Tom Brady takes awkward first steps as he moves from the football field to the TV booth

Fox Sports is spending $375 million to put Tom Brady in the commentary booth, and the network wants to make sure everyone knows he’s there.

The seven-time Super Bowl winner made his debut as an NFL commentator during Fox’s broadcast of the season opener between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns on Sunday. But first there was a Brady hype video ahead of the pregame show in which the studio team admitted they couldn’t help but “fanboy” about their new colleague.

“You’re a sportscaster, how about this!” said live commentator Kevin Burkhardt as the camera panned to the Cleveland booth, where Brady appeared live on screen for the first time in a suit and tie. The former Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback was identified as a “7-time Super Bowl winner” as he moved to the booth.

And that, as the children say, is a nice gesture.

Sideline reporter Erin Andrews made sure Dallas coach Mike McCarthy didn’t lose sight of Brady’s praise for his plays. Charissa Thompson praised him a few times when she broke in with score updates on the game between Tampa Bay, one of his former teams, and the Washington Commanders.

During another on-screen appearance, Burkhardt joked that he paid special attention to his hairstyle because he knew there would be more footage from the announcer’s booth.

“I do what they tell me. I understand that,” Brady said with a chuckle. “I’m still a newbie here.”

This was obvious to the audience.

Brady’s commentary was as knowledgeable as expected, but it lacked personality—no Tony Romo anticipating the next play, no John Madden with his “Boom!” and turducken, not even the quarter-zip sweaters that set Peyton Manning apart from the dozens or hundreds of other ex-athletes who moved into the media after their playing days ended.

There was awkward laughter, an awkward fist bump with rules analyst Mike Pereira, and many players were addressed by their first names (along with an unnecessarily respectful reference to “Coach McCarthy”). Brady declined to criticize Cleveland receiver Amari Cooper when a pass slipped through his hands in the fourth quarter, and apologized for the Browns while trying to find positives in a terrible performance.

One X-user tweeted: “Tom Brady is to the TV world what Michael Jordan is to baseball.”

(Of course, Brady, who was selected in the sixth round of the draft and spent his first NFL season as the Patriots’ fourth quarterback, managed to grow into the quarterback role well.)

It didn’t help that the game, with Dallas leading 27-3 early in the second half, was headed for a blowout victory that would have challenged even a seasoned commentator to keep the crowd interested. But here, Brady was able to use his experience to his advantage.

“There’s still a lot of time left in this game,” said the quarterback, who led the Patriots back from a 28-3 deficit in the 51st Super Bowl against Atlanta. “But the margin for error is small.”

On one play, Brady asked Deshaun Watson to throw the ball to an open tight end; the Browns quarterback didn’t notice.

Brady played 23 years in the NFL before retiring after the 2022 season as the winningest player in league history. He signed a 10-year deal with Fox Sports, replacing the highly regarded Greg Olsen as the network’s lead analyst. Brady took time off last year, a gap that only increased the excitement about whether he could transfer some of his knowledge and skills from the field to the viewing booth.

In a commercial a few minutes before kickoff, Brady was seen in his various football uniforms, talking to his current self and asking why he didn’t just take the estimated $450 million he earned during his playing career and “lay on a beach and get fat on piña coladas.”

“What they’re really asking is why don’t you quit football? They don’t understand that you live and breathe football. Because you’re Tom Freaking Brady,” say a row of helmeted Bradys. “And our football journey is far from over.”

“Back to work,” says the current Brady.

With five Super Bowl MVP awards in his seven NFL title game victories — six for New England and one for Tampa Bay — Brady established himself as the greatest player in league history. He finished his career with the records for wins and playoff wins, passing touchdowns and playoff passing touchdowns, and passing yards and playoff passing yards, among other records.

And while he hasn’t been able to completely avoid controversy in his career – most notably during the two-year Deflategate odyssey that resulted in a four-game suspension for cheating – Brady rarely made headlines with his statements.

Brady’s new career has already suffered a setback, as his simultaneous attempt to buy a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders means he no longer has access to the team’s facilities, players and coaches like other broadcasters. He must also abide by the league’s constitution and rules, which prohibit public criticism of officials and other clubs; he is allowed to broadcast Raiders games.

The highly anticipated debut stole some of the attention from the game between the Cowboys, the defending NFC East champions who signed quarterback Dak Prescott to a record four-year, $240 million contract on Sunday, and a Browns team that is not expected to make the playoffs.

As the final 30 seconds of the Cowboys’ 33-17 victory ticked away, Brady and Burkhardt talked as much about their new partnership as they did about the game itself. Back in the studio, Michael Strahan chose Brady — not any of the players — as the day’s biggest winner, and Brady shared a piece of wisdom he learned from his fellow athlete and future TV star: “You’re going to wake up tomorrow, Monday morning, and you’re not going to be in pain.”

“I’m very happy about that,” said Brady.

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