Boy, did I nail this one wrong!

My theory going in to this NFC East showdown with the much-hated Eagles was that every great QB has to have a bad game in Philly. Tony Romo has, in fact, only started a season-full of games and while he is enjoying some early success and seems to be on a freight train to greatness, the fact remained that he hadn’t started or played in Philly yet.

The Eagles were at home on national TV and they were not happy how things had been going for them. Coach Andy Reid was suffering through some personal family issues with this sons so the team felt the need to rally around him.

All the ingredients were there for a pounding by Philly. Instead, Dallas grilled Philly much like a cheese steak. There was cutting, slicing, and grilling of Eagle meat on the Lincoln Financial Field frying pan, and Romo looked as much in control as I’ve ever seen him. The Philly fanatics did not phase him a bit which especially got easy when the crowd starting leaving early in the 3rd quarter.

And, you know what I think precipitated this onslaught? Romo continued his allegiance to having fun while playing football. What?! But, NFL football has become a cutthroat business and things are serious when you step onto that field, right? Don’t tell Romo that or the Cowboys season will be lost.

When he throws an interception, he’s smiling. When his offensive lineman gets called for holding bringing back a 22-yard run to get into the red zone, he slaps him on the helmet smiling and laughing. If T.O. drops a pass, Romo is looking at him shaking his head and at least smirking. When he’s on the sidelines, he brightens up that whole team. His personality and charisma is contagious and stifling.

I’ve only seen him truly down and not smiling twice: After the disastrous muffed snap in Seattle and the five-INT debacle in Buffalo. Both times, his teammates came over to console him because they knew that he was their leader, and it just killed them to see him not happy. And, let it be noted that the leader of the pack to uplift Romo in both instances was T.O.

So, don’t tell me that Romo’s passion to have fun isn’t contagious.

The whole team in general is finding a balance of having fun and playing with a fire in their guts that would make Lombardi himself proud.

The next time you see Brady or Manning mess up or watch their teammates screw up, watch their face.

There’s an excellent chance that you will see the look of a businessman.