TB12 as an Analyst

[riboflav]

I didn't have the Browns/Cowboys game here (thanks Commanders) so I only caught snippets of the game on the Red Zone channel, but I'm curious what you all thought. It was his first real game doing this of course. My takeaways based on only those snippets were:

1. He has a voice (like I do) that is nasally and treble-leaning (can get pitchy which shouldn't surprise any of us) instead of bass and consistent if that makes sense. This could be off-putting to some.

2. He seemed similar to Romo in diagnosing pre-snap what might come and how you have to account as a QB for the situation, the defensive alignment, and personnel without over-talking about it like Romo can do. For me, this was his greatest strength.

3. He let the game or play breathe before interjecting his thoughts which I appreciate but maybe other fans don't care for.

4. He's not at peak form yet. There were times that called for being more of a fanboy at the play that just happened and I got the sense when he spoke that he knew he should be but just was not quite at that excitement level. It was still the TB controlled thing where he doesn't want to be too out there which brings me to...

5. I didn't hear any of this because again Red Zone channel snippets but I also doubt he was critical enough on certain players and coaches and decisions. This may be his biggest obstacle to overcome as a GOAT turned analyst.

 

[riboflav]

I should add that my feed on Twitter was mostly I miss Olsen. That could be a lot of I hate Brady junk. I'm a TB fanboy and think he will be fine and good if can get over the obstacle mentioned.

 

[Justthetippett]

He was pretty bad. It felt like a guest spot at times. Burkhardt (and even Perriera) were lobbing things over to him and they were falling flat. I don't mind the "let the game speak for itself" less is more approach, but then when you do come in it better be something insightful. It usually was not in his case.

I have no idea how they train these guys for color commentary, but I would think a big part of it is developing some themes of the particular game. Yesterday it was pretty clearly the difference in Oline play. Brady could diagnose that in two seconds. It also looked like Stefanski had trouble adjusting his play calling. It would be great if he could communicate things like this and educate fans in the process. Just keep it simple: what do you see out there and what's the countermove.

 

[jose melendez]

I only listened for about a quarter, but it was bad. There was nothing that can't be fixed, I think, but his style was really stilted--short phrases, pauses in between. He needs to learn to talk, though not in paragraphs, at least in compound sentences.

He gets a year, that said, if he's bad at this, I don't know that he'll last. People who are used to being great at stuff often get really frustrated when they try something for which they have no natural aptitude.

 

[joe dokes]

A couple of Finn articles said her and Burkhardt did 17 taped games together in prep. Nothing like game speed, I suppose.

He gets a year, that said, if he's bad at this, I don't know that he'll last. People who are used to being great at stuff often get really frustrated when they try something for which they have no natural aptitude.

It's his second career, but he had issues getting started at Michigan and the Patriots and eventually got good. It is certainly possible, though, that all the hard work in the world wont be enough.

 

[Bunt4aTriple]

Week 1:

Week 10:

 

[Garshaparra]

DVR didn't record DAL-CLE for me (sigh), so I missed the first half of the game. The second half didn't have much in the way of analysis from Brady though - mostly just lamenting CLE's struggles in the blowout, and crowing about the DAL defense, especially Micah Parsons. I did enjoy his bit discussing Mike Zimmer's willingness to play Parsons "all over the field", even safety, given his exceptional athleticism. Brady piped up with "Speaking as a QB, I'm all for keeping him as far from the LOS as possible!", and many chuckles happened. He was fine, nothing to write home about.

 

[astrozombie]

I didn't think it was very good, but it wasn't abysmal. As for "letting the game breathe", it sounded more like Brady thinking of something to say because it felt like it was his turn to respond based on what his partner said. I am sure that chemistry issue can and will be fixed. He also has a voice that is, well, polarizing. And he had an almost Texas-twang at parts that was kind of jarring.
For a guy who has been famous for over 20 years, he still seems completely awkward and stilted in front of a camera. Its the same in the booth; he sounds like someone trying really hard to appear like a good color commentator based on the copious amount of research he has done on humans.

