Tony Romo reflects on criticism: 'You can’t please everyone'

CBS lead NFL analyst Tony Romo has again addressed his performances coming off his widely criticized call of this year's AFC Championship Game. 

"You’ve gotta stay true to who you are," Romo told Connor Toole of BroBible. "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. The thing is, the people who really love you aren’t gonna keep going out of their way to say, 'I love you.' 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. At the end of the day, my goal is just for the viewer at home to really feel the game. That’s what I tried to do with the AFC Championship." 

Romo spoke last week about "staying inside the umbrella of what you think that the viewer wants to help them enjoy the show" after fans and columnists roasted his work during and following the conference title matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs. 

Some suggested the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback wasn't adequately prepared for game-day assignments throughout the regular season and playoffs. It was subsequently reported that CBS executives and play-by-play broadcaster Jim Nantz tried an "intervention" last offseason to get Romo back on track. 

Fox Sports personality and radio host Colin Cowherd has theorized that Romo, an avid golfer, would rather be on the PGA Tour than inside CBS television booths. 

"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 continued during his conversation with Toole. "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. Not every game is as big, but I’m saying what I’m really feeling during every game." 

Romo agreed to a 10-year contract with CBS back in 2020 that reportedly pays him $17.5 million per year. Some, such as Cowherd, have speculated making that kind of money has allowed Romo to spend less midweek time prepping for nationally-televised games each fall. 

With the recently-retired Tom Brady not replacing Greg Olsen as Fox's No. 1 NFL analyst before 2024, at the earliest, Romo's supposed regression may continue to be the league's top broadcast story through the spring and summer months.