The New England Patriots will have to get back on track in a tough environment against the New Orleans Saints. Tom Brady and Drew Brees are two of the best quarterbacks of the past two decades and should put together a great performance on the field.
And there’s a third All-Score (twenty years) caliber quarterback that will be in the building, too. Former Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo will be performing the color commentary in the booth alongside Jim Nantz, who will be doing the play-by-play.
Romo might not receive the same status as Brady or Brees, and rightfully so since he never led a Super Bowl team, but he was one of the most prolific passers of his time.
Brady, Brees, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers make up the big four of the past twenty years, with Brett Favre in that same conversation. And those five are head-and-shoulders above the rest. But I think Romo falls in the next tier, alongside Kurt Warner, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, and Donovan McNabb. Matt Ryan could be working into that tier, too.
Romo retired ranked inside the top five for career passer rating and if a single officiating call goes differently in the 2014-15 postseason, then we might be looking at his career in a different light.
I’m excited that Romo is calling the next Patriots game because by all accounts he did a fantastic job in his debut. He gave insightful X’s and O’s commentary, flashed charisma and emotion, and is still getting better. If he can provide any meaningful context to what the Patriots or Saints are doing on the field, then it will be a major win for the audience.