So this is how Romo prepares for a big game ...

As if it weren’t enough of a must-win already, the pressure for the Cowboys to win their first playoff game in seemingly forever next Sunday just got more intense.

According to the sports blog the big lead, quarterback Tony Romo is spending the bye weekend vacationing in Mexico with girlfriend Jessica Simpson and her parents.

The Web site shows photos of Romo and Simpson, and according to the entry, several teammates are
there as well.

While no one expects Romo and the Cowboys to spend the bye weekend at Valley Ranch watching tape, they had to know that spending it on vacation in Mexico will not go over well -- especially if they lose next weekend.

According to one Cowboys staffer, "It just doesn’t look good.”

Now the Cowboys and Romo will have to spend the next week answering questions about this vacation rather than solely focusing on winning their first playoff game since 1996.

Considering all the distractions and controversy created by Simpson’s presence at the Eagles game and Romo’s subpar performances in the final three games of the season, this certainly puts more scrutiny on him to play well in his second career playoff game. We all remember the bobble in Seattle, right?

Looks like it’s going to be an interesting week at Valley Ranch. Now what was that Wade Phillips said last week about "Chicken Little"?

-- Clarence E. Hill Jr.

Your turn: How do you feel about Romo and other members of the Cowboys spending the bye weekend in Mexico? Leave us a comment below.

Comments

[JS]

You guys in the media, get a life....There's nothing wrong with what Romo did....The media is creating all the distraction. DROP IT. Let's run Romo out of town like you guys did Meredith......way before his time.

[Romo is a clown]

Why shouldn't this be scrutinized? And why shouldn't Romo be watching tape on his bye week? It is his job after all & all he has to do is focus on his job for one whole month longer and then he has a whole summer to vacation with Jessica -- it's not like the guy has enough skins on the wall to not question his preparedness for this weekend, especially when the Boys haven't won jack squat in 10+ years...

Think Brady and Manning were doing this anything this weekend besides being holed up somewhere watching tape? Highly doubtful. Heck Brady will have watched every Jags game for about the past 2 seasons by the time he plays them this weekend.

[Bethany]

I think most of these posts are right on. Romo (or any other celeb or athlete for that matter) doesn't owe the public anything outside their line of work. He prepares immensely for the games, shows up on Sunday for work, has press conferences afterwards, and anything outside of that is NO ONE'S business. Anyone who makes a big fuss about it is just jealous of his life. How is this 1 1/2 hour flight to a relaxing place any different than any of the other players who flew home across the country for the weekend? And why is he not allowed to spend time with his girlfriend? Get a friggin' life.

[Jesse Tyler]

I agree with the majority of the above comments. Dallas' scouting/coaching staff all taking a permanent vacation to Miami seems like a bigger distraction to me. The media is blowing this out of proportion a bit, especially zeroing in on Tony Romo like that. Other players are there too. I gaurantee you any dude involved with the DFW media were offered a vacationg to Mexico with Jessica Simpson, they would take it no matter what deadline or game they had coming up.

[Laughing Steelers Fan]

Memo to Larry Giusti:

Mexico is not overseas... It is directly south of the United States. You are playing into the stereotype of the Dallas Cowboys having the least intelligent fanbase in the NFL.

PS: I must take away your first retalliation shot. I know the Steelers aren't playing this weekend. It was an unfortunate season plauged with too many injuries.

[Linda Jennings]

When the season started Tony's focus was strictly on football.
However, as the season went on, he gradually lost that focus and in December it really showed. Somehow winning doesn't seem as important to him anymore. If he doesn't get that focus back before next Sunday we can forget Super Bowl because if Tony isn't right it affects the whole team, and they will be lucky to win that first playoff game.

[Roger Hugeness de Gonads]

"Romo knows that and I think it lacks judgment for him to engage in an activity he knows is going to be scrutinized and turned into a circus for he and his team..."

What "activity" was he engaged in, exactly? Being in Mexico? To Texans, Mexico is like Rhode Island.