 

[Remagellan]

I get that he's been famous for a long while, but it's not like he threw himself into commercials and media gigs while playing like Peyton did and Mahomes is doing now. I expect him to get better, because he will continue to put in the work to get better.

 

[BaseballJones]

100% Brady will improve. He can't do too much with his voice, but he will learn when to talk, what things make for good commentary, and he will develop better chemistry on-air. He may never be great at it - that's totally possible. But he will improve. I just want to see the game through his eyes when he's doing color.

 

[Van Everyman]

People who are used to being great at stuff often get really frustrated when they try something for which they have no natural aptitude.

Brady has an insane work ethic. If he wants to improve at this he will.

I only listened to about 15 minutes but it seemed like he had a hard time hearing himself based on how much he was raising his voice. Which suggests to me that Fox didn’t prep him for game situations well (quiet booths, simulations, etc.).

The Romo comparisons aren’t really that relevant. Brady has this gig because he’s a legendary figure with what is perceived as the best mind there is for today’s game. Brady showed in a lot of interviews this summer that he is very adept at articulating that for mass audiences.

By contrast, the book on Romo was that his knowledge of the game in a quarterback-driven league (particularly pre-snap) combined with his upbeat, affable personality would make him great at instant analysis from the jump – which he was before his shit work ethic caught up to him and which is why the suits wanted to give him the top gig immediately.

The issue with Brady and broadcasting will be whether his ability to process the game in real time translates into his ability to talk about it in real time.

 

[joe dokes]

For a guy who has been famous for over 20 years, he still seems completely awkward and stilted in front of a camera. Its the same in the booth; he sounds like someone trying really hard to appear like a good color commentator based on the copious amount of research he has done on humans.

That's a pretty good call. And he might succeed, though I am picturing Mr. Spock in the booth with Howard and Dandy Don.

 

[Mystic Merlin]

I wish TV color guys talked much less than they do on average, so I didn’t mind that. He’ll be fine.

 

[Pablo's TB Lover]

I didn't think it was very good, but it wasn't abysmal. As for "letting the game breathe", it sounded more like Brady thinking of something to say because it felt like it was his turn to respond based on what his partner said. I am sure that chemistry issue can and will be fixed. He also has a voice that is, well, polarizing. And he had an almost Texas-twang at parts that was kind of jarring.
For a guy who has been famous for over 20 years, he still seems completely awkward and stilted in front of a camera. Its the same in the booth; he sounds like someone trying really hard to appear like a good color commentator based on the copious amount of research he has done on humans.

That's good: his detachment is kind of captured by those Kentucky Derby bro trips, where you hear stories of Edelman and Amendola go out of their minds, yet you never hear stories about Tom letting himself go along with those guys. He changed everything about himself with the sole quest of winning, and partitioned the hell out of his life.

We kind of need Edelman's relatability from his Games with Names podcast work, but with Tom's impeccable preparation and GAF.

 

[kenneycb]

He was nondescript from what I watched. It was also a completely nondescript game that the Cowboys dominated so not a ton of interesting analysis opportunities.

 

[Remagellan]

Maybe he can find a way to affect a "nicer Keith Hernandez" tone. Because Keith is very good and knowledgeable in the booth but comes off like a contemptuous prick who thinks he's above it all. Brady maybe could steer his way to being the nice guy version of that.

 

[astrozombie]

That's a pretty good call. And he might succeed, though I am picturing Mr. Spock in the booth with Howard and Dandy Don.

