‘I think you’re still evolving’

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In recent weeks, the NFL world has defended the work that Fox’s Greg Olsen did during the playoffs, to the point where the general consensus is that the network would be crazy to replace him with now-retired Tom Brady. $375 million to hell. This kind of hype for a young NFL broadcaster was reserved exclusively for CBS’ Tony Romo just a few years ago. But now the same people who defend Olsen are wondering what was wrong with Romo.

Romo seemed destined to be the NFL’s next great color commentator thanks to his impressive prognostic skills and ability to get into the mindset of players, earning him a very big payday from CBS. But in the years since, Romo’s stock has plummeted as clever, insightful analysis has been replaced by weird noises, exclamations, weird metaphors and awkward moments. In less than two years, Romo’s reputation has turned on its axis, with some wondering if CBS is starting to regret that massive contract they’ve locked themselves into.

Romo sat down with NY Post’s Jenna Lemoncelli on Wednesday and talked a lot about how he’s currently going through a lot of “trial and error” to figure out what works best for viewers.

I think you’re still evolving, Romo told The Post. I mean, some changes are good, some are like you, Ah, I shouldn’t do that. But I always do trial and error and sometimes it works.

I mean, the ability to adapt and learn, if you never try to change at all, I just think the best players in the world are not afraid of failure. You are going to fail all the time, but at the same time you succeed because of it, as long as you think about it and try to figure out how to improve and then start the process to get there, which is work ethic and commitment . But you must have a plan for this before.

Despite the criticism, Romo says he has enough people coming to tell him they love the show to make him think he must be doing something right.

I just think it’s nice to try to be the best you can be, and sometimes the only way to do that is to do trial and error, and stay within the scope of what you think the viewer wants help them enjoy the series, Romo told me. You don’t always get it right, but I think most of the time, just about people coming to see you all the time. I mean, it’s quadrupled since my first 2-3 years, the number of people who come up to me on the street and want to talk about it and how they liked it and all that. So it’s really rewarding for that.

While Romo’s animated outbursts have annoyed many NFL viewers, he continues to view them as a positive aspect of the game-viewing experience.

I love showing the emotion of this, the fans and letting them know how important it is for these players, for these coaches, Romo said. It changes the lives of many people. I just think it’s really nice to share some of that emotion with people. I try to improve myself and reach a level that people appreciate sometimes from time to time.

Expressing the right level of emotion is absolutely an essential part of any NFL broadcast. Audiences were certainly missing that when Al Michaels and Tony Dungy called the Jacksonville Jaguars’ epic playoff return like they were watching the paint dry.

But you could argue that Romo goes too far the other way, letting his enthusiasm prevent him from delivering insightful information that gives viewers context they wouldn’t otherwise get.

It’s no coincidence, it’s something Greg Olsen specifically said he wanted to do on his shows. And while it looks like Romo is taking matters into his own hands, few viewers share his enthusiasm just yet.

I’m still trying to reconcile how Tony Romo felt like a breath of fresh air when he started announcing, but now I don’t appreciate his work at all. You don’t know what’s different; maybe it’s me. But I think this abrupt change is unusual. In the meantime, give me all the Greg Olsen.

— scott pianowski (@scott_pianowski) February 1, 2023

[New York Post]

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