And now for something completely different: Romo "era" begins
10/29/06 10:51 PM
By ED BARK
A star is born on pro football's biggest TV stage. It's been a while since that's been said about a Dallas Cowboy. The team had been too busy recycling old stars until Tony Romo thoroughly impressed Al Michaels and John Madden on NBC's Sunday Night Football.
They named him "Rock Star of the Game," which has replaced the old "Horse Trailer" honors from ABC's now defunct Monday Night Football. And Madden said Romo just might have that hard-to-elucidate "it" factor that separates the "Dandy Don" Merediths from the Chad Hutchisons.
"Tony Romo may be that guy who walks in the room, sinks the 8-ball, takes the money and walks out," Madden deduced after Dallas had sealed a comeback win against the Carolina Panthers. And as for T.O.? "Now he's like a secondary figure," said Michaels as the game ended.
Old habits die hard, though. So the post-game interview was with Terrell Owens, who said he just wanted to have more fun on the field and had played the game for God. NBC then closed shop with a previously taped Skycam image of a winking, broadly smiling T.O. "There are some athletes who always know where the camera is," Michaels had said when NBC first showed the shot.
Still, solid progress was made in weaning the team from Owens' ham-fisted grip. By my count, Romo's name was dropped a total of 102 times during game coverage, with T.O. (54) holding off coach Bill Parcells (50) for a distant second place. If you count the constant sideline shots of Parcells, though, it was no contest between him and Owens. And the old coach came up big late in the game by smooching safety Keith Davis on the head while also showing uncommon affection for several other players.
"It's The Love Boat over on the Cowboys sideline tonight," observed Michaels, who laughed uproariously at the replays of Parcells' pecking order.
Romo otherwise got the marquee treatment. After all, quarterbacking the Cowboys is "one of the regal positions in all of American sports," Michaels told the country, which likely swallowed hard.
Romo, a Wisconsin native (hey, me, too), has long idolized Packers QB Brett Favre, and does an impression of him. And whaddya know, NBC just happened to have video of it after sideline reporter Andrea Kremer acted as though she had a scoop or something.
Michaels and Madden also marveled at Romo's cool under fire and his recent jilting by a girlfriend who sacked him over the phone a week earlier.
"I love that release," Madden said later, referring to Romo's passing style, not the breakup.
Coming out parties don't get any better. Michaels and Madden are still the best in the business, both at articulating a football game and having some fun with it. On Sunday night they brought Romo into full prominence while having the good sense to turn the heat down on T.O. The flamboyant receiver had a big night statistically, but for once didn't command center stage. Romo wasn't built in a day, but Sunday Night Football solidly laid his foundation.
Big-time blooper -- Coming out of a commercial break, Michaels recited a list of the game's sponsors, which include NBC's parent company, GE. Except that he at first said "GM" before quickly seeing the light.
"I can't blow that one," Michaels said, laughing. Say watt?