FRISCO, Texas – As much as fans and media would like to focus on Tony Romo's impending return to the football field, don't count on it quite so soon.
That's the vibe coming out of The Star, where the Cowboys concluded their one practice of the bye week without a sign of the veteran quarterback.
Sure, Romo has been working out and throwing with wide receivers as part of his rehabilitation from a broken vertebrae. But as it stands now, roughly 10 days away from the Oct. 30 matchup against Philadelphia, Romo hasn't participated in a team practice since training camp.
"It's just a day by day thing. The injury is still healing," said Cowboys coach Jason Garrett. "Every report we've got about the healing process has been positive. He's making strides. He's working on his overall conditioning, the conditioning of his core and he's getting himself back to being able to play football again."
When exactly that happens remains a topic of much discussion. Back when Romo first went down, the Week 8 matchup against the Eagles was the target for return. As the season has gone along, however, that appears to have been slightly ambitious.
With such a lengthy wait to return to action, Romo's long-time quarterbacks coach, Wade Wilson, said he didn't expect to see him on the field for that NFC East tilt.
"That's what I've heard, as well," he said. "I think he needs to continue his rehab and things like that. He hasn't done anything out on the field with the team yet, so I assume that would be the case."
The Cowboys didn't move Romo to injured reserve back in August, so there's nothing impeding him as soon as he's ready. As soon as that day comes, it's hard to think a 14-year veteran would need a ton of time to prepare himself for action.
"Due to his experience, I think he wouldn't need a ton," Wilson said. "He knows this offense and has been in this offense for a long time, so I don't think it would take long to get ready."
When exactly that happens, though, the Cowboys aren't quite prepared to say.
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