What Is Fox Going to Do With Tom Brady?
1. I already covered the dilemma Fox has on its hands regarding its No. 1 NFL broadcast crew. Tom Brady signed a contract to become the network’s lead analyst when he retired. And Brady retired (again) Wednesday morning.
The problem for Fox is that Greg Olsen, who currently works with Kevin Burkhardt on the A crew, has improved immensely over the season, especially shining during the postseason, while also becoming a fan favorite.
I wrote about all this last week, so I don’t want to rehash it. However, there is one new aspect of this saga I wasn’t expecting.
After getting feedback off that column last week, I was stunned by how many NFL fans (at least among my readers and Twitter followers) don’t want Brady in the booth.
I’ve always said that sports fans are not playing with a full deck, and this certainly supports that belief.
Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time, he’s won seven Super Bowls and is one of the most historic figures in sports history. Yet, people don’t want to hear him offer analysis because … he beat their favorite team a lot? Grow up.
There’s also the crowd who thinks Brady is boring and has no personality. If you’ve paid attention to Brady since he left New England, you’d know that he’s shown a lot of personality and a decent sense of humor. Again, from what I can tell, these are people who just want to bash Brady because he was so great on the field. It’s all childish nonsense.
But sense of humor and personality are secondary to what Brady can bring to the table. How could a football fan not want Brady’s insight about the game? How could they not want to know what he’s thinking about what a defense is giving a quarterback? How can they not want his analysis during a two-minute drill? Any rational sports fan should want the greatest player at a certain position in any sport to be in a broadcast booth simply because of the unique perspective they can provide.
I’m not saying it’s a guarantee Brady will be outstanding in the booth. I’m not even saying he’ll be good. We’d have to wait and see until he does it. Nobody at this moment knows what Brady will be as a game analyst. (My prediction is that he will be good.) But everybody who is a football fan and not a baby should want him to give broadcasting a shot, because the upside is huge.
The irrational Brady hate makes this entire venture even tougher for Fox. The network will get hammered by fans if they drop Olsen to the No. 2 team and replace him with Brady. There are so many people out there who will bash Brady’s performance as a broadcaster no matter what.
It seems to me Fox’s only choice right now is to make its A booth a three-man booth with Burkhardt, Olsen and Brady.
2. This was the coolest Brady stat I've seen today.
3. Tuesday was a big day for conflict between NFL heavyweight reporters. Who do you believe?
4. Travis Kelce is still going after the Cincinnati mayor, who wanted Patrick Mahomes to take a paternity test to prove that Joe Burrow isn’t his father.
5. I absolutely despise the “this didn't age well” game that people play on Twitter. However, I’m going to make an exception here, because this one didn’t even have time to age.
6. This week’s SI Media Podcast features a conversation with Good Morning Football host Jason McCourty.
McCourty discusses his first year on the NFL Network show, how he's adjusted to doing a show that starts at 7 a.m., what it was like to replace Nate Burleson, whether it's tough for him as a former player to criticize current players and which of his GMFB cohosts is the crankiest in the morning.
The 13-year NFL veteran also talks about Bill Belichick's rules for Patriots players regarding the media, Tom Brady going viral for his expletive-filled answer about his future, the difference between people on the East Coast and Midwest and much more.
Following McCourty, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we discuss Scott Rolen getting into the Hall of Fame, Shannon Sharpe getting into a ruckus at an NBA game, the Rocky movies, movie soundtracks and more.
You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.
You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy retirement to the GOAT.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
