Perceptions about who's up, who's down and who's zooming who in the sports TV business can change in a New York minute. Consider CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus as he leads his team into its broadcast of Super Bowl 53.
Less than two years ago, McManus' lead NFL game analyst, Phil Simms, was getting the kind of venom from Twitter trolls previously reserved for, well, former CBS rules analyst Mike Carey. Despite "The NFL Today" being the granddaddy of pregame shows, McManus and No. 2 David Berson were still tinkering with the cast. Among the NFL TV partners, the Tiffany network was seen as the most traditional and hidebound.
All that changed in April 2017. McManus made the risky decision to hire TV rookie Tony Romo as the network's new lead analyst. A month later, McManus hired another newcomer, Nate Burleson of NFL Network, for "The NFL Today."
Fast-forward almost two years later, and the changes McManus made are coming up roses.
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Under the tutelage of legendary play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz, Romo, the former Cowboys quarterback, has quickly become the most popular NFL voice on TV. Simms could have pouted or quit. Instead, he slid into a new role as studio analyst on "The NFL Today." Teaming with the returning James Brown, Bill Cowher and Boomer Esiason, Simms and Burleson have given the venerable pregame show a shot in the arm.
Now, without Simms and Carey to kick around, the Twitter mob has turned its guns to ESPN's Jason Witten, Romo's former teammate-turned-lead analyst for ESPN's "Monday Night Football." While CBS basks in glowing coverage of its Romo-Nantz-Tracy Wolfson announce team, ESPN's crew of Witten, Joe Tessitore, Booger McFarland and Lisa Salters are the new TV pinata.
This is highly subjective so I don’t expect everyone (or even anyone) to agree with me, but I enjoy listening to Tony Romo more than any other football analyst ever. Even Madden.
— Mike Vaccaro (@MikeVacc) January 6, 2019
Does it give McManus satisfaction to prove doubters wrong? What do you think?
"I would say there's some satisfaction," McManus allowed. "We thought Tony was going to be really good. Nobody knew for sure until the red light came on. But we had this feeling that Tony had the passion and the energy and the articulate way to describe what was going on on the field. So we had confidence, but we didn’t know.
"Having seen Phil on 'Inside the NFL' for so many years, we knew what Phil was going to bring. I think that was more of a sure thing. Tony was a bit of a risk. But it was a risk that we were willing to take. I think both moves have worked out as well as we could have hoped."
Sporting News caught up with McManus (the son of late, great ABC Sports announcer Jim McKay) during a CBS event in New York previewing the network's Super Bowl 53 coverage. We asked the executive producer of The NFL on CBS about Romo and the revamped "The NFL Today" cast working their first Super Bowl. And the next round of NFL TV negotiations in 2021-2022. Details are below.
Who will call the Super Bowl in 2019 for CBS?
Romo and Nantz will be on the mic for their first Super Bowl together. This will be Romo's first Super Bowl as an analyst or a player. It will be Nantz's fifth as play-by-play announcer.
Wolfson and Evan Washburn will work their second Super Bowl as sideline reporters. New rules analyst Gene Steratore will also be in the booth as needed. Former kicker Jay Feely will serve as a contributor for the second time.
Behind the scenes in the production truck, Jim Rikhoff will serve as lead producer for the first time. Mike Arnold will serve as lead Super Bowl director for the fourth time.
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How many hours of pre-game Super Bowl coverage will CBS offer?
Get ready for seven hours of pregame coverage. "That Other Pregame Show" will get the ball rolling at 11:30 a.m. ET, followed "Road to the Super Bowl" (noon); "Tony Goes to the Super Bowl" (1 p.m.); "The Super Bowl Today (2-6 p.m.); and "Super Bowl on CBS Kick-Off Show" (6-6:30 p.m.).
Brown and Ian Eagle will host Simms, Burleson, Esiason and Cowher on the four-hour pregame show. They will be joined by Wolfson, Washburn, Steratore, NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, reporter Jamie Erdahl, social media correspondent Amanda Balionis and contributor Jim Rome.
McManus promised the "fastest-moving pregame show you've ever seen."
This will be the ninth time Brown has hosted the Super Bowl pregame show.
Will Romo and Co. discuss sports betting on the Super Bowl boradcast?
