Teary playoff memories in past for Cowboys QB Tony Romo

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Tony Romo’s postseason memories with the Dallas Cowboys are filled with tears.

There was that tearful apology to teammates after he botched the hold of a chip-shot field goal late in his first playoff game.

And Terrell Owens tearfully defending the quarterback after Romo finished his other playoff loss with an interception in the end zone.

“Those past games have absolutely no bearing on anything going forward,” Romo said this week while preparing for his next playoff chance, Saturday night at home in a quick rematch against Philadelphia. “Experiences, things you go through, you learn. You try and improve.”

No longer with the distractions of Owens or a celebrity girlfriend — the Cowboys cut the often disruptive receiver last spring, and Romo ended his relationship with pop singer Jessica Simpson before training camp — Romo has broken single-season Cowboys passing records, including some of his own, while throwing a career-low nine interceptions.

With Romo leading the way, Dallas (11-5) clinched the NFC East title with a three-game winning streak capped by a 24-0 victory over the Eagles last weekend.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him more confident than he is now,” said tight end Jason Witten, one of Romo’s favorite targets and best friend since they came in as rookies together in 2003. “I’ve never seen us more confident in him.”

Romo became the Dallas starter seven games into 2006, a season that ended with a 21-20 playoff loss in Seattle when Romo flubbed the hold and was then tackled short of the end zone.

A year later, the Cowboys were home as the No. 1 seed in the playoffs after a bye week and Romo’s much-publicized weekend getaway to Mexico with Simpson and some teammates. They lost 21-17 to the New York Giants after Romo’s fourth-down pass with 9 seconds left was intercepted.

“Those are lifetimes ago,” offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said.

“In a great deal of areas, he’s just not the same guy,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said this week. “He’s had a small lifetime of experiences both on and off the field, media exposure, critique and I can tell you firsthand that ultimately that will toughen you up or it will knock a little of naivete out of you. ... I’m glad to be going with a guy who has been through that — that’s a plus.”

Consider what Jones went through after Hall of Fame quarterback and three-time Super Bowl winner Troy Aikman retired following the 2000 season until Romo, who initially arrived as an undrafted rookie out of Eastern Illinois for a $10,000 signing bonus, took over as the starter.

Among the Dallas starting quarterbacks in that span were Quincy Carter, Ryan Leaf, Chad Hutchinson and Clint Stoerner. After cutting Carter, former coach Bill Parcells depended on veterans Vinny Testaverde and Drew Bledsoe before finally handing the job to Romo.

Midway through 2007, his first full season as a starter, Romo got a $67 million, six-year contract extension.

Romo is 38-17 in his 55 games as a starter, his franchise victory total to open a career surpassed only by Danny White (42) and Roger Staubach (40). Romo threw his 100th career TD last month, in his 53rd game — only Dan Marino, Kurt Warner and Johnny Unitas reached that mark faster.

Now if Romo can just have some postseason success.

Before winning three in a row to clinch the division, the Cowboys’ record for December-January games with Romo had dropped to 5-12 with the two playoff losses. Dallas missed the playoffs last season after flopping to a 1-3 finish in December, ending with the 44-6 debacle in Philadelphia that determined which team made the postseason.