After the two of them shared the NFC South in 2020, Drew Brees may soon be sharing an analyst desk with Tom Brady after signing a multi-year deal to be Fox Sports’ newest NFL game analyst. The former face of the New Orleans Saints is expected to take Mark Sanchez’ role alongside the network’s play-by-play announcer, Adam Amin, beginning in Week 11.
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Funnily enough, the two legends were actually seen competing against each other in a passing accuracy challenge on the Dude Perfect YouTube channel as the news was announced. Although, they were more focused on the task at hand rather than the idea of potentially working behind a desk together.
After Brady began to struggle with the ‘hard’ part of the challenge, he jokingly suggested that “If there’s anyone who can do this, it’s Drew Brees.” Fittingly enough, however, Brady managed to win the challenge by nailing the ‘impossible’ target on his 12th attempt, and while everyone else was busy celebrating and applauding the throw, he was simply turning his back to the target and showcasing the dead-eyed, competitive stare that helped to make him a household name.
Of course, Brees is much more worried about his upcoming opportunity with Fox. The soon-to-be NFL Hall of Famer infamously struggled throughout his tenure with NBC and their Sunday Night Football Crew, which only lasted for one season.
Bill Simmons described Brees as a “corpse” of a commentator, suggesting that he be fed a healthy stream of coffee prior to his next appearance on camera. Former linebacker and Fox Sports Radio host, LaVar Arrington, even went as far as to claim that neither NBC nor the Saints “really wanted” Brees, and that the former quarterback was simply “crying out for attention.”
Nevertheless, Brees is ready to prove them wrong, as exemplified by his August interview with Dan Patrick, in which he stated “I’d step in the booth right now and be a top-three guy, without question. And then give me a few years and I could be the best.”
Thanks to Fox Sports, he now has the opportunity to prove it, and if his history tells us anything, it’s that he’ll likely be a more polished product this time around. He’s now had three years to learn from his mistakes, to improve upon his delivery, and to realize that Americans and television executives tend to prioritize entertainment over bland analysis.
There will be plenty of narratives and redemption arcs to look out for in Week 11, with Brees’ being one of them. Thankfully, the reports of a multi-year deal imply that he’ll actually be given a fair chance this time around, so fans won’t have to worry about him being ushered off after one bad performance.
If anything NBC should have been the ones catching flack over his botched appearance in the 2021 playoffs, as we all know what the former Saint is capable when given an adequate amount of time and opportunity to prepare.
