Former QB's Parents Pass Away Within An Hour Of Each Other, NFL News

Doug Flutie's parents both passed away within an hour of each other Wednesday after being married for 56 years, the former NFL quarterback said on Facebook.

Flutie said that his father, Dick, had been ill and died of a heart attack in the hospital. Less than an hour later, Dick Flutie's wife, Joan, suddenly had a heart attack and also passed away.

"They say you can die of a broken heart and I believe it," Flutie said. "I would like to honor my parents for all that they did throughout my and my brothers' and sister's lives. My parents were always there for their children, from the days my Dad coached us as kids and my Mom would work the concession stands, through to this morning."

"The most important part of their 56 years of marriage was providing opportunities to their children," Flutie continued. "They were incredible parents and Grandparents and my family and I will miss them both. On behalf of me and the entire Flutie family, I would like to thank you all for your well wishes and prayers during this difficult time."

Flutie spent 12 seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers and Chicago Bears. He is best known for his Hail Mary pass against Miami while playing for Boston College in 1984. Boston College tweeted its condolences Wednesday afternoon, saying, "Our hearts go out to the Flutie family, all of whom are in our prayers."

Romo Makes Return Sunday

For seven straight games, quarterback Tony Romo felt helpless as the Dallas Cowboys lost every game he missed because of a broken collarbone.

Romo will make his return Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, and with the Cowboys at 2-7, he knows they need to start putting together some wins.

"I think anytime you're losing in the National Football League, it's tough on everybody," Romo said. "Sometimes when you're not able to help your team as far as physically being out on the field, but the guys left it out on the field. I'm really inspired by the way they just committed every week. And obviously the results weren't exactly the way they wanted or anything, but I think when you watch how they play, I think it gives us a great opportunity to still go out and accomplish the goals. You just have very little room for error."

Romo said his concern is not so much the health of his collarbone but the rust from not playing in two months. He did not practice Wednesday, following the same routine he has had since last season to help preserve and strengthen his back. He will return to practice Thursday on a full-time basis.

He said the work with the scout team the last two weeks while being on the injured reserve/designated to return list was helpful but nothing like a full offseason or training camp.

Bradford Suffers Separated Shoulder

An MRI revealed that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford suffered a separated shoulder in Sunday's loss to the Dolphins, league sources told ESPN's Ed Werder.

Bradford left the game in the third quarter after he was sacked by Miami linebacker Chris McCain and landed on his left (non-throwing) shoulder. The Eagles announced after the game that Bradford also had been diagnosed with a concussion.

Bradford, who is in the league's concussion protocol, could miss this week's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but wants to see how much improvement he experiences during the week before a decision is made on his playing status, sources told Werder.