CBS sportscaster and former NFL quarterback Tony Romo MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tony Romo needs to do better with Eagles-Patriots opener

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 7/25/23

Eagles fans want to experience the thrill of victory when they open the regular season on September 10, but first they’ll get the agony of familiar foe, Tony Romo.

Per Jeff Kerr of CBS, Tony Romo and Jim Nantz will be the commentary team when Philadelphia travels to New England in Week 1 of the 2023 season.

Romo played quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 2005-2016, throwing for over 34,000 yards and 248 touchdowns during that span. In 2017, he retired from football to join CBS as the lead color analyst for the network's NFL telecasts, replacing former New York Giant, Phil Simms.

In the beginning, Romo received regular praise for his broadcasts. The New Yorker’s Zach Helfand called Romo a “genius of football commentary.” Broadcast legends like Bob Costas and Dick Vitale spoke highly of his broadcasts and his ability to predict plays earned him the nickname “Romodamus” on social media.

In 2018, he earned a record setting contract worth $17.5M per year to remain at CBS, but in recent years, he’s struggled to live up to his deal.

CBS execs tried intervention to address Tony Romo's slippage in booth https://t.co/Ke9db0aIZ2 pic.twitter.com/mJT2gIC6fi
— New York Post (@nypost) February 3, 2023

On the The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, Andrew Marchand The New York Post claimed executives at CBS tried to get Romo to prepare better in advance of games, going to the lengths of attempting an "intervention" last offseason.

"Tony Romo needs to study more,” Marchand said. “He needs to be better prepared. As you move away from the sidelines, you need to do more work. I know CBS is aware of this. They tried an intervention last offseason. They knew, they anticipated this. That’s a credit to them, the people in charge there. But it has not gotten better.”

While CBS acknowledges they’ve spoken to Romo, they stop short of calling it an intervention. To his credit, Romo appears to be taking it all in stride.

In a recent interview with The New York Post, Romo said, “I just think it’s enjoyable to try and be the best you can be, and the only way to do that is sometimes to trial and error, and staying inside the umbrella of what you think that the viewer wants to help them enjoy the show.”

Hopefully he gets it together for the Eagles-Patriots game. Patriots fans are probably more concerned about Tom Brady’s pending broadcast career, but if Romo can’t find his 2018 form, Eagles fans will let him (and CBS) know all about it.

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