News: PFT: Boomer Esiason: Tony Romo will have “trial by fire” on TV

[NewsBot]

Lost in the questions of whether Tony Romo will return to football and whether Phil Simms will return to work for CBS is the most important question for both Romo and CBS: Will their newest employee be any good? With CBS winning a bidding war with FOX (and possibly NBC) for Romo’s services, it’s possible…http://youwillnotrackme2.net/b.gif?host=profootballtalk.nbcsports.com&blog=&post=2450419&subd=nbcprofootballtalk&ref=&feed=1

Current CBS studio analyst Boomer Esiason has done both game broadcasts and studio analysis, and he has some advice for his newest colleague.

“It’ll be a trial by fire,” Esiason told Peter King of TheMMQB.com. “It’s dangerous, I guess my first reaction is: If I only knew then what I know now. . . . Jim Nantz will be really good for Tony. He knows how to make a guy in the booth feel comfortable, and he knows they’ll be highly scrutinized.

“One thing I would say is, try not to be all things to all people. I just overkilled the first year. I read so much, prepared so much. Have fun. Don’t think you know more about football than everybody you’re talking to. . . . Social media will be a killer. The slings and arrows, you won’t know where they’re coming from. But they’re coming. It’s Twitter muscle. Alcohol Twitter muscle. But it’s just like being a quarterback. We’re used to criticism. We know we’re going to take shots. It’s part of the job. He has to know that going in. . . . I hope he can criticize a play call. He has to do that.”

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[WoodysGirl]

The challenge when criticizing a play call will be to find a way to do it fairly and persuasively, with a skin thick enough to realize that anything remotely negative he says about any team will trigger a knee-jerk conclusion from fans that he “hates” that team. Still, it’s always better to say something than to say nothing.

As MDS pointed out on Wednesday’s PFT Live, Romo had a chance to say something about where the Texans should turn at quarterback now that he’s off the market. Romo instead said nothing.

While he can get away with that in April, he’ll have no choice but to quickly conjure just-right-porridge takes on a big platform for 17 Sundays and several Thursdays, starting on September 10. If he’s not good, he’ll know it, he’ll hear it, and he’ll grow to quickly hate the job. Based on Romo’s decision to walk away from football while he still can play, he likely possesses the kind of self-awareness that would prompt him, like Joe Montana did two decades ago, to exit TV after only one year.

The problem with this quote is that the presser was about Romo, the newly retired player. Not Romo the football analyst. He was only addressing it from that angle.

 

[tyke1doe]

From now until the regular season, Romo will be in the booth with Nantz analyzing past games. That's how you prepare for a live broadcast. Then he will do a few preseason games.

Tony really doesn't even have to talk that much until he gets comfortable. All he has to do is rely on his experience. He can add succinct commentary about a play or what was going through the mind of a quarterback or what route was being run, etc.

What trips guys up is that they think they have to tall ALL THE TIME and talk about EVERYTHING. Just stay in your lane until you're ready to drive on the Autobahn.

 

[punchnjudy]

He forgot to mention: Don't publicly call out Troy for being biased in favor of the Cowboys. It will make you look incredibly stupid.

 

[Idgit]

Esiason has a friendship with Simms, so this is him showing some respect. The twittercism is going to be a fraction of what Tony's dealt with regularly the last however-many years. We know he'll be able to criticize a play call. One of Tony's strengths is criticizing tactfully. My only question with Tony is whether or not his insights can be distilled down into the sort of sentiments you've got time for in between NFL plays. He likes to wax philosophical, and he likes to chose his words carefully. But I think when it comes to diagnosing plays for a play-by-play he'll be great from the get-go.

 

[erod]

I know this much.

Romo could sleepwalk for three hours and do a better job than Simms and Esiason. Both are blowhards.

 

[JoeKing]

Anyone that has had the pleasure of listening to Romo break down what is happening live, knows he is gifted at explaining the intricacies that happen in a flash in a way that anyone that is interested in the game will understand. He'll do a fine job.

 

[DallasDW00ds0n]

People/Romo haters want Romo to fail. He wont. Hes too smart and likeable to fail at this job.

 

[Sarge]

I know this much.

Romo could sleepwalk for three hours and do a better job than Simms and Esiason. Both are blowhards.

I never really had any problem with Simms or Esiason.

 

[erod]

I never really had any problem with Simms or Esiason.

Simms was empty. Never made an insightful point.

Esiason gets fired everywhere he goes.

 

[robjay04]

I never really had any problem with Simms or Esiason.

Yeah Collingsworth and Buck are the killers for me.

I would prefer for an analyst to hardly be noticeable than be an annoying biased prick. I believe Gruden does a good job...yes he can seem biased as well to someone not paying attention but he slobbers over every team and player evenly, much like Madden back in the day.

 

[plymkr]

Me to Boomer, "Shut up Meg"

 

[punchnjudy]

I never really had any problem with Simms or Esiason.

I actually didn't either, but I can confidently say that neither of them ever extended my viewing time. Since it's doubtful anyone would tune in just to hear an announcer, I imagine that extending the avg time viewed is the network's goal here.

Granted, I have no idea who participates in the Nielsen ratings, but getting them to stay tuned longer helps the ratings.

 

[xwalker]

Simms was empty. Never made an insightful point.

Esiason gets fired everywhere he goes.

Boomer still does radio broadcast, IIRC. He was decent on those. It's his in studio work where he is annoying. You have to have over the top opinions to be on those studio shows. It is much different than doing a game broadcast. Bradshaw has gotten rich doing the Fox studio work, but he might be the worst at calling a game that I've ever heard.

 

[loublue22]

Tony struck me as more of a studio guy, but I respect him for going for the harder assignment

I'm sure he'll be fine

 

[WoodysGirl]

Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick, who spent nine years with Romo in Dallas, attested to his former quarterback's credentials in a Wednesday interview with NFL Network's Up to the Minute Live.

"I think he's going to do great," Scandrick said. "Tony is brilliant. I love the guy. Man, I'm going to miss having him as my teammate."

Romo's stiffest test as a broadcast rookie? It's the same one that trips up so many ex-players fresh off the field: Is he willing to criticize former teammates, respected opponents and venerable coaches as the situation demands?

"I think he would be brutally honest," Scandrick continued. "I think he would just call it how he sees it. He's a smart guy. He's phenomenal at the way he understands the game. Tony's been a cerebral player for a long, long time. And that's how he rose to what he was."

Ourand testified that Romo is such a natural that he's viewed as a "can't-miss prospect" within the television industry.

"One hundred percent of the TV executives I've talked to," Ourand relayed, "literally not one says anything bad about Tony Romo. He's one of these sort of can't-miss people.

"Ed Goren who used to run FOX Sports says you can't teach a personality. And Tony Romo has a personality."

More: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...drick-romo-will-be-brutally-honest-as-analyst

 

[mrmojo]

He will be fine. I think Moose deserves a shot at a number one spot someday soon.

 

[Nightman]

Them Terps hating on Romo

First Bonnie now Boomer......who's next SVP?

 

[GhostOfPelluer]

The challenge for Tony will be allowing his personality to shine through. He never was able to do that answering questions in the press. Even during the press conference call he was pretty dry and uncharismatic. That's gotta change.

 

[T-RO]

He likes to wax philosophical, and he likes to chose his words carefully.

Yes he does. It will be interesting to see it develop. Might make me watch a little more non-Cowboy action on CBS.