Give me something meaty.

[sandtrapjack]

What is the team supposed to do? Sit at Valley Ranch studying film of next weeks opponent when next weeks opponent was not identified until Sunday evening?

There is no story here, tell Entertainment Tonight and the National Enquirer to go dig somewhere else.

[Kai]

Some of you guys have to be kidding...You waste your time womdering why Romo is on vacation. You think Troy Aikman never dated a "songstress" in his day? Did you know that Troy did the same "trip" think during the 93 season??? Hummmmm, he won the Superbowl having done the girl thing and the trip thing. PLEEEEEASE GUYS....get a life. The Media has to do this inorder to sell...thats a given. However, the rest of you RABID Boys fans need to go find your own Jessica. You mean to tell me that at your JOB, you never took any vacation before returning back to work? hummmmm? Bet you've called in sick to a few times huh? Maybe to stay home in bed or relax right?? Yeah , sure you didnt...of course not. Only football players arent allowed time off, because they must be studying the plays 24-7. Give it a break. Romo probably knows the book better than anyone not named Garrett. Let the guys play already. Dont blame Tony if we loose, cause nobody talks about Romo not studying when we win...which is often , isn't it~~

[Richard V.]

Wanna get away !? Romo and my Boy's will not let me down! I think it was an intelligent descision to focus for a few day's on something other football. Hey guy's, we are division champs! It doesn't matter to me who we play next just as long as we take care of business on the field. 4 quarters of excellance is what I want to see from the Cowboy's !

The New York Giants are next so ...... Here Kitty kitty kitty !

Go Cowboy's America's and Mexico's Team lol !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[South Texas True Fan]

Im a true fan since i was 6 years old and this really hurts that the COWBOYS are playing like B.S.Still love them COWBOYS but they need to get there ACT TOGETHER.

[Gary Trammell]

Why don't we get out of Romo's personal life. You sports writers are just hurting Romo and the team by delving into innocent events. If he is doing something illegal, getting drunk or going out with strippers, then report that. He was eating out on Wednesday night with Jessica, eathing shushi. He was seen by a member of my family. Should I have called the newspapers?

[Don the Okie]

Jeez Chill, from all these comments, and I agree with the majority, maybe you FWST hacks should take a weekend off and go to Mexico since it seems you have nothing better to do than word so hard at finding negative story angles. Who cares? The players deserve a break! You could have written about how the players' trip could relieve them of stress, which could result in a better performance. But as always you took the negative slant. You write "Now the Cowboys and Romo will have to spend the next week answering questions about this vacation". Only if some local media morons keep harping on it. Always remember, NOT ONE PLAYER OR COACH OR FRONT OFFICE PERSON ON THE COWBOYS HAS TO ANSWER TO YOU!

[JK]

I agree that the firestorm surrounding this is a product of the tabloid journalism society we live in...however, rightly or wrongly, that's the way of the world these days...Romo knows that and I think it lacks judgment for him to engage in an activity he knows is going to be scrutinized and turned into a circus for he and his team...

I'm not concerned with how this will affect football...I'm concerned with the perception the team will have...rather than save them the headache of having to answer questions about this stupid story this week, he basically says "screw it" and goes anyway...

Who thinks T.O. wants to answer questions about Romo's Mexican jaunt this week?

[Michael A. Ambers]

I don't see anything wrong with it. The Giants and the Bucs are playing at this moment, so they don't know who they have to prepare for. Yeah, they lost to the Eagles and Redskins, but those were division games, which are really tough. I know Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn will be present in the game next week, and also we will have our two starting corners in for the first time this year. So, instead of criticizing and scrutinizing our team, why not show our support. They have bigger things on their minds than to be bothered by the media. Michael A., Montgomery, Alabama

[larry giusti]

I wonder if Brady and Manning and Favre are vacationing overseas this weekend?

[Pete]

I can't believe that you would even write about this. Romo's personal time is just that. Leave it be. Write about football and leave it at that

[anti-moron]

It seems the responder 'larry' forgot that the players were given 3 days off and told to take a break from football but be ready to come back on Monday.

