Tom Brady's NFL broadcasting debut drew a mixed reaction from fans. However, it made a much stronger impact on broadcasting legend Al Michaels.
Brady was tasked with calling the Dallas Cowboys vs. Cleveland Browns game alongside Kevin Burkhardt. In a 33-17 victory for the Cowboys, Michaels praised Brady's ability to keep fans entertained despite the blowout, via Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated.
“Outstanding coming out of the gate,” Michaels said. “He had a nice flow with Kevin Burkhardt. I found it to be a very comfortable listen. People expecting Tom to deliver things from the Holy Grail, no. The game was not a compelling game.”
“Tom did something that's very hard to do. He kept the audience in a blowout, and a road blowout on top of that. Some of the things Tom talked about in the fourth quarter made me not want to hit the remote to go to another game.”
Michaels specifically acknowledged how Brady broke down playing against a Mike Zimmer defense. He summed Brady's debut up as, “terrific” in what was an overall glowing review for the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
It is a bit out of the norm from the takes that have shrouded Brady since the Cowboys-Browns matchup. Even former teammate Rob Gronkowski had words of criticism, labeling it a ‘rookie debut' from Brady.
Still, Fox Sports believes Tom Brady has what it takes to be a standout broadcaster. They paid him $375 million over 10 years to do just that.
Al Michaels has been in the broadcast booth since 1971. He knows what it takes to succeed on a national stage. Based on the hype, fans are expecting Brady to as good of a broadcaster as he was a quarterback. Despite the first week jitters, Michaels is in the same boat as Fox and knows Brady's second life in football is off to a solid start.
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