Tom Brady may not be an NFL quarterback anymore but the pressure was definitely there on Monday morning as the 47-year-old stepped into the commentary booth for the first time.
Brady, who signed a $375 million ($A561m) deal as Fox’s new colour commentator, was introduced to the viewers early on by play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt and was understandably a focal point of the coverage of the game between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns.
“You’re a broadcaster, how about that!” Burkhardt said as the camera cut to the booth, allowing Brady to make his first appearance on the screen.
Watch an average of 3 games each week during the regular season, plus every game of the NFL Postseason including the Super Bowl, LIVE on ESPN with Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
Brady left hanging in opening broadcast | 00:26
“We’re here, it’s been quite a journey but I love being your partner,” Brady replied, before Burkhardt then brought up the news of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott signing a four-year, $240 million deal.
It was both a timely piece of news to touch on ahead of Monday’s game and an area of expertise for Brady, one of the best to play at the position, to give his thoughts on.
“Dak signed the largest contract in the history of the NFL. Now he’s got to go out there and earn it,” Brady opened.
“2023 was his best season. He’s coming off of that but going forward it’s going to be how he goes in the post-season. But today, his challenge is going to be Myles Garrett, the right defensive end for the Cleveland Browns, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. He is one of the rare players who has no weaknesses. Dak is going to be dealing with him all day.”
Airborne Allen puts Baker on a poster! | 00:28
Speaking of Garrett, interestingly it was Brady’s thoughts on both the Browns star defensive end and the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons that were a highlight of Monday’s coverage.
There were several moments where Brady seemingly predicted the future, highlighting Garrett right before he sacked Prescott and doing the same with Parsons, pointing out how disruptive he was being for Deshaun Watson before the Cowboys edge rusher went on to then tip a pass for an interception.
NFL WRAP: Humiliating moment sums up horror loss; Aussie rookie stars in epic comeback
In a review of Brady’s commentary debut, Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy wrote that it was “one of” Brady’s “best moments” when he circled the threat of Parsons before that interception.
Of course, there were bound to be a few moments where Brady was still trying to find his style in the booth and that was clear for McCarthy, who described it as a “shaky” debut.
“His cadence was choppy. He confused offensive and defensive players, spoke in cliches, and seemed a step behind technically,” McCarthy wrote.
It wasn’t always going to smooth sailing, with Mike Pereira almost leaving Brady hanging when he tried to get a fist bump from the rules analyst during the first half.
But Brady himself admitted at one point that “I’m still a rookie in here”, and that was the message from two prominent people in the industry who gave their opinion on the quarterback’s first call.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini told Front Office Sports that she expects Brady will be “incredible” by the time Halloween rolls around.
“Brady is really likable,” she said.
“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.”
Hill hits back with cheeky celebration | 01:07
Another broadcaster, who spoke to the publication on the condition of anonymity, had a similar perspective.
“Like a rookie with high expectations and big salary, it’s hard to reach that level everyone wants,” they said.
“Personally, I’d like to see more enthusiasm, humour & 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.”
NFL Network’s Jane Slater wrote on X: “I like Tom Brady in the booth. It’s smart. He’s not pressing and screaming w faux excitement. Let’s Kevin talk then steps in. Easy, intelligent call. Just my two cents”.
Elsewhere, Ryan Glasspiegel of The New York Post wrote that Brady “played it safe but showed upside” in his commentary debut.
“Brady appeared to be cognisant of letting the game breathe, heeding the advice of Phil Simms, the former top CBS analyst and Giants great, who told The Post last week that nobody has ever complained about an announcer who talks too little,” Glasspiegel wrote.
“In key moments, Brady paused to let the viewer hear the crowd reaction at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland before weighing in. Crucially, he finished his thoughts concisely, passing the proverbial baton back to Burkhardt before it was time to call new plays.
“Brady came across as warm — he had a graceful tone, striking a balance between showing enthusiasm for the action on the field while remaining relaxed and at ease.”
In his review, Glasspiegel wrote that Brady was “at his strongest” when speaking with “firsthand experience”, pointing to one moment when he discussed the “mental gymnastics” Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer put quarterbacks through.
“One area for big improvement was on display during the many times he paused mid-sentence as he collected his thoughts,” Glasspiegel added.
“The smoothest broadcasters talk in perfectly formed paragraphs, with pauses immaculately pegged to punctuation marks, like a news anchor reading a script.”