Brady always struck my as the football equivalent of Tom Cruise (note: setting aside Cruise's personal beliefs here since that is a rabbit hole not for this board). By all counts, Cruise is a nice guy who cares deeply about making entertaining movies, is a very intense professional and demands the best of everyone who works with him. From what I have heard, he is also someone who will buy a round of beers for the crew and laugh at their jokes - but there is a vague sense of performance to it, like an alien who has read about humans and mimics what it has read without any kind of emotion behind it. It's a checklist of "being a good person" that he marks off and moves on. That doesn't make him a bad person, but I imagine that most normal people who interact with Cruise get the sense that something is slightly off.

That's good: his detachment is kind of captured by those Kentucky Derby bro trips, where you hear stories of Edelman and Amendola go out of their minds, yet you never hear stories about Tom letting himself go along with those guys. He changed everything about himself with the sole quest of winning, and partitioned the hell out of his life.

We kind of need Edelman's relatability from his Games with Names podcast work, but with Tom's impeccable preparation and GAF.

Great points. I know it would be crowded, but a three man booth with Burkhardt (play by play), Brady (analysis) and Edelman (analysis/charisma/interfacing between Brady and Burkhardt) would be intriguing, especially given the trust Brady has in Edelman. Though I could easily see that turning into "Edelman and Burkhardt do everything while Brady chimes in occasionally with a factoid".

 

[Remagellan]

Brady always struck my as the football equivalent of Tom Cruise (note: setting aside Cruise's personal beliefs here since that is a rabbit hole not for this board). By all counts, Cruise is a nice guy who cares deeply about making entertaining movies, is a very intense professional and demands the best of everyone who works with him. From what I have heard, he is also someone who will buy a round of beers for the crew and laugh at their jokes - but there is a vague sense of performance to it, like an alien who has read about humans and mimics what it has read without any kind of emotion behind it. It's a checklist of "being a good person" that he marks off and moves on. That doesn't make him a bad person, but I imagine that most normal people who interact with Cruise get the sense that something is slightly off.


Great points. I know it would be crowded, but a three man booth with Burkhardt (play by play), Brady (analysis) and Edelman (analysis/charisma/interfacing between Brady and Burkhardt) would be intriguing, especially given the trust Brady has in Edelman. Though I could easily see that turning into "Edelman and Burkhardt do everything while Brady chimes in occasionally with a factoid".

To me, this is essentially the Mets current booth. Gary Cohen and Ron Darling handle the humanity, and Keith chimes in from on high from time to time. Darling is the Edelman in your scenario--the former teammate who helps humanize his prima donna former teammate.

The Spock/Cruise/Brady comparison is spot on.

Edited to add--they are right now as good a local broadcast team as exists in baseball now, so it could be an inspired change to bring Edleman into the mix if Brady continues to sound much as he did yesterday.

 

[ifmanis5]

Awkward is a good summary.
View: https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1833154685114425495

From @TheAthletic: Tom Brady sounded like a rookie on Sunday, our columnist writes. It is sort of endearing that the man considered the greatest NFL player of all time came across as nervous to open his Fox broadcasting career. https://nyti.ms/4d0Potk

 

[cgori]

I didn't get to watch CLE-DAL yesterday so didn't get to hear Brady. But this summary included this interesting nugget:

There were times that it seemed obvious Brady wasn’t in the mid-week production meetings, which he’s not allowed to attend as part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. He seemed to lack some of the typical anecdotes and personal interactions that come out of those meetings. Brady was also mostly mild in his criticism of specific players or obvious in-game mistakes.

 

[InstaFace]

Alien inhabiting a human body and trying to pass:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB3a0jSVIBU



Perfectly normal broadcasting analyst with Romo-like ability to see what's really going on and explain it to viewers:

View: https://twitter.com/NFLonFOX/status/1832884704606871589



Highlights reel (for an analyst!) is a mixed bag of banalities while suggesting there's some deeper insight underneath it:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I8-Eja2LCM


What a time to be alive.

 

[bankshot1]

IMO his value added was minimal.

Burkhardt would make game comments that all but begged some Brady commentary and all we got from Tom was a series of "yehs".

