This was rather unexpected!
Tony Romo, the star quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys for basically almost a decade before he was replaced by Dak Prescott after being injured earlier this season, has retired.
That in and of itself is a bit of a surprise, as most people expected him to continue playing with a team that might have a serious chance at the Super Bowl, but needed an experienced quarterback. There was a lot of talk about Romo possibly joining the Houston Texans or Denver Broncos, although that obviously will not happen now.
Instead, Romo will join the CBS broadcast booth, and will replace former Giants quarterback Phil Simms. Simms, a former Super Bowl MVP who still holds the record for most efficient passing day of any quarterback in Super Bowl history, completing 22 of 25 passes for an 88.5 percent completion rating) was one of the top broadcasters for several years, although apparently, many people did not like him.
Frankly, I am not certain why this should be the case. Simms always seemed like a decent guy, and quite modest compared to a lot of the loudmouth jocks in the sport, which includes some who made it to the broadcast booth and/or pregame and postgame studios.
Now, I am not saying that Romo is one of those guys. Far from it, in fact. Admittedly from the little that I have heard from him, he always seemed to be well-spoken and fairly thoughtful. It will be interesting to see what Romo brings to the broadcast booth, although it saddens me that many people seemed to be itching for Simms to be released.
Why?
It reminds me a little (but really only a little) of the situation back in the 1990 season, when Simms was enjoying an incredible season, and had the best passer rating of any quarterback in the league, as he led the Giants to a hugely successful season that saw them as serious Super Bowl contenders. Then, he got injured in a game against the Bills (perhaps ironically, the future opponents for the Giants in that year's Super Bowl). Shamefully, many cheered as Simms writhed in agony on the field, because a lot of Giants fans just did not like him, for whatever the reason. Jeff Hostetler came off the bench to replace Simms, and his mobility drew a lot of attention and headlines, and was credited with helping the Giants normally boring and predictable offense look a lot more dangerous and tough for opposing defenses to deal with. In the end, Hostetler had a Cinderella postseason, leading the Giants to a convincing victory against Chicago, then eking out a win at San Francisco, ending the 49ers dynasty, before just squeaking out a win against the Bills in Super Bowl XXV.
Simms had to endure taunts and disrespect, although by the time that he regained the starting job somewhere during the 1992 season, he had somehow gained considerable popularity, finally getting some of the respect that he really deserved.
Unfortunately, that level of disrespect seems to have spread to the broadcast booth, as many people seemed to express joy that Simms was gone, his starting job once again taken by another quarterback. Of course, this is a different situation, but it still is hard to understand. I have always found the guy more down to earth than many other former players, and enjoyed watching him. It feels that he is being unfairly targeted.
That said, I do not wish any bad on Romo, and wish the former Dallas star quarterback all success in the broadcast booth.
Twitter celebrates with mean tweets as Tony Romo replaces Phil Simms at CBS By James Kratch | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 04, 2017:
I have nothing against Romo, but this strikes me as a stupid move. I agree with your assessment of Phil Simms, and find it difficult to imagine that people were clamoring for his removal. Lots of the movers and shakers in television broadcasting seem to be utterly clueless.
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