SI

CBS Sports President Admits He Sometimes Tells Tony Romo To ‘Calm Down a Little Bit’

Also in Traina Thoughts: Former NFL player has beef with the Watt brothers; WWE’s wild press conference and more.

Jimmy Traina

1. In Thursday’s Traina Thoughts, I told you about Jim Nantz defending Tony Romo against criticism on this week's SI Media With Jimmy Traina.

Today, we have CBS Sports President Sean McManus also defending Romo while revealing some interesting behind-the-scenes nuggets during an interview with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on SiriusXM on Thursday.

When Russo asked McManus if Sunday’s Chiefs-Niners Super Bowl is a big game for Romo to be able to silence some of his critics McManus pulled back the curtain.

“I do believe that because of some of the criticism, most of which I think is undeserved … I think it’s an important game for him no matter what,” McManus said.

“I think if people really listen to Tony, and he’s not your meat-and-potatoes analyst. He’s more of a fan. He gets excited. We sometimes say to him, ‘Hey, calm down a little bit because you do get too into the game,’ which I think is a plus. But I think generally speaking, people really enjoy listening to Nantz and Romo and Tracy [Wolfson]. 

“When social media starts to turn, it really turns and it almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The people who really like Tony tend not to tweet. It’s mostly the negative. You get two tweets and then people pile on.”

I’ve said many times on SI Media With Jimmy Traina, including on last week’s show with The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis, that I still like Romo as a broadcaster and I do think a lot of the social media backlash is a pile on. But I’ve also said it would help Romo if he toned down the hyperbole he sometimes gets wrapped up in, so it was interesting to hear McManus admit they sometimes tell Tony to chill.

This will clearly be a challenge Sunday because if there’s one game when it’s understandable to go over-the-top, it’s the Super Bowl. But even in the Big Game, it would be wise of Romo to pick his spots when it comes to getting too juiced up.

2. If you haven’t seen this pass from Luka Dončić last night, hit the play button immediately.

3. It’s impossible to know what was planned, what wasn’t planned and how things are changing because it’s pro wrestling, but the WWE has created a huge buzz around WrestleMania this year thanks to a storyline involving Cody Rhodes, The Rock and Roman Reigns. 

The company was able to create even more buzz and intrigue Thursday night thanks to a press conference in Las Vegas that saw fans chant, "We want Cody, Rocky sucks," The Rock slap Cody across the face and The Rock going back to the Attitude Era by cursing all over the place.

4. It’s very rare to ever hear anyone say anything negative about any of the Watt brothers, so this story from former offensive lineman and current co-host of the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast, Taylor Lewan, about having beef with J.J. and T.J. was pretty shocking.

5. Thank goodness the pain of Super Bowl week and the cringe content that comes with it is over.

6. This week’s SI Media with Jimmy Traina features a conversation with the man who will call Super Bowl LVIII for CBS, Jim Nantz.

Nantz, who will be calling his seventh Super Bowl, talks about how he prepares for calling the big game, whether the massive number of viewers affects how he calls the game and if he ever thought he’d see the day when there would be a Super Bowl in Las Vegas.

Nantz also addresses the backlash faced by Romo in recent seasons, shares his thoughts on the Kevin Burkhardt-Greg Olsen-Tom Brady dynamic and how he thinks Brady will do as a broadcaster.

Other topics discussed include whether Nantz would want to call the NFL game in Brazil next season, how he feels about his first season not calling March Madness, his “Wide right, the two most dreaded words in Buffalo have surfaced again” call at the end of the Bills’ AFC Championship Game loss to the Chiefs and much more.

Following Nantz, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we talk about the Grammys, the season premiere of Curb Your Enthusiasm, the WWE controversy involving Cody Rhodes, The Rock and Roman Reigns, Super Bowl betting and much more

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated’s YouTube channel.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: With the Super Bowl just about here, never forget that the all-time best halftime show was done by Prince.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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