When Brandin Cooks came in, a former Brady WR, I figured there might be some anecdote about Cooks, but nothing.

I thought it was a disappointing debut.

 

[BigSoxFan]

Not sure he’ll be anything more than a system announcer, sadly.

 

[InstaFace]

Not sure he’ll be anything more than a system announcer, sadly.

Can't carry an announcer team to ratings glory. Can only be carried by his outstanding play-by-play and his camera and production crew.

Brady talks too much.

I wish TV color guys talked much less than they do on average, so I didn’t mind that. He’ll be fine.

Tough crowd here. Can't please everyone, I suppose.

Edit: And an even tougher crowd, this from a guy who has to think on his feet live on-air at roughly the speed of a Wall Street trader on cocaine:

View: https://twitter.com/gifdsports/status/1832902011488178280

I kinda figured we'd be in here posting clips and checkin in on how he's doing, watching the growth curve, rather than just Statler-and-Waldorf'ing our way through his first season. Maybe that was too optimistic.

 

[Pablo's TB Lover]

I didn't get to watch CLE-DAL yesterday so didn't get to hear Brady. But this summary included this interesting nugget:

That's a very good point re: lack of production meetings. Brady is left analyzing the game from his experience rather than mixing in nuggets from the participants. Only pulling stuff out of your past and using clichés rather than being in the moment with preparation with the teams from that week is a good way of making the live broadcast feel stale.

 

[Salva135]

I didn't hear anything revolutionary, he's clearly doing his best to play the part. Brady has personal stories with half of the league - he would be revolutionary if he leaned on his experience, which everyone assumed he would do. It doesn't help that his voice isn't really made for this. I'm sure he'll get better but he's been extremely vanilla so far and that's disappointing. That's not what the fans want.

 

[joe dokes]

Can't carry an announcer team to ratings glory. Can only be carried by his outstanding play-by-play and his camera and production crew.

"He can't fucking talk and listen at the same time."

 

[glennhoffmania]

From what I heard he wasn't good. I agree with Ribo that his voice is a little annoying. And the points he made, at least when I was watching, were obvious. For example, on one play he said something like, watch out for Parsons here. On another, watch out for Garrett. OK great, so the analysis is to keep an eye on two of the most dominant pass rushers in the league. And Burkhardt's reaction was like, wow how did you see that coming? It was kind of ridiculous.

He didn't add anything to the broadcast but he also didn't ruin it like Romo does. There's no reason to think he can't get better though.

 

[nattysez]

I didn't think it was very good, but it wasn't abysmal. As for "letting the game breathe", it sounded more like Brady thinking of something to say because it felt like it was his turn to respond based on what his partner said. I am sure that chemistry issue can and will be fixed. He also has a voice that is, well, polarizing. And he had an almost Texas-twang at parts that was kind of jarring.
For a guy who has been famous for over 20 years, he still seems completely awkward and stilted in front of a camera. Its the same in the booth; he sounds like someone trying really hard to appear like a good color commentator based on the copious amount of research he has done on humans.

Agree with all of this. There was also one play where he got half a thought out, then stopped, then said nothing and there was silence until the next snap. He'll improve.

 

[Tony C]

I didn't think it was very good, but it wasn't abysmal. As for "letting the game breathe", it sounded more like Brady thinking of something to say because it felt like it was his turn to respond based on what his partner said. I am sure that chemistry issue can and will be fixed. He also has a voice that is, well, polarizing. And he had an almost Texas-twang at parts that was kind of jarring.
For a guy who has been famous for over 20 years, he still seems completely awkward and stilted in front of a camera. Its the same in the booth; he sounds like someone trying really hard to appear like a good color commentator based on the copious amount of research he has done on humans.

Pretty much this. I like the silences...same as Redick's short stint for the NBA. But is his voice fix-able?

Beyond that, I know TB's football intelligence is over the moon. But not sure if that'll translate. Will see.

