Tom Brady shows nerves in ho-hum Fox debut

In the first of two pieces on Tom Brady’s Fox debut, Drew Lerner goes into detail on the rookie analyst’s debut performance on Sunday.

Tom Brady ‘s long-awaited debut at Fox shows his burgeoning announcing career has potential, but the future hall-of-famer still has a lot of work to do.

The first chapter of Tom Brady’s announcing career is in the books as the seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback called Cowboys-Browns for Fox on Sunday afternoon. Alongside lead play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt and the rest of the Fox ‘A’ team, Brady had some nervy moments throughout, but settled in to call a decent, albeit unpolished, game.

In what will almost certainly be one of the more scrutinized calls in football history, Brady showed his inexperience. Perhaps aware of the spotlight on his performance, Brady took a conservative approach to calling the game. He was slow to jump in at times, allowing for some uncomfortable moments of dead air during the broadcast. Burkhardt ended up doing a lot of the heavy lifting, certainly putting in more words per minute than he did alongside his old partner Greg Olsen .

There was a lot of effort on Burkhardt’s part to tee Brady up for analysis. One of Brady’s brighter moments in the game came in this first half when Burkhardt asked him if he preferred to see man or zone coverage as a quarterback. Brady responded with an insight about the fundamental differences between the two defenses. Man coverage, Brady suggested, has more big play potential since the defender covering the receiver is typically also the player responsible for making the tackle. If a receiver beats his man, there are more yards to be had after the catch.

It’s a simple analysis, but one that carries the weight of seven Super Bowl rings behind it. Unfortunately for Brady, these moments didn’t come as naturally as they do for more seasoned announcers.

A normal broadcast sequence in a football game usually plays out like this: Snap, play-by-play call, whistle, replay and analysis. Experienced game analysts know exactly what they want to highlight about a given play nearly instantaneously following the whistle. The best analysts will even inform the production truck of exactly what replay they’d like to use to illustrate their point. Brady still has a long way to go in this regard. There were many instances during Cowboys-Browns where Brady let the replay run for several seconds without offering any analysis.

Of course, this isn’t because Brady can’t breakdown a football play. It’s a matter of him finding his sea legs. Right now, viewers can almost hear him thinking about what he wants to say rather than just letting it rip. Brady’s hyper-conscious and well-manicured public persona could play a role in this overthinking, though it ultimately probably boils down to first game jitters.

Even several hours before kickoff, Brady was showing signs of stiffness on the air. During a hit for the “Fox NFL Sunday” pregame show, Brady was clearly thinking about every word he’d say, often stopping and starting sentences as he did several times during the game call. Who could blame him? He’s taking a risk that no one at his level of fame usually takes. Not only is Brady well aware of the reputational risk that comes with being a lead game analyst, but he also has the added pressure of being paid beaucoup bucks to do it.

The good news is (if one can play armchair psychologist) the mere fact that Brady seemed nervous means he cares. He’s taking the job seriously. Hopefully with time, that means Brady will improve into a true ‘A’ teamer.

That improvement won’t come without its challenges. Brady is already behind the eight ball with the NFL regarding his restricted access to key preparatory environments , like production meetings and team facilities, where broadcasters often acquire their best insights for the upcoming game.

Nevertheless, if anyone can attain a level of success in the broadcast booth with one hand tied behind their back, it’s Tom Brady, who has proven his elevated knowledge of the game through years of dominating on the field. Now the question is, can he translate that football acumen to the broadcast booth? Maybe that’s easier said than done.

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