Tom Brady made his broadcasting debut in the Cowboys vs Browns game, but the NFL world was not impressed with Brady’s performance as a color commentator. Reactions got so out of hand that Brady’s former teammate Julian Edelman stepped in to come to his former QB’s rescue.
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Many NFL analysts criticized Brady’s ‘robotic’ on-camera performance with former Patriots teammate Antonio Brown leading the charge. AB called out Fox for signing Brady without ‘listening to him say words‘ while others called for the return of Greg Olsen.
Brady was visibly uncomfortable and picked a very analytical approach while discussing the game, unlike his commentary partner Kevin Burkhardt, who was enthusiastic while driving the conversation with ease.
When Edelman was asked about Brady’s broadcast performance on the Rich Eisen show, he appreciated Brady’s ‘1st attempt’ while recalling his own experience of facing the TV camera. He was optimistic about Brady’s ability to learn on the job and claimed that he’s going to get better with time.
“Tom in anything he does uh having that one rep is going to make him better for the next one and I know he’s going to be out home going over all the games and going over his game and self scouting to see what he can do better but I think it was a great starting point for Tom.”
Last year, Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox to join the network as a color commentator and after a bunch of short TV appearances, he finally made his debut as a full-time NFL broadcaster replacing Greg Olsen.
He has been the center of media attention for most of his football career and his broadcast debut was no different, with many people commenting on his ability to do the job, including NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson, who was particularly brutal with his comments on Brady.
Scott Hanson issues apology to Brady for his comments
Hanson claimed that Brady was ‘not excited enough‘ to be in the commentary booth. His reaction came after listening to Brady’s commentary over Brandon Aubrey’s record-breaking 71-yard field goal attempt.
In the 2nd quarter of the game, Cowboys’ Aubrey kicked the ball for a field goal from 66 yards, but the goal was not recorded as the clock ran out of time. The goal would have tied Aubrey with Ravens’ kicker Tucker for the longest field goal in the NFL. The frustrated coach McCarthy sent him to try a 71-yard kick attempt but decided against it in the timeout and called him back.
After Aubrey’s video criticizing Brady went viral, he posted an apology calling his comments ‘unfair & inconsiderate’ and added that he was rooting for Brady’s new career.
Tom Brady’s debut performance left a lot to be desired, but if there is one thing we can say for sure about Brady, it is that he doesn’t shy away from taking criticism and will come back stronger.
