CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo’s criticism is certainly sometimes exaggerated, but even he knows that it can also be justified.
Romo took part in a recent episode of Cousin Sal’s successful weekend for The Ringer and FanDuel TV. During the interview, “Cousin” Sal Iacono asked Romo how he handles the criticism that comes with being the lead NFL analyst for CBS.
“When you play in the NFL, you kind of get a turtleback where things can just hit you and roll off you,” Romo said. “But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect the people around you or the people you’re around. So you hear things and when you talk about the criticism, I say if you’re on Twitter and leaning on it, it’s not unwarranted.
“Maybe I should do these things, maybe they’re right in some ways. It’s my job – I want to do the best I can for this game so you can enjoy it as much as possible… You want to enjoy the experience, and if I don’t make it enjoyable, then that’s my problem. I should do better than that.”
While criticism of Romo is loud on social media, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback says fans are very complimentary in person. Romo noted that fans might even tweet praise for him on occasion, but they don’t do it all the time. The critics, on the other hand, will take every opportunity to tell you that Romo is doing a bad job. Romo added that maybe one day he would ask fans for feedback by asking the question on social media. Personally, I would advise him against it.
Sal remembered a similar situation when his cousin Jimmy Kimmel worked for Fox NFL Sunday as a game forecaster. According to Sal, they eventually put Kimmel’s fate in the hands of the fans by setting up a phone line where people could vote on whether he should go or stay.
“This is the world we live in and that’s a good thing,” Romo said. “In my opinion, it’s the fans who decide and that’s what they should do. Because if they don’t like you, then we’re not in the sport to win. We’re trying to improve the experience for the viewer.”
Romo burst onto the scene in 2017, exceeded expectations, and later parlayed his quick start into a massive $180 million contract with CBS in 2020. In doing so, he did the NFL broadcast industry a great service by raising the salary cap for everyone. But Romo’s shine has faded. People are less impressed by his ability to predict plays than by his sometimes over-the-top excitement.
Romo’s over-enthusiasm, odd noises and tendency to undermine Jim Nantz’s calls make him an easy target on social media. Social media may be just a microcosm of his audience, but at least some of those concerns have been shared by the network. Former CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus admitted he told Romo to “calm down a little bit” last year. Romo downplayed his critics earlier this year, and while he may not pay much attention to the negative criticism, he apparently believes it may be justified.
(Cousin Sal’s successful weekend)
