When Ben Roethlisberger was leading the Steelers down the field for their game-winning touchdown drive against the Ravens, Tony Romo attempted to explain what might be going through the future Hall of Famer’s head. For the last week, Roethlisberger has been forced to hear scores of NFL pundits, including some of his ex-teammates, pronounce the death of his football career. He got his retribution Sunday, going 9-of-10 in the fourth quarter for 129 yards, two touchdowns and a successful two-point attempt.
As a former high-profile NFL QB who withstood plenty of criticism levied in his direction, it was fitting for Romo to provide his own insight into the situation. The problem is, he didn’t make any sense.
“You know you feel that as a quarterback,” Romo said with time winding down. "You may not be playing as good as you used to, or as good as you once were, but you may be as good once as you used to be … ahh I was close to getting that right.”
Then Romo paused and the game carried on, with millions of viewers at home wondering what the $180 million analyst was trying to say.
Romo was a caricature of himself during the Steelers’ thrilling 20-19 win over the Ravens, yelping his way through a brutal telecast. When the Ravens scored on their final possession, Romo didn’t bother providing any sort of insight. Instead, he brought out the pompoms.
“They're going to kick it, obviously. But I’d wish they would go for two,” he said. “That would make it more fun.”
There are multiple problems with that so-called analysis, beginning with the fact it wasn’t obvious the Ravens would attempt the PAT. The analytics actually slightly favored the Ravens going for two points (47.1%) over the kick (46.5%), according to ESPN. The Ravens were also out of cornerbacks, with Marlon Humphrey exiting the game after trying to tackle Diontae Johnson. But Romo didn’t relay those facts to the audience. Instead, we got carnival barking when John Harbaugh sent Lamar Jackson back onto the field.
“He’s a riverboat gambler. I love it!,” Romo shouted.
Of course, it’s good when NFL announcers are excited about the games they’re calling. But there’s a fine line between enthusiasm and shrillness. Far too often, Romo falls into the latter category. The analyst who used to be ahead of the action can barely keep up.
When the Ravens attempted their on-side kick, for example, Romo advocated for them to try an 80-yard field goal.
It wasn’t just game situations where Romo fell shot: he didn’t appear to know much about the Ravens, either. At one point, he credited Jackson for making a play “like when he was in his prime.”
Jackson is 24 years old.
It’s also safe to say many people know about Mark Andrews. But maybe Romo should’ve circled him just in case. It’s a good thing he loves his highlighter, because the love affair with him is over.