Wednesday was bound to be one of the biggest in the history of First Take. Not only was Mike Francesa scheduled to join the show for a Mike & The Mad Dog reunion, but before the show even went on the air, Tom Brady announced his retirement. It made all the sense in the world that the show went thirty minutes before taking a break.
“It’s a special day! It’s a special day at First Take! Look at the crew I have in front of me,” Molly Qerim said as she introduced the panel that included Francesa alongside the regular Wednesday cast of Stephen A. Smith and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.
Before the debates began though, Adam Schefter joined the show to discuss Brady’s retirement. The New York native told Qerim that it was hard not to notice the history on the set.
“You’re in the company of royalty, Molly,” he said. “Stephen A, the greatest ever to do it on TV. Two of the guys that are the founding fathers of sports radio.”
“I wish Brady would have picked another day,” Francesa joked.
While discussion of what Tom Brady meant to the NFL and the American sports landscape in general dominated the discussion, there was plenty of time for ribbing and reflection. Stephen A. Smith acknowledged what a fan he was of Mike & The Mad Dog when the show aired on WFAN. He called it an honor to be on with Francesa and Russo.
After spending the majority of the top segment talking about Brady, the show opened its second segment talking about the history of Mike & The Mad Dog. The show came back from commercial with a montage from the 30 for 30 film about the duo. It featured clips from their history and colleagues talking about their influence on New York and the sports talk format.
“I feel like I’m at my funeral,” Mike Francesa joked after the video.
Russo acknowledged that what people were seeing on the screen wasn’t always possible. Whether he was talking about what happened on air or behind the scenes, he acknowledged that there was a time when the two of them wouldn’t be able to get through a walk down memory lane.
“We don’t fight as much as we used to. Mike and I one time spent hours killing each other about who had the best bathroom facility between the Yankees or the Giants.”
The conversation also included a brief discussion about Tom Brady’s future in sports television. Francesa explained why he wasn’t sold on Brady becoming a good analyst, an opinion also shared by Russo.
“It takes a certain personality and a certain mindset to be a good analyst,” Francesa explained. “I don’t think he’s going to be a great analyst. I don’t. I don’t think he is going to be bombastic. I don’t think he has an oversized personality outside of being Tom Brady. I think he will find things he likes more than announcing. I just don’t see that connection. Not every great player is going to be a great analyst, and I don’t think Brady is going to be great.”
