Tony Romo asked the Cowboys for the chance to compete with Dak Prescott to regain his starting job.

It was never seriously considered. Quarterback competitions take place in training camp. They don't take place during the season unless a team is flailing.

You've probably noticed that the Cowboys aren't flailing.

"When you're in a position where we are, we've won eight games in a row, you start to break up some of that,'' offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. "You risk that with the rhythm of the team.

"It really has nothing to do with the ability of the player. We know Tony's a great quarterback, and there's no question in our mind that he would go in and do a great job. It's just right now we've got a rhythm as an offense.

"He sees that, obviously. He has been very professional in his approach, but he's got a burning desire to get back out there and that's what we want from all the guys who aren't out there.''

The request didn't offend or upset anyone in the organization. It's simply not feasible to pull off in November. A true competition would take away from the snaps Prescott requires to prepare for an upcoming game.

"It's difficult within the season to get into splitting reps and doing all that stuff,'' Linehan said. "It's hard. It's almost impossible.''

The Cowboys have made an alteration in their practice schedule to get Romo some snaps with the starters at the end of certain sessions. But those are tacked onto the schedule and don't come at Prescott's expense.

Romo hasn't taken a snap in a regular-season game since last Thanksgiving. He's failed to finish three of his last five starts because of injury. But Linehan said there's no anxiety when it comes to designating Romo as the sole backup on the active roster for the Baltimore game.

"Through our doctors and our trainers, if we deem a guy ready to go, we go out and play football,'' Linehan said. "That's what it is. You don't really talk about injuries at that point.''

The request for an open competition wasn't selfish on Romo's part. It was born out of his competitive drive. His statement from earlier this week shows he understands now is not the time for the competition.

"He's a great competitor and he's a guy that if something hadn't happened to him, I'm sure he would be having a great season so far,'' Linehan said. "But we're getting ready for Week 10. This is what we're getting ready to do.

"That's really all we're focused on now.''