CBS will provide former NFLer Tony Romo with "everything to make things work, including assigning him their top NFL producer (Lance Barrow) and top director (Mike Arnold)," but there are "no guarantees in sports broadcasting," according to Richard Deitsch of SI.com. Former ESPN analyst Ray Lewis "looked to be a sure thing," but he "was not." Conversely, ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick, who was a journeyman player, has "turned into one of the best on-air voices in the sport." In Romo’s position, as a color analyst, the "mechanics of TV can be taught." What "can’t be taught is how he prepares for each week and when (if ever) he decides to morph from an ex-player into a fulltime broadcaster." CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus said, "Tony will be having all sorts of work this summer, whether it's doing practice games, whether it's doing preseason games, whether it's sitting down and looking at film and tape of other analysts and the kind of job that they do. It's going to be a full time job for Tony really starting this summer. So I think when he goes to the booth, he'll be ready." The move for Phil Simms, who previously held Romo's role, would be to "quietly take the demotion and continue working." One of the geniuses of Verne Lundquist and Brent Musburger was that they "always took assignments, no matter the level or event." Simms will "always have work as an analyst if he doesn’t get caught up in where he is on the rotation" (SI.com, 4/5).
MOVING ON, GETTING OVER: In N.Y., Gary Myers writes this is a "big mistake that will reveal itself when CBS has its first big game." Simms "learned the business as a studio analyst at ESPN before NBC and then CBS hired him as its No. 1 analyst." Romo going from the field right into the No. 1 booth is "a lot of pressure." This would be "easier to understand if CBS was replacing Simms with Peyton Manning, who is a natural in front of the camera and is funny, anecdotal and smart." Myers: "It's not fair to come to definitive conclusions following Romo’s one-hour CBS conference call Tuesday, but I was not impressed" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/6). Also in N.Y., Justin Terranova writes Simms could be "bumped down to the No. 2 team, but CBS would have to be willing either to break up Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts or shuffle their broadcasting assignments further." Simms might "move over to FOX and take their No. 2 analyst role, which was vacated when John Lynch left to become the 49ers GM." Perhaps Simms would "consider a path" similar to CBS' Boomer Esiason, who now has "some time in the studio and a radio career." N.Y.-based WFAN-AM is "reshuffling the deck with afternoon host Mike Francesa leaving in December, and perhaps Simms would be interested in a role similar to the one Esiason has as a morning host alongside Craig Carton" (N.Y. POST, 4/6). N.Y. Daily News' Bob Raissman said Simms could join the "No. 4 team, they're not going to put him on the No. 2 team." Raissman added CBS does not "want to rejigger the whole lineup" by moving Simms to the No. 2 broadcast team ("Daily News Live," SNY, 4/5).
