Cowboys Ex Tony Romo on Super Bowl Failure: ‘I’ve Had Sleepless Nights’

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo still hurts from his Super Bowl shortcomings.

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has faced recent criticism for “lazy” performance as the lead analyst in CBS Sports' broadcast booth.

But that kind of criticism might cower in comparison to the constant bashing he was accustomed to receiving during his playing days as the face of the one of the biggest franchises in sports.

Once Romo reached this level of NFL fame, the expectations mounted, as every year was a Super Bowl-or-bust season for Dallas. And when he wasn't able to come close to achieving that goal year after year, the disappointment weighed on him heavy.

It still does to this day.

“I’ve had plenty of sleepless nights or thoughts and times of just disappointment of knowing that I wasn’t able to accomplish that," Romo said in an interview with Heavy.com. "For a competitor, that’s always going to be difficult.”

By all accounts, Romo was an undeniable success in the NFL when considering his humble beginnings after going undrafted out of small Eastern Illinois in 2003. From nearly being a regular guy on the street to becoming the Cowboys all-time franchise leader in passing yards (34,183) and passing touchdowns (248) labeling his journey as anything but a success would be foolish and just incorrect.

Romo admits that, despite the postseason slumps, he feels blessed to have overcome the odds and reach the position he found himself in. 

“At the same time, I’m also very fortunate,” Romo said. “I have been very lucky in this life just with what the Lord has given me in so many different ways.”

But while the story of going undrafted to becoming quarterback of the Cowboys is touching at first, failing to reach the NFC Championship after 12 years at the helm makes this rags-to-riches story easy to forget at times. 

“My job is to go deliver a championship to the fans, the organization and the Jones family and all my teammates and everyone and help them in that process,” Romo said. “That’s one of the biggest things that will sit with me the rest of my life, that I wasn’t able to (win a Super Bowl).”

Romo’s only “appearances” to the conference title game has come in the form of him commentating for CBS alongside Jim Nantz for the past few seasons. 

It’s a harsh reality that Romo admits will sit with him forever. 

“That’s going to sting,” he said. “That’s never going to go away. That’s there forever.”

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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