On the Super Bowl’s Biggest Play, Broadcaster Tony Romo Freelanced and Lost

When Tony Romo turned into the most important sensation in NFL broadcasting, it was once as a result of he was once a gunslinger as an analyst, predicting performs with an unconventional taste that finally ended in a 10-year, $180 million contract, then the richest identified deal in sports activities media historical past.

These days, 4 years into that deal, finally the grievance of Romo, CBS obviously went into his 3rd Super Bowl as a TV analyst in search of a recreation supervisor as a substitute of a recreation changer. But previous behavior die arduous.

On the general name to finish the Super Bowl LVIII additional time vintage between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, Romo and play-by-play spouse Jim Nantz’s loss of teamwork confirmed up on the worst time.

At first, Romo did a high-quality activity with the Chiefs down 3 issues and throughout the 5-yard line past due in additional time, explaining that it didn’t subject as audience watched the clock wind down towards 0 — the sport would no longer finish and would simply roll right into a 2d quarter of OT. But Romo stored speaking too lengthy.

This blocked Nantz from correctly putting in place the general play. As the profitable landing was once scored, Nantz mentioned, “First and goal, Mahomes flings it! It’s there! Hardman! Jackpot! Kansas City!”

THE CHIEFS ARE BACK-TO-BACK SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS! pic.twitter.com/ZzfhTyUXg9

— NFL (@NFL) February 12, 2024

Romo first muttered within the background of Nantz’s name as though he had been a yahoo on native radio. After Nantz completed, Romo began in, “This was the Andy Reid special. …” And then on and on.

For 30 seconds, as CBS confirmed response, Romo talked in regards to the play when the most efficient research would’ve been silence, which might have allowed the group and photographs to inform the tale. It will have to were Nantz’s broadcast second, if somebody’s.

Nantz and Romo had been as soon as meant to be the following Pat Summerall and John Madden however have fallen to this point that their disjointed efficiency Sunday was once one CBS will most likely take. Before the general play, the published was once a ways from best possible, but it surely was once most commonly manageable. Maybe no longer one to in a single day to the Sports Emmys, however, at the manufacturing aspect, it had its moments.

Nantz and Romo make the massive cash — a close to $30 million a yr between them — so, like quarterbacks, they obtain probably the most credit score and blame. Their quarterback ranking was once no longer top sufficient, lacking glaring giant subject matters.

The duo did not ever give an explanation for why the defenses — particularly the 49ers on Travis Kelce within the first part — had been having their manner for see you later with the offenses. They additionally had been very underwhelming when CBS’s manufacturing staff expertly noticed Kelce bumping and screaming at his 65-year-old head trainer. They infrequently spoke about line play. And the overarching subject matters of the sport had been ceaselessly ignored. There had been no threads.

The grading for the Super Bowl broadcast is the perfect stage as a result of it’s the maximum prestigious project in American sportscasting. Nantz has known as the sport six instances, however his companions, first Phil Simms and now Romo, have digressed below his watch. A foul pattern.

Meanwhile, Romo lacks consistency in his ideas. With 10 seconds left in law and the Chiefs on the 49ers’ 11, Romo mentioned, “If you have six seconds, you feel comfortable taking another crack at it.”

After an incomplete cross, there have been six seconds left, and Romo opined, “If he had seven, I’d do it,” including Kansas City will have to kick.

Umm, however, Tony, you simply mentioned …

Never thoughts.

The inconsistency occurs an excessive amount of with Romo, inflicting CBS Sports executives to place on a courageous face publicly and privately, protecting him, however movements are virtually all the time the place the reality lands, and their truest ideas appeared glaring of their manner.

Early, it was once transparent, CBS’s recreation plan was once to simplify the offense. In the primary part, it minimize down at the overuse of too many voices, sticking most commonly to Nantz and Romo. Romo appeared chilled. It wasn’t dangerous.

The manufacturing staff got here up giant in the second one quarter. After Chiefs working again Isiah Pacheco fumbled, it discovered a sideline shot through which Kelce accosted Reid.

Travis Kelce seemed not up to enthused pic.twitter.com/yncKhjtNl4

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 12, 2024

“He goes, ‘Keep me in,’” Romo mentioned, it sounds as if lip-reading. “What happened is, on the fumble, he was not in the game. Noah Gray went in, and he had to block. Noah Gray, the tight end, had to block (Deommodore) Lenoir. Lenoir made him swim and actually created the fumble. And I think Kelce is like, ‘Just keep me in there, even if we are running the ball.’”

Let’s put to the aspect we had to seek the advice of Google Translate to move from Romo to English to know what, “(Deommodore) Lenoir made him swim and actually created the fumble” may imply, the tale is Kelce just about pulling down his trainer.

It wasn’t Latrell Sprewell on P.J. Carlesimo, but it surely was once Taylor Swift’s boyfriend in entrance of about, give or take, 115 million audience. We more or less wanted the previous All-Pro Cowboys quarterback to weigh in if that was once kosher or no longer.

The highest a part of Romo is his unscripted amusing character. Non-hardcore lovers can like him as a result of Romo comes throughout as — and from all first-hand stories is — a truly great man. He can be cool to have a lager with, a excellent high quality in an announcer.

Sunday, probably the most character Romo confirmed was once when he sang Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” to wreck, channeling some other Cowboys nice grew to become broadcaster, Don Meredith. Romo would do it once more within the 3rd quarter, seeking to trap Nantz — who’s a broadcaster from a Peter Jennings/Tom Brokaw anchor technology — for a singalong to Elvis’ “Viva Las Vegas.” Romo even did a little bit Beastie Boys past due with “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)!”

As for Nantz, he sounded further amped to open the sport, possibly overcompensating for some less-than-enthusiastic early calls within the playoffs. On the 2 Romo-isms of the primary part, Nantz did accurately problem him. Romo mentioned a fumble could be a lateral in the second one quarter, after which past due within the length, with the scoreless Chiefs down 10, he mentioned they could be in four-down territory. Nantz rightly threw the problem flag on each.

In the tip, the issue with the tandem is that regardless of all their “pal” and “buddy” communicate, to not point out their over-the-top, on-air, “I love yous,” they don’t sound at the identical web page.

That disconnection presentations up within the largest spots, when the arena is observing, when what you’ve gotten carried out all season is on show.

Nantz and Romo will have to have the published process of that closing play down. Romo’s attraction is also that he’s like a fan, however he’s doing the Super Bowl broadcast and being paid handsomely to take action.

He simply had to get out of the best way to permit Nantz to make his whole name, then wait till after the images and sounds had their second to notice that Mahomes is Michael Jordan.

It wasn’t time for the gunslinger. CBS had the fitting plan, and Nantz and Romo completed now and then. But, at the largest play of the season, Romo freelanced and misplaced.

(Photo of Tony Romo and Jim Nantz: Rob Carr / Getty Images)