Fox Sports colleagues agree on Tom Brady's surprising top attribute as a broadcaster

Jan 5, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; former NFL quarterback Tom Brady looks on before a game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium.
Jan 5, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; former NFL quarterback Tom Brady looks on before a game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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Richie Zyontz and Rich Russo, Fox's producer and director for Super Bowl LIX, respectively, agree on Tom Brady's best attribute in his first year as a full-time television analyst.

Speaking on The Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch, Brady's colleagues said his ability to accept criticism has shone through in his first year.

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"Tom Brady ... is determined to be great at whatever he does," Zyontz said. "And he took on a new enterprise, which was a daunting task for someone who had never done it, and he was eager from Day 1 to improve and get better and be good, and very good, and great. He takes criticism as well as anybody I've ever worked with. Thrives on it. Just like you'd expect of Tom when he was a player, he prepares like a maniac. He's gotten to the point where I would put his work up against anybody doing it. He's improved every week, and I think the big improvement for Tom would come between Year 1 and Year 2."

"I really believe that he's doing really, really well," Russo said. "People forget that it's his first year. He does – he takes criticism. He just wants to do better and better and better."

"He will literally thank you for telling him he did something not ideal," Zyontz added.

Fox signed Brady to a 10-year, $375 million contract even before he had formally retired as a quarterback. Reviews of his first year as the network's lead play-by-play analyst have been mixed.

Sunday, Brady will take the spotlight as the lead Super Bowl analyst.

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