 

[Ed Hillel]

I thought he was ok, but his excited voice is really grating, and I don't know how you fix that. I don't think there's a Bosley for vocals.

 

[BaseballJones]

Agree with all of this. There was also one play where he got half a thought out, then stopped, then said nothing and there was silence until the next snap. He'll improve.

I can tell you from experience that one thing that's challenging about broadcasting is talking while you hear a director talking into your ear - it could be directly at you or it could be for another camera shot but you still get that in your earpiece. It can be rather jarring. I've seen news anchors stop mid-sentence because the director said something sharply to another member of the crew. It takes some getting used to.

 

[DontTauntOrtizMe]

I may have missed it but FOX kept playing this incredibly dumb promo for Brady that did not do him any favors. I wonder why he would agree to do something like this? I don't have Xitter so I can embed Xweets but the video is included in this article (which itself has a really dumb headline.)

FOX debuts awesome commercial for Tom Brady's broadcasting debut (larrybrownsports.com)

 

[Salva135]

I will say this - for everyone knocking Brady's high-pitched voice, there are hundreds of players who listened to him probably reach even higher levels of pitch screaming at them, and they went to war for him. So, there's that.

 

[Manuel Aristides]

I thought it was pretty awful. He kept starting sentences that ... ... lingered on words that were clearly ... ... not the end of a sentence, giving the ... ... effect that he was ... ... very uncertain of what... to say. Plus his levels were bad -- maybe some of that is his tone, but it sounded physically like something was wrong with his headset, I presume the mic too far from the face. If this had been anyone but the most successful American athlete of all time he would not be invited back. Could he improve? Of course. But I was shocked at how bad it was.

 

[Cellar-Door]

I thought his best stuff was late in the game when there was a bunch of dead space to fill so he went into some length on things like Zimmer's coaching style, etc. But that's rare, he's not good yet at getting in concise insightful commentary in short spaces.

 

[BigSoxFan]

It’s too bad that his roast was a few months before this game. Would have been some nice material to use.

 

[Phil Plantier]

Patrick Claybon on the NFL Daily podcast said that he thought Brady was self-censoring expletives a lot of the time, which would account for some of the pauses. I also thought he was stopping himself when he geeked out, because he didn't want to lose the audience ("the pressure came from the A gap... which we call the gaps on either side of the center...").

I'm not worried. How long did it take Aikman to be a net positive? My hazy memory says it was several years, if not a decade.

He wasn't a Brees or Witten-level disaster. I acknowledge that that's a low bar.

 

[radsoxfan]

I didn't hear it all but I thought he was decent. Definitely not as bad as some are saying, especially when grading on a curve for game 1. I do think it's potentially problematic if he doesn't get to do any of the pre-game meetings because of the ownership stuff, that puts him behind the 8 ball a bit. Plus the voice objectively isn't great.

It will be ironic if Brady becomes the Drew Henson of broadcasting. Very hyped, given time over a better announcer with less pedigree (Olsen), and ultimately fizzles out.

 

[riboflav]

Brady always struck my as the football equivalent of Tom Cruise (note: setting aside Cruise's personal beliefs here since that is a rabbit hole not for this board). By all counts, Cruise is a nice guy who cares deeply about making entertaining movies, is a very intense professional and demands the best of everyone who works with him. From what I have heard, he is also someone who will buy a round of beers for the crew and laugh at their jokes - but there is a vague sense of performance to it, like an alien who has read about humans and mimics what it has read without any kind of emotion behind it. It's a checklist of "being a good person" that he marks off and moves on. That doesn't make him a bad person, but I imagine that most normal people who interact with Cruise get the sense that something is slightly off.


Great points. I know it would be crowded, but a three man booth with Burkhardt (play by play), Brady (analysis) and Edelman (analysis/charisma/interfacing between Brady and Burkhardt) would be intriguing, especially given the trust Brady has in Edelman. Though I could easily see that turning into "Edelman and Burkhardt do everything while Brady chimes in occasionally with a factoid".

