Wanted for TV: The Tony Romo of defensive game analysts, somebody who can analyze defenses as well as Romo does offenses.
The former Cowboys quarterback turned CBS lead game analyst has taken sports television by storm, uncannily predicting plays before they happen. The NFL is a copycat league, and there's been a gold rush by its TV partners to find the "next" Romo. Consider ESPN hiring ex-Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (Romo's former road roommate) as "Monday Night Football" lead analyst for 2018 before he left the broadcast booth to return to the field in 2019.
But what if these networks are missing the forest for the trees? If the Patriots' suffocating 13-3 win over the Rams in Super Bowl 53 proved anything, it's defense still wins championships.
Instead of finding another Romo, maybe networks should hire, or promote, a former defensive player/coach who can better explain what's happening on the other side of the ball next season.
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There's no debate 2018 was the Year of the Quarterback, with NFL passers setting all-time records for touchdown passes (847), passer rating (92.9) and completion percentage (64.9). Romo was the perfect guy to ride this offensive explosion. He and partner Jim Nantz called a perfect game during the Pats' wild 37-31 AFC championship game win over the Chiefs, with league insiders and fans marveling at Romo's ability to predict plays pre-snap.
But guess what? Despite all the offensive fireworks, the 2018 season still culminated in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever. The 16 combined points eked out by the Patriots and Rams in Super Bowl 53 were even fewer than the 21 points scored by Dolphins-Redskins in the Jurassic era of 1973's Super Bowl VII.
Watching CBS' telecast, viewers were often left to wonder how and why the Patriots were able to throttle the Rams, the second-highest scoring team during the regular season at 32.9 points per game.
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What were they doing that made Rams QB Jared Goff look like a scared, confused kid? What happened during the game that led Sean McVay, the Rams' 33-year-old whiz kid, to admit he was "outcoached" by 66-year old Bill Belichick?
The ebullient Romo did the best he could during a nearly unwatchable game. In the fourth quarter, he instantly dissected the Pats' blitz that forced a nervous Goff to heave a wounded duck off his back foot, leading to an easy pick by Pats cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
"They went all-out pressure. Belichick waited the whole game to send it," Romo said. "And Gilmore wasn't going to get beat deep. Waiting for the big-time interception."
I also liked Romo's insta-analysis of Brady's interception on his first pass attempt. Wily Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips fooled Brady by showing man coverage when the Rams were actually playing zone. Even 41-year-old Tom Terrific makes makes mistakes.
WATCH: Tony Romo's best calls of the 2018 season
"Brady, right at the end, knew he was making a poor decision," Romo noted.
Still, Romo was out of his element, calling a static, defensive struggle, according to David J. Halberstam's "Sports Broadcast Journal."
"Because Romo is an experienced offensive player, he took a slight step back because of his limited expertise from a defensive perspective," Dan Mason wrote in his Super Bowl review. "Due to limited scoring opportunities, Tony couldn’t really get into the kind of groove that drew him great praise in the AFC championship game. Being unable to thoroughly break down the defenses might have exposed Romo a bit."
I talked to another industry source who was not impressed with Romo's performance on the Super Bowl broadcast stage. Yes, Romo had some nice moments. But there was not enough analysis, he thought, of a Patriots defensive gameplan that may turn out be Belichick's masterpiece.
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"We need to find a Romo for defense," said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. "Maybe (NFL TV networks) figure viewers don't care about the difference between Cover 2 and Cover 3? Well, then we should show them. We have 100 cameras out there for every frigging game. Let's use them."
This is not to pick on Romo or CBS. If the NFL is an offense-driven league, so is the TV coverage. In 2018, the four lead game analysts for CBS (Romo), ESPN's "Monday Night Football" (Witten), NBC's "Sunday Night Football" (Cris Collinsworth) and Fox's "Thursday Night Football" and Sunday afternoon coverage (Troy Aikman) were all offensive stars in the NFL.
Lo and behold, the league's TV partners employed roughly three times the number of ex-QBs, receivers, running backs and former offensive coordinators as game analysts this season than they did former D-linemen, cornerbacks/safeties, linebackers or defensive coordinators.
Here's a breakdown of network NFL game analysts in 2018 season, along with their former player positions/coaching roles:
Offense
NBC: Collinsworth (WR)
ESPN: Witten (TE); Brian Griese (QB)
CBS: Romo, Dan Fouts, Trent Green, Rich Gannon, Steve Beuerlein (QBs); James Lofton (WR); Jay Feely (K); Bruce Arians (HC/OC)
Fox: Aikman, Brady Quinn (QB); Daryl Johnston (RB); Mark Schlereth (OL); Cris Carter; Greg Jennings (WR)
Defense
ESPN: Booger McFarland (DL)
CBS: Adam Archuleta (DB)
Fox: Charles Davis, Ronde Barber (DB); Chris Spielman (LB); Jeff Fisher (HC/DC)
With Jon Gruden leaving ESPN for the Raiders last year, and Arians returning to the sidelines to coach the Buccaneers this year after only one season with CBS, there's a shortage of ex-coaches calling games.
That's surprising given that John Madden is still viewed as the gold standard for color analysts. But ex-coaches turned TV talkers like Bill Cowher (CBS), Rex Ryan and John Fox (ESPN) and Jimmy Johnson (Fox) tend to prefer the studio to games due to the lighter workload and easier travel schedule.
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But things could be changing in network TV booths. ESPN made McFarland, a Super Bowl-winning defensive tackle, a co-equal with Witten. Front office insider Louis Riddick nearly won the lead "Monday Night Football" analyst job that went to Witten.
Fox loosened the reins for on-air talent, inviting personalities like Doug Gottlieb known more for their expertise outside football to work as NFL sideline reporters. Former safety Adam Archuleta of CBS is viewed as an up-and-coming talent who could eventually grow into a lead analyst role.
The question now is whether TV networks will follow the Romo playbook. Or call an audible and get creative with a defensive-minded TV talent.
Romo may be so original, there may not be another Romo out there. So maybe it's time for networks to zig when everybody else zags.