It also seems like the media forget they are required to REPORT the news, i.e. JUST THE FACTS, and not interject what more and more seems like their own hypocritcal stupidity deliberately meant to cause trouble and MAKE news.

Last I heard, falsly accusing others (like the Mitchell report) with a serious lack of evidence, was not a good thing to do (9th commandment)? I don't believe anyone being accused of running a witchhunt or in inquisition would take that as a compliment, yet that's what most of the media who are calling for players to 'admit' things that haven't even been PROVEN of doing, seem to taking it as.

Leave it to the media to stir up trouble just to collect their paychecks. Some of you people seem to make prostitutes seem virtuous.

[larry giusti]

Will it affect his play? I don't know. If we lose, would this be the reason? I don't know if you could prove it, even if it was the reason we lost. Do I like it/do I think it is prudent to make a trip to Mexico on the weekend before your first playoff game? No, I do not. If nothing else, this makes liars out of JJ and "Coach Fix-it", who are allways telling us that Romo is a "gym rat", that he's allways at the complex working out and studying film, and no one spends more time on his game than Romo. Looks like Romo has "other" games he's spending his time on. Lookit, we only have a few more weeks of football left, the most IMPORTANT weeks of the NFL season. For cripes sakes, he's going to Hawaii after the Super Bowl, he couldn't wait till then to "party in paradise" with Jessica? He's got the whole offseason to be a "Conde Nast Traveler",why not wait till then? I DON'T like it.

[Richard Kirkpatrick]

get a grip!!!!!!!!!!

[Olin]

Give it a rest... PLEASE! Among other things, Head Coach Wade Phillips is on record as saying the last thing he wants his players thinking about until practice starts in earnest next week is football. I'm serious as a heart attack about this; with all the sniping from fans and media, it would not surprise me at all for Romo to hand Jerry his check back, walk to his car, drive to a favorite golf club to become a club pro and leave us all staring at a fickle finger of fate. Unless his actions off the field run afoul of the law, there is not even one single NFL player who owes the fans OR media one single solitary thing... save for a decent performance sixty minutes a week that most of us don't even pay more than the cable or dish bill for the privilege of watching. So he had a couple bad games over the course of a long season. Name me ONE QB who has not had the odd bad game, OR name the ONE Cowboys QB who had more than the odd GOOD game in the last twelve years. You cannot be serious in suggesting his choice of girlfriend or vacation spot is gonna affect his play, because that's one of the perks of 13-3 and homefield throughout the playoffs... and the last time I checked, newspaper readers had no say at all into reporters/columnists choices in either category. Stick to writing about sports, because soap opera nonsense just ain't your thing.

[The Bunk]

You're right, Tony Romo should have no life outside of football. He should live at Valley Ranch. He should basically become a football monk. Come on, man. Are you serious? Do you really think if he doesn't to Mexico and the Cowboys lose next week, he wouldn't face intense scrutiny? No matter what he does in his personal life the media is going to tear him apart when he loses.

[Tom Nguyen]

I think it is a smart move by Tony Romo. Get away from football for few days will help him loose but focus for the playoff run. It will be interesting how this turns out.

[RealWorld]

Ridiculous... I see no problem with Romo spending his off time on vacation with his girlfriends... I think the DFW sports paparazzi are really over the top... actually I think you are all pretty weird.

I the Cowboys lose, I won't be blaming Jessica Simpson... my main culprits are the willing accomplices in distraction called the DFW media.

Get a life... quit reporting C**P!!

[Paul Tyson]

"It doesn't look good" to whom? Are you serious? If Dallas does not play well next week it will not be because some players vacationed in Mexico. There were no vacations in Mexico when they played Philly and the Redskins and yet the team played poorly. The issues that have been plaguing this team, especially offensively in recent weeks, would not have been addressed had these players remained at home rather than skipping across the border into Mexico. Those who would make an issue of this do not understand the game.