No. Despite the increased legalization of sports betting across the country, CBS' announce team will avoid the subject of betting lines/prop bets during the big game.
The network has not addressed NFL betting during the 2018 season, according to McManus, and he sees no reason to change on Super Sunday.
Jim Nantz is speaking at Super Bowl LIII media day. He’ll call the NFL playoffs, AFC championship game, the Super Bowl, March Madness including the Final Four, the Masters and the PGA Championship between now and May. I’m exhausted. pic.twitter.com/KA9S6tg4G4
— Frank Pallotta (@frankpallotta) January 10, 2019
Will CBS interview president Donald Trump on Super Bowl Sunday?
Broadcasters often interview the commander-in-chief on Super Bowl Sunday. McManus confirmed the network has put in a request with the Trump White House for a pregame interview but said there was nothing to announce.
Last year, Trump passed on an interview with NBC before Super Bowl 52 but did sit down with Fox's Bill O'Reilly for Super Bowl 51.
Former President Barack Obama did a Super Bowl interview every year of his presidency, according to the Washington Post.
On rolling dice with TV rookie Romo:
"We just had a feeling," McManus said. "Jim (Nantz) referenced it from the production meetings that they had with Tony. There’s something about him when you sit down and talk to him. He’s got this infectious enthusiasm. A thoughtfulness. He’s really thoughtful also. Plus, he just loves the game of football and loves talking it.
"As I said to him when we were talking to him about the job, it takes a lot of work. You really have to work day in and day out. He works really, really hard, talking to players and coaches and doing his research.
"That’s another one of the reasons nobody ever talks about. He works really, really incredibly hard. (He) and Jim spend hours and hours talking to each other out of the booth. The fact that they're really good friends helps also."
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Did Nantz push the Romo hire?
No, said McManus. Nantz was loyal to his longtime partner Simms. But he and Romo had been friends for years. Once McManus pulled the trigger on the switch, Nantz quickly went to work to prepare Romo for TV.
During the CBS event, Nantz jokingly thanked McManus and Berson for the "arranged marriage" with Romo.
Thoughts on revamped "NFL Today" cast with Simms and Burleson
"I think it’s been great. We have distinct personalities," McManus said. "I think Nate has brought a very fresh approach to the game. He has a completely different perspective than Boomer, Phil or Coach. They really like each other. They watch all the games together as JB (James Brown) talked about. They really like each other. I think the chemistry shines through.
"It’s been very satisfying for us. And JB holds it all together. He’s the best there in my opinion. So it’s been very good."
What about Simms' on-air rivalry with Esiason?
"Deep down they like each other. But there’s some rivalry there," McManus said. "There’s a little creative tension. But it’s all in good fun. It all results in good television."
Why have NFL TV ratings rebounded this season?
"Lot of really good storylines," McManus said. "Kansas City has created a national following. The Rams have created a national following. A lot of good young players, whether its Sam Darnold or Patrick Mahomes or Mitchell Trubisky, Baker Mayfield. That’s generated interest.
"I think the fact the country really needs something to distract it from everything that’s going on. I think football is the perfect alternative."
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On next round of NFL TV contract talks
"We’ll be there. It’s going to be a while I think," McManus said. "We’ve been pretty successful in protecting our rights and we hope to do so again. But it’s really a number of years away."
McManus knows as well as anybody how important the NFL is to TV networks.
After broadcasting the NFL since the 1950's, CBS was stunned to lose the NFC package to upstart Fox Sports in 1993. The network wandered in the TV wilderness for five years before getting back into the NFL TV business with the AFC game package for the 1998 season.
At the time, the AFC package was viewed as inferior to the NFC due to weaker teams and smaller TV markets. But that season, a young quarterback named Peyton Manning joined the Colts. A few years later, Tom Brady became the starter for the Patriots. Over a 15-year period, Manning and Brady electrified audiences. And the AFC was the place to be on NFL TV.
Now with Manning in retirement, and with 41-year-old Brady nearing the end, you'd think the AFC package would be losing value.
Instead, the conference again boasts the two most exciting young quarterbacks in the league: Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs and Baker Mayfield of the Browns. It's back to the future. CBS is poised to have another "Manning vs. Brady" situation for the next decade.
So Sean, do you have a deal with the devil or something?
"No deal with the devil," said McManus with a laugh. "Just a deal with Roger Goodell."
