Welcome back to “On the Air,” in which Sports Media Watch Podcast co-host Armand Broady will offer in-depth breakdowns of broadcasters, on-air performance and career journeys, plus chronicle broader trends in the industry.
Given his fame and reputation, Tom Brady was expected to be a good — if not great — TV analyst right from the start. But for much of his first season, Brady lacked the confidence and competence of a lead analyst. He was unsure and unstable, leaving some to wonder if he’d ever be comfortable in the booth.
This season, Brady has erased many of those doubts. He’s more relaxed, yet more assertive.
In his newsletter, “199,” Brady wrote last month: “I’m feeling more comfortable than ever and I’ve grown in ways that I didn’t think were possible. And it’s thanks, in no small part, to the fact that I’m confident in what I’m doing, and I’m doing it with people I really care about, who are awesome at their jobs, too.”
In November, one of those people, Fox sideline reporter Erin Andrews, offered a glowing assessment of her colleague’s performance.
“I was sitting in my hotel room and they were playing last year’s Eagles-Bucs game,” Andrews said on the New Heights podcast. “I texted TB and I just said, ‘wow, listening to you in this game, which was your fourth game of the season versus now, it’s just night and day.'”
In an interview last month with Front Office Sports, Fox lead NFL producer Richie Zyontz addressed Brady’s sophomore broadcasting campaign. “He’s excellent right now,” Zyontz said.
Though the evaluations of Andrews and Zyontz are likely a bit slanted, they may not be that far off. The consensus among social media commenters and sports media followers is that Brady’s commentary deserves high marks.
But one former ESPN host took the praise to another level. In a social media post shared on Sunday, longtime “SportsCenter” anchor Stan Verrett said, “Brady is the best TV analyst now, already. He’s taken over the top spot.”
Verrett made the post in the middle of Fox’s broadcast of Sunday’s 49ers-Eagles playoff game. As one would expect, the post was met with immediate response on social media; some agreed, some opposed. While it is possible that he was merely fishing for social media reaction, Verrett’s declarative statement is worth an examination.
Sunday’s broadcast was a strong one for the Fox analyst. After an early 49ers TD pass, Brady explained how the 49ers executed a scheme that forced Eagles LB Nakobe Dean to track 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey, leaving open space in the end zone for WR DeMarcus Robinson to score.
He was also critical of officiating, something critics have desired more of from him. Early in the 4th quarter, officials threw a flag for a personal foul after a late slide by Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. “Not a call I like at all,” Brady declared.
His most impressive moment came midway through the 3rd quarter. During an on-camera segment, Brady demonstrated how difficult it is for QBs to throw the ball into heavy wind.
“If the point of the ball is up, any wind friction is going to push that ball over the top,” he said. “As a quarterback, you don’t really like that ‘U’ throw underneath because it’s going to point the tip of the ball up. In these windy conditions, you can’t be underneath the ball. There’s too much wind surface of the ball to knock it off its path.”
The moment holds more weight not just because of its content, but because of Brady’s stature. Any time Brady offers next level analysis about a QB’s process, it becomes can’t-miss television. Brady’s confidence and clarity as a broadcaster elevated the segment.
While most agree that Brady’s career is on the upswing, it is far too premature to contend that Brady is the best analyst in football. He’s not even the best analyst at his own network. That spot belongs to Greg Olsen.
Brady has, however, gained ground on CBS analyst Tony Romo, who continues to trade insightful analysis for shtick, as evidenced by his call of Sunday’s Bills-Jaguars game.
NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth is still one of the game’s strongest communicators. He and Mike Tirico have found a comfortable rhythm in the “Sunday Night Football” booth.
And, despite working as a lead analyst for more than 20 years, Troy Aikman is still at the top of his game, boldly offering refreshingly incisive observations.
Given the current landscape, it may be a while before Brady is widely deemed the best analyst in football. What is clear is that he has made significant progress in his second year. Everyone — from producers to executives to viewers — should be encouraged by his commitment to the business, and his steady improvement.
Plus: Harlan, Hummel and Raftery make a comfortable listen
This past Saturday, Robbie Hummel made his CBS college basketball regular season debut, joining Kevin Harlan and Bill Raftery in the booth for Saturday’s Wisconsin-Michigan matchup.
Hummel, whose voice eerily resembles that of Raftery’s former partner and current ESPN analyst Jay Bilas, fit right in with the CBS veterans. His calls have energy and conviction, and he’s quickly becoming one of the game’s best teachers on television.
Raftery excels in three-man booths because he’s adept at bringing his co-analyst into the conversation. Few broadcasters bounce from comedy and storytelling to strategy and high level analysis like Raftery.
While we don’t yet know if Hummel is Raftery’s eventual successor, the two analysts, along with the excellent Harlan brought a Final Four feel to a regular season broadcast.
