IRVING, Texas » Tony Romo doesn’t need surgery on his broken left collarbone, just time for it to heal.

He may have all the way until the spring minicamp.

Romo is expected to miss between six and eight weeks, which could be an eternity for the 1-5 Dallas Cowboys. If their playoff hopes aren’t already squelched, they likely will be by the time their Pro Bowl quarterback is healthy again. So perhaps team owner Jerry Jones will end up telling Romo to call it a season and rest up for 2011.

Think about it: Considering how wretched the Cowboys were led by their star, it seems unlikely they will turn things around while led by 38-year-old backup Jon Kitna, who hadn’t thrown a pass in more than two years before Monday night and whose last gig as a starter was on the Detroit club that went winless in 2008.

"We’re not going to stop right now and give up or quit or whine or even make excuses," coach Wade Phillips said yesterday. "You’ve just got to go forward. That’s what we have to do. I think our guys will band together."

Dallas opened training camp being hyped as favorites to reach the Super Bowl, which will be played at Jones’ $1.2 billion stadium. The Cowboys already were on the brink of being left behind when Romo threw a pass early in the second quarter, then took a hard — but clean — hit from New York Giants linebacker Michael Boley.

Childress fined $35K

Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress has been fined $35,000 for criticizing game officials after a loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Childress sharply criticized the officiating crew after a 28-24 loss to the Packers on Sunday night. He was upset with a replay reversal of a touchdown catch by Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe. He also was upset by a facemask call against right tackle Phil Loadholt and not calling a hold on Jared Allen that allowed Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to scramble for a first down.

Colts sign punter

The Indianapolis Colts have signed punter Jeremy Kapinos to replace the suspended Pat McAfee.

Kapinos punted for Green Bay last season and averaged 43.8 yards per attempt. McAfee was arrested last week for public intoxication and drew a team-imposed one-game suspension.

‘Pacman’ Jones on IR

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones will miss the rest of his comeback season because of a neck injury that might require surgery. The Bengals placed Jones on injured reserve yesterday with a herniated disk in his neck. Jones was injured late in a 39-32 loss to Atlanta on Sunday.

Garrard cleared to play

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard has been cleared to practice and play after passing post-concussion tests yesterday.