Bill Simmons Offers Up Some Pretty Fair Tom Brady Critiques

Brady worked the Packers-Lions game on Sunday.

FOX commentator Tom Brady talks during pregame warmups before a game between the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills at Lumen Field. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Tom Brady was at Lambeau Field for Sunday's Detroit Lions-Green Bay Packers game as his rookie year of broadcasting nears its midway point. One of the major storylines to emerge from the rain-soaked setting was the ineffectiveness of Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who failed to get much of anything going while fighting off the effects of an injury.

On his traditional Monday episode of guessing the lines, Bill Simmons expressed how he was underwhelmed by Brady's performance.

"I thought Brady was just bad today," Simmons said. "He just doesn't tell me enough. I just felt like what was going on with Love like Brady has obviously played hurt. I really wanted, that would have been the perfect, Romo would've dove into that and been like 'I can tell Love's hurt and here's why.' Just teach me something. Brady's not teaching us anything."

"This guy is one of the greatest resources in football that we have, and they don't tap into any of it."@BillSimmons offers a midseason check-in on Tom Brady the broadcaster. pic.twitter.com/1MpzlkVteO

— The Ringer (@ringer) November 4, 2024

"I think he's being poorly produced is where I've landed because I think whatever they're telling him to do, it's not working," Simmons continued. "I don't feel like I'm watching the game with him. He comes in the beginning he's got this, like, fake energy. None of it feels genuine to me. And then on top of it, he owns a piece of Vegas and it feels like he can't be as critical, maybe, as he wants to be in certain spots. But I wanted him to dive into Goff, he went against him in a Super Bowl. How has he evolved over the last six years? This guy is like one of the greatest resources in football that we have, and they don't tap into any of it."

That's a fairly strong critique yet it's hard to argue. It's not like Brady is bad or distracts from his broadcasts. But he doesn't add nearly as much as one might expect him to add. Sunday presented a potential NFC Championship Game preview and it didn't feel like a Big Game Broadcast because Brady sounds very much like someone learning on the fly. And if he's not being Tom Brady then what's the point of paying him all that money?

Again, this isn't meant to be overly critical. Brady has gotten better and will probably be really good at this in a few years. It's not his fault he's facing heightened expectations right out of the gate. Then again, that's what the money is for.

Simmons' thought that he's not being produced correctly is interesting to consider. To me, it's more about the version of Brady we're getting on-air. We can't see him when the play is going on so that recognizable face isn't bringing much to the table. And he doesn't always sound super confident, which is jarring considering no one on the planet should be more confident than Brady. It's like a little tweak would go a long way. He can't be the guy who is starring in commercials proclaiming that he's ready for the bright lights and then not be a star under them.

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