QUICK SNAPS

Romo coping

On top of all the pressure he’s facing with today’s game against New England, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo is dealing with this: His 50-year-old father, Ramiro, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

“He’s your dad,” Romo told the Dallas Morning News, which broke the story in Friday’s edition. “You’ve been so close for so long, it can be a scary thing. I look forward to the day where we can spend a lot of time together.”

Romo said his father has surgery “coming up,” and on Friday briefly addressed the situation again with reporters, urging fans to say a prayer for his dad.

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Slick trick?

Even though they pulled off a jaw-dropping comeback victory at Buffalo on Monday, the Cowboys still had a couple of complaints about the way the game ended.

First, they quibbled with the rule that allowed the Bills to take a quick timeout that wiped out the would-be winning field goal of 53 yards by rookie Nick Folk. Then, they thought the K-ball for the second attempt -- which Folk put through the uprights -- was too slick. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones complained to the league about the condition of that ball.

“I know the spirit is to have good-conditioned balls in the game,” Jones said Friday. “That is the spirit of the rule. There were enough balls flying around out there to have a solid ball in the game, solid being one that isn’t slicked up.”

If that ball was indeed too slick, the Cowboys are at least partly to blame. A dozen K-balls are set aside for each game, and a ballboy from each team is allowed to condition them for a total of 45 minutes, using only water and a soft-bristled brush. An official is assigned to watch over the ballboys as they prepare the footballs, and some members of the chain-gang crew wear fanny packs to keep the K-balls at the ready.

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Gang Green is blue

A few weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles wore bright blue and yellow throwback uniforms that look nothing like their modern-day garb. Today, it’s the New York Jets’ turn.

When they play host to the Eagles today, the Jets will honor their past by wearing the blue and gold uniforms of the old AFL New York Titans, rather than their traditional green and white.

At first the NFL balked at the idea because the alternate jersey rule stipulates that teams use a color that was already in its current uniform. The decision also required the approval of the Tennessee Titans, because of their name, and the St. Louis Rams, who likewise wear blue and gold.

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Cha-ching!

After scoring on a 52-yard run against Kansas City last Sunday, Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew celebrated by pretending the goal post was a cash machine.

“It was pretty cool,” the former UCLA standout told reporters after the 17-7 victory. “We laughed our way all the way to the bank.”

And when he got there -- to the actual bank, that is -- Jones-Drew had to withdraw $7,500 in real money. That’s how much the NFL fined him for his celebration.

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Irregular Joe

One of the more interesting one-on-one matchups this week will be Joe Thomas, Cleveland’s rookie left tackle, against Miami defensive end Jason Taylor, last season’s NFL defensive player of the year.

Although the Dolphins are winless, Taylor is coming off a two-sack performance against Houston and has a league-high 92 1/2 sacks since 2000.

“It’s obviously a great challenge for me,” Thomas told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I’m playing against the best player in the NFL on defense last year and it’s going to be a great measuring stick to see where I am as far as how my game has progressed.”

-- Sam Farmer