Cowboys QB Romo will not start vs. Rams

Oct 19, 2008 - 5:23 AM DALLAS (Ticker) -- Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo will be active, but will not start Sunday vs. the St. Louis Rams due to the broken pinkie on his throwing hand.

Brad Johnson, 40, will make his first start in two years for Dallas (4-2), which has lost two of its last three games. Johnson's last start came in December of 2006 as a member of the Minnesota Vikings.

The Dallas Morning News reported Saturday that the news came from Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones.

Romo was initially expected to miss two to four weeks after suffering on the first play overtime in last week's 30-24 loss to Arizona. However, he threw passes with a splint on the finger on Wednesday and practiced Thursday.

Romo watched practice Friday, and wore a different wrap on his right hand than the one he had for Thursday's practice. Afterwards, Jones went on his weekly radio show and said, "It's very likely that he'll be ready to play. The question is, can he handle the pain?"

A Pro Bowler last season, Romo has thrown for 1,689 yards and an NFL-best 14 touchdowns.