NFL icon Tom Brady picks his top Week 1 QB (and it’s not Josh Allen)
Tom Brady made his much-awaited broadcast debut on Sunday, accompanying Kevin Burkhardt in the Dallas Cowboys-Cleveland Browns game on Sunday. He's now offering his takes on the best performances of Week 1.
Discussing the best quarterback performance of the first week, Brady snubbed Josh Allen, who ran for two touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals, and picked Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield, who went off on the Washington Commanders.
"Down in Tampa Bay, Baker Mayfield threw four touchdowns, two to my boy Mike Evans, one to Chris Godwin. What a performance," Brady said. "Baker, I wish I took you in fantasy but a great start finding Mike, finding Chris, having that type of performance at home. That's exactly what the team needs. Great job."
Several players had remarkable performances during Week 1, especially at QB. C.J. Stroud picked up where he left off last season, Sam Darnold outplayed Daniel Jones, Derek Carr dominated the Panthers and more.
Josh Allen put on a show with the Bills, missing only five of 23 pass attempts, connecting for 232 yards and two touchdowns while also finding the end zone twice on the ground.
As for Baker, he attempted 30 passes, completing 24, for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Mayfield was one of the biggest surprises last year, and he's off to a great start in 2024, even without Dave Canales, his offensive coordinator last season, on the sidelines. The veteran feels comfortable in Tampa, which makes the game easier for him.
It shouldn't have been an easy choice, but Tom Brady had a clear winner between the two veterans.
Tom Brady's broadcasting debut deemed a 'disaster'
Plenty of fans waited to see how Tom Brady would fare in his broadcasting debut after signing a massive contract with Fox Sports. His first participation didn't please Ryan Whitney, a former NHLer and podcaster who ripped Brady's TV debut.
"Tom Brady was an absolute disaster, I thought, in the first (broadcasting) game of his career," Whitney said on Tuesday. "He signed (for) $375 million. … I believe he burped at one point in the middle of the broadcast."
He acknowledged that TB12 can still improve and offer a better product to fans.
"First game's hard," Whitney said. "First game's hard, and I think you'd naturally get better. ... So, Brady will probably kind of, like he came into the NFL, slowly and surely, and the momentum builds. I think he would be good. He's great at everything he does."
It'll be interesting to see what adjustments Brady makes.