Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo knows Tony Romo is a bad broadcaster right now, but he’s not bad enough to get Jim Nantz demoted.
When everyone was crediting Romo for revolutionizing the NFL analyst chair years ago, it was Russo who repeatedly ripped the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback as a broadcaster. And now that most NFL fans and media have aligned with his consistent opinion of Romo, it’s Russo who is trying to be the voice of reason.
Tony Romo had arguably the worst broadcast of his nine-year media career with CBS Sunday afternoon. Pair the brutal broadcast on a big stage with his accrued depreciation as an analyst in recent years, and it has fans wondering if Ian Eagle and J.J. Watt could leapfrog Nantz and Romo to become the lead NFL booth for CBS. But according to Russo, it doesn’t matter how bad Romo gets, CBS won’t do that to Nantz.
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“I don’t want to go crazy because I told you years ago, he was awful, and now everybody agrees,” Russo said on SiriusXM Radio show. “He is an absolutely horrendous broadcaster and he is stealing money…he’s making $17 million through 2030, they can’t get rid of him. And the idea that the internet, the 23 years olds who read Awful Announcing think, ‘Why don’t they move Ian and J.J. Watt into that slot and move Nantz and Romo down.’ Are you crazy?”
“The idea that somehow someway, we are now gonna switch the broadcast teams because Romo is terrible, they’re not doing that,” Russo continued. “What is saving Romo from dispatchment to game five with Adam Archuleta, what is saving Romo is Nantz. The idea that they’re gonna embarrass Nantz by moving him to the two game is the dumbest thing. That’s why you can’t listen to the internet… you think they’re gonna move Jim Nantz making $18 million a year, who has been the voice of CBS Sports…you think they’re gonna move him off the No. 1 game on CBS?”
Chris Russo also doesn’t sound ready to anoint Watt as the next great broadcaster, claiming there’s no way CBS would consider a swap with Tony Romo to pair the former defensive lineman with Jim Nantz in the lead booth.
“J.J. Watt’s done about 10 games and none of us has ever seen J.J. Watt do a big game. Never. Nobody has ever seen or heard J.J. Watt with the whole world watching, with a drama filled game, with 50 million paying attention in the middle of January in a playoff spot with a lot of happenings,” Russo ranted. “I’m not saying he can’t do it, but we haven’t heard it.”
Romo has slipped as an analyst in recent years. But Nantz has not slipped as a play-by-play voice. As great as Ian Eagle is, CBS isn’t going to risk ruining their relationship with Nantz because they made a mistake by committing $180 million to Romo through 2030. The only way a change happens to the No. 1 NFL booth for CBS is if Nantz wants to make the change. Maybe the criticism of Romo gets loud enough for Nantz to consider discussing a change with CBS. But the lead play-by-play voice role with the NFL on CBS will likely remain Jim Nantz’s for as long as he wants it.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com