When people hear the name “Burlington,” hopefully they will no longer ask the question: the coat factory?

The little-known city in Wis. shares the name of a popular coat factory which, contrary to popular belief, is not actually in the city of Burlington. A certain gunslinger playing football in the lone star state should change the reference.

Tony Romo, now playing with the Dallas Cowboys, went to Burlington High School and last week played in one of the biggest games Wisconsin has seen in years. Maybe now when I tell people I went to school in Burlington they won’t ask about the coat factory, but instead about whether I knew Tony Romo.

I did go to school with Romo and had the privilege of being humiliated by him during basketball practice when I was on the junior varsity squad and he was on varsity.

Most people obviously know Romo is a great quarterback. Back in high school it was every sport the guy touched he excelled in, be it golf, football or basketball. He beat out Caron Butler of the Washington Wizards for a player of the year award in basketball. Back in Burlington during basketball games there was the “Romo-meter,” which would heat up as Romo poured on the points against opposing teams.

The “Romo-meter” was probably red hot in Dallas with the Packers coming into town 10-1 to match the Cowboys’ record. This game will have had serious playoff implications if both teams do not falter down the stretch. Romo is leading the NFC in touchdown passes with 33, completion percentage and female stars attached to.

During the last week, Romo has been compared to Brett Favre, which, to tell you the truth, is not very fair to either quarterback.

Romo is just beginning his young career while Favre is defining his with a late run at yet another Super Bowl. People want to ask the question, “who is better?” You cannot possibly answer the question, but you can say who is better right now:

Mobility: Romo
Arm strength: draw
Accuracy: Favre
Creativity: Romo
Awareness: Favre

So I guess it is a draw for now, even after Thursday night’s game you still cannot answer the question.

One characteristic both quarterbacks do have is their love for playing the game. You can see this by the smile they both display during the game and on the sidelines.

I may not be a Packer fan but I am a fan of Favre; it is hard not to be when a player plays the game for the pure love of it.

Romo may downplay his admiration for Favre but you do not have to look very far to notice it on the field. Romo has clearly watched a few Packer games as a young fan and Favre was someone he looked up to.

Last Thursday night Burlington, Wis. might have been the only city in the state where you could have gotten away with wearing a Cowboys hat or jersey. If it is a jersey it had better be a Romo jersey, though.

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