Tony Romo responds to criticism over broadcast style: 'You can't please everyone'
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is very familiar with mixed reviews. Having accumulated a 92-64 record with the Cowboys but never making it past the divisional round of the playoffs, Romo dealt with mixed reviews throughout his 14 years in the league.
The former quarterback entered the broadcast booth in 2017 and support for his post-playing career was sky-high. Now, six seasons later, the shine has worn off. Fans of the sport are finding his clairvoyant musings and constant chatter less amusing. The rise of former tight end Greg Olsen in the booth this season has also increased the comparisons and scrutiny on Romo.
Joining BroBible ahead of Super Bowl LVII, Romo discussed the shift in the response to his performance in the booth.
“At the core, there are just more people now who feel like telling me how they think I’m doing,” Romo said. “I have people coming up to me on the street far more than my first couple of years.
“At first, they’d mostly tell me how much they love to listen to me and all these positives, so it’s fun. When you’re young and you come out and you’re good, then you’re dealing with more expectations. You find out some people don’t like you and some people want you to do things differently and do this and that instead.”
According to reports, it’s not only fans on the street wanting Romo to switch things up. Last week, New York Post reporter Andrew Marchand reported that CBS execs approached the former QB about his performance and preparation. Marchand called it an “intervention.” CBS denied having an “intervention” and called it a “complete mischaracterization.”
Tony Romo addresses broadcasting critics
Based on Romo’s interview responses, he’s not planning to change his approach – at leas not dramatically.
“Some people are like, ‘Well, I just wanna have quietness and just sit there and relax.’ I’m like, ‘Well, you probably shouldn’t watch me as much,'” Romo said. “I’m going to try to get you excited or at least try to get you to be like, ‘Oh, this is huge.’ It’s not fake.”
The former Cowboys quarterback uses the same techniques now as he did when he was playing the game to block out the noise.
“You’ve gotta stay true to who you are,” Romo said. “You can’t please everyone. I know that because the number of people who come up to me has quadrupled since the first two or three years.
“They’re not going to keep tweeting ‘He’s the best’ every week, right? So, that goes away and then you hear more negative stuff, but that’s just noise.”