Mike Felger did not hold back on Tom Brady’s return to Foxborough with FOX Sports. The 98.5 The Sports Hub host believes Brady shielded himself and the Patriots from criticism on FOX Sports.
What We Know: Brady called his first Patriots game for FOX Sports on Sunday. In the end, the Packers beat the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. FOX heavily promoted the game, which marked Brady’s first Patriots broadcast since joining the network in 2024. Meanwhile, Kevin Burkhardt handled play-by-play alongside him. On Monday, Felger blasted the former Patriots quarterback for his lack of criticism towards the poor play of his former team and quarterback Drake Maye.
What They Said: (all quotes via 98.5 The Sports Hub):
Mike Felger felt Tom Brady did not perform well in his FOX Sports return to Foxborough: “I thought he sucked. Pointless. Great opportunity there to find out what’s going on with the young quarterback who’s having trouble, but Brady didn’t want to go there.”
Mike Felger believes if Tom Brady doesn’t want to be objective, he should call another game: “I’m offended by the play by play and color commentary. The slanted color commentary just bothers me. Why are you there? I want to know who screwed up and why. If it’s uncomfortable for you, I’m sorry. Then don’t do the game. Go do a game that you feel more comfortable criticizing the players. Good grief!”
Mike Felger didn’t feel Tom Brady said enough regarding Drake Maye’s performance: “He [Drake Maye] had thrown three interceptions and was about to get pulled. And [Tom] Brady gave us two minutes on how absolutely terrific he’s been. The cerebral part of the game. Orchestrating the offense, he’s seeing the maturity. What was that? Completely useless, man.”
Mike Felger believes Tom Brady is afraid to criticize Patriots players and coaches: “He’s just so freaking afraid. He is afraid. He went to [Rob] Gronkowski’s Hall of Fame thing on Saturday, but didn’t talk. [Brady] didn’t want to upstage Gronkowski, so he didn’t say anything. Now he gets into the broadcast where the Patriots’ quarterback is crapping the bed. I think because he’s so conscious of not wanting to dump on the next quarterback because he thinks that would look bad. If somehow I come in here and undress Drake Maye, that’s going to reflect poorly on me. Because that would mean I’m dumping on the next guy, or territorial of Drake Maye, or I’m jealous of Drake Maye. Because he’s afraid of all that crap.”
Mike Felger believed Tom Brady was too protective in his first game at Foxboro in the broadcast booth: “I just think [Tom] Brady was hyper conscious of the politics. I’m not talking about the midterm elections. I’m talking about the politics of him being back in Foxborough, and how would it look if I said this? How would it look if I did that? How would it play if I showed up to this? What if it looked like if I spoke at Gronkowski? What if I criticized Drake Maye, what would people say? It was all too wrapped up in that crap versus doing his job, which is telling me what went wrong on those plays.”
What Remains Unclear: So far, it remains unclear whether Brady will respond to Felger’s criticism. Additionally, nobody knows if FOX will send Brady back to a Patriots game this season.
What It Means: Overall, Felger’s critique reignites a familiar debate about former players calling their old teams. Brady won six Super Bowls in New England, so his words carry real weight there. Still, Felger argues that legacy cannot replace honest analysis. As a result, Brady’s next Patriots broadcast will likely draw even sharper scrutiny.
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