Miami coach Adam Gase said.
“I just wanted to see him get hit a few times to make sure he’s going to be back for the first game. He won’t play next week.”
With Foster expected to challenge second-year running back Jay Ajayi in the Dolphins’ backfield this season, Gase came into Thursday night’s game wanting a little more to evaluate Foster on.
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, coming off an impressive outing against the Cowboys, didn’t put his team in many scoring positions, but he did move the ball effectively.
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