Top veteran quarterbacks don’t come available very often. The last one was in 2012, when Peyton Manning left the Indianapolis Colts for the Denver Broncos.
When one does hit the market, every team that even thinks it might have a need at quarterback has to at least investigate.
The last time Tony Romo played a full season without missing a game was in 2012.
That’s why this year, with the Dallas Cowboys dangling Tony Romo, the Kansas City Chiefs need to weigh the risks and rewards of making the move against those of keeping the status quo.
It won’t be an easy decision, mainly because Romo has much wear and tear on a body that turns 37 in April. He hasn’t played a full season since 2014, and anyone who says he can survive one in 2017 is just guessing.
“It’s hard to say,” Berdych said, “but definitely it was very impressive. I was not so surprised. He knows what he’s doing. If he wasn’t able to compete on the highest level, he wouldn’t be here.”
The entire match ran exactly 90 minutes — the fifth-shortest full-term match so far this fortnight. On Thursday, the now-departed Novak Djokovic and Denis Istomin played an 85-minute first set.
“I had no expectations, really,” Federer said. “Things were going well in practice, but I’ve never been the practice king. I was winning tons of sets, but I wasn’t sure that was a good thing or not.”
While Federer looked a tad sluggish in his first two matches, with a balky backhand and a tentative serve, he was unnaturally smooth against Berdych. There were classic half-volleys, a gorgeous drop shot and that classic backhand down the line. Oh, and he moved with that old cat-like quickness, too.