Tom Brady is no stranger to the Super Bowl. The seven-time league champion, widely considered to be the greatest quarterback to ever play football, shined brightest on the NFL’s biggest stage. His accomplishments on the field are second to none.
But this year, Brady finds himself on Super Bowl Sunday in a different role. He will work his first broadcast for FOX Sports as its lead analyst alongside Kevin Burkhardt after previously signing a reported 10-year, $375 million deal. His first season in the booth saw improvement over time but scrutiny and criticism from consumers, and frustration from media professionals over FOX’s decision to make Brady the starter at the expense of Greg Olsen. Olsen expressed that he would have been interested in a three-person booth with Burkhardt and Brady had he been asked.
The Brady-Olsen topic was a popular one this week in New Orleans. Barrett Media asked several media members for their insights and opinions on who they prefer hearing behind the microphone in FOX’s lead booth. Here are their reactions.
Stephen A. Smith – ESPN, Straight Shooter Media
“I think Greg Olsen did a great job, and there’s nothing to discredit him about as it pertains to the job that he did. He’s more than qualified to call this game. He would have deserved it if he was still in that chair, but we all know this is Tom Brady that we’re talking about, and if there was ever an individual that deserved the opportunity to be in this position, it’s Tom Brady. He’s a seven-time champion, he’s the greatest face the sport has ever had. He delivered the goods, he was on this stage on numerous occasions, he performed on this stage on numerous occasions.
“His credentials are as impeccable as they get, and so for me, I’m of the mindset that he deserves it, and then he improved gradually throughout the season, and I think he’s going to be even better next year, but I thought he was damn good this year, especially the second half of the season. He’s a friend, he and I talk, and I watched and listened to every single game he did this year, and he got better and better and better each and every single week. I’m very proud of him, I’m very proud of the job that he’s done, and I think that he’s going to do a terrific job this Sunday.”
Dianna Russini – The Athletic
“Look, FOX brought Tom Brady for everything that comes with Tom Brady. It’s not just for his ability to call a game. I think they knew this was going to be a rookie season, which is what we’re seeing. We’re seeing a true rookie season, someone finding their way, but improve. He’s improved throughout the whole year. I think this is going to be his best game. I think he lives for the big moments, which is always what’s separated him from so many others that I think it’s going to apply to this, and there’s something to be said for people who’ve been part of Super Bowls before.
“Whenever I talk to players about their first Super Bowl compared to, let’s just say years later, they always will go, ‘Oh, it was a wreck. I had no idea,’ which is why you hear teams practicing the most ridiculous things to just get ready, whether it’s the same music that you’d be hearing, the sounds. Tom Brady’s been in that environment, so none of it’s going to feel too big for him, in my opinion, just as a broadcaster, although I probably would prefer to see him playing right now.”
Katie Mox – CBS Sports
“I like both of them. I thought Greg was great, and I think Tom Brady is great as well. You know what’s so funny, as a broadcaster too, when he had his first game and he was a little bit nervous, I just felt like, ‘Oh my God, Tom Brady is just like me. I mess up, I make mistakes, sometimes I get nervous,’ so I think I had more empathy for him in that first game, but I feel like he’s gotten better. Certainly in the playoffs he had some of his best games, and I think he’s going to be fantastic.”
Dan Patrick – FOX Sports Radio, Peacock
“I’m not really listening where I go, ‘Can’t wait to hear what Tom has to say,’ as much as I’ll listen when he does say something and adds to it. Great, but I don’t want to fall into this trap of, ‘Let me hear what Brady has to say, good or bad, and everybody’s going to have a referendum on him on Monday morning. I hope he has a seamless Super Bowl, and Greg Olsen did a great job when he did it, but Tom’s a competitor, so I’m going to guess he’s going to love to showcase everything that he’s learned all season long. He’s got his moment — he does well in Super Bowls.”
Mina Kimes – ESPN, Omaha Productions
“I’ll start by saying I think Greg Olsen is incredible. I’m very public about being such a fan of his analysis. I think his command of situational football is up there with anyone’s. He educates viewers, so start off by saying that he’s amazing. That said, I’m pretty optimistic. I think with Tom, you can really tell that he is putting time and effort into it, and I’ve really enjoyed when he kind of draws connections between his experiences in big games to what we see on the field. Obviously, there’s nobody who’s got the Super Bowl experience that he does, so I’m curious to see kind of how that his experience informs the call.”
Don Martin – iHeartMedia, FOX Sports Radio
“God bless him. He was never, ever, ever going to ding the bell. It wasn’t going to happen, okay, and the reason it wasn’t going to happen [is] because the expectation was so high. Don’t disrespect the medium guys. This is a hard job. I think he’s done a wonderful job. First-year guy, okay? I mean, come on. Give him some time. Romo wasn’t great either — none of them were. Now, we all thought he was because he was different. What are people saying about Romo now? At the end of the day for me, FOX got what they wanted — star power, great star power — but more importantly, sometimes, whether you believe in a God or not, all the planets align. Tom’s got a hell of a Super Bowl now to make one hell of a mark, and he’s going to be just fine.”
Caroline Fenton – Yahoo Sports
“The star power — obviously, it’s Tom Brady. When Tom Brady is attached to anything, it’s going to be successful, whether it’s partial ownership of the Raiders or if it’s TB12 or if it’s him literally quarterbacking the Patriots or the Bucs. I think Greg Olsen is really, really, really talented at what he does. Tom Brady is new to it. I think he’s got some room for growth. Shocker — maybe Tom Brady isn’t perfect at everything — but it’s going to be awesome. Tom Brady and the Super Bowl just go together — it fits.”
Sam Farber – Yahoo Sports
“I’m a Patriots fan, so everything Tom does is great by me. But in all seriousness, I think that Tom has an insane wealth of knowledge from all the years that he played. Nobody knows the Super Bowl stage better than Tom Brady, so my own fandom and biases aside, I think it’s a great decision to have a guy who won seven rings and who participated in 10 Super Bowls in the booth, giving fans insights on what that’s like. I don’t see how you go wrong with that.”
Lucy Rohden – Meadowlark Media
“I miss Greg – I feel bad for him too because I believe it’s come out that he’s very unhappy with the situation he’s been put in – I think that Tom Brady kind of maintains the same level in tone throughout the entirety of his games and it can get a little monotonous, and I think he’s really smart. I do like that I feel like I’m learning stuff when he’s calling a game, but he doesn’t kind of bring the energy and the excitement that I really liked with Greg Olsen, and so I don’t think he does a bad job by any means, but Greg kind of stole everyone’s heart, and now you’re like, ‘Oh okay. Well, oh well, somebody new.’”
Claudia Bellofatto – DraftKings Network
“I think we can all agree to some degree that Greg was great at what he did and Tom is green because it’s just not what he’s meant to do. He’s meant to throw the football. He was the best of all time at what he did, so I think it’s difficult for anybody to jump into a new field and to be under all the scrutiny that he’s faced because he was so good at being No. 12, but I think he’s done good. I think he’s done really well at bringing an educational side to it too. I know there’s some restrictions because of his ownership of the Raiders, but I do think he’s done well for the position that he’s in. It’s hard.”
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Derek Futterman is an associate editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, email Derek@BarrettMedia.com or find him on X @derekfutterman.
