Jim Nantz, J.J. Watt, Ian Eagle, Ross Tucker discuss new CBS NFL booths amid Tony Romo absence

[ASFN Admin]

You must be registered for see images attach

Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Dayhoff-USA TODAY Sports

CBS Sports held its annual NFL Media Day on Tuesday and, somewhat commendably, still made all of its top talent available to speak with the press despite the ongoing situation involving lead NFL analyst Tony Romo, who was not present while on indefinite leave from the network.

Lead play-by-play voice Jim Nantz, interim lead analyst J.J. Watt, No. 2 play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle, and interim No. 2 analyst Ross Tucker all spoke with Awful Announcing at Tuesday’s event to give their perspectives on the new booths.

The following interviews have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

When did you first hear that CBS could make a decision that impacts your job?

Nantz: “The golf event in Minnesota, on that Friday. The 3M Open. Yeah, that’s when- I found out that Friday.”

Watt: “I mean, not very long before the rest of the world I would say. I think it was about 10 days ago. …It’s certainly not the circumstances you want something like this to happen under, but it’s an incredible opportunity and I’m extremely excited about it.”

Eagle: “I heard about it from CBS and was thrilled for J.J. and the opportunity that he’s getting because he’s a pro’s pro and terrific at the job. We had a fantastic season together. Who knows what the future holds, I just know that I root for him in every aspect of life and our relationship.”

Ross: “Over the last week or so they kinda let me know, so pretty fired up about it as you might imagine.”

Did CBS keep you in the loop on its thinking throughout the process?

Nantz: “No, I really was just laying low. I had golf events to do and I knew they had a lot to, you know, look at, sort out. But, you know, I made my mind up because we have this late flurry of golf events on the schedule. I was going to communicate with Tony, which we have, back-and-forth … I just kind of wanted to focus on what’s in front of me, and that’s what I’ve done.

“Tony is a great friend of mine and has been for years. He and I go back to 2011 when he got married, I was invited to his wedding. So, this was not someone in 2017 when he entered the booth I was just getting to know for the first time. So he’s a great friend, continues to be, always will be. I adore his family, his wife is awesome. They’re the ones that are on my mind right now. The contents of what we talked about, I’m just going to leave that private, and I think that’s the only way and the appropriate way for me to look at it.

Eagle: “Yeah, they kept me in the loop, which was great. And that means a lot to me, by the way, I don’t take that lightly that they were very inclusive. Obviously, it’s their call, and I respect that. I think they made a great decision. We have no idea moving forward what this is going to look like, but at least for now, I know this will go very well.”

Ross: “What’s funny is I was at the beach when they made the announcement about Tony Romo being put on leave, and so I got text messages from a couple people, you know, like, ‘what does this mean for you?’ Like, from friends, my sister. And I said, ‘I don’t know. I’ll find out when I find out.’ And then I can’t remember exactly when it was, but [CBS Sports SVP of Talent] Ross Molloy, who’s our boss, he called me and let me know that they had made the decision to bump me up with Ian. So, obviously just totally thrilled, excited.”

What are your first impressions about your new partner?

Nantz:”[J.J. Watt] is a very, very talented communicator. When you win the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, and you win the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award, which impresses me way more than anything he’s done in his legendary first-ballot Hall of Fame football career, that tells you that the man knows about leadership and he knows how to not only lead people, he knows how to deliver a message. This is something that comes naturally for him. Look at who he is, look at all that football stuff, just look at what he’s been recognized for off the field and the ability to put a headset on and break down a football play compared to being in the community and helping people during a crisis in your city and rolling up your sleeves and doing things and leading people to help make Houston better, maybe this is something that comes naturally for him. He can do that.

Watt: “It’s been really good. We’ve obviously talked a lot, we’ve both talked on the phone, lots of text messages. We did a mock game yesterday where we called a game from last year together and that went really well, so everything has been going really well so far.”

Eagle: “With Ross, I’ve done a lot of games on radio, so there’s a shorthand that we’ve already developed just based on reps and just knowing him, football courses through his veins. He is thinking about it 24/7, he’s exceptionally smart, passionate, he’s into it. So, I just know, at least for the time being, that chemistry’s not going to be an issue, we’ll click from Day 1 and we’ll hit the ground running in Houston Week 1.”

Ross: “What’s cool is I’ve already done so many games on the radio with Ian that I guess I already know in my mind what it’s going to sound like, how it’s going to feel, and there’s such a comfort level there. So really, really excited to work with him. I think he’s one of the best to ever do it, I think he’s awesome, so getting a chance to work with him on the TV side will be really cool.

“We’ve done a lot of Thursday Night games together, we’ve done a bunch of playoff games together. So while TV and radio are different mediums for me, you know, doing a game with Ian, a big standalone game or whatever, it’s very natural, it’s very normal.”

Nantz and Watt will kick off the season in Minnesota as the Vikings host their division rival, the Green Bay Packers. Eagle and Ross will head to Houston for Week 1 as the Texans play host to the Buffalo Bills. The future of Tony Romo in the top CBS booth remains unclear as the situation continues to evolve. At least for now, CBS has chosen this quartet to lead its top two NFL broadcast teams. The question now is how long they’ll remain together.

The post Jim Nantz, J.J. Watt, Ian Eagle, Ross Tucker discuss new CBS NFL booths amid Tony Romo absence appeared first on Awful Announcing.

Continue reading...