Football is a game until you get to the professional level and it becomes a business.

When the Dallas Cowboys traded the Houston Texans a third round draft pick in 2005 for the rights to Drew Henson, Eastern graduate, Tony Romo realized he had yet another person he had to compete with.

Instead of calling Romo into his office and sugar coating the situation, Dallas head coach Bill Parcells hasn’t said anything in regards to the Cowboys’ new acquisition.

“They don’t pamper you here,” Romo said. “Football is life now and if you don’t get the job done, you’re not going to be around.”

Henson was a stellar quarterback for University of Michigan, who is in the Big Ten Conference while Romo was the Ohio Valley Conference’s prized possession.

“We knew we were going to get someone,” Romo said. “You just prepare yourself to go out and compete for the job.”

Henson has been trying his luck at professional baseball the past couple years but it hasn’t been worked out quite as he had hoped, so he came back to football.

The Cowboys signed Henson to an eight-year contract in which he is guaranteed $3.5 million but can become a free agent after four seasons if he or the Cowboys void the final four seasons of the deal.

Henson will make the rookie minimum of $238,000 this season and can raise his annual base salary the more he plays.

“They didn’t give him the bank or the future,” Romo said.

When Romo first came to Eastern, head football coach Bob Spoo didn’t think Romo had the talent to start at the college level. But Romo stuck around, kept competing and eventually won the starting spot as a sophomore.

“I’ve never been one to shy away from competition and I don’t plan on starting to now,” Romo said.

Romo went on to win Division I-AA’s highest honor, the Walter Payton Award, his senior year at Eastern, which is the similar to Division I-A’s Heisman Trophy.

Since college Romo said he has improved immensely. He said he’s gotten smarter, his arm’s stronger, more accurate and more consistent.

“Everything’s there for you to get better,” Romo said.

In the NFL it is almost a given that there will only be three quarterbacks on the active roster during the season. As of right now the Cowboys have four: Quincy Carter, who started last season and led the Cowboys to the playoffs, Chad Hutchinson, who was the backup last year and has been playing in Europe over the off season, Henson and Romo.

“Every NFL quarterback can go out and throw a football,” Romo said. “The difference is whether he can do it with five or six guys rushing you.

“I’m feeling pretty confident and I’m excited for the mini camps and training camp,” Romo said.