IRVING, Texas – It was an interesting quirk of the Cowboys' weekly schedule last year that the day Tony Romo refrained from practicing was also the day he met with the media.
At least one week into the 2015 season, that routine will keep pace. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett announced Wednesday morning that his quarterback will adhere to the famous "Romo Wednesday" schedule this week, which meant his usual Wednesday media session came before he had a chance to mix into Cowboys practice.
"I think you know the ultimate goal is to be your best every Sunday," Romo said. "There's a routine that we do on Wednesdays that I think is very beneficial that helps me build throughout the year when otherwise it'd be difficult to."
The Cowboys developed Romo's limited routine last year when concern arose that three days of practice was too much strain on his back – which underwent surgery twice in 2013. After participating in Wednesday morning walkthrough, Romo eschews practice in favor of rehabbing his back.
"In some capacity, being in that weight room and spending those couple of hours in there goes a long way to ensuring that you're at your best each week," he said. "It's been a process that we've looked at and analyzed and went over and over."
It's hard to argue with the results from 2014. Romo set career highs in completion percentage at 69.9, quarterback rating at 113.2 and QBR at 82.75. His 34 touchdown passes was also the second-highest tally of his career, and his nine interceptions tied a career low for seasons in which he played 13 or more games.
"I'm just a much different player than I was before, so when you look at it, your goal is to be a better player than you were the year before," he said. "I think that has taken shape. It's probably one of the things that I'm most proud of, that I always kept improving and I like to think that I've continued to do that."
It'll be interesting to see what kind of tone Romo sets Sunday against the Giants. It's easy to forget, given the 12-4 record and the division title, but last year's season opener was an utter disaster for the Pro Bowler. He completed 62 percent for 281 yards against San Francisco, but the 49ers harried him into three interceptions – one of them in the end zone.
This offseason has been a world away from the past two, though. Romo took part in this year's offseason program for the first time since 2012, and, with the exception of a handful of off days, he got far more work in at this summer's training camp.[embeddedad0]
"I think when you get the practice reps and the time that I've had out on the field, I think it allows you to take your game up a notch if you're working on the right things," he said. "So I'm always excited about that. I feel comfortable about that."
Garrett and Romo both said Wednesday that the routine is "fluid," and that the Cowboys could change the plan as the season goes along. Given the results, though, it's hard to see why they would. If sacrificing a practice on "Romo Wednesday" leads to wins on Sunday, it's hard to imagine anyone complaining."
"Obviously, you always want to be out on the football field," Romo said. "But the less torque I have to throw during the week is doing to allow me to be a little bit better on Sunday, plus the ability to build in the weight room helps a lot."
