Sometimes numbers don’t lie. In the case of Tom Brady, that’s the case for his on-field performance during his Hall of Fame to be career. 7-time Super Bowl Champion, 15-time Pro Bowler, 3-time MVP, member of the Patriots Hall of Fame and his number 12 is retired by the organization. Brady’s 286 combined regular season and playoff wins are the most all-time by an NFL player, and he surpassed Peyton Manning (200) in 2016 to become the NFL’s all-time winningest quarterback. Hard to argue what he accomplished as a player in a 23-year NFL career.
Not too bad for a guy picked in the 6th round of the 2000 NFL Draft out of Michigan. 198 players went off the board before New England chose Brady. He was not regarded as a can’t miss prospect coming out of Ann Arbor. Brady didn’t perform well at the NFL Scouting Combine and as a result he slipped way down the board. He was actually a compensatory pick earned by the Patriots because they lost punter Tom Tupa to free agency in 1999. He was the 7th QB taken.
His career on the field is unmistakable. His post playing career is anything but, at least not yet.
ROAD TO FOX
In May of 2022, Fox Sports announced that Brady would join as the lead color commentator. The deal is worth a reported 375-million dollars over a 10-year period. That’s a rookie contract for the ages.
It was more like an express lane trip to Fox. Brady had no previous broadcasting experience before jumping into the top booth for NFL on Fox coverage of the games. He basically took a year off after playing and got right back into it. Not only did Brady make his broadcasting debut this season, but he is also going to be working Super Bowl LIX with Kevin Burkhardt.
Fox Sports executives took a big gamble, betting that the name Brady would be worth more than the substance, at least at the start. Many fans wondered how he’d do in the booth, considering he never showed much personality in interviews as a player. It would also be interesting to see how Brady would be received, considering the popularity of the guy he replaced, Greg Olsen. When Brady came in, Olsen was paired with Joe Davis, in the network’s #2 booth for NFL coverage.
Others wondered if Brady would even like being in the booth. That question was answered recently when he appeared on FOX NFL Sunday.
“It’s been so fun,” Brady said. “The best part is I have the best teammates in the world. Kevin Burkhardt, Erin [Andrews], Tom Rinaldi, my boy [Richie Zyontz], [Rich Russo], so just coming into this has been so much fun. [I have] really enjoyed every part of it.”
IS HE GOOD?
There’s a lot to unpack here. So much is expected of Brady, because, well, he’s Tom Brady. But broadcasting is a different animal, and it takes some time to settle in and find your way through a game from the booth.
When he first started to quarterback at Michigan, it wasn’t Hall of Fame caliber right away. Same in New England. He got there, because of talent, drive, desire, competitiveness and hard work. He’s improved because the former QB is realizing that studying up and being prepared for a broadcast is just as important as it was preparing for a game in which he’d play.
Brady’s early work got off to a rough start. He was nervous. He wasn’t saying a whole lot, in substance or actual words. He relied on cliches. It seemed like this experiment wasn’t going to work. But there have been some steady improvements in his analysis.
Early on, it seemed like Brady was running a two-minute drill. He was in such a hurry to make a point, if you weren’t listening closely, you might miss what he said. At the beginning there were some stretches of awkward silence. Burkhardt would set Brady up and instead of a pass completion, it wound up in a sack. It’s difficult for the play-by-play guy, when the analyst isn’t really analyzing. You never want to turn the broadcast into an interview, so you have to walk a fine line in that respect. Burkhardt has been the ultimate teammate, showing grace, respect and patience.
I can tell he’s getting better. At times early in the season, it sounded like Brady was shouting a lot. It didn’t sound natural. It was jarring and out of place. Brady was used to shouting out play calls and audibles to his teammates in loud stadiums and that’s kind of how he presented his commentary. Realizing that there is a boom mic right near your mouth is a great discovery for any rookie broadcaster. Toning down the volume really seem to have helped him focus.
