Tony Romo has received plenty of praise in his relatively short time as an NFL broadcaster, but Chris Russo has had enough of him.
“Mad Dog” Russo ripped the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback for how Romo analyzes games while broadcasting with Jim Nantz on CBS.
“I know he’s a PhD in football, I get that. He knows the plays, he’s on top of the sequence,” Russo said Monday on his SiriusXM show. “But every single … he just never shuts up. Poor Nantz, he never gets to do anything. It’s just not a conventional broadcast with him. I don’t want an education, I’m not looking for an education. A little of it, a little is not terrible, but I’m not looking for an education. I’m really not. I’m looking for a sit back, couple of hours and enjoy an NFL football game with a little edification from the broadcasting team. That’s all I’m looking for.
“I’m not looking for a situation where I need hour upon hour, every play broken down for 30 seconds. I just don’t need it, and Tony just does not shut up with the games. On and on, I mean, all right, Tony, this guy goes here, he runs here, look at this. ‘They’re gonna run this play now, Jim. Jim, they’re gonna run offside tackle! I promise you. They’re gonna run this tight end here, he’s gonna go there.’ I mean, oh my God. Tony, just let the game breathe just a little.”
The criticism is noteworthy given Romo’s fast rise in sports broadcasting. Romo is in the final year of his CBS contract, and The Post’s Andrew Marchand has reported Romo could possibly equal or exceed John Madden’s record salary of $8 million per year for an NFL analyst.
“I can’t take it with Romo,” Russo said. “I understand he knows what he’s talking about, don’t get me wrong, but there’s a time and a place that maybe you let Jim set up the drama of the play call. Instead of telling me what formation it is in which indicates to you what the call is gonna be, which I’m not interested in, why don’t you let the play-by-play guy set up the drama — ‘this is a big play.’ Instead, Tony’s butting in, he’s breaking down the formation, indicates the route’s gonna be this scenario, they’re gonna run the ball right. That’s what you’ve got him there for; Nantz is one of the best ever. Let the guy in that situation set up the scene, please. I’m begging you.”
Russo also threw in shots at Romo’s playoff record and his golf game; Romo was in jeopardy of missing a CBS broadcast this season before missing the cut at a PGA Tour event.
“He’s won two playoff games in his life, Tony,” Russo remarked, “and he’s not Arnold Palmer on the golf course, that’s another thing. Goodness gracious. I guess it’s me.”