Even though every sign points towards the Dallas Cowboys being unable to use Tony Romo in their season-deciding game against the Philadelphia Eagles, giving him an epidural injection shows they’re still not ready to give up on their starting quarterback, putting Kyle Orton on hold and signing Jon Kitna on board just as a precaution.
Almost every NFL source walking around the earth keeps repeating that the disc problem Romo has will keep him from playing in the game. However, both he and the Cowboys aren’t willing to go down without a fight, making it seem like they don’t have a shred of confidence in Kyle Orton and his ability to lead this team to a win against the Eagles in a game that will decide who finishes first in the NFC East and makes the playoffs.
An epidural might give Romo a chance to play, but most would agree it’s a long shot. Doctors often treat patients with epidurals to block pain and promote healing, but it often takes more than just one injection to make things durable for the quarterback, not to mention it takes two-three days to know if he’s healthy enough to play. It’s not something that came out of the blue, especially for the Cowboys, willing to do almost anything before they declare Romo out for what remains of this season.
In order for Orton to not practice on his own, the Cowboys brought Jon Kitna out of retirement. They actually worked out David Carr, John Skelton, Tyler Thigpen, Caleb Hanie and Richard Bartel, but the 41-year old Kitna, who is actually retired for the last couple of years and currently working as a teacher, was selected because he’s familiar with the Cowboys’ offense and knows most of the people involved in the coaching staff and the personnel.
The Cowboys have missed the playoffs for the last three years. The last two were through a similar scenario – a game in week 17 against a division rival for the right to play in the postseason. They’ve lost to the Giants and the Redskins when it mattered the most. Now it’s time to see if they can get through the Eagles, who are more of a problem not just because of Romo’s injury, but because of their red hot offense, while the Cowboys are near the bottom of most defensive categories this season.