On the subject of criticism, Tony Romo offers a funny story about a young NFL quarterback who decided to change his throwing motion after reading criticism of his technique in the newspaper.
That quarterback was Tony Romo.
“I remember reading in the comments section of the newspaper in my second year or so there were people saying, ‘He throws it too low, he’ll never make it,’” Romo recalled. “So I went and tried to throw higher arm because some guy wrote an article or said it in the comments. I mean, how dumb, right? It’s like that guy had no idea what he’s talking about. What’s said is not always reality.”
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This anecdote came up during a 25-minute discussion last week with The Athletic on the criticism the CBS NFL broadcaster received for his broadcast work in 2022. (It was part of a conversation with the entire on-air crew which you can see more of here.) No sports broadcaster is immune to criticism, especially in a social media age. Even Al Michaels, who can rightfully claim his place as the greatest NFL play-by-play broadcaster in history, was inundated last year with charges that he was too low-energy during certain Amazon Prime NFL games. When you are the highest-paid talent in your sports television division — Romo and ESPN’s Troy Aikman both make roughly $18 million annually — everything is going to be heightened, including opinions on your work.
The subtext to this is that no NFL broadcaster received better press to start his career than Romo — and I was certainly a big part of that — so last year’s negative feedback was noticeable, including from some longtime media writers who have a history of thoughtful examination of subjects. The criticisms included a declining chemistry with Jim Nantz (which, naturally, Nantz says is not the case) and too much enthusiasm or exuberance as substitute for deeper analysis. Personally, I think some of the criticism of Romo in 2022 was simply that it was his time to receive it. He was a comet at the start of his career, from his ability to predict plays to his genuine enthusiasm for all things football. He’s now in Year 7 as a broadcaster. It’s not fresh for some people anymore. This is simply life in broadcasting.
Romo said his experience as an NFL quarterback — and particularly as a Dallas Cowboys quarterback — has given him perspective on all of this.
“When you play quarterback in the NFL, the criticism that you’re going to get as far as the ups and downs of that world, I mean, you throw an interception to lose a football game and back then, as I tell people, this was the opening of ‘SportsCenter’ the next day,” Romo said. “There was no Twitter or anything, and you feel that. I had plenty of great moments that I would never change, and I wish I could have brought a Super Bowl to the Cowboys. That’s always going to be a regret that I wasn’t able to do that. But these things harden you. They give you a turtle shell. What you’re describing isn’t even criticism. There’s levels to this thing. When you lose a game (as a player), you feel people walking up to you on the street.”
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Unsurprisingly, Romo said that most of the in-person interactions he has with viewers are overwhelmingly positive. This is often the case in sports media.
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“People come to me now and say they love our crew, they love how we do it,” Romo said. “Like anything, we’ve (the CBS crew) been at such a high level doing this for so long that it doesn’t matter who you are, people are not going to continually write the same article about how great you are. I mean, you wouldn’t do that. You’re not going to continually write, ‘They are the best,’ over and over again. They might still think it, but people have to find things to write. I think that’s just part of human nature.
“And guess what? There’s agendas. People like clicks. I mean, that’s a real thing. And I think they should. I think it’s all a positive. Talking about it, it helps all of the NFL. Our job is to go out there and perform like we’ve done and try to always do our best. I think we’ve done a great job with that. You’re looking at a very talented group here. Like all things, we’re going to go and try to put our best foot forward.”
When asked about his interactions with CBS Sports management regarding his performance, Romo said the feedback has been positive.
“You don’t go by what some people might say,” Romo said. “They love our team. They know how talented this group is. I think that they appreciate our skill set, and we do theirs.”
This is a Super Bowl year for CBS — and a unique one, as well, given it’s the first in Las Vegas. The Nantz-Romo dynamic will be under the microscope, especially early, and then on Feb. 11, 2024, the date of the Super Bowl LVIII broadcast. The group, which includes reporter Tracy Wolfson, has a great opening three weeks to start regarding fan interest, which if nothing else will give them viewership momentum — Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots in Week 1, New York Jets at Cowboys in Week 2, and Patriots at Jets in Week 3.
(Photo: Alex Bierens de Haan / Getty Images)
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