Jim Nantz might not be concerned about the criticism that often gets sent Tony Romo\u2019s way, but he\u2019s aware of it.<\/p>\n
Nantz made the media rounds on Masters Monday<\/a> ahead of what will be his 40th broadcast of golf\u2019s most prestigious tournament later this week. And during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Nantz was asked about the snowballing criticism around Romo and whether it\u2019s warranted or just part of a cycle that will eventually see the NFL analyst return to favor.<\/p>\n \u201cIve been working with Tony Romo for nine years and I love him..<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a thrill working with him and I consider myself fortunate to call games with him\u201d<\/p>\n Jim Nantz #PMSLive<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/OSIDev5LxH<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHe is unique, and you don\u2019t want everyone out there to be the same. He has a different perspective, he\u2019s fun, he is incredibly knowledgeable about what\u2019s happening and the X\u2019s and O\u2019s, what\u2019s going on in a football play,\u201d Nantz said as he raved about his broadcast partner. \u201cWe\u2019ve been together for nine years, it\u2019s been a joyride. I know there\u2019s a lot of noise out there, and sometimes the noise just feeds more noise. But Tony doesn\u2019t pay any attention to it, I don\u2019t pay any attention to it. There are a lot of people that love him, the great majority do. I love him, it\u2019s been a thrill working with him.\u201d<\/p>\n Romo burst onto the scene when he went straight from the football field to the lead CBS booth alongside Nantz in 2017. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was quickly dubbed Romostradamus for his ability to predict plays, and soon garnered an unprecedented $180 million contract from CBS to continue being their lead analyst.<\/p>\n But in recent years, Romo\u2019s\u00a0lure has diminished<\/a>, and he\u2019s more often criticized for making strange noises or talking over plays rather than predicting them. Unfortunately for Romo, his recent decline as a broadcaster has been a tough narrative to flip, with viewers now bracing to find faults<\/a>\u00a0to highlight. But according to Nantz, Romo should be celebrated for being authentic and original, not criticized for being loud and spontaneous.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going into season 10 this year, and we should celebrate the fact that he\u2019s different,\u201d Nantz insisted. \u201cHe\u2019s got this oversized personality, and he acts like a big kid in the booth. And by the way, off the air, he\u2019s a big kid. And that\u2019s what makes him fun, it\u2019s authentic, it\u2019s who he is, and I like his shooting from the hip, kinda off the cuff reactionary noises and all this stuff. I remember you asked him about that<\/a>; it\u2019s who he is! This is what it sounds like when you\u2019re at the dinner table, and he\u2019s telling a story. I\u2019ve really enjoyed it, I\u2019ve considered myself fortunate to have had him as a partner for a long, long time. More to come.\u201d<\/p>\n The criticism of Romo doesn\u2019t just stem from the fact that he sounds \u201cdifferent\u201d than most NFL analysts. Fans initially loved that he sounded different during the start of his tenure at CBS. But in recent years, there have been mounting examples of miscues from Romo in the booth that have critics questioning whether he spends too much time golfing<\/a> to properly prepare for a broadcast.<\/p>\n Romo was widely criticized for his call of the Buffalo Bills-Jacksonville Jaguars Wild Card game during the playoffs earlier this year. It was later revealed that he was battling an illness during the game<\/a>. And while a broadcaster certainly deserves some semblance of sympathy for calling a game under the weather, the most damning evidence against Romo is the fact that no one was surprised by the poor performance. Instead of wondering what was wrong with Romo, it was assumed this was just another bad game for the CBS broadcaster.<\/p>\n CBS is committed to Romo through 2030, and the criticism against him hasn\u2019t been reflected in ratings. But the best thing going for Romo right now is that he has Nantz\u2019s support. Because even if CBS is interested in bumping Nantz to a lesser booth, they\u2019re not doing it without Nantz\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n \t