Brady has really loosened up since the start of his broadcasting stint in September. His breakdowns of plays are more interesting and informative. After all, who can better help us understand what a QB was thinking, or seeing or reacting to than Brady? It’s making the overall product better when he seems more engaged in the process, allowing the fans to get a real idea of what is going on in a game. I want to hear even more of the ‘less than obvious’ analysis from him, because he’s uniquely credible to provide the information.
Part of the fun is hearing Brady have a little fun too. He always was so ‘buttoned up’ as a player in postgame interview settings, I wish he’d let loose a little more. Brady did have some fun at the expense of Peyton Manning in a game between the Lions and Cowboys a couple of weeks ago. A wide receiver set a pick allowing another to get free for a score only to have it called back. So, Brady took a shot at Manning, for using the pick a lot in his 55-touchdown pass season in 2013.
“I saw Peyton Manning when he threw 55 touchdowns — there were more pick plays in that offense than in the history of NFL football. Since then, they’ve been cracking down. Believe me, I tried to use them all the time, too.”
Brady’s improvements have come with more and more reps. Also, with an understanding that it’s not so easy to move from the field to the booth in short order.
“I think the biggest challenge is I had so many years of playing quarterback where you’re under center and then you’re on the sideline watching your defense and hearing play calls,” Brady said recently on Fox NFL Sunday. “I didn’t watch any games from the 50-yard line halfway up the stadium, so just getting your eyes in the right place and things are happening so fast down there, and there’s a lot of things between offense [and] defense.”
ONE HIT WONDER?
Not too many people in the business expect Brady to fulfill his 10-year contract. There have been those wondering out loud, especially after his rough start, if he’d be a ‘one-hit wonder’ and ride off into the sunset after the first season. Brady put an end, at least for now, to that discussion in a recent conversation on The Herd with Colin Cowherd.
“I don’t know where it comes from. I know it always says, ‘sources close to Brady,’ or whatever. But I’ve had the best time at Fox,” Brady said. “I’ve loved every time going into the booth and working with such great people, starting with my partner Kevin (Burkhardt).”
“It’s been a lot of growth for me in one year, and I really can’t wait to see what it looks like in year two, and way beyond that too,” Brady told Cowherd. “So, I’ve got nine years left on my deal. Maybe longer, you never know. If Fox wants me, and I want to go, then we’ll keep going. Because it’s been really fun so far.”
ROADBLOCKS
Brady has to deal with some restrictions imposed by the NFL after taking a minority ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. He may not attend in-person or online broadcast production meetings, nor is he allowed to have access to team facilities, coaches, or players. He also must follow rules in the NFL constitution and bylaws that prohibit owners from publicly criticizing game officials and other teams.
There are ways around the first issue, thanks to the internet and his basic knowledge of the NFL.
It shouldn’t go unsaid, that the last restriction can make it very difficult to do his current job. Walking a fine line between abiding by the agreement and telling America what he sees can’t be easy. Especially when it comes to the officials and calls that are made or not made or how teams are operating.
He had to tip-toe around a call, in game in November between the Lions and Packers. Brady was critical of the decision by officials to eject Detroit’s Brian Branch from the game. Branch was penalized for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Packers receiver Bo Melton and then was ejected after a call that came from the NFL’s review center. Brady disagreed with the decision on air.
“I don’t love that call at all. I mean, obviously it’s a penalty, but, to me, that has to be serious intent in a game like this,” Brady said in a clip shared on X by Awful Announcing.
Brady’s comment had led to discussion online regarding whether it violated the rule about public criticism of officials. However, an NFL spokesperson said in a statement to TODAY.com,
“The concern would be if Tom was egregiously critical of officiating or called into question the integrity of an official or the crew. That did not occur in this instance.”
Still, choosing to be an owner, can be a hinderance going forward.
Hopefully Brady continues to show signs of improvement, and he sticks with it. The name, work ethic and credentials, can eventually make him one of the better analysts in the game.
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Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at Andy@Andy-Masur.com.
