Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback-turned-lead game analyst Tony Romo will call his third Super Bowl for CBS on Sunday, February 11. His energetic and eccentric style has drawn both the applause and ire of NFL onlookers since his debut in 2017.
In a February 8 interview with Mad Dog Sports Radio, CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus offered up a small behind-the-scenes nugget, revealing Romo has previously been coached to “calm down a little bit” during his broadcasts.
“I think if people really listen to Tony — and he’s not your meat-and-potatoes analyst. He’s more of a fan. He gets excited. We sometimes say to him, ‘Hey, calm down a little bit because you do get too into the game,’ which I think is a plus,” McManus told host Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.
“But I think generally speaking, people really enjoy listening to (Jim) Nantz and Romo and Tracy (Wolfson).”
CBS Chairman Sean McManus believes that most of the criticism of Tony Romo is “undeserved” but this game was always going to be an important game for him.
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CBS Attempted a Romo ‘Intervention’ in 2022: Report
In February 2023, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post said on “The Sports Media Podcast” that CBS attempted an offseason “intervention” with Romo in 2022 after growing concerns.
“Tony Romo needs to study more. He needs to be better prepared. As you move away from the sidelines, you need to do more work. I know CBS is aware of this. They tried an intervention last offseason. They knew, they anticipated this. That’s a credit to them, the people in charge there. But it has not gotten better,” Marchand said.
Still, McManus continues to publically defend Romo from mostly “undeserved” and “subjective” criticism, telling Russo on February 8:
“When social media starts to turn, it really turns and it becomes almost a self-fulfilling prophecy. And the people who really like Tony tend not to tweet. It’s mostly the negative. You get two tweets, and then people start piling on.”
Jim Nantz, Al Michaels Also Defend Tony Romo
Romo’s on-air partner and Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer, Jim Nantz, has served as CBS’ lead NFL play-by-play voice since 2004, and has been alongside Romo since 2017.
On the February 8 airing of the “SI Media With Jimmy Traina” podcast, Nantz acknowledged that he has “never had one conversation with Tony” about public backlash.
Nantz continued: “I love working with Tony. … Our chemistry is great. Our time together is just like it is on the air. We have a lot of laughter, a lot of fun. We see silliness. Sometimes we bring that silliness to the air. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. That’s humor.”
Fellow legendary broadcaster Al Michaels — no stranger to changes in public perception himself — offered a similar sentiment on Romo to The Washington Post’s Ben Strauss:
“Tony was the flavor of the month. We’ve all been the flavor of the month,” Michaels said. “This month, Greg Olsen is the flavor of the month. It comes and it goes. It’s so subjective and so arbitrary.”
Romo agrees with the premise, telling NFL media during a February 1 conference call, “It’s just part of an arc when you do something at a very high level. … Same thing happens in football. You become dominant at things and then all of a sudden people are like, ‘OK.’
“Then at the end, Tiger Woods comes back and everyone roots for you. It’s just a normal arc of a career.”
A Sampling of Recent Tony Romo Backlash
Romo’s rise to NFL broadcasting stardom began immediately during his September 2017 debut where he accurately predicted several plays during a Raiders-Titans matchup.
However, the tides have appeared to turn in recent years with the anti-Romo crowd growing louder on social media.
Here are just a few notable moments and reactions to Romo’s work:
**Tony Romo after any play in the 4th quarter**
“OH MY GOD JIM!! LOOK AT THAT JIM!!! THIS IS HUGE JIMMMMMM!!!!!”
In 2021, Romo was dragged for his complimentary commentary toward his former team, the Cowboys.
In January 2023, some fans believed Romo stopped himself short of saying the “N word” during Bengals-Chiefs.
During Dallas’ 2023 Thanksgiving game, Romo went viral for his thoughts on Dolly Parton’s (equally viral) Cowboys cheerleading outfit.
Romo is ALL IN on Dolly Parton
In December 2023, Romo set off the Swifties by accidentally calling Taylor Swift the “wife” of Chiefs TE Travis Kelce. Then he did it again a week later.
Even ESPN college football icon Paul Finebaum was adding to the pile ahead of the big game:
“I have no idea how Tony Romo is allowed to be on the air,” he responded to a caller on The Paul Finebaum Show. “I mean, he clearly does not know what he’s talking about. He used to his first year.”
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CBS Sports Chairman Admits Tony Romo Has Been Told to ‘Calm Down’