It is often said on the web that his best performance was in Magnolia where the character seemed to echo some of the traits the man was known for behind the scenes.

I don't think Brady is quite what the rumors of Cruise is but I was very surprised to learn he was try his hand at announcing. He's always been milquetoast in a very purposeful way.

 

[riboflav]

I thought he was ok, but his excited voice is really grating, and I don't know how you fix that. I don't think there's a Bosley for vocals.

The only way to fix it is to take risks and try to make it a thing, make it endearing. I'm not sure he'd want to take those risks.

 

[riboflav]

Patrick Claybon on the NFL Daily podcast said that he thought Brady was self-censoring expletives a lot of the time, which would account for some of the pauses. I also thought he was stopping himself when he geeked out, because he didn't want to lose the audience ("the pressure came from the A gap... which we call the gaps on either side of the center...").

I'm not worried. How long did it take Aikman to be a net positive? My hazy memory says it was several years, if not a decade.

He wasn't a Brees or Witten-level disaster. I acknowledge that that's a low bar.

I know it's not the job but geeking out would really play to his strengths. It will turn off the casual fan which is probably 70-80% of the audience but if that is what he does best and can't become Aikman, I'd let it ride on geeking out. Hubie Brown does this and it pisses off a lot of people (I love it) but probably because talks too much. If TB could figure out how to nerd it up in a succinct way while acting excited, maybe we have something new here?

 

[8slim]

It’s the wrong format for Brady. He’d be much better in a Manning Cast type role. Something looser where he can riff longer and talk over plays. He’s a long form guy trying to cram stuff into 10-15 second windows.

I’m sure he’ll get better at the logistics of color commentary. But I’d be surprised if he’s ever anything better than OK.

 

[Over Guapo Grande]

Reading some comments made me wonder - and this is just idle mind wandering, not directed at anyone here.

A play is described using the exact same words 3 times.

First time is by a deep dulcet baritone
Second time is by a nasally tenor
Third time is by a perecrly precise alto.

which would be received the best by the audience?

One could actually remove variables and have one take, and then modulated different ways.

Has something like this been done ?

 

[riboflav]

It’s the wrong format for Brady. He’d be much better in a Manning Cast type role. Something looser where he can riff longer and talk over plays. He’s a long form guy trying to cram stuff into 10-15 second windows.

I’m sure he’ll get better at the logistics of color commentary. But I’d be surprised if he’s ever anything better than OK.

I think his best platform today would be pods like BB is doing. Can expound and show off his GOAT wisdom of the most important position in team sports. But yeah there is always an entertainment value to this stuff and while I’d drool anytime he’s talking most find him blah.

 

[Van Everyman]

Good call on podcasts. As I said, I think he’ll improve if he wants to.

But one thing I don’t care for, presentation-wise, is Brady droppin’ his g’s, talkin’ like his old head coach. It’s honestly uncannily like Bill but also super distracting as it feels kind of disingenuously earnest.

 

[HurstSoGood]

He was bad. His voice was bad. But still better than the Brothers Manning, I suppose. I'd like them all to go away.

Belichick, on the other hand, is must see tv. Go figure.

 

[Justthetippett]

He was bad. His voice was bad. But still better than the Brothers Manning, I suppose. I'd like them all to go away.

Belichick, on the other hand, is must see tv. Go figure.

There's only one answer: put BB and TB in the same three man booth and settle the GOAT debate once and for all. Just kidding but that would be awesome.

 

[Silverdude2167]

There's only one answer: put BB and TB in the same three man booth and settle the GOAT debate once and for all. Just kidding but that would be awesome.

They would probably be great, as they would have instant chemistry and know what the other was thinking.

 

[BigSoxFan]

I have no knowledge of media contracts. Is Brady’s 10 year deal likely to be fully-guaranteed with no opt outs or buy outs for FOX?