EYE!

That’s the only thing we now can accurately predict about Romo’s TV future. No matter what he says, or how he says it, he’s going to be ripped to shreds.

“I’ve prepared for the Twitter universe to be very negative as it always is,” said CBS Sports boss Sean McManus. “Even more so when you are quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. There is a built-in bias and a lot of people are going to hate you from day one.”

Considering how seriously the unwashed masses take their NFL and everything to do with it, “hate” is not a strong word. In this world, now more than ever, irrational ravings about sports in general, and the NFL in particular, are common place. Just turn on the TV or radio at any time of day. The Lunatic Fringe has gone mainstream.

Romo, who has taken plenty of verbal abuse during his playing days, better come to the party with a reptilian epidermis. There will be plenty of folks, including some in the business with axes to grind, rooting for him to fail. Others are already jealous because of his meteoric rise to the top of the NFL analyst ranks with no experience. Fans of the man he replaced, Phil Simms, won’t like him either.

Then there’s everyone else delivering opinions, which are always highly subjective.

Listening to Romo speak for over 30 minutes at a recent CBS Sports media roundtable provided evidence he is more philosophical than glib. That might be a good thing. He knows for the first time in his life he won’t be judged on wins, losses, or personal statistics.

“The ultimate goal is to not need all the affirmation to make you work harder to be good at (broadcasting),” Romo said. “It’s really about wanting to be real good at what you are doing and enjoying the process…..You want to get rid of the ebb and flow of (the critiques). You want to have more of a secure feeling to do what I do. When you have that, you don’t get bogged down in the week to week grind of (someone) killing you or (someone) hyping you up.”

CBS is giving Romo a long leash, so to speak. McManus said he is not expecting Romo “to be great out of the box.” That likely means, unless he is truly horrible, Romo will get at least two years to get his act totally together.

“We made the decision he’s going to be our lead guy. It’s a risk. We’re out there. We put it all on the line,” McManus said. “I’m a little bit nervous. I’m going to be very vigilant. We’re going to set Tony up for success as best we can.”

Does that mean getting him off Twitter?

JIM’S DANDY IDEA

Nantz “was crying inside” for the state of Texas and the city of Houston.

He went to college there, he lived there, his mother and sister still reside there.

“Yes, I was crying inside, but I was also looking at the unity this horrible event produced,” Nantz said. “Strangers helping strangers. I really believe that love will always conquer hate.”

Nantz verbally contrasted the scenes of compassion in Houston to the horrible sight of violence a few weeks ago in Charlottesville at a rally where three people died. The image he constructed was clear: The two sides of America. One filled with hate, the other with compassion.

“After seeing what’s happening in Texas wouldn’t it be a fine thing to celebrate the best of America and those who helped their neighbors in Texas?” Nantz asked.

Then, Nantz answered his own question. He has a plan and has already mentioned it to NFL suits. On opening Sunday afternoon, during the National Anthem, teams should request fans to do one simple thing.

“Put your arm around the shoulder of the person standing next to you. It doesn’t matter where you are in the Stadium,” Nantz said. “Every row, every seat. Strangers embracing other strangers, meeting other strangers. What a moment it would be.” Nantz said CBS and Fox could sync this all up so people watching the early games at home could see the scene and be inspired. “The whole thing is just a thought,” Nantz said. A really good one that the NFL should seriously consider.

NFL POPE? NOPE

If you are expecting Mike (Sports Pope) Francesa to be behind his “Football Sunday” microphone next week you will definitely be disappointed. WFAN sources say the pontiff, as he has previously stated, will not be doing the show. NFL sources tell me the new “Football Sunday” team will be former Giant David Diehl and veteran Gasbag, the excitable Marc Malusis. WFAN brass is supposed to announce this decision sometime this week. Francesa hosted “Football Sunday” for nearly three decades. Meanwhile, the search for the Pope’s drive-time successor continues to drag on. When the search started there were predictions it would end by Labor Day. That is not happening. In their quest to be inspired by some sort of chemistry, the selection committee is taking its time. There still is the possibility that more Gasbags will be auditioning. The guess here is the suits are in no hurry to make a decision they might regret.

BAD APPLE?

After a whirlwind tour of duty on various media platforms in her son Eli’s rookie season with the Giants, Annie Apple won’t likely be returning to the biggest one — ESPN.

Annie Apple’s ESPN contract (her feature pieces aired on “Sunday NFL Countdown”) expired following last season and was not renewed. While there are no concrete plans at this time, there’s still a possibility she could do individual features ticketed for one of ESPN’s NFL platforms.

Last season, Apple was sparingly by ESPN. used