Tom Brady returning to football, and he'll probably quickly become a great announcer
The greatest player in NFL history is coming to Fox.
No, Tom Brady isn't coming out of retirement again. Instead, he's bound for the announcers booth where he'll begin calling games weekly on the network.
It sounds like Brady will be replacing Greg Olsen as the top analyst for Fox getting the biggest games of the week on the station that airs mostly NFC games.
A lot of people will hate this. Brady is loved by fans in New England, where he won six Super Bowls, and Tampa Bay, where he finished up his career and won another championship. In many other cities, he's not loved.
That will change.
Here's why Brady could grow into one of the best commentators in the history of the game.
Tom Brady is likable
You might not like him because he beat your team, but ask anyone who has ever played with him (with the exception of maybe Antonio Brown) and you'll hear a different story. Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman have done a fine job swapping Brady stories on Edelman’s podcast, and he just sounds like a fun guy to be around. The way these fun loving guys talk about him, I think we'll see a different side of him.
Tom Brady knows football
Sure, he had a cannon for an arm and a lot of talented players around him, but Brady's mind for the game is what made him a winner. Just about everyone who makes the NFL has a good mind for the game, but Brady's is next level. The viral video of him yelling "Gronk, stand up" before taking a snap shows he knows not only his job, but everyone's job. Even what kind of stance they should be in.
He's not Tony Romo
The NFL has a plethora of very good announcers, but the top analyst on CBS, the other network that airs games on Sunday afternoons, has former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo calling the games. He was incredible his first few years; now he sounds like my father-in-law. At least if I watch the game with him, I get free beer.
He's a worker
Romo just doesn't seem to prepare for the games. That won't be a problem with Brady. If he attacks this next job like his previous job, Brady will probably annoy executives, coaches and players with the extra preparation he brings to the game. Stories of Brady preparing for games are legendary. It's hard to see him not taking this job just as serioiusly.
Brady is a team player
Brady isn't starting off on the right foot. Because he's coming on board, Olsen, who has done a fine job as the top Fox analyst, will be bumped down the totem pole. It's a shame because he doesn't deserve that. But Brady is making a lot of money, and Fox didn't sign him to be a backup.
I don't think it will take long for Brady to lose that taint. He doesn't seem to be a ''me" guy. In fact, when Mohamed Sanu was traded from the Falcons to the Patriots at the tail end of Brady's time there, he not only picked him up at the airport, but he also volunteered to let Sanu have his No. 12, the number Sanu wore in Atlanta. Sanu declined, but how many GOATs will give up their number to a new guy?
He has a legacy he doesn't want tarnished
People who know the game have the utmost respect for Brady for his accomplishments. Other players love him. But Brady knows that he has a chance to be the greatest commentator in the game. He's not now, but if you put together his strengths and the amazing opportunity he has of being the main guy on a network that airs some of the best games of the season, people will be watching. He'll be the best player in NFL history until someone else wins eight Super Bowls, but this job is a completely new challenge. Brady will not want to be known as the terrible analyst who was once a great player.
History says he'll be as good as the 'Manningcast'
Brady doesn't lose to Peyton Manning. Occasionally, Brady would slip up and the Colts would beat the Patriots, but for the most part, Brady owns Manning. Scratch that, for the most part, Brady owns Peyton. But the other half of the Manningcast is 2-0 against Brady in the Super Bowl. So little brother will help big brother here. The Manningcast is probably the best way to watch football. If Brady can make it that much fun, he'll earn that massive contract.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Tom Brady will quickly become a great analyst for Fox. Here's why.
