by Kevin Burton
Look, I am not the only one who can’t stand Tony Romo on NFL broadcasts. I can only hope somebody more important than I gets the message.
Until such time as Romo is removed, for me, CBS stands for “Clowns Broadcasting Sports.”
At some point late in Kansas City’s 25-22 Sunday’s Super Bowl win Sunday, I could no longer take it and turned the sound off and turned the radio on.
That gave me a problem, as the radio feed is quite a bit ahead of the television. But that was better that listening to Romo.
“Amid a season filled with criticism, Tony Romo had one last chance − on the biggest stage of all − to go out on top. But like a snap on a crucial field goal attempt, Romo fumbled with the game on the line,” wrote Steve Gardner of USA Today.
“The Kansas City Chiefs scored a thrilling victory. But after CBS play-by-play man Jim Nantz crisply called the game-winning touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardman, Romo picked up the call like that football in the 2006 NFC wild card game and took it on a long, meandering road to who-knows-where,” Gardner wrote.
Fans on the platform formerly known as twitter, were also quick to rip Romo. These were shared by Sam Frost of Daily Express US:
“Tony Romo ruining the winning moment by not shutting up. Let it breathe broadcasters,”{ one person said on X. A second added: “You can’t listen to the game winning clip of a Super Bowl without having to hear Tony Romo say non coherent sentences for a minute straight.”
“I never understood the Tony Romo hate but now I get it,” a third wrote. “As a play-by-play announcer, this is a pet peeve. Tony, a legendary moment just happened. Either let Jim continue to talk or let the natural sound and the visuals take over! Stop talking!”
I thought everybody in the world – or at least everybody let within ten miles of a live game-day microphone – knew that a championship clinching moment needs nothing else, no words, just pictures.
The fact that Romo didn’t know this and that nobody at Clowns Broadcasting Sports ever coached him up on the subject, is inexcusable.
But wait, you say. This criticism was about how Romo handled the end of the game. I thought you turned it off.
Correct, I did.
Romo singing on a Super Bowl broadcast, His meandering, only sometimes lucid commentary and the fact that on more than one occasion Romo referred to San Francisco as “we” on the broadcast, all of these things are unprofessional.
Specifically Romo talked about “how we’re covering” Kansas City receivers, placing himself in the 49ers camp.
Jim Nantz’s “Jackpot Kansas City” line was perfect for a Las Vegas Super Bowl. Unfortunately I didn’t get to hear it live.
Romo’s on-air delivery is like that of a pre- and post-game studio yeller. If we have to have Romo, why can’t they put him on there and gave a professional broadcaster a shot at the game analysis?
Other thoughts as we say goodbye to the NFL season:
It was weird not having a rooting interest in the post-season this year. Because my Bengals didn’t make the post-season and because playing fantasy football has taught me to root for individual players much more than for teams, there was no team I loved or hated this year.
That’s also because Tom brady retired. I don’t have him to hate on any more.
I found myself watching great playoff performances by Houston quarterback CJ Stroud and Green Bay QB Jordan Love and calculating how soon or whether I would want to draft them on fantasy teams next year.
I did get one fantasy championship this year, from my K&J Moondogs. That will warm my heart from now until the NFL daft in April, and from then until fantasy drafts in August and September.
Also, Cincinnati is once again tied for first in the AFC North, with an 0-0 record.
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