The problem is with EWR
Newark is one of 5 extremely crowded airports within 30 miles of NYC (LaGuardia, JFK, Westchester, and Teterboro are the others) and is in the middle of one of the busiest traffic corridors in the U.S. (coming from Tampa, your flight would merge with domestic and international flights to and from 2 other commercial airports close to New York – Stewart and MacArthur – 3 major DC-area airports, as well as Philadelphia and Boston traffic – all ascending and descending within a confined area). Because of this, traffic flows in the Northeast are often reduced during inclement weather, resulting in long delays. Unless you’re on an early-morning flight, it’s best to expect delays of approximately 2 hours when flying to or from any New York airport.
Next time, when flying Continental, you might be better off connecting through Houston.