The Dallas Cowboys had played fairly coy about Tony Romo's status for their preseason contest against the San Francisco 49ers, but it appears we have an answer. Romo tweeted out the above at 2:05 p.m. PT, and it would seem likely we can expect Romo to get a few snaps in. Of course, he could also figure fans will see him on the sideline out of uniform. My guess though is that it is the former.
Romo was a question mark in part because of concerns about the field at Levi's Stadium. Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett and owner Jerry Jones both referenced concerns about the surface. Garrett said the team would have a walkthrough when they got to Santa Clara before going to their hotel. It would seem like the walkthrough went fine.
The 49ers put in new grass, and all indications are that the surface is good to go. Matt Maiocco reported yesterday that the team used a different company for this game's grass, getting it from Evergreen Turf, the same company that handles the Arizona Cardinals playing surface. The 49ers normally use West Coast Turf in Merced County, and it sounds like they will continue to use West Coast Turf. Maiocco's report suggested a root issue was the problem.
Team officials believe the previous shipment of grass at Levi's Stadium did not have the proper root structure within the mud that anchors the sod atop the soil-sand base. The roots of the grass spread out horizontally, rather than growing straight down through the mud, the official said.
The early diagnosis of the current field, which was installed Tuesday and Wednesday, is that the roots structure should hold up as designed for Sunday's game, the official added.
I guess we'll find out quickly how the grass holds up after its installation on Wednesday.