The Big Lead

Tom Brady's NFL Broadcast Debut Reviews Are In With a Mixed Bag of Bad and Good

By Joe Lago

Sep 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Fox Sports broadcaster Tom Brady greets fans before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Dallas Cowboys at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Sep 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Fox Sports broadcaster Tom Brady greets fans before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Dallas Cowboys at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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"A little slow." "Awkward." "Underwhelmed." "Mostly uneventful."

If reviews of Tom Brady's much-anticipated NFL broadcasting debut were plastered on screen like a big-budgeted movie promo, those descriptions best summed up how the seven-time Super Bowl champion fared Sunday in his first game as Fox's No. 1 NFL analyst with play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt.

Brady invested months of preparation to master his new craft. A hype commercial dropped on Saturday even acknowledged the doubters. However, like in football, success in broadcasting requires lots of repetitions, and Brady's lack of time in the booth was noticeable for sports media critics while he called the Dallas Cowboys' 33-17 win against the Cleveland Browns.

The Ringer's Steven Ruiz wrote that Brady's "trademark poise in the pocket clearly did not carry over to the commentary booth," singling out a moment when Brady "stumbled over his words a few times and spent too much time making uninteresting or straight up confusing points."

USA Today's Cydney Henderson noted that Brady's delivery was "choppy at times" and his hesitancy led to "several moments of dead air." Sean Finn of the Boston Globe thought Brady struggled early on and won't improve until he gets "comfortable in the booth."

Other critics saw positives and upside in Brady's potential as a broadcaster.

Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson credited Brady with a "solid debut" and expects him to show rapid improvement because "if his football career is any indication, it’s coming."

The Athletic's Richard Deitsch saw the same flaws and weaknesses in Brady's broadcast game like everyone else, but he also wrote that Brady "showed enough Sunday to make me believe he will keep improving."

Perhaps the most noticeable critique came from NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson.

The Sunday whiparound show switched to the Cowboys-Browns game for Brandon Aubrey's 71-yard field goal attempt, which would have tied the NFL record. Said Hanson: "Oh come on. Brady has got to get more excited than that in the booth."

On Monday morning, Hanson issued an apology to Brady, saying his comment was "unfair and inconsiderate by me." (Aubrey never attempted the 71-yarder due to a delay-of-game penalty.)