Phil Simms made the move from CBS' booth to "The NFL Today" desk this season, and the transition has been "positive, freeing him up to follow more teams and players while shedding the burden of traveling across the country every week," according to Rob Tornoe of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. Simms said, "I don’t have to devote most of my time on just the game I’m going to do. So that part’s been really cool." CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus said that Simms' move to the studio has "added chemistry and humor" to the net's flagship pregame show. McManus: "He’s remarkably unselfish, and he’s just as comfortable setting someone up for a good comment as he is giving a good comment himself." McManus also said Simms has a "very good sibling rivalry" with fellow analyst Boomer Esiason. Simms said of his replacement in the booth, Tony Romo, "I’m not saying we’re close, but we have a good relationship. If we saw each other now, there’s not going to be any animosity between us. I don’t know why people think that." Additionally, Tornoe noted Simms has "fallen in love" with the idea of being a sports radio host. Simms said, "It's fantastic. I love it, I absolutely love it. I get to really talk, and we get into conversations I'd never get to anywhere else in public. One day, I'm going to host a show. It's a must. I will absolutely do talk radio" (PHILLY.com, 12/27).
PROPS TO THE YOUNG GUN: Dallas-based WFAA-ABC broadcaster Dale Hansen said of Romo's first year in the booth, "He is surprisingly good. I mean, I thought he would be good because, once again, it's not the hardest job in the world as I think I've proven over the years. It's not that hard, but he's much better than I thought he was." He added, "I really enjoy him on the broadcast. I think he's done an amazingly good job in his first year. I didn't think he'd be close to that. I couldn't figure out what CBS was doing taking a guy off the sideline and popping him into the No. 1 seat. And I think they're reining him in just a bit. ... Romo's really good, I mean, really, really good I think broadcasting games" (DALLASNEWS.com, 12/27).
