OXNARD, Calif. -- Tony Romo saw the same photo that you did this past weekend, the one that made him look like he spent the offseason stuffing his face instead of working out.
The Dallas Cowboys' quarterback also saw most of the memes and doctored photos on social media, chuckling at a few of them, just like you did.
“I think I’ve gone through enough criticism at different times that that was the least of my worries,” Romo said with a smile. “Granted, if I was that big we'd have to have some talks, but I think I’ll be all right.”
Then Romo returned to work, as he always does.
Romo has never been chiseled, but after missing all or parts of 14 games last season with a fractured collarbone, Romo spent the offseason doing everything he could to ensure his 36-year-old body can withstand the rigors of a 16-game schedule.
A day before he became the butt of jokes on social media, members of the front office, coaching and training staffs talked openly about how hard Romo worked in the offseason and how good he looked.
Romo understands he’s only going to perform as well as his body allows him to play. He alternates upper-body and lower-body workouts several times a week along with his teammates, but he spends at least an hour a day strengthening his core, which will help him avoid the back injuries that have required two surgeries in the past three years.
He’s also doing more squats than he’s ever done. Stronger hamstrings and glutes will make him a better passer because his legs generate the power he uses to throw the ball.
“A lot of quarterbacks, the first thing that goes is their legs. I’ve gotten stronger,” Romo said. “Hopefully, that will continue and I’ll keep setting records in the weight room.”
It should surprise no one that Romo is setting personal bests in the weight room because that’s what it takes these days for him to play at the standard he’s established for himself. We’re talking about a player whose meticulous work ethic is the reason he’s the NFL’s only undrafted free-agent quarterback entering this season as a starter.
He can’t tell you whether the work ethic came from his mom or dad. Or when it began.
“It’s just something inside of you, a will that you almost can’t accept -- I don’t want to say failure -- that you’re not good at something. It’s probably inherent,” Romo said. "I’ve always liked competition. If you’re going to do something, you want to be really good at it and there’s this thing inside of you that eats at you when you’re not performing to your standards.
“Call it will, desire, passion, all of the above. It’s something there and it just doesn’t go away. Weirdly, you can’t accept not being the best version of yourself.”
In his career, Romo has thrown for 34,154 yards with 247 touchdowns and 117 interceptions and owns virtually every franchise passing record that matters. He’s 78-49 as a starter and has a career passer rating of 97.1, good for third all time.
He has 30 game-winning drives and 25 fourth-quarter comebacks. In 2013 and ’14, the two seasons prior to last year’s disaster, Romo had 65 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions.
And if his body holds up, a legitimate question given his age, he’ll continue playing at a high level, just as New England’s Tom Brady, New Orleans’ Drew Brees and San Diego’s Philip Rivers have done in their 30s.
“He has a love of the game. He’s passionate about it, and that’s what drives him to study and what drives him to watch tape,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “He’s one of those guys, you get into a conversation with about the game and he’s just going about a thousand miles an hour because he has so much going through his mind.”
Romo made himself into one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks.
When he enrolled at Eastern Illinois, no one believed he’d eventually get criticized for not winning Super Bowls as Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman did.
He was Division 1-AA’s Player of the Year, but it wasn’t good enough to get him drafted. He signed with the Cowboys for $10,000 instead of taking Denver’s $25,000 offer because Dallas’ depth chart provided an easier route to a roster spot.
Romo, who’s 6-foot-2, spent the three months between signing his contract and training camp overhauling his entire throwing motion because then-Dallas coach Bill Parcells thought Romo’s sidearm release would result in six of every 72 passes getting knocked down at the line of scrimmage.
He threw about 10,000 passes over a 7-foot net from 6 feet away, eventually raising his release point about 16 inches before training camp began.
“I wanted to wait because I told Tony that if we try to change him right now you’ll be throwing curl routes over the lights at training camp because it’s muscle memory,” said former assistant coach David Lee, who charted every throw. “I can’t tell you how hard this kid worked. He’d call me at 9:30 at night talking about, ‘I wanna throw again.’ We had one light outside practice field outside the weight room, but we’d be throwing.”
As Romo enters his 10th season as a starter, his work ethic remains strong. Each year, he adds something, whether it’s a subtle hitch to make his pump fake more effective or widening his feet 2 inches when he sets to throw so he can generate more power.
“People used to kill him for playing golf, but he’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever been around,” quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson said. “He’s so meticulous about the fundamentals. Most people aren’t.”