Tom Brady – Year One

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I’ve never seen someone more scrutinized than Tom Brady has been in his first year in the broadcast booth.

No surprise considering who he is and what he accomplished as a player.

From day one, practically everyone from social media critics,  to ex-players in similar roles, to the average viewer, took his temperature on a week-to-week basis, analyzing and often over-analyzing how Tom did on yesterday’s Fox broadcast.

More often than not, those who voiced their opinions, particularly those who were negative, many times extremely so, carried with them an agenda.

I know this to be true.

This column is not about a defense of Brady’s first season in a new role.

He doesn’t need that.

As a matter of fact, I believe he doesn’t warrant anyone to defend him.

Tom Brady, in my view, had a remarkably successful debut in his a totally new career in 2024.

I admit I had a somewhat personal role in seeing through his development.

But before the cries emerge of my own partiality and inability to be objective, let me say that I will stake my reputation as a 50-year network broadcaster on my assessment of Tom Brady.

Did he knock it out of the park from day one as the expert-analyst with play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt on Fox’ lead NFL announce team?

No, not at all.

Did he make mistakes on occasion on facts, pronunciation and word usage?

Yes, he did.

I will say this. Tom Brady tackled his first year as a TV broadcaster in the same fashion he prepared and went about his role as the quarterback on the New England Patriots, leading them to six Super Bowl titles, then winning another with the Tampa Bay Bucs.

I know he got ready for each game the same way he did on the field with the exception of not physically executing plays.

He got better as the season progressed.  He needed the reps to become more comfortable seeing the game from a different perspective, and getting used to what it’s like to actually broadcast a game. That means standing next to a partner, watching the many TV screens or monitors on the table, using the telestrator, which is learning to use that pen that draws circles and diagrams plays, wearing a headset where you hear your partner and the producer and director in the production truck down below. It means getting a feel for what you say and when you say it.

You get the idea.

I’ve been there, of course, and fortunately no one analyzed my first season, or the others who had to go through the same evolution.

Believe me, no one ever went through the intense evaluation Brady did.

Not John Madden, not Al Michaels, not Chris Collinsworth, not Jim Nantz, not anyone.

Everyone had to find his footing. Some did better than others.

CBS’ Tony Romo was hailed as a brilliant new football voice when he started. He deserved it. I happen to like Romo as a broadcaster, but the practice of predicting plays can wear thin, and the danger of over-talking is a killer.

Brady’s chemistry with Burkhardt is exceptional, which is never guaranteed, but makes for a comfortable listen.

If you actually listen to the things Brady says, you can hear his preparation, his imaginative way of describing plays, people, and situations.

To hear him implore the Lions to call a timeout because he sees that Detroit has 12 men on the field is something I’ve never heard from anyone.

To describe Vic Fangio’s Eagles defensive effort as “death by a thousand cuts” is a novel way to describe their style. To discuss, first hand, how it feels to be in a Super Bowl, and what it’s like to lose is authentic, to say the least.

To describe one of the better running backs in the league having “small hands” as the reason for his problems fumbling the ball is brutally honest and shows how deep Brady goes in getting ready to broadcast a game.

He knows that improvement is not about game to game, but season to season.

He is already looking forward to next year, answering those cynics who never believed he would not take this on for more than one shot.

There have been those who vocally claim he cannot properly do his job without attending production meetings with coaches and players, due to his position as a part-owner with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Here’s my answer, and I’ll let you in on a secret.

Coaches and players tell you little in those production meetings. They never talk about their strategy. They never honestly assess their true feelings and size up their own players, and they certainly never talk about the weaknesses of the team they are playing and where they can take advantage. Everyone on the opposing team are superstars.

But when Tom Brady looks at the tape of the teams he will cover, he sees it all, and knows what he sees. He doesn’t need to ask anyone to learn anything.

How about conflict of interest charges with Brady calling a game?

Hogwash.

When you’re in the booth, all you think about is doing the best job you can.

You’re not thinking of any other role you have, or the thing fans think about when they’re watching a game.

The concentration factor is immense.

I expressed my thought that Tom Brady didn’t require anyone to defend his work.

But as I proceeded with my view of his maiden season as an announcer, I found it was impossible to avoid the questions that would ultimately pop up.

Most of the viewers are not aware of the naysayers who are either jealous of the man’s success in life, or enjoy putting someone down.

The great Al Michaels addressed that mentality during the season.

In our business, there is a “gotcha” mentality.  There are those who wait for an error and pounce on it.

In Tom Brady’s case it goes with the territory.  He is unfazed about the critics, and it’s understandable. He has been used to defenses trying to take his head off in a 23-year career that produced greatness.

Now, he is determined to become one of the best to do what he has started in a second career. With impeccable preparation, incredible intelligence, and the experience of simply doing the job, he has a chance to become one of the best ever, if not the very best.

I, for one, won’t be surprised if that happens.