When the best thing about Tom Brady’s TV debut is a slickly produced commercial, Fox Sports has a problem.
Brady was shaky during his broadcast debut of Sunday’s Cowboys vs. Browns game. His cadence was choppy. He confused offensive and defensive players, spoke in clichés, and seemed a step behind technically.
I’m not blaming Brady. The usually terrific Fox team had an off day. Play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt confused a Cowboys assistant with head coach Mike McCarthy. Producers mixed up Dallas placekicker Brandon Aubrey with punter Bryan Anger. The disconnect was on display when rules analyst Mike Pereira, (after forgetting to turn on his mic) awkwardly left Tom Terrific hanging on a fist bump.
Bright Spots
Brady and Burkhardt had their moments. They seemed to be having fun when the Cowboys toyed with having Aubrey try a record 71-yard field goal. The seven-time Super Bowl winner loosened up in the second half and showed his old fire. Even while down by more than three TDs, it was important for the Browns to play hard in front of their home crowd, he noted. “Are we going to lay down—or are we going to go out there and fight? That’s what I want to see from Cleveland.” One of his best moments came when he circled the threat posed by Micah Parsons just before the pass rusher tipped a pass leading to an interception.
When Erin Andrews told a story about Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer cursing out star players, Brady flashed his sense of humor. “I played with a coach who wasn’t afraid to cuss out his players, either,” joked the former Patriots quarterback about former coach Bill Belichick.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, host of the new Scoop City podcast, saw a lot of promise in Brady’s debut. As Russini told me Sunday night: “Brady is really likable. He’s thoughtful and takes a beat to explain what he is looking at. Sure, there are minor things but all that comes with reps. I was impressed, but not surprised. He’s going to be incredible by the time we get to Halloween.”
Another broadcaster who requested anonymity had this to say about Brady: “Like a rookie with high expectations and big salary, it’s hard to reach that level everyone wants. Personally, I’d like to see more enthusiasm, humor, & personality. He’s lacking right now BUT I’ve heard how dedicated he is to this & have no doubt by mid-season, he’ll more than hit his stride.”
If anything, the meticulous Brady may have over-prepared. In my first “Tuned In” newsletter, I reported he and Burkhardt cycled through a full season of practice games. He sought advice from peers, Troy Aikman among them.
Brady was at his most comfortable during the fourth quarter. He should be fine after an adjustment period. But he needs to start listening to his own voice rather than others’ and be more critical of players and coaches. Fox signed Brady to a record 10-year, $375 million deal, but there’s no need to panic on their end, either. Brady is too smart, too talented to struggle for long.
If things go south, Fox still has Emmy-winning analyst Greg Olsen, who called a great game Sunday with new partner Joe Davis. (In fact, the overwhelming sentiment from people I follow was for Fox to put Olsen back on the No. 1 team.) Fox should let Brady be Brady. He’ll figure out how to succeed in his new career just as he did his last one.
