Marchand: On the Super Bowl’s largest play, Tony Romo freelanced and misplaced | USAEMALL.com

When Tony Romo turned the largest sensation in NFL broadcasting, it was as a result of he was a gunslinger as an analyst, predicting performs with an unconventional fashion that finally led to a 10-year, $180 million contract, then the richest recognized deal in sports activities media historical past.

These days, 4 years into that deal, after all of the criticism of Romo, CBS clearly went into his third Super Bowl as a TV analyst on the lookout for a sport supervisor as an alternative of a sport changer. But outdated habits die onerous.

On the ultimate name to finish the Super Bowl LVIII extra time traditional between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, Romo and play-by-play associate Jim Nantz’s lack of teamwork confirmed up on the worst time.

At first, Romo did a positive job with the Chiefs down three factors and contained in the 5-yard line late in extra time, explaining that it didn’t matter as viewers watched the clock wind down towards zero — the sport wouldn’t finish and would simply roll right into a second quarter of OT. But Romo stored speaking too lengthy.

This blocked Nantz from correctly establishing the ultimate play. As the successful landing was scored, Nantz mentioned, “First and goal, Mahomes flings it! It’s there! Hardman! Jackpot! Kansas City!”

Romo first muttered within the background of Nantz’s name as if he had been a yahoo on native radio. After Nantz completed, Romo began in, “This was the Andy Reid special. …” And then on and on.

For 30 seconds, as CBS confirmed response, Romo talked concerning the play when one of the best evaluation would’ve been silence, which might have allowed the gang and footage to inform the story. It ought to have been Nantz’s broadcast second, if anybody’s.

Nantz and Romo had been as soon as speculated to be the following Pat Summerall and John Madden however have fallen up to now that their disjointed efficiency Sunday was one CBS will seemingly take. Before the ultimate play, the published was removed from good, however it was largely manageable. Maybe not one to in a single day to the Sports Emmys, however, on the manufacturing facet, it had its moments.

Nantz and Romo make the massive cash — a close to $30 million a yr between them — so, like quarterbacks, they obtain essentially the most credit score and blame. Their quarterback score was not excessive sufficient, lacking apparent huge themes.

The duo did not ever clarify why the defenses — particularly the 49ers on Travis Kelce within the first half — had been having their manner for therefore lengthy with the offenses. They additionally had been very underwhelming when CBS’s manufacturing crew expertly noticed Kelce bumping and screaming at his 65-year-old head coach. They hardly ever spoke about line play. And the overarching themes of the sport had been usually missed. There had been no threads.

The grading for the Super Bowl broadcast is the best stage as a result of it’s the most prestigious project in American sportscasting. Nantz has known as the sport six occasions, however his companions, first Phil Simms and now Romo, have digressed below his watch. A foul development.

Meanwhile, Romo lacks consistency in his ideas. With 10 seconds left in regulation and the Chiefs on the 49ers’ 11, Romo mentioned, “If you have six seconds, you feel comfortable taking another crack at it.”

After an incomplete cross, there have been six seconds left, and Romo opined, “If he had seven, I’d do it,” including Kansas City ought to kick.

Umm, however, Tony, you simply mentioned …

Never thoughts.

The inconsistency occurs an excessive amount of with Romo, inflicting CBS Sports executives to placed on a courageous face publicly and privately, defending him, however actions are virtually at all times the place the reality lands, and their truest ideas appeared evident of their strategy.

Early, it was clear, CBS’s sport plan was to simplify the offense. In the primary half, it lower down on the overuse of too many voices, sticking largely to Nantz and Romo. Romo appeared chilled. It wasn’t dangerous.

The manufacturing crew got here up huge within the second quarter. After Chiefs working again Isiah Pacheco fumbled, it discovered a sideline shot wherein Kelce accosted Reid.

“He goes, ‘Keep me in,’” Romo mentioned, apparently lip-reading. “What happened is, on the fumble, he was not in the game. Noah Gray went in, and he had to block. Noah Gray, the tight end, had to block (Deommodore) Lenoir. Lenoir made him swim and actually created the fumble. And I think Kelce is like, ‘Just keep me in there, even if we are running the ball.’”

Let’s put to the facet we would have liked to seek the advice of Google Translate to go from Romo to English to grasp what, “(Deommodore) Lenoir made him swim and actually created the fumble” would possibly imply, the story is Kelce practically pulling down his coach.

It wasn’t Latrell Sprewell on P.J. Carlesimo, however it was Taylor Swift’s boyfriend in entrance of about, give or take, 115 million viewers. We sort of wanted the previous All-Pro Cowboys quarterback to weigh in if that was kosher or not.

The finest a part of Romo is his unscripted enjoyable character. Non-hardcore followers can like him as a result of Romo comes throughout as — and from all first-hand experiences is — a genuinely good man. He can be cool to have a beer with, a superb high quality in an announcer.

Sunday, essentially the most character Romo confirmed was when he sang Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” to interrupt, channeling one other Cowboys nice turned broadcaster, Don Meredith. Romo would do it once more within the third quarter, attempting to entice Nantz — who’s a broadcaster from a Peter Jennings/Tom Brokaw anchor period — for a singalong to Elvis’ “Viva Las Vegas.” Romo even did a little bit Beastie Boys late with “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)!”

As for Nantz, he sounded further amped to open the sport, possibly overcompensating for some less-than-enthusiastic early calls within the playoffs. On the 2 Romo-isms of the primary half, Nantz did appropriately problem him. Romo mentioned a fumble may be a lateral within the second quarter, after which late within the interval, with the scoreless Chiefs down 10, he mentioned they may be in four-down territory. Nantz rightly threw the problem flag on each.

In the tip, the issue with the tandem is that regardless of all their “pal” and “buddy” discuss, to not point out their over-the-top, on-air, “I love yous,” they don’t sound on the identical web page.

That disconnection reveals up within the largest spots, when the world is watching, when what you could have carried out all season is on show.

Nantz and Romo ought to have the published technique of that final play down. Romo’s enchantment could also be that he’s like a fan, however he’s doing the Super Bowl broadcast and being paid handsomely to take action.

He simply wanted to get out of the way in which to permit Nantz to make his full name, then wait till after the images and sounds had their second to notice that Mahomes is Michael Jordan.

It wasn’t time for the gunslinger. CBS had the appropriate plan, and Nantz and Romo executed at occasions. But, on the largest play of the season, Romo freelanced and misplaced.

(Photo of Tony Romo and Jim Nantz: Rob Carr / Getty Images)