Nearly four months ago, former Eastern quarterback Tony Romo’s attempt to make the National Football league was in limbo.

The NFL draft had come and gone and on that day Romo listened intently each time to announce the next draft pick but never heard his name called.

For lower draft picks, this can be considered an advantage because instead of being committed to a team who will not spend much money on a lower round draft pick, a player who is not drafted can still gain the interest of numerous teams.

In Romo’s situation, the Dallas Cowboys took interest in him not long after the draft, and the team made him an offer to compete in training camp.

Romo’s spot on the team was secured on Saturday when the Cowboys decided to release Clint Stoerner, who had been in the league for four years.

Also to Romo’s advantage was that the Cowboys quarterback situation has been in question. The Cowboys have not seen consistent play at the position, which gave Romo a chance to make the team and even compete for a backup position.

Even though he has made the team, the competition does not end yet. The final two preseason games will prove whether or not Romo is suited to be the backup for Cowboys starter Quincy Carter.

Early on in the preseason, Cowboy head coach Bill Parcells was not giving Romo much playing time. But that changed partly because of the team’s owner Jerry Jones, who was impressed with the young quarterback and his ability to handle the professional level mentally.

“Coach Parcells is trying to figure out who the No. 2 guy is going to be,” Romo said. “(In my situation) you go from trying to make the team to competing for the backup.”

Jones felt that the inexperience of Romo in the professional level was not showing as the 2003 Walter Payton Award winner was not making the usual mistakes that many rookies make. One man who was not surprised that Romo is surprising people with his mental abilities on the field is Eastern head football coach Bob Spoo.

“He might have all the tools now, but he wasn’t as impressive of a player when he first came here,” Spoo said. “But over time, he has learned to read the field, and now there is no doubt that his best attribute is his head. He is always concerned with learning the game and that is what has lead him to being able to adjust to the next level.”

Spoo, has kept up with Romo’s situation from a distance since training camp has started, and he feels he understands why Romo is still in a Cowboy uniform.

“You never really know what a person is going to do when put in that position,” Spoo said. “But Tony has prepared really hard and obviously took advantage of the chance he had been given.”

Romo’s former coach was not always as confident in his former star, and explained that Romo was not all that impressive when he first came to Eastern.

As Romo progressed with the Panthers, he went from a question mark at quarterback to a Walter Payton Award winner, which is given to the best player in Division II football.

Last year he threw for 2,648 yards with 31 touchdowns which lead to many predicting Romo will be one of the first 10 quarterbacks drafted last year.

Through the preseason, and up to this point, Romo has gone 8-13 for 125 yards and has thrown one touchdown along with one interception. But his minimal numbers may be given a boost in his final couple preseason games. With Quincy Carter being named the starter for the Cowboys and Chad Hutchinson already experienced, Romo may be given more of a look as the preseason ends. The rookie relishes the opportunity to show what skills he does have.

“I’ve got to play with confidence,” Romo said. “The bottom line is whether you get the opportunity for playing time. No. 2 guys play all the time, unless you play in Green Bay.”

Staff writer Aaron Seidlitz can be reached at [email protected]