Has some of the shine come off CBS’s top NFL analyst Tony Romo? He’s been drawing criticism for his work during the past two weeks, during two of the postseason’s most exciting matchups in the Bills-Chiefs divisional playoff and Bengals-Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.
Amid ripping former Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid for familiar mistakes in decision-making and strategy during Kansas City’s shocking 27-24 loss, Angelo Cataldi and Al Morganti on the 94WIP morning show didn’t think much of Romo’s work either.
What especially drew jeers from the morning team was the Chiefs’ failure to get any points — either a touchdown or field goal — just before halftime.
Despite no timeouts, Kansas City could have at least gotten a field goal. In a game lost by three points, that decision stands out. But Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also made a poor decision in throwing to Tyreek Hill in the flat, rather than looking in the end zone with no time remaining.
Romo then didn’t provide much analysis as to why that was a poor decision by Mahomes or where else he could’ve looked on the play.
“Horrible analysis by Tony Romo,” said Cataldi before playing an audio clip in which Romo fumbled through pronouncing Tracy Wolfson’s name.
“Al. Romo, you’re off that train, right?” Cataldi asked Morganti. “He’s awful! Horrible!”
Also critical of Romo was the New York Post‘s Andrew Marchand, whose been unimpressed with his work in his past two games. In his Monday “Sports Clicker” newsletter for Post Sports+ (subscribe here), he says Romo and play-by-play partner Jim Nantz are sliding backwards.
“Romo has to talk in complete sentences and stick more to one thought, though I don’t know what his motivation to work hard on these things would be besides pride,” wrote Marchand, saying that Nantz has to help him for the duo to improve and rediscover their rhythm.
One of the reasons Romo has been so popular with fans and critics is that his excitement matches the big moments of a game. He sounds like a fan as much as an analyst.
But that excitability appears to be making him incoherent, unable to properly articulate his thoughts when viewers are seeking analysis and clarity on certain plays, particular decisions. Many seem to agree that Romo needs to get back to what’s made him successful, rather than just yelling.
