Steve Silverman

He may have grown up in Wisconsin, but Tony Romo never idolized Brett Favre.

At least that’s what he says. There is some doubt about the veracity of that assessment.

Romo liked Favre and admires everything he has accomplished in his career, but he was a basketball player growing up in Burlington, Wisconsin and he idolized Michael Jordan.

When it came to football, Romo placed Hall of Famers Joe Montana and John Elway on a higher perch than Favre. “When the Packers played the Broncos (in Super Bowl XXXII in San Diego following the 1997 season), I was rooting for the Broncos,” Romo said. “I guess I was something of an outcast in my neighborhood.”

Nevertheless, Romo knows every nuance of Favre’s delivery and on-field behavior. Cowboy tight end Jason Witten doesn’t believe Romo when he tries to downplay his feelings for Favre. Witten thinks Romo is just trying to cover up the fact that Favre really is his hero.

“The truth is that he loved him growing up,” Witten told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “He’s done a good job of understating it and relaxing. He’s downplaying it but that’s his hero.”

Witten may catch passes from Romo, but he doesn’t know everything about his quarterback. Romo insists he is not downplaying anything and that he doesn’t idolize Favre.

Nobody is about to compare the career achievement of the 27-year-old Romo with the 38-year-old Favre. But at this point in the 2007 season, they are both having remarkably similar years.

Favre, of course, is a gunslinger who never met a throw he wouldn’t attempt. If he sees Donald Driver 25 yards downfield and triple-covered, he still has a mind to throw the ball to him. Not because he doesn’t see the coverage but because he has so much confidence in his arm.

Favre has toned it down a bit this year and is thinking twice before throwing. He remains the Packers’ leader and his renaissance that includes 22 TD passes and just 8 interceptions is remarkable.

Romo is also buoyed by unfettered confidence. He emerged from his status as a 3^rd-team quarterback to become the Cowboys’ starter under former coach Bill Parcells. Romo impressed Parcells with his attention to detail and his athleticism, and the Big Tuna gave his quarterback some words of advice when he left Dallas at the end of last season.

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“I told him that being good enough is not enough,” Parcells said. “It’s not enough to feel satisfied with just getting the job done. You have to keep working and keep striving to get better.”

Those words have been at the forefront of Romo’s mindset as he has continued to climb the ladder in the NFL. Romo is completing 66.2 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,043 yards. He also has a 29-13 TD-interception ratio and a 105.3 passer rating. If it weren’t for Favre, Tom Brady and Randy Moss, Romo might be considered a favorite for the Most Valuable Player award.

Favre is a seasoned pro who knows every trick in the book about playing the position of quarterback in the NFL. However, he was the rawest of players when the Packers acquired him from the Falcons in a 1992 trade. He learned the nuances of the game from former Packer head coach Mike Holmgren. His former boss taught him how to look off a defensive back, throw the ball with touch and when to take off and run with the ball.

Holmgren did not have to teach Favre anything about throwing a fastball and Parcells did not have to teach Romo anything about improvising. Both came by those skills on their own and both men are nearly artistic in their ability to execute those skills.

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Favre and Romo are both well-liked in their locker rooms, putting their egos aside when they could walk around with their chests puffed out. Favre has lived the humble routine to the hilt, going so far as to marry his high school sweetheart Deanna.

Romo has chosen a different route. While he may not have the dating resume of Tom Brady (currently dating Giselle Bundchen after previously squiring Bridget Moynahan and fathering her child), Romo has been linked to young babes like Carrie Underwood, Sophia Bush, Jessica Simpson and (ahem) Britney Spears.

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Different strokes for different quarterbacks.

Romo is the first one to say that comparisons with Favre are unfair because the future Hall of Famer has such a notable body of work. “I guess the neat thing is that people think in some small way that you resemble him, and that's a huge compliment, obviously," Romo said. "It's probably a disservice to him because of how unbelievable he's been throughout his career. We both play with a passion when we're out there, and we both enjoy winning. I know he'll compete, and I know I will, too."

Favre has taken notice of Romo and he sees something familiar in his adversary.

"When I see him play, it reminds me of myself," Favre said while talking with writers about the game with the Cowboys. "He's not going to rush for 500 yards, but his creativity to bail himself out is very good.

"And without being in his head, he probably has the same mentality I had in that he’ll try anything to help his team. It’s worked out pretty well for him so far.”

If Romo can continue to produce at the level he’s at for another 10 years or so, Favre may have the Cowboys quarterback for a neighbor … in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.