Jason Garrett Refuses To Use Injuries As an Excuse

Jason Garrett Refuses to Use Injuries As an Excuse

Last Sunday in San Francisco was emotional for the Cowboys and it might end up being the turning point of their season. America’s team could not afford to drop to 0-2 and still have hope for making the playoffs. Good thing for them they were able to pull off the win. It didn’t come easy in the bay area though. Miles Austin re-injured his hamstring, starting running back Felix Jones hurt his shoulder, and of course there was Tony Romo. Romo engineered one of the best comebacks of his career and did it while playing through the pain of a broken rib and a punctured lung. Romo personally answered a lot of questions last week and the Cowboys did as well, but the aftermath has led to a number of questions about the long-term health of the team moving into Monday night’s showdown with a share of first place on the line in the NFC East.Jason Garrett joined 105.3 the Fan in Dallas with Rage to talk about the number of injuries his team is dealing with, whether or not Tony Romo will play against Washington on Monday night, whether or not he has ever dealt with the injury that Romo played through, and what he makes of DeAngelo Hall’s comments about targeting Romo’s injury.

On the number of injuries the team is dealing with:

“We do have a list. It’s just the nature of the game though. I think teams all around the league are battling through injuries as well. It’s just the nature of the NFL and it seems like it’s happening a lot this year. You have to find a way to keep moving on, moving on with guys coming back and playing with injury or the next guy stepping up. We have a number of examples on our team of both. Guys who took advantage of an opportunity when someone else was out and also guys like Tony who battled through it, played well, and gave us a chance to win the other day in San Francisco.”

 Whether or not Tony Romo will play Monday against Washington:

“We’ll just have to see. All these guys are day to day. It’s really true. We have to see how he feels when he comes in. We’re hopeful he can practice, do some things, and get himself ready for the game. If that’s not the case then Jon Kitna is up and Stephen McGee is the backup. We really do that all the positions. Our training staff does an outstanding job getting these guys back as quickly as possible. I know Tony and the rest of the guys who are banged up have been in the last couple of days, have spent a lot of time rehabbing, and hope to get ready for the Redskins.”

Whether or not he has ever dealt with an injury like the one Romo played through last week:

“I’ve had bruised ribs and I know what bruised ribs feel like when you try to throw, laugh, cough, and when you try to get hit. Those things tend to stay with you for a long time. It’s amazing when you hurt your back, your ribs, the core of your body, it’s amazing how that impacts the rest of you. Tony’s effort the other day was really inspirational for a lot of people to come back under the condition that he was in physically and be able to play and play as well as he did down the stretch. Made a lot of big throws, absorbed a number of hits down the stretch in the fourth quarter where he just kept coming back. Injuries are a part of the game, playing through them part of the game, but it was certainly a pretty special day for him and his performance.”

What he makes of DeAngelo Hall’s comments about targeting Romo’s injury:

“I think that’s the nature of the game. That’s nothing new. DeAngelo Hall is a competitive player, he’s been an outstanding corner for them for years now, and I think those guys understand the injuries their opponents have and if they have an opportunity to get after them I’m sure they will. Knowing Coach Shanahan and how their teams play I don’t expect anything to be dirty or underhanded, but it’s a physical game and we have to be ready for it.”