When Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with a broken collarbone against the Minnesota Vikings, the team announced he would undergo surgery and could potentially miss the rest of the regular season.
Once the severity of the injury was announced, rumors started to circulate that the Packers would try to lure former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo, out of retirement.
The rumor was plausible because of how Romo was pushed out by the Cowboys in favor of Dak Prescott, who won the Rookie of the Year award while filling in for an injured Romo last season. The fact that Romo is a Wisconsin native also added more credence to the rumor.
However, the Packers insisted they weren’t going after Romo, and would stick with Brett Hundley as their quarterback. After Hundley threw for less than 100 yards last week, the rumors intensified so much that Romo had to address it.
Since he replaced New York Giants legend Phil Simms as the top analyst for CBS Sports, Romo has received a lot of praise for his enthusiasm for the sport, his high football IQ, and his uncanny ability to predict the play a team will run before they snap the ball.
Romo has been so great at broadcasting, he even has a personal highlight reel on NFL.com, which is a first for an analyst. Romo’s popularity as a broadcaster has even led to a petition to have him featured in the next edition of the Madden NFL series.
During a recent interview with Monday Morning Quarterback’s Peter King, Romo talked about how he transitioned to the broadcasting booth and the possibility of returning to the field.
During the interview, Romo credited preparation for his success.
“I know how to get ready for a football game,” Romo said. “I always knew how to prepare. Preparation for this has not been hard—I love doing it. What it comes down to is, I think about the game a lot.”
“Even when I was playing, I was trying to figure the game out.”
While some, including long-time broadcaster Brent Mursberger, have asked Romo to dial down the predictions, the Cowboys legend doesn’t plan to because he believes NFL fans appreciate being taught the nuances of the game.
“People want to learn football,” Romo said. “People are passionate about their teams, and they want to know exactly why something just happened. So I try to tell them.
“I don’t think it’s that tough to tell them in a way they can fathom.”
Romo finally touched on the question that has been on a lot of minds, will he consider leaving the booth for one more chance to win a Super Bowl? The answer to the question was a resounding no.
“I don’t really think about [returning],” he said. “When I make a choice—and I bet it was the same with [Cris] Collinsworth and [Troy] Aikman—you know how much effort goes into it. You gotta give everything you got to this. You can’t fake things.
“You gotta be yourself. You always hope people enjoy it. The goal is to talk to the guy having a beer next to you, just explain the game. And if I can do that, I’ve done my job.”
