Tough break costs Romo four weeks

The slumping Dallas Cowboys now must survive a few games without two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo, who has a broken pinkie on his throwing hand.

There was indeed something wrong when Romo badly missed on his last two passes in an overtime loss at Arizona Sunday, the Cowboys' second defeat in three games. Coach Wade Phillips said yesterday that Romo broke his right pinkie on the first play of OT and could miss a month.

Brad Johnson, the 40-year-old backup whose last start was in 2006 for Minnesota, takes over under center when Dallas plays at St. Louis next weekend.

"Obviously, it's unfortunate for Tony to have to go through something like this. He'll recover quick; he has a great attitude about it," Johnson said. "At this time, it's really just important for the offense especially to just kind of catch on to my snap count and the way we manage the huddle . . . I'm excited about the opportunity, worked hard to get here."

Johnson, who came to Dallas last year, won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay during the 2002 season and is the only Cowboys player with a championship ring.

Phillips said Romo won't need surgery, and the timing of his return "depends on how fast that heals."

The Cowboys got the ball to open overtime Sunday, but Romo fumbled and had two incompletions. He started flexing his hand after recovering his fumble.

Then Arizona blocked the punt and recovered it for a game-ending touchdown - a play that also cost Dallas its punter, Mat McBriar. An MRI showed he suffered a broken foot.

While Romo is a scrambler with a strong arm, Johnson's style is almost the complete opposite. Still, Johnson said the team would still run "about 90 percent" of the plays it did with Romo.

"The system is already in place," Johnson said.

QBs slow to recover

The Seahawks will be without quarterback Matt Hasselbeck for at least one more game because a bulging disk in his back is causing problems with his knee. Coach Mike Holmgren said Hasselbeck saw a specialist in Los Angeles, who determined the disk problem in his back was causing the quarterback weakness in his right knee . . . Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer will miss at least one more game because of a sore passing elbow . . . Bills quarterback Trent Edwards was cleared for a full practice a week after he was knocked unconscious against Arizona.

Gonzalez awaits trade

Star tight end Tony Gonzalez practiced with the Chiefs for what could be the last time and then went home to await word on whether he's been traded. Several teams are thought to be interested - including Buffalo, Philadelphia, and the Giants - but a Chiefs spokesman who asked not to be identified because talks were still ongoing told the AP no deal was pending. The NFL trade deadline is 4 p.m. today . . . Colts coach Tony Dungy confirmed, after nearly two months of deflecting questions, that Peyton Manning was operated on a second time for an infected bursa sac before returning to the field in late August . . . Bears offensive lineman Terrence Metcalf was suspended for four games for violating the league's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances . . . The Rams re-signed cornerback Fakhir Brown, who was released Sept. 24 . . . Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said offensive tackle Richard Collier, who was paralyzed from the waist down in a shooting last month, was released from a Jacksonville hospital.