IRVING, Texas – At the tail end of his most efficient year as quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, Tony Romo picked up his fourth Pro Bowl selection Tuesday.
Romo said Wednesday that he wants to play in Arizona in 2015 – but hopefully not at the Pro Bowl.
"Obviously it's an honor. Your peers, coaches and fans vote for you for something like that," he said. "It's always a very humbling feeling. At the same time, I think all of us know what our goals are, and hopefully none of us are playing in the football game and we're all playing in Arizona for the championship."
The Cowboys are NFC East champions for the first time since 2009 thanks in part to Romo and how well he's led one of the best offenses in the NFL. It's obvious to Cowboys coach Jason Garrett his quarterback is peaking and deserves the honor of going to the Pro Bowl.
"I think we all recognized he had a really good year before yesterday. He's played awfully well and handled all of the different obstacles of coming back from his injury really well," Garrett said. "But Tony has been an outstanding player for a long time. I think we've gotten better around him. He's certainly had as good of a year as he's had in his career this year."
Romo is one of six to make the Pro Bowl for the Cowboys, yet this team is laser-focused on the 4-11 Washington Redskins. Hard to believe? Not for this group.
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"I think anytime you have the division under control that's always a positive," Romo said. "For us, I think we have bigger aspirations than that. So, it was an enjoyable week, it was great -- that game is over with. It's time to move on now and get ready for the next one and get ready for the second season."
Before that second season, Romo and the rest of that gaudy offense expects to play Sunday, as the Cowboys still have an outside shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC throughout the postseason.
"If you're a football player, there's only one way to play, you go all out," Romo said adamantly. "I think you're doing a disservice to the game and your team if you don't play that way. Regardless of circumstance and situation, if I'm out on the football field, you're going to see the best version of myself and I think you're going to see that with our football team."
Washington has given the Cowboys fits in recent years, especially Romo. The Redskins have knocked him out of the game the past two times they've met, most recently in October where he endured two broken transverse processes in his back.
"More than anything I'm just trying to think about this week and how to prepare," said Romo. "Get ready for a team that gives us (problems) consistently, always plays us really close and we have to be prepared for that."
Division title or not, Tony Romo is going through the same weekly regimen to get ready for a football game Sunday afternoon. He's the leader, the example for his team that wants to play in the big game Feb. 1 in Arizona. It's amazing how much expectations have changed from a year ago when Romo was coming off his second back surgery in as many years and his health was a major concern.
"I think I feel better at this time of year than I did this time last year," Romo said. "So … Merry Christmas."
