Ahead of his first Super Bowl as an announcer, everyone — and we mean everyone — is weighing in on Tom Brady. The seven-time Super Bowl champion had an uneven first season as an announcer, with some like Awful Announcing’s Ben Axelrod wondering if he was even a fit for broadcasting. But leading into Super Bowl LIX, Brady has been at his best. We just need to find a way to get The Herd guest Brady in the broadcast booth.
Easier said than done.
But not everyone commenting on Brady’s prowess — or lack thereof — as an announcer will be listening to him. We’ve seen those like Al Michaels and Phil Simms offer him a word (or a few) of advice. On the other hand, close Brady confidants are hyping him up, including New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, someone near and dear to the NFL on Fox analyst.
Whether Kraft has actually listened to Brady as an announcer is anyone’s guess. With him being in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX, Kraft will almost certainly not listen to a word Brady has to say unless the box he’s sitting in in the Caesars Superdome is tuned up with the NFL on Fox broadcast.
Still, the 83-year-old Kraft chimed in. During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, he had nothing but praise for his former quarterback and close, personal friend.
“I think the way he has presented the nuances of the game, things that fans would never see, is truly special and unique, and Fox was brilliant to attract him,” Kraft said.
And if you watch Brady on The Herd, he’s a lot less timid than he is in the booth or at his own roast — one that Kraft even participated in — for that matter. Brady was protective of Kraft during said roast, and as his broadcasting abilities have come into question, Kraft is now there to run interference for him.
With Super Bowl LIX on the horizon, Brady is still clearly a work in progress as an announcer. And Fox might’ve been brilliant to attract him, but it’ll take more than Kraft’s praise to turn Brady into the broadcast star they’re hoping for.