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Here’s something I never thought I’d type: Tony Romo is in the Super Bowl and I guarantee he will not turn it over in a critical moment. Since Romo rebranded from football quarterback to CBS analyst, he’s won the hearts and minds of football fans from all corners of the country. My mom even declared she has a crush on “that Tony Roman,” which was especially weird considering she was licking her lips while admitting it.
Romo has been electric in the booth since his retirement, at the detriment of still-figuring-it-out Jason Witten. The 38-year-old quarterback has displayed child-like enthusiasm that’s so infectious, one can’t help but be endeared by it. And, statistically speaking, the dude is a better analyst than he was a quarterback–correctly predicting 68 percent of plays this season. His career completion percentage is 65.3.
Sean McManus, CBS Sports chairman, described the exact moment he knew Romo was destined for the booth. Four years ago, McManus ran into Romo at a Super Bowl party. Romo would play in the NFL for two more seasons after their conversation, but McManus was hooked by Romo’s charisma, exuberance, and the way his mind approached the game.
McManus said Tuesday in Atlanta ahead of Super Bowl LIII, via The Big Lead:
“It was really the first time I ever met him, which was two nights before the Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl.”
“He was at the Friday night party and he was with [Dallas Cowboys owner] Jerry Jones. [CBS Sports President] David [Berson] and I had a conversation with Tony, and I said, ‘What do you see for the game?’ And he began to break down the game: ‘How can the Seattle defense stop Tom Brady? What can the Patriots defense do?’
“And in about seven or eight minutes, he had broken down the game in an incredibly enthusiastic and interesting way. And I turned to David after the conversation and said, ‘I think that guy’s going to be an analyst for us one day.’ I didn’t anticipate him being the No. 1 and lead analyst right away, but I knew at that point and had a really good feeling that he was going to be a really good NFL analyst.”
Romo would soon become the first player to hold the torch as the network’s number one analyst with no prior experience.
“We just had the feeling and the instinct that Tony was up to it. We didn’t know how good he was — we thought he would be good. And he exceeded our expectations.”
Ours too, bro. Ours too.
[h/t The Big Lead]