"Sometimes, be quiet": NFL commentary experts advise Tom Brady as retired icon preps for FOX debut
Tom Brady bagged a very lucrative deal in March this year to appear as Fox's lead color commentator. The 10-year contract, which will pay him $375 million, is the biggest ever for a sports commentator.
However, there was some apprehension that he might not go through with it. NFL owners slapped strict restrictions on his broadcasting plans if he opted to become a limited partner with the Las Vegas Raiders.
While Tom Brady himself has not said anything on the matter, NFL commentary giants have poured in with sage advice to help the 7x Super Bowl champion as he prepares for his Fox debut.
Former Giants QB Phil Simms, who was also a longtime color commentator for CBS, had this to say to him:
"Keeping it concise is a huge deal. I’ve never heard one complaint about an announcer who doesn’t talk enough. Not one. I learned this: Sometimes you’ve gotta take plays off. I had a sign that reminded me: ‘Shut up.’ Sometimes, be quiet, let the play-by-play guy tell a story or a fact about someone between plays." (H/T The New York Post)
Al Michaels, the play-by-play man of Amazon Prime Video's "Thursday Night Football," said that Tom Brady should also focus on developing a great relationship with his partner, Kevin Burkhardt.
"One of the keys to success will be to develop a great rhythm with Kevin Burkhardt. Kevin’s a pro, so I see that happening sooner than later." (H/T The New York Post)
Producer of the famed Pat Summerall and John Madden duo, Bob Stenner, echoed Simms's thoughts and said that the key to success as a commentator is brevity.
"The job is to get him in a comfortable place to deliver how he sees the game to the viewer. In the football game, you talk about the play and then you have to be succinct to get out, so when the offense breaks the huddle, you turn it back to Burkhardt. Those are all mechanical things that he’ll get real quick." (H/T The New York Post)
Fox LA studio "almost shut down" for Tom Brady
Whenever Tom Brady showed up at Fox's most important studio in Los Angeles, he received "an almost presidential-level of security." Not just that, the studio was also almost "completely shut down" to give Brady the privacy to work with the producers and other commentators.
However, Brady is taking this head-on with a beginner's mindset. He said:
"I’m the rookie. I want to be a good teammate." (H/T The Athletic)
Alongside former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick's broadcast debut, this will be one of the highlights of the season.