By Marc Carig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 6, 2006

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo looked busy yesterday afternoon, continuing to write the first major chapter of his NFL story two weeks after ditching the headset and clipboard for the Cowboys' starting job.

With 31 seconds left and the game tied at 19, Romo looked the part of a savvy veteran, putting his team in position to steal a road win against the Washington Redskins. Taking over at his 39-yard line after Nick Novak's missed field goal attempt, Romo showed poise while moving Dallas into field goal range with a 28-yard strike to tight end Jason Witten, who ran free through the heart of the defense.

Cowboys Coach Bill Parcells called for the field goal unit, expecting place kicker Mike Vanderjagt to cap Romo's second victory. Instead, calamity overshadowed a second straight efficient performance.

The Redskins turned a blocked kick into a game-winner of their own and nullified a spectacular outing by a young quarterback. Romo looked poised and confident in his second NFL start, completing 24 of 36 passes for a career-high 284 yards, but his team's agonizing 22-19 loss stood foremost in his mind.

"I don't feel good," said Romo, whose two touchdown passes became a forgotten footnote. "I'm not here to put up any kind of numbers or anything. I'm here to help this team win."

Romo's performance, in which he finished with a rating of 109 and completed nearly 68 percent of his passes, was statistically superior to his starting debut last week against the Carolina Panthers. The difference, of course, was the result.

"We won last week, and you're going to feel much different," said Romo, who led the Cowboys to a 35-14 victory.

For much of yesterday's game, Romo looked headed for his second victory. He scrambled to buy more time and make plays -- part of the reason he replaced the slow-footed Drew Bledsoe -- giving the Redskins problems despite a pass rush that applied pressure.

With his team trailing 5-0, Romo calmly went through his reads and found wide receiver Terry Glenn on a crossing route for a 10-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter.

"I thought his composure was good," Glenn said. "I thought he released the ball pretty good. He made good decisions."

Later in the half, Romo helped Dallas tie the game at 12. Taking over from his 33-yard line with 2 minutes 21 seconds left, Romo moved the Cowboys down the field to set up Vanderjagt's game-tying field goal just before halftime. Romo made a strong throw to Patrick Crayton during the drive for a 27-yard gain that helped offset an earlier 15-yard penalty.

Romo gave the Cowboys a 19-12 lead after connecting with Terrell Owens for a four-yard touchdown strike with 10:17 left in third quarter.

"This is what I expect from Tony," Owens said. "He's a professional. He's prepared himself week in and week out, and these are the games I expect from him."

He saved his best for third down, when he completed 10 of 13 passes.

But it wasn't enough to undo the Cowboys' mistakes, including a critical drop by Owens on what should have been a 74-yard touchdown pass in the middle of the field later in the third quarter "We just need to make more plays for" Romo, Owens said, "especially myself."

Romo looked unflappable down the stretch, though his composure didn't offer the quarterback much solace after the game.

"You feel comfortable in those situations. That's why you play the position," Romo said. "But once again, we didn't do what we were supposed to do, so I didn't do my job."

Bill Parcells said he was satisfied with Romo's performance "for the most part," but the Dallas coach refused to elaborate, too caught up in a dour mood to dish out many compliments.

"That's why I go out there," Romo said. "That's what I was trying to help accomplish today, and we didn't do that, so this leaves a very bad taste in my mouth."