CBS Following the Tony Romo Blueprint With Davis Love III

The sport media world revolves around Tony Romo. If it's not about his next steps, it's about competing networks trying to find their own Romo -- someone who can come in still sweaty from competition and provide immediate, exponential value.

CBS believes they have that again with Davis Love III, who is joining the network's golf coverage this year and will make his debut next week at the Farmers Insurance Open.

And just as they did with their prized football analyst -- who more than dabbles in golf as well -- Love was sent to bootcamp. The rigorous training consisted of two sessions covering some of the basics.

"We took him through the all mechanics and really got him comfortable wearing a microphone, listening on a headset," CBS Sports president Sean McManus said on a conference call Tuesday. "Although he has a lot to learn, I think he'll hit the ground running."

"The technical side of it was incredibly beneficial," Love said. "Dottie [Pepper] talked to me some on the phone and then came to Sea Island and showed me her yardage book and showed me her computer. I actually put the equipment on, they said, 'Try it this way, try it that way, walk down the fairway.'

"Those little things are what I really have to work hard at. If Nick [Faldo] asks me a question, I think I can answer it and give him some good information. When I talk to Ian Baker-Finch both on and off the golf course we have a great rapport and we'll be able to get through that part if it. It's just flipping that switch so you can hear me. It's those little things bootcamp was very helpful on."

Love, a 21-time winner on the Tour, has had his eyes on this role for years. A long-running friendship with CBS golf producer Lance Burrow made this a natural transition.

Jim Nantz said Love has always been a CBS guy in his book and noted 13 of Love's victories have been televised by the network.

"I'm ready to get going," Love said. "There's been a lot of talk about me jumping in with the CBS crew the past few years and I'm excited to be on the best team in golf. I've been around the CBS crew for a long, long time. I've been hanging around the compound or the trucks or dinners. I know the business probably too well from the truck side of it so I need to learn the announcer side. It gives me great peace to know the veterans like Jim and Nick and Ian Baker-Finch are going to be up there for me to talk to from the ground."

And that's where the 55-year-old will be next week. On the course, where he is most comfortable and can provide the best insight. A meaty role for CBS' Masters coverage in April will be carved out, but all parties agree starting with feet on the grass is the best thing to do.

Said McManus: "When we first met with Davis a couple of years ago, he said to us 'my motivation right now is to learn this business and if you guys tell me to go pull cable, I will go pull cable. I want to learn this from the ground up.' Literally and figuratively, he is learning it from the ground up."

Love still has goals on the Tour, most notably surpassing the all-time record for appearances. He intends to participate in select tournaments. Keeping the connectivity to the game is a tried and true method that has paid dividends for CBS and Love believes it will allow him to bring a fresh perspective.

"A lot like Tony Romo, I'm coming right off the field. I've been out there, I've been with these guys in team rooms and on the range. Hopefully, with Jim and Nick's leadership I can get some of that out and tell the fans something different that they haven't heard."