So much for the “Brady Rules” stopping Tom Brady from ripping the NFL’s officiating.

During the Fox Sports telecast of Super Bowl LIX, Tom Terrific boldly criticized what he saw as lousy officiating from the jump. It was an important moment for the seven-time Super Bowl champion turned game analyst.

After a rocky rookie season in the broadcast booth, Brady needed to quickly establish his credibility in the biggest game he would call. He did it—with no reservations and no apologies. Mission accomplished.

Heading into Super Bowl Sunday, I thought the pearl-clutching debate about the “Brady Rules” restricting his ability to be an effective game analyst for Fox Sports was overblown.

Brady didn’t overdo it by criticizing the league’s referees this season. While Brady played the good soldier during Super Bowl week (blasting the narrative that refs favor the Chiefs as “BS”), he brought it on Sunday.

Right after kickoff, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hit A.J. Brown with a huge completion on fourth down. But the refs called offensive pass interference on Brown. Across the country, millions of viewers who believe the Chiefs get preferential treatment threw up their literal or proverbial hands.

It was a pivotal moment: an early opportunity for Brady to offer air cover for the league with an excuse for the refs and the Chiefs. Think again.

“Oh, don’t like that one bit. This is too critical of a game,” said Brady. He added: “Let the players play. It should be decided on the field. Don’t like that call to start the game.” To cap it off, Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira agreed with Brady.

Lest you think Brady was in the tank for the Eagles, he also ripped several calls that went against the Chiefs. “I just always feel like these big games come down to one or two calls,” he noted.

Was he outstanding? No. I wanted more analysis from Brady on why Patrick Mahomes had one of his worst games as a pro. Or Travis Kelce’s disappearing act. Or how Andy Reid’s staff was outcoached by Nick Sirianni’s.

Brady seemed overprepared and low energy at times. But it’s hard to gin up enthusiasm during a blowout Super Bowl. Tony Romo had the same issue, calling a dull 13–3 Patriots (and Brady) win over the Rams in his first Super Bowl in 2019. Brady wasn’t as good as Fox’s Greg Olsen in his first Super Bowl two years ago. But Olsen had a much better game to call: the 38–35 Chiefs win over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.

Still, there’s nobody on the planet who knows more about how the zebras decide the Big Game than Tom Brady. On Super Bowl Sunday, we needed him to be on the viewers’ side, not the refs’, not the NFL’s, and not the Raiders’. Ultimately, Brady pushed the envelope on the Brady rules—and didn’t ask anyone for forgiveness.

For more on Fox’s coverage of Super Bowl LIX, a Rob Gronkowski stumble, and the now infamous scorebug, you can read Michael McCarthy’s full review here. 

Dan Orlovsky’s current three-year deal expires this summer, sources tell Front Office Sports. ESPN wants to sign him to a contract extension. But whether Orlovsky re-ups is still up in the air.

ESPN management loves the work ethic of the 41-year-old former quarterback. He’s a mainstay on the network’s NFL shoulder programming as well as studio shows like Stephen A. Smith’s First Take and Mike Greenberg’s Get Up. Orlovsky is also a homegrown talent, much like Kirk Herbstreit and Ryan Clark. He’s the kind of hardworking, team-first player that ESPN likes to retain. Following a contract impasse and some public negotiating, Clark signed a contract extension last February.

On the other hand, Orlovsky also has “options,” notes a source familiar with his situation. Rumors have been swirling that the 12-year NFL veteran will leave TV for a coaching position this offseason. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter recently addressed the rumors on The Pat McAfee Show.

“Dan’s been talking to some teams and seeing if there’s something that interests him and is worthwhile for him,” Schefter told McAfee.

Schefter added: “I think Dan aspires to be a head coach in time. And that’s what he’d like to do. And so he’s been talking to people to see if there’s a spot that would work for him. It’s not automatic. He does a great job on TV. Obviously he could stay in TV and do that for the rest of his career if that’s what he wanted. But I think at his core, I think he misses being part of a football team.”

Rival Fox Sports was also rumored to be trying to poach Orlovsky several years ago, according to sources. I could see Fox slotting in Orlovsky as a game analyst behind Tom Brady and Greg Olsen, or giving him a chair on one of its two NFL pregame shows. An elaborate tribute to Jimmy Johnson during Fox’s Super Bowl LIX pregame show fueled speculation the 81-year-old former Cowboys coach is poised to step down from top-rated Fox NFL Sunday, though the network denies that is the case.

For more on what Orlovsky said and his options, you can read our full story here.

126 million

That was the monster average audience for the Fox telecast of Super Bowl LIX. That was up 2% from the CBS telecast last year. It marked the third straight TV record audience for the Big Game. 

How did the Eagles’ 40–22 blowout win over the defending-champion Chiefs still manage to draw a record? To start, the addition of out-of-home viewers in bars, restaurants, and dorms has changed the game, adding millions of viewers. The stream on Tubi played a huge role, delivering an additional 13.6 million viewers. And the Chiefs have displaced the Cowboys as America’s Team, drawing the biggest audiences of any NFL team. 

The average viewership number will likely rise as final numbers become available.

• Fox Sports aired a sentimental tribute to stalwart studio show contributor Jimmy Johnson that felt like a setup for a retirement announcement. Johnson stopped short of revealing that news, saying that he is taking things one day at a time.
• Tony Kornheiser mocked ESPN’s morning program Get Up for having Nick Sirianni on the hot seat earlier this past season before the Eagles became Super Bowl champions.
• ESPN is moving on from Top Rank Boxing after an eight-year partnership.
• Puck’s John Ourand reported that ESPN and the NFL have renewed talks about putting NFL Media (which includes NFL Network, NFL Red Zone, and NFL.com) under the ESPN umbrella.
• Randy Moss returned to ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown before the Super Bowl after stepping away midseason amid a cancer battle.
• Gen Z sports media personality Kenny Beecham will host a live recording of his Numbers on the Board podcast this weekend in San Francisco. He’ll also guest-star on ESPN’s “Hoop Streams.”
• Ryan McFadden was named Raiders beat reporter for ESPN NFL Nation.