The First of Oodles

So how did Tom Brady do in his debut as Fox Sports lead NFL commentator?

Week one is history. Sixteen teams won, 16 lost. There are oodles of games left, but there was only one first time ever that piqued the curiosity of viewers. That was the transformation of Tom Brady, the great seven-time Super Bowl champion from quarterback to broadcaster.

The reviews were mixed. Some understood that this was his first foray into a new field, realizing he would get better as he did more games. Others skewered him, expecting him to knock it out of the park in his very first go at it.

As someone who actually did this job for a half-century, I feel I have a good idea what it takes to be successful, what it’s like to do it the very first time, what constitutes a solid first outing, and what is needed moving forward.

Those fans who pulled for the 31 teams Brady conquered en route to his storybook playing career, were understandably ready to be negative and pounce on his initial performance. There are those who dislike the success of others.

I can say with assurance that Tom is unfazed with negative reaction to what he does. He is focused on reaching excellence, as I noted previously, uber-intelligent, and most important loves and embraces the challenge.

What I looked for initially as the game between the Cowboys and Browns got underway was his comfort working in a TV booth with his partner, Kevin Burkhardt, a warm, likable, and superb play-by-play announcer.

I think the two worked seamlessly. Brady never rushed in and stepped on Burkhardt’s calls and did not come out of the box with a hyper delivery and non-stop talk.

You’d be surprised how many seasoned veterans can’t help but rush their commentary and chatter relentlessly, often out of anxiety or nervousness once the game gets underway.

One of the major shocks in this transformation from player to broadcaster is going from the field where you physically face an opponent, to watching from a booth high above the field and talking the game, using a TV screen, listening to a producer and director on a head-set, and drawing circles and lines on a telestrator to emphasize the points an expert-analyst wants to make.

I understand, and it’s no surprise, that Tom Brady’s preparation exceeded by a mile,  anything seen before.

He knew about the teams, the coaches, the players, and all the aspects the way he knew about the opponent he was about the face with the Patriots. He watched hours of tape.

I expected Brady to display his keen football knowledge on replays and in the down time during the game, which he did.

I did not expect to see and hear exceptional reaction to the play since I figured this was a game to get used to his new role.

I did hear enough to know that there is a tremendous upside here.

Tom seemed considerably more relaxed and effective with his comments in the second half and even more so as the game moved into the fourth quarter.

The game he worked for his debut was probably the worst kind of contest he could face. The Cowboys dominated the home-standing Browns and by halftime, the game was essentially no longer competitive.

So there was no crowd noise to build on, and nowhere to go midway through the second half. This is a difficult part of covering a game.

You can only talk about how a team can get back in it so many times.

You can only discuss how impressive the leading team is so many times.

That’s where you can broaden the discussion involving as team’s prospects in its division as it moves on. John Madden was a master at using his telestrator to bring some humor into the blowout.

No one else could do it like John.

Last Sunday I heard Tom discuss why Mike Zimmer, the Cowboys defensive coordinator, is so difficult to play against, and why head coaches have to hold players, even the stars, accountable and be tough.

I saw those moments of brilliance that will only expand.

Looking ahead, I see Brady being more assertive on the special points he wants to emphasize.

I see him using his vast knowledge and experience in anticipating and suggesting what’s to come, not just reacting to what has already occurred via replay, which is what practically all analysts do.

I have no doubt that’s where he’s headed.

Just consider he’s gotten one game under his belt.

Check back to John Madden, Greg Olsen, Chris Collinsworth, Troy Aikman and Tony Romo’s first games , among others, and you’ll find it was a work in progress for all of them.

In week one, Tom Brady set out to be a team player, get the fundamentals down, work his way into this new venture, and get his feet wet.

I believe he did all of that.

He is now on his way. It won’t happen overnight, but it’ll happen.

While the NFL started, the world of the major tennis championships ended.

At the U.S. Open, Americans reached the championship round in both the men’s and women’s draws.

Jessica Pegula eliminated the number one seed Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals en route to the finals against second-seed Aryna Sabalenka.

Sabalenka suffered a crushing defeat to another American Coco Gauff a year ago for the title. This time she turned it around and overpowered Pegula for her second grand slam triumph of the year. She captured the Australian Open in January, proving there may be no one better on the hard court surface. Pegula who had never reached a semi-final in any of the Big Four, finally got as close as you can get.

For the first time since 2006, an American reached the finals in men’s play.

Taylor Fritz, like Pegula, who had failed to get as far as a semi-final in a major, got to the championship against top-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy.

Sinner, 23, who is clearly the world’s No. 1, had to overcome the controversy of being tested positive for a banned substance in which he was cleared, whipped Fritz in straight sets for his second major title in 2024.

This year’s major champions were Sinner (the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open), and Carlos Alcaraz who won the French and Wimbledon.

Those two youngsters are at the top of men’s tennis parade.

But Alcaraz is dealing with issues that he admits have contributed to mental struggles after his early second round exit from the U.S. Open.

After that defeat, he said he felt he was playing against both his opponent and himself in his mind.

Carlos Alcaraz is only 21, and has already won four major championships.

It will be worth watching how this extremely talented Spaniard deals with his problems.

However things go, the one takeaway for me is that the sport of professional tennis has never been stronger, and there are multitudes of men and women competitors who can beat any of the top-ranked players at any given time.