Tom Brady has improved drastically as an NFL broadcaster. Here’s how.

November 28, 2024

This Thanksgiving, Tom Brady can be thankful for the 21 NFL games (including playoffs) he will broadcast for FOX before Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans.

He’ll need every single one to prepare for the big game – and if his progress in the first 11 games he’s been behind the microphone for is any indication, he’ll be there along with the play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt continues to improve.

Burkhardt and Brady will tip the scales on Turkey Day when the New York Giants take on the Dallas Cowboys (FOX, 4:30 p.m. ET). Before that, however, USA TODAY Sports reviewed all of Brady’s calls to date and discovered four ways the seven-time Super Bowl champion has improved since his shaky debut in Week 1 in Cleveland.

(FOX Sports had no comment for this story and did not make Brady or anyone associated with the No. 1 broadcast team available for interviews.)

Less like a crowd on the pitch, more like a fireside chat

For some reason, Brady announces like he’s still calling plays to his teammates in the huddle. Burkhardt is standing right next to him and the excitement is at least rousing. He’s also made it quieter over the season, and the volume control definitely makes for a better listening experience. The crowd noise in the stadium is definitely a factor, but he had to figure out that he had a microphone to his mouth and that shouting wasn’t necessary – even though the enthusiasm seemed authentic.

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Brady spoke like a composer, adding staccato notes to his delivery at the start of the season. The five-time Super Bowl MVP has smoothed out his speech as he feels more comfortable.

From dead air to a stream of consciousness

The beginning of Brady’s broadcasting career was difficult to judge because he didn’t say much. There was a long silence during the FOX broadcasts in September. Burkhardt would trick him and Brady would either say nothing or say too little – and it’s difficult to find a balance. Producers always tell talent to come in and out with their arguments; Brady probably took this too literally at first, but has started to find a rhythm with that in mind. Burkhardt’s patience and willingness to be a good teammate were key.

Of course, the restrictions the NFL has placed on Brady since he first agreed to buy into the Las Vegas Raiders ownership group limit how critical he can be of the referees and the league as a whole. But Brady has shown more of what was on his mind during games.

Shut down the “Romo” in him

Thursday marks the fifth Cowboys game Burkhardt and Brady have played this season (the first since Week 6). Tony Romo, the former Cowboys quarterback and CBS’s No. 1 analyst, has become known for the various “oohs” and “ahhs” he lets out during a telecast. And Brady definitely has some of that in him – back to the excitement that’s in his calls. Sometimes it can be distracting, especially when Burkhardt is in the middle of a conversation. Big plays almost always seem to have a Brady exclamation point.

“Throw it up!” Brady said as Jordan Love made a free play in the red zone during last week’s San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers contest.

It might be better for Brady to save these brief outbursts for the most dramatic moments.

Reconcile gaming experiences with what he sees

Early in the second quarter during the Packers-Niners game last week, Brady mentioned how the season for the New England Patriots really began after Thanksgiving most years during a conversation about up-and-coming contenders in the NFL this season.

Broadcasts have to do more than the game in front of them. (Plowouts are usually a good opportunity.) Brady clearly has a breadth of knowledge of the league, and he’s definitely shown more of it lately. However, a report from Puck News states that FOX would like to see him talk more about what actually happens on the court.

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