Tom Brady's second time in front of the microphone appears to have gone a lot better than his first.
Brady, who called the Cowboys' game for the second straight week on Sunday, seemed more comfortable in his new $375 million job with Fox after a shaky debut, and showed a bit more enthusiasm while criticizing Dak Prescott during Dallas' blowout loss to the Saints.
The 47-year-old Brady didn't initially ease up on his attack when Prescott missed Ezekiel Elliott's first down attempt that could have been a touchdown with the Cowboys trailing by 19 in the third quarter, but then reprimanded him two plays later when Prescott fumbled and Dallas settled for a 40-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 35-19.
“Once again, Dak missed the ball, and the first-down play ended up costing him,” Brady said. Front Office Sports“It doesn't all come down to third place. [down]”… If you get him open, you've got to attack him.”
Brady also provided some strong analysis when Cowboys second-year receiver Jalen Brooks slipped, leading to Prescott's interception late in the second quarter.
The Saints scored a touchdown on their next possession to take a 35-13 lead.
Play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhart asked Brady if he would turn to Brooks after the mistake or if his confidence in the quarterback had waned.
“Not today,” Brady said without hesitation. “It's actually pretty hard to go back there because you know where he is and you say, 'Yeah, I'm going to go to him, but I can't count on him staying up.' Obviously, you trust him to do the right thing, but can he make the play? At the end of the day, can he go out there and execute it?”
Brady's insight was on display when he used Telestrator to analyze Saints receiver Chris Olave's 39-yard catch-and-run that led to New Orleans' first touchdown, noting that pre-snap motion forced Dallas linebackers to communicate before the Saints' speedy receiver exposed the Cowboys' zone coverage.
Brady also called Saints quarterback Derek Carr, ” 10 centsLate in the first quarter, he scored a touchdown with a 70-yard pass to Rashid Shahid.
Brady occasionally reverts to clichés, at one point Awkward interjectionsViewers, in general, seem to be more favorably disposed toward Brady as an announcer.
“Tom Brady is unfortunately providing some good, non-cliché insights these days,” says Ollie Connolly, author of The Read Optional newsletter. I wrote to X“He's calm, confident and even sounds like he's having fun. Who knew, with his murderously competitive nature, he might end up being good at this.”
