Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has already made quite an impression in his first year in the broadcast booth, both for his enthusiasm and for his eerie ability to predict plays. But possibly his greatest moment in the booth so far didn’t even involve football.
In the closing minutes of a Thursday Night Football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins that had turned into a blowout, a cat running onto the field finally provided Romo and his broadcast partner Jim Nantz with a little excitement.
As the network aired a slo-mo replay of the cat zig-zagging across the field, Romo, without missing a beat, launched into a detailed analysis of the cat’s foray onto the field as if it were a running back. “This is like how you ran in high school,” Romo says, taking a jab at Nantz. “Look at that, perfect form, extension. I mean, and doesn’t even get fazed that there’s people around. Oooh look at the change of direction. Does he get in both feet here at the end Jimmmmmm ooooh he’s in.”
Then, after a second, Romo adds: “That’s way too much fun at this point.”
Twitter, of course, had way too much fun with Romo, and his play-by-play of the cat turned a forgettable game into a viral moment.
https://twitter.com/MCBRlD3/status/923757276892225536
Even a dog appeared to be enthralled by Romo’s analysis.
Blue lovvvvved Romo’s PxP on the loose, cat. Putting an exclamation point on the Ravens 40-0 goose-egg. pic.twitter.com/qObYNWNE8O
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) October 27, 2017
Of course, animals coming onto the field is nothing new, from the St. Louis Cardinal’s Rally Cat to a squirrel that scored a touchdown in Louisville last month. But those moments are always more enjoyable when the announcers have a bit of fun with it, and Romo played the moment perfectly.
The moment might be only eclipsed by the time Kevin Harlan offered a play-by-play of a drunk streaker during a Monday Night Football game last year:
[h/t: For The Win]