GIANTS: If Jessica Simpson gets tired of going out with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, there’s a gap-toothed New York Giants defensive end who wouldn’t mind a date with the singer-actress.
Veteran Michael Strahan came to Romo’s defense on Thursday, saying the young heartthrob had every right to go to a Mexico resort with Simpson and other teammates during the Cowboys’ recent bye week.
“You guys love to say, ‘Oh, he is coming off the beach and he is dating Jessica Simpson’ — please!” Strahan said during a news conference Thursday after the Giants practiced for Sunday’s game against the Cowboys in the NFC semifinal.
“Heck, if Jessica Simpson wanted to date me, I may give her a shot,” said the recently divorced Strahan.
Strahan said he couldn’t blame Romo for the trip.
“If he wanted to sit in Dallas, they would have found some fault in that because he would have been with her if they had pictures of them in Dallas,” Strahan said. “So for them to go to Cabo or wherever they went, good for them. They deserve that time off.”
Simpson does not plan to attend Sunday’s game in Irving, Texas.
Strahan insisted the vacation also would not affect Romo’s play this weekend.
“I think anybody who thinks that because he took a few days with his girlfriend that he is going to come back and not play well or he is not going to be prepared if anything it probably stokes his fire to play even better.”
Simpson took a lot of heat earlier this season after Romo turned in a poor performance with her at the game.
Receiver Terrell Owens compounded the problem by telling the starlet to stay away on game days. He later backtracked after talking to Simpson and Romo.
COWBOYS: Terrell Owens was running routes and catching passes in his return to practice, showing only a slight limp at times. The star receiver seems on track to play in Dallas’ playoff game against the New York Giants.
CHARGERS: Antonio Gates’ limp suggested that he’s going to have a hard time playing Sunday when his San Diego Chargers face the Indianapolis Colts in a divisional round playoff game. But with two days left to treat his dislocated left big toe, the star tight end said the decision whether he plays will be made Sunday morning.
“It’s definitely going to be a game-time decision,” Gates said Thursday after missing his second straight day of practice. “I’m not going to make any decisions before that. We’re just going to wait to see how it feels on Sunday.”
REDSKINS: Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz became the first person to interview for Washington’s coaching vacancy as the team stepped up its search for a successor to Joe Gibbs.
STEELERS: Pittsburgh wide receiver Hines Ward underwent surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus in his right knee and will need about six weeks of recovery time before beginning offseason workouts.
COLTS: Coach Tony Dungy doesn’t want to talk about retirement yet. Dungy, who has considered leaving football each of the past two years, acknowledged he would talk with his wife and Indianapolis officials about the future when the Colts’ season ends.
FALCONS: Atlanta lost a candidate in its search for a general manager when Chris Mara of the New York Giants dropped out. Mara, the Giants’ vice president of player evaluation, withdrew from consideration two days after interviewing with Falcons owner Arthur Blank.
Associated Press
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