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The biggest play of the Super Bowl saw Tony Romo freelancing and losing

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When Tony Romo became the biggest sensation in NFL broadcasting, it was because he was a sharpshooting analyst, predicting plays with an unconventional style that ultimately led to a ten-year, $180 million contract, at the time the richest known deal in the history of sports media. .

Today, four years after that deal, after all the criticism of Romo, CBS was clearly entering its third Super Bowl as a TV analyst looking for a game manager rather than a game changer. But old habits are hard to overcome.

On the final call to end the Super Bowl LVIII overtime classic between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, the lack of teamwork from Romo and play-by-play partner Jim Nantz came at the worst time forward.

At first, Romo did fine with the Chiefs down three points and inside the 5-yard line late in overtime, explaining that it didn't matter as viewers watched the clock tick down to zero — the game wouldn't end and just roll. in a second quarter of OT. But Romo kept talking too long.

This prevented Nantz from setting up the final game correctly. When the winning touchdown was scored, Nantz said, “First and goal, Mahomes throws it!” It's there! Hard man! Jackpot! Kansas City!”

Romo first mumbled in the background of Nantz's call as if he were a yahoo on local radio. After Nantz finished, Romo began, “This was the Andy Reid special. …” And then on.

While CBS showed reaction, Romo spoke about the piece for thirty seconds, when the best analysis would have been silence, allowing the audience and the photos to tell the story. It should have been Nantz's broadcast moment, if that was anyone's moment.

Nantz and Romo were once supposed to be the next Pat Summerall and John Madden, but have fallen so far that their disjointed performance on Sunday would likely be a CBS performance. Before the finale, the broadcast was far from perfect, but largely manageable. Maybe not one to get to the Sports Emmys overnight, but on the production side it had its moments.

Nantz and Romo make the big money — nearly $30 million a year combined — so they, like quarterbacks, get most of the credit and blame. Their quarterback rating wasn't high enough and lacked clear big themes.

The duo never managed to explain why the defense — especially the 49ers on Travis Kelce in the first half — had their way with the offenses for so long. They were also very disappointing when the CBS production team saw Kelce expertly bumping and yelling at his 65-year-old head coach. They rarely talked about lines. And the overarching themes of the game were often missed. There were no wires.

The rating for the Super Bowl broadcast is top-tier because it is the most prestigious assignment in American sports reporting. Nantz has called the game six times, but his partners, first Phil Simms and now Romo, have strayed under his watch. A bad trend.

Meanwhile, Romo lacks consistency in his thoughts. With 10 seconds left in regulation and the Chiefs at the 49ers' 11, Romo said, “When you have six seconds, you feel comfortable going at it again.”

After an incomplete pass, there were six seconds left, and Romo opined, “If he had seven, I'd do it,” adding that Kansas City would have to punt.

Um, but Tony, you just said…

Forget it.

The inconsistency is too common with Romo, causing CBS Sports executives to put on a brave face publicly and privately and defend him, but actions are almost always where the truth lands, and their true thoughts seemed clear in their approach.

Early on, it was clear that CBS' plan was to simplify the offense. In the first half, the overuse of too many voices was reduced, mostly sticking to Nantz and Romo. Romo seemed cold. It wasn't bad.

The production team came out big in the second quarter. After Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco fumbled, it found a sideline shot in which Kelce tackled Reid.

“He says, 'Keep me in,'” Romo said, apparently lip-reading. “What happened is he wasn't in the game during the fumble. Noah Gray went in and he had to block. Tight end Noah Gray had to block (Deommodore) Lenoir. Lenoir made him swim and actually created the fumble. And I think Kelce is saying, 'Just keep me in there, even when we're running the ball.'

Let's put aside the fact that we had to consult Google Translate to go from Romo to English to understand what “(Deommodore) Lenoir made him swim and actually created the fumble” might mean: the story is about Kelce beating his coach almost knocks down.

It wasn't Latrell Sprewell in PJ Carlesimo, but it was Taylor Swift's boyfriend in front of about 115 million viewers. We needed the former All-Pro Cowboys quarterback to decide if that was kosher or not.

The best part of Romo is his unscripted, fun personality. Non-hardcore fans may like him because Romo comes across as – and from all first-hand accounts – a genuinely nice guy. He would be cool to have a beer with, good quality in an announcer.

On Sunday, Romo showed the most personality when he sang Adele's “Rolling in the Deep” to break it down, channeling another big Cowboys broadcaster, Don Meredith. Romo would do it again in the third quarter, trying to entice Nantz – an announcer from the Peter Jennings/Tom Brokaw anchor era – for a sing-along to Elvis' “Viva Las Vegas.” Romo even did a little Beastie Boys late with “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)!”

As for Nantz, he sounded extra enthusiastic to open the game, perhaps overcompensating for some less-than-enthusiastic early calls in the playoffs. On the two Romo-isms of the first half, Nantz rightly challenged him. Romo said a fumble could be lateral in the second quarter, and later in the period, with the scoreless Chiefs trailing by 10, he said they might be in four-down territory. Nantz rightly threw the challenge flag at both.

Ultimately, the problem with the tandem is that for all their “friend” and “buddy” talk, not to mention their exaggerated “I love you” on air, they don't sound on the radio. same page.

That disconnect shows up in the biggest places, when the world is watching, when what you've been doing all season is on display.

Nantz and Romo should have the broadcast strategy on that final game. Romo's appeal may be that he's like a fan, but he does the Super Bowl broadcast and gets paid handsomely for it.

All he had to do was get out of the way so Nantz could make his full call, and then wait for the sights and sounds to have a moment to pick up on the fact that Mahomes is Michael Jordan.

It was no time for the sniper. CBS had the right plan, and Nantz and Romo sometimes executed it. But on the biggest play of the season, Romo went freelancing and lost.

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

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