Tom Brady and Tony Romo are former quarterbacks making a lot of money as broadcasters. But according to Colin Cowherd, that’s where the similarities end.
With Brady scheduled to make his debut as the lead NFL analyst for Fox during Week 1’s Dallas Cowboys-Cleveland Browns matchup, fans are eager to hear how the seven-time Super Bowl champion sounds as a broadcaster. But Cowherd believes we can just look to Brady’s career as a quarterback as an indicator.
“He’s a risk taker, calls out plays, sometimes makes weird sounds. I’m not sure which direction he’s going, but by the end of it, it’s usually wildly entertaining.” – Colin Cowherd on Tony Romo pic.twitter.com/pekyE4Hih5
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 28, 2024
“The traits and the habits that created the quarterback will probably create the same broadcaster. I’ll give you an example, I thought Tony Romo was always underrated as a quarterback,” Cowherd said Tuesday afternoon on his Fox Sports Radio show. “He got a lot of criticism, I thought he was very good, but he was loose. It was often instinct over details and prep.”
“It was gut feeling. Sort of like George Bush as a president. Kind of going with his gut, you wish he would be more into the prep or the details – And I actually like Bush – But I always felt Tony Romo as a player was flashy, really gifted, underrated, really talented, a bit of an ad-libber, feelings over facts. And as a broadcaster I feel the same way. He’s a risk taker, calls out plays, sometimes makes weird sounds. I’m not sure which direction he’s going, but by the end of it, it’s usually wildly entertaining.”
“And then there’s Tom Brady, who as a player was meticulous and thorough,” Cowherd continued. “A people pleaser and detailed. And that’s what I think you’ll get as a broadcaster. Brady will be the opposite of Tony Romo and you can pick your favorite. They’ll both make a lot of money, they’ll both be very good. But they will be opposites as broadcasters.”
An instinctive, flashy, talented ad-libber sounds like someone who has the potential to be a great broadcaster. And for the first few years of his tenure with CBS, Romo was a popular one. In recent years, however, maybe it’s the weird sounds, feelings over facts, and George W. Bush-like gut, but Romo has lost some of his luster.
Fans are no longer as high on Romo as they once were. Cowherd included. One year ago, Cowherd claimed Romo plays too much golf to be a great broadcaster, an implication that if true, probably doesn’t bode too well for Brady.
Even if the golf assessment isn’t accurate, Cowherd is likely correct in claiming Brady and Romo will be opposites as broadcasters. It’s hard to imagine Brady entering the booth with the same enthusiasm that Romo brings.
It’s also hard to imagine Brady even becoming a broadcaster without people falling in love with Romo’s enthusiasm years ago. As Romo enters the fifth year of his 10-year $180 million contract, Brady has the CBS analyst to thank for raising the ceiling on sports announcer contracts. And without Romo setting that standard, Fox probably doesn’t lure Brady to the booth with $375 million of their own.
[The Herd]
