The Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima in Cleveland discussed the struggles of CBS duo Jim Nantz and Tony Romo. Nantz and Romo will call this weekend’s AFC Championship game and also Super Bowl LVIII.
Barrett Sports Media’s Andy Masur recently criticized Romo’s lack of preparation in a column. This week, New York Post sports media columnist Andrew Marchand wrote about the topic as well.
Carman said he mostly watches games without sound, which led Lima to explain what the criticisms have been all about. He mentioned mistakes Romo has made and other times when he doesn’t have the information a top analyst should know.
Later, Lima said a positive of Romo at the outset, his prognosticating of plays, turned in to a negative. “The thing everybody loved about Romo and was amazing to see, the peek behind the curtain, was the way he was picking plays,” he said. “I think we realized as sports fans we don’t want to know what play is coming. The greatest aspect of sports is the surprise, the fact that something happens that we don’t see coming. If Romo is there telling you it’s coming every play, while it’s cool he is putting on this amazing carnival act, it doesn’t necessarily enhance the broadcast.”
Carman added, “I think it’s a hard thing to do and I think he might be finding out how hard it is, but he’s getting paid so much that you can’t give that up. You’re going to stadiums, they roll out the red carpet for you. Clearly there’s a bit of a problem with what is going on, but you’re still the number one and people still want to see it and hear it.”
Lima wrapped up the topic saying he thinks there are several other broadcast crews which are better right now. His list included Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, Ian Eagle and Charles Davis amongst others.
“I would put all of those booths ahead, right now, of Tony Romo,” he said. “When you think of what they are paying Tony Romo, that is a big big issue for them right now.”
