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Tom Brady is going to get better in the broadcast booth. At least, that’s what former teammate Logan Ryan, who spent time with Brady in both New England and Tampa Bay, believes. Brady is set to enter his second season as a color analyst for Fox after what many decried as a difficult start to his 10-year, $375 million deal with the network. But Ryan says there’s plenty of reason for optimism.
“What Tom is doing, it’s never been done, having the GOAT of their sport commentate game to game,” Ryan told Front Office Sports. “I don’t see Tiger Woods commentating The Masters. I don’t see Wayne Gretzky commentating hockey games week in and week out. I never saw Michael Jordan commentating 82 basketball games.
“We’ve never seen the greatest do that. We’ve seen guys do a halftime hit. You know, we might see Shaq and Chuck and those guys at halftime, but calling the games is a big leap because you’re up for so much scrutiny. You’re going to make a mistake in three hours of people listening to your voice.”
Fans often criticized Brady for being too rigid and too robotic on the mic. Even Greg Olsen, the former Pro Bowl tight end whose role Brady took at Fox, was critical of his performance.
Logan Ryan Explains Why Tom Brady Is Bound To Improve In The Broadcast Booth
We have, however, seen plenty of players go from professional sports careers to successful broadcasting careers. So what makes Brady any different from players like Olsen or Troy Aikman? Ryan says that Brady sometimes struggles to feel comfortable in the way he communicates. But he also says the six-time Super Bowl winning QB is bound to improve because of his work ethic.
“I thought he got better throughout the year,” Ryan said. “I know everybody was blown away by his work ethic and just his personality. He’s a really good dude. So I think he got better. I enjoyed him doing the Super Bowl. And if I know Tom, I know he’s going to put the work in to improve.”
Maybe Brady gets better. It’s hard to imagine he could possible get worse. But charisma isn’t something that comes with hard work. And in year one, Brady was the definition of a charisma vacuum. So here’s hoping Ryan is onto something, or it’s NFL fans who will suffer.