Tom Brady is the greatest football player ever and my favorite football player ever like he is for many more. With that, he may be the greatest athlete ever who in retirement will transition from playing to the broadcast booth as he will join Fox's A-team this upcoming season. Because of his fame and the curiosity surrounding how Brady will do in his new role, I have never seen fans of sports so intrigued by how someone will do calling the games, or asking which games he will call.
Brady's first game in the booth on Fox will be in Week 1 when the Dallas Cowboys visit the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, September 8th. As his broadcasting debut nears, let's take a look into whether the hype surrounding Brady's first year in the booth which will ultimately end in New Orleans when he is on the call for Super Bowl LIX, is justified or if it is being overhyped because of who he is.
Before even getting into discussing why Brady's role in the booth may be getting overblown, let's at least discuss why even the loudest critics are at least curious about what Brady will offer to NFL fans in the booth.
As the greatest quarterback ever, Brady will bring a unique perspective to this role of broadcasting, and offer insights that only a few others in NFL history can offer. For example, he knows the mindset of playing and preparing for high-stakes games, as well as what to focus on when looking at the Xs and O's on the football throughout the games. Personally, I am most excited to see him analyze what is going from that line of scrimmage before a play even begins as he and Peyton Manning may be the smartest quarterbacks to ever play, and we have seen Manning thrive doing this with his brother Eli on Monday Night Football's "ManningCast" where the brothers offer an alternate viewing experience than the traditional broadcast.
However, why some people may be annoyed by the constant coverage of Brady's rookie season broadcasting is due to the such high expectations the casual fan may have for him. Brady’s NFL career is the greatest in NFL history, and yes, he will offer unique insights, I don't think people realize how difficult or how much repetition it takes to become a successful broadcaster. Do I think he will eventually get a grasp of this? Of course, he might be the hardest worker in the history of sports, but translating his extensive football knowledge into commentary that can help the casual fan understand what is going on may take some time.
Also, one thing Brady's biggest fan may get annoyed with quickly is how much the GOAT will be compared to some of his broadcasting peers, particularly, with former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo. Because of how much of a breath of fresh air Romo was when he entered the booth in 2017 on CBS by predicting plays or his level of enthusiasm, I believe Brady will be a bit more critical of players, especially quarterbacks which some fans may not love, which will lead to constant comparisons to one another which get irksome very quickly.
Not to mention, let's not forget who Brady is replacing.
The role Brady is taking on Fox's A-Team meant that former tight end, Greg Olsen would be demoted despite how much he has excelled in his broadcasting role since he entered that world in 2021. Some fans may view this as nepotism at its finest, especially when you are demoting potentially the best upcoming broadcaster in the football world in Olsen. With that, Brady may get criticized a tad more than the typical broadcaster not just because of who he is, but because of who he is replacing.
In the end, I am as excited as the next guy to see what Tom Brady's first year in broadcasting looks like, but my expectations aren't sky high like others might be. We need to understand that this year will likely be a fairly difficult transition period for Brady as gets used to the job, no matter how hard he has worked in the last year preparing, there is nothing like actually getting the reps in the game, and he may be the first guy to saw something like that.
As he gets ready for this next chapter in his iconic football career, I am looking forward to seeing how Brady does in the booth, but I think we all need to keep in mind that it might not be all sunshine and rainbows for him in year one on the job.
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