CBS' Jim Nantz and Tony Romo yesterday called Chiefs-Cowboys, and Romo for the most part "went vanilla" during his first broadcast of his former team, according to Barry Horn of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Romo was not "bad," but he has "set the bar so high in his first dozen games that No. 13 fell relatively flat." Romo also "didn't go to his bag of tricks to pull out blatant predictions" of the next play, but he did sometimes say "what the Cowboys like to do in certain circumstances." He offered "plenty of insight into how he feels about many of his former teammates" and "didn't offer a discouraging word about any." Nantz after the first quarter "addressed the elephant in the booth" when he "jokingly congratulated Romo for listening to their producer when he warned no references to 'us, we or them.'" Romo responded, "I play it straight down the middle" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/6). USA TODAY's Lindsay Jones writes Romo "brought interesting insight to the telecast, including discussing the unique way the sun shines through the windows during late-afternoon games" at AT&T Stadium. He sometimes "referred to his former teammates by their first names" (USA TODAY, 11/6).
FOREVER A COWBOY: "NFL on CBS" Lead Producer Jim Rikhoff said last week that they would treat Chiefs-Cowboys as "just another broadcast." But SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote it was "not another broadcast -- not when AT&T Stadium had signage inside the stadium reading WELCOME HOME 9, not when CBS opened its game broadcast by showing a tribute video to Romo" voiced by Cowboys TE Jason Witten. Romo during the first quarter also was "quiet, for him" at least. But he "provided a great detail on a 10-yard read option run" from RB Ezekiel Elliott. Romo said that the Cowboys "stole the play from the Chiefs" and that teams will "often try to use an opponent’s offensive plays against them" (SI.com, 11/5). In Ft. Worth, Stefan Stevenson writes Romo "quickly flashed" the insight and love for the game that has "drawn so much praise." His humor also "perked up from time to time" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 11/6).
LIKE TWO PEAS IN A POD: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's John Ourand in this week's issue writes Nantz and Romo have been the "most talked about broadcast team this NFL season." They are both "gratified by the public reaction so far." Both credit their "genuine affinity for each other, which they believe is coming across on TV screens." The friendship does "not appear to be contrived for this season." The two say that they have "been close for years --so much so that Romo invited Nantz to his wedding" in '12. With only half a season "under their belt, the two still have a lot of work to do." Romo "talks over Nantz on occasion and sometimes takes too long to make his points." But CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus said that the two have "improved since the season’s first week," and that he "expects them to be better next season, too" (SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL, 11/6 issue). In Ft. Worth, Mac Engel writes CBS' "decision to give Romo the No. 1 analyst spot next to Nantz, despite having no experience, was the right call." Romo is "prepared, insightful, excited, funny and quick" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 11/6).
NOT EVERYONE'S A FAN: YAHOO SPORTS' Jay Busbee notes Romo during yesterday's broadcast said Chiefs CB Marcus Peters "makes Deion Sanders look good at tackling sometimes." Sanders did not take kindly to the reference, saying on NFL Network's "GameDay Prime" last night, "Tony, I tried my best to take the high road but I don’t know the address to the high road. So I got to come at you, man. Ten years as a starter, you’re 2-4 in the playoffs. You ain’t won nothing. I tried to bury the hatchet. Both of us work for CBS, I went and shook your hand, said, ‘Tony, you’re doing a great job this year.’ I thought that would be it. But nevertheless you keep on showing at me. ... You know you never won the big one, so stop. Leave me alone" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/6).
