Eagles Expecting A Healthier Tony Romo
By Ed Benkin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- When the Eagles faced the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, Dallas Quarterback Tony Romo crumbled in the face of the fierce Eagles pass rush. The Eagles are preparing for a much healthier Romo on Sunday night.
Romo has been dealing with back and rib injuries, and the Eagles needed little contact to bring him down during their Thanksgiving Day rout in Dallas. However, Romo looked healthier during the Cowboys win over the Bears last week, and has had extra time to recover after playing on Thursday night. Eagles Coach Chip Kelly believes Romo will be at full strength and that little will change with the Dallas offensive attack.
"They're going to do what they do," said Kelly. "For any player, when you have a couple of extra days of rest, that has to help you. We're preparing for Tony Romo at his best and when Tony's at his best, we have to be at our best."
The Cowboys last played on Thursday night in Chicago. Romo went 21-for-26 for 205 yards and three touchdowns, and Eagles Safety Malcolm Jenkins says Romo looked more like the quarterback the Eagles saw on film before their Thanksgiving contest.
"I think he'll be a little less ginger when you talk about his mobility in the pocket. I think he'll be more prone to scramble and be a little mobile. He was like that in the last game when they played the Bears. You could see he felt a lot better in the pocket than he did when we played him. We don't expect to see the same Romo we saw a few weeks ago."
Even with a healthier Romo, the Eagles are bracing for a heavy dose of DeMarco Murray. The Cowboys' running back was held to 73 yards in the Thanksgiving game, but Jenkins says Murray will likely still get his share of carries at the Linc on Sunday night.
"They want to run the ball," said Jenkins. "I don't expect them to come out in some formations that they haven't shown all season and try to beat us left-handed. I just think they're going to do what they do best."
Whether it's Murray or Romo attacking the Eagles offense, the battle in the trenches could go a long way in determining Sunday's winner. The Eagles defensive line dominated the highly-touted Dallas offensive front, and Fletcher Cox is once again using the hype for Romo's blockers as motivation.
"It's the same kind of motivation," Cox said. "Nothing will change. Again, the 'greatest offensive line in the NFL' is coming to Philly, and we've got to play them. We won't change what we do. We're going to be the most physical team on Sunday."
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