Tom Brady looked a little nervous.
That’s right. The man who won seven Super Bowls, earned three league MVP awards and set numerous quarterback records during a 23-year NFL career (not to mention sitting there and enduring hours of stinging comments at his expense during a recent Netflix spoof) didn’t completely sweep the board during his regular-season debut as a color commentator for Fox.
Working with broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt during the Week 1 game between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Brady displayed the kind of football knowledge one would expect from the player largely regarded as the sport's all-time greatest.
But one game into his 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox, Brady is coming under fire for a manner of speech that seemed somewhat robotic and for displaying a level of emotion that resembled that displayed by former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick during postgame news conferences.
For example, just before halftime, Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey lined up to attempt a 71-yard field goal after a delay-of-game penalty negated his record-tying 66-yard field goal. While Burkhardt marveled at the idea of attempting a kick from that distance, Brady said the Cowboys need to be prepared in case the kick falls short and, after the Browns called a timeout, that “maybe everybody will think twice about it.”
The clip was shown on NFL Network’s “NFL RedZone,” and host Scott Hanson criticized Brady for his apparent lack of enthusiasm.
“Come on,” Hanson said. “Brady has to be more excited than that in the booth.”
On Monday morning, Hanson reposted a clip of his comment, along with an apology to Brady.
“It was unfair and inconsiderate of me,” Hanson wrote. “Yes, I meant it in jest, but I didn’t think through how it might be interpreted. @TomBrady, I apologize. I promise I’ll support you in this new venture!”
By the way, Brady's analysis of the situation was correct. Dallas actually reconsidered the field goal attempt and instead ended the first half with a Dak Prescott pass attempt into the end zone that was not completed.
Another awkward moment occurred on camera when the rules analyst failed to notice for several seconds that Brady attempted to fist bump Mike Pereira. “Oh, don't leave me hanging,” joked Brady, who was eventually punched back by Pereira.
To be fair, Brady didn't have much to work with during his regular-season debut as an NFL broadcaster. The game itself was a bust, as the Cowboys won in a landslide.
Brady had his moments, such as when he made an apparent reference to Belichick by saying, “I played for a coach who didn't mind dissing his players,” and then explained why he thought that wasn't such a bad thing.
“If you want to be a great player, you want to be pushed, you want to be challenged, you want to be criticized,” Braday said.
He added: “I was the beneficiary of a lot of that hard training… Discipline and accountability are pillars of any successful organization, and I have no problem with coaches who feel they have to tell their players the truth, because you don’t get a lot of truth all the time as an NFL player.”
