Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had a message for all those fans who are hoping he can return to his former self before his two back surgeries hampered the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

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Don't count on it.

"Well, you're never going to," he said, according to NFL.com. "After back surgery, it's like after any surgery. I think you're always going to have to work hard at that. Not everyone knows, but once you have a back surgery, you kinda have to change the way you do things. You have to constantly work on your glutes, your hamstrings, your abs and strengthen everything around that area."

Romo, however, wasn't suggesting that he won't be able to perform the way he did before the surgeries.

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"That doesn't mean you can't do the things that it takes to be successful on the field or whatever you want to do," the 34-year-old quarterback said. "There's just been plenty of people that have done it, so you just gotta go do it. It just takes work."

Romo told the Dallas Morning News earlier this month that he was "miles ahead" in terms of his back rehab than he was in 2013 after the first back surgery.

"Miles ahead of last year," Romo told the Dallas Morning News. "I don't think they're comparable. I think last year I was just starting around this point so this year I've had whatever months to kind of get myself into feeling like I can go. Now it's going to be more perfecting as opposed to just trying to hammer everything out in four weeks, three weeks."

The big question mark for Romo is whether his twice-surgically repaired back will allow him to escape pass rushes, which was one of his characteristics before the surgeries.

If he can't buy time like he used to, the Cowboys will face a difficult task in keeping him upright for 16 or more games in 2014.

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