Jason Garrett says it was better for Tony Romo to receive treatment on Wednesday
Tuesday 11 November 2014 15:43, UK
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo missed the team’s first practice session in London on Wednesday because of his injured back.
However, head coach Jason Garrett says it is still possible that Romo will be fit in time to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, in the last of three NFL games to be staged at Wembley this year.
The Cowboys are 6-3 this season but lost to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday with Brandon Weeden at quarterback instead of the injured Romo.
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And Romo, who is one of the better starting quarterbacks in the NFL, stayed at the team hotel on Wednesday while his team mates practiced at Allianz Park.
Garrett said: “It's just based on the feedback, and what he's told us about how he feels.
"Is it more worthwhile to stay there and get treatment, or come over here and watch practice and stand up for a couple of hours? It makes sense to stay there and get some treatment.
"Obviously, all these things are medical decisions. It is really important for our medical team to weigh in on what our players have.
Feedback
"Getting feedback from the player, as to how they feel, how they handle the workload, is really, really important.
“And then you come up with what you need to do during the week to get them prepared to play their best on Sunday.”
Even if Romo is cleared to play by the Cowboys medical team, Garrett and his assistants will gauge his performance in practice before giving him the nod to start.
"We, as coaches, the football people, we're most interested in function, how is the player functioning," Garrett said. "He might say 'this,' the doctor may say 'this,' but what we see is 'this.'"
Romo has fractures in two small bones in his back. The injury is unrelated to a herniated disk he sustained last year or to offseason surgery to remove a cyst which earlier in 2013.
Watch the Dallas Cowboys take on the Jacksonville Jaguars live on Sky Sports 2 from 5pm on Sunday.
