Adding injury to another insult in Dallas
ARLINGTON, Texas — Tony Romo wore a gray T-shirt, his left arm hanging in a sling and covered by a blue jacket. He spent the second half listening to a headset, flipping through overhead pictures of plays and trying to encourage his Dallas Cowboys teammates.
That's pretty much how he will spend the next month or two. Maybe even the rest of the season.
Romo broke his left collarbone on a hit by New York's Michael Boley in the second quarter Monday night. It was a season-changer for the Cowboys, and a game-changer for the Giants. New York would soon trail by 13, only to rally for a 41-35 victory.
The Giants (5-2) scored on five straight possessions spanning the middle two quarters, putting up 31 unanswered points to grab control of more than just this clash between NFC East rivals. New York also vaulted a full game ahead of the rest of the division and matched Atlanta for the best record in the conference.
"It's very sweet," Boley said. "It's a division game and it's no secret, we don't like the Cowboys."
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he was told Romo would miss about 6 to 8 weeks. More tests are scheduled for Tuesday and should help set a timetable — but it might not matter much. Dallas is 1-5, so there may not be any reason to rush back. The 1970 Bengals are the only 1-5 team ever to make the playoffs.
"I'm staying optimistic," Romo said. "This football team has a lot of high-character guys, a lot of competitive individuals who aren't going to give in to a tough situation."
Tough? Put it this way: The historically woebegone Texas Rangers could win more games in October and November than the five-time Super Bowl champion Cowboys. And with the Super Bowl coming to Cowboys Stadium in February, it's all but certain the host team won't be playing. Worse still, this once-promising season is now linked to 1989 — the year Jones bought the team, Jimmy Johnson took over as coach and the Cowboys went 1-15; that was the last time Dallas started 1-5. At least back then everyone knew the team was lousy.
"There are a lot of teams in this league that have had to step in and do a different direction at quarterback," Jones said. "We've got to be able to play without Romo."
This was the fourth straight win for the Giants. The really stunning number is five — that's how many quarterbacks they've injured this season.
Romo had the Cowboys ahead 10-7 and driving for more when he threw a pass to Miles Austin with 12:07 left in the second quarter. Boley was charging right at him, unblocked and going full speed.
Romo landed on his left shoulder and Boley heard him "let out a little scream." All Romo remembers was how much trouble he had breathing.
"I was really lightheaded," he said. "It made for a feeling of it to be I couldn't get my senses at all."
