Tony Romo Calls Drew Bledsoe, Whom He Replaced as Cowboys Quarterback, ‘Consummate Professional’

FOXBORO, Mass. — Sunday's Patriots-Cowboys game will feature a pair of quarterbacks who replaced Drew Bledsoe as their franchise's leading man.

You know Tom Brady's story. It was 10 years ago last month when he took over for Bledsoe to take the Patriots to new heights.

Tony Romo did the same with the Cowboys in 2006, though he obviously hasn't experienced the same amount of success as Brady. Bledsoe, who was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in September, struggled badly for the Cowboys before head coach Bill Parcells made the decision to bench him in favor of Romo, who appreciated his time around Bledsoe.

"Drew is a consummate professional," Romo said. "He was a good player. I think just being around him, he was sharp. Drew's a smart guy, he picked up things very fast. Being around him, you could tell that his football IQ was really high and in life in general in a lot of ways. I just think I tried to just soak up little things that he did that you see and want to take with you along the way. He had a great career, and I learned a bunch from being around him."