It wasn’t that long ago that Tony Romo was considered the next great NFL color commentator, earning himself an impressive payday from CBS based on his ability to predict plays and provide insight. Something happened in the intervening years, however, and Romo’s stock has been dropping precipitously this season in the eyes of many. The former Cowboys quarterback continued to disappoint viewers Sunday with his performance during the NFL Playoff showdown between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.
Romo’s thoughtful analysis has been replaced by a lot of platitudes and very obvious statements that don’t add much to what we’re all watching. He’s also incorporated a lot of grunting and other noises into his repertoire and there were plenty of those on display Sunday. Not to mention that, more than once, Romo said out loud that he wasn’t actually sure what had happened during a play, which is the last thing you ever want to hear an announcer admit.
“That looks like it might have been moving forward but it also looks like a fumble. I don’t know!” -Tony Romo
— Kyle Koster (@KyleKoster) January 22, 2023
Romo, who has been more than generous in describing Bills quarterback Josh Allen and his playing ability this season, was at it again on Sunday.
Even partner Jim Nantz is finding it harder and harder to deal with Romo’s schtick.
https://twitter.com/shleo76/status/1617296313389035520
At one point, Romo refers to the play clock as the “shot clock,” which is not a thing in football.
https://twitter.com/anezbitt/status/1617284126607810562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1617284126607810562%7Ctwgr%5E5cde3ff2bc5c6063d52781fdbe54dec8812f7a2b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fftw.usatoday.com%2Flists%2Fbills-bengals-tony-romo-annoying-fans-with-shot-clock-call
NFL audiences who have been dealing with Romo’s declining game-calling skills all season seemed to have finally had enough on Sunday.
https://twitter.com/BlakeJewellNFL/status/1617269915886538752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1617269915886538752%7Ctwgr%5E28f8a1bd924c6d3e3ed33307a0fa83275a8380be%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fftw.usatoday.com%2Flists%2Ftony-romo-bills-bengals-awful-announcing-fan-reaction
Romo and Nantz will be on the call for the AFC Championship Game next Sunday between the Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs. Unless Romo pulls it all together in the final broadcast of the season for CBS, there might be a lot of conversations happening about whether or not he’s still the right person for the network’s